Lucky Girl - Completed

oh cool, I'm glad you liked that. I really wasn't sure what to do to mimic the way that she would have been seeing things while drunk, but that motion blur seems to have done the trick! Yes good catch! These chapters are kind of slow, and I'm aware of that (and a little self-conscious, honestly) but it's all needed to take Evie from one place into another & to show the slow building up of her confidence and transformation of her life. Marnie isn't great as a person, but Evie feels she needs her right now, so i guess why not. Dean.... I'm reluctant to say what I think about him for now so I can let people form their own opinions, but there may or may not be a vibe... haha, wait and see!!

Does Evie still want to go clubbing and hang out with Marnie and Dean after all that drama? I think the allure is too strong...Hopefully Claire and Dean will still be there for her when it goes wrong at the club...Oh Evie...

Poor Evie is pretty lost right now but doesn't see it - she's convinced that she wants this clubbing life over something that she considers "boring" like Claire's friends night in. We'll see what she decides regarding NYE... I don't want to spoil a thing!!

Right! Marnie is like a more self aware insidious version of Kelly. Someone told me once that you're doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over until you face them and deal with them, and that's what i'm trying to reflect with Marnie. She's familiar and comfortable for Evie because she's known friendships like this before, but it doesn't mean she's a good person to have around. Evie admits in an earlier chapter to not even liking her that much, she's just easy for her to have around, so that's it. Perhaps she'll learn from this friendship that this isn't what she wants..

Stephen.. yes, there was no way she was going to go there, she was too repulsed by him but it's a shame that she felt she needed to do something like that to "get over" Jude. You're so right, nothing would work with Jude right now anyway - even if he wasn't ghosting her it'd still be a mess. Sometimes it's really hard to let go of your feelings for someone though, especially if they're intense ones, and especially if you've never felt them before that person came along. About what Evie is doing with her new gang, she doesn't need to leave everything behind to get over a hurtful situation, but unfortunately she's inclined to run away from her problems, so becoming a different person is her way of doing that at the moment.

Hahaha I have big plans for Dean, and actually the blocking moment is the catalyst for a lot more stuff that will go down. There's a specific reason he would have done something like that and it's something that Evie won't understand for a while. For sure though, Dean seems alright, like maybe slightly off but compared to some of the other creatures Evie's come into contact with he's really not all that bad.

Oh wow, Marnie is far more toxic then I realized. She’s just Kelly with money and a sense of entitlement. To have access to money like she does and to bully somebody you’re friendly with and is struggling to make ends meet is really low. I’m feeling like her ‘friendship’ with Evie is simply a means to show off and inflate her sense of superiority. Evie is so determined and desperate to break away from who she was and where she came from that she is making terrible choices. I hope she doesn’t have too hard a fall before she finds herself.

Marnie is a more toxic Kelly for sure. She's got very similar characteristics only is much better at weaponizing them. I've just finished writing a chapter where you can see this play out more clearly, but yeah. I hate her, I think she's awful through and through. Marnie's deal is that she's so wealthy and so privileged that she wouldn't remotely understand what it's like for Evie to have nothing. For her, five euro is so insignificant but for Evie it's actually a lot. She could make that stretch very far if she had to. She's also at the end of term, so all of her government benefit money has run out.. it's just a very awkward situation between them where they cannot see eye to eye. You can see how out of touch Marnie is, she hangs out with Evie and acts "poor" because it's like a fun costume to her, and she can just switch it off whenever she wants.

14.

Jude's summer home is quite fancy. I love the detail of how messy its inhabitants are and that they leave their electronics all over the place. I wish Evie would look at herself in the mirror and think, "I'm gorgeous!" Her Sim is conventionally beautiful.

Regarding the music festival -- On one hand, it seems that Jude is encouraging Evie to think independently. On the other hand, he's being clear about what he likes and he's encouraging her to do what he likes. Poor Evie is such a people-pleaser. I think she'll have a good time at the festival (hopefully), but it seems like she's still trying to avoid conflict at all costs… the only thing that's changed is that it's clear she can avoid some conflict with Jude if she goes.

15.

I wonder why Jude doesn’t wake Evie up and instead lets her sleep and have a maybe slightly embarrassing encounter with the rest of the house.

Kelly:

“You have no clue what it feels like to be forgotten though, really, do you? You’re the only child, and your parents just dote over you, they give you everything you ask for. There’s nobody to compare you to ever, you’re just so perfect, you’re such a lucky girl who has it all.”

Evie:

"She’s not annoyed because I forgot about our arrangement, she’s filled with bitterness over the fact that there exists a group of people who like me more than her. Over the fact that I’m not second best like I was when we were younger, back when she got to be the loudest one in the classroom and dazzled everyone around her while I sat back smiling mildly. She wanted me to be her plain, quiet little mousy friend who faded into the background, wallpaper, barely even perceptible, and now she’s furious with me for growing up. She’s been furious with me for a long time, so much now that she can barely even conceal it."

Wow. These two are so toxic for each other that I don't even know what to say. Their conversation only gets worse too… but at least Evie is standing up for herself.

16-17

I wish Evie would live more for herself. She's so caught up in worrying about what others' think that she's turned what's supposed to be fun into a stressful event where she needs to be constantly aware of if she's being perceived as cool enough by others.

The way Jude talks about Liam is a little disturbing. He gives me slightly bad vibes. Evie's thoughts also give me bad vibes. She's too into wanting to please Jude and analyzing his every movement to prove to herself that she's somehow lacking. But I recognize that it’s hard for her to control her feelings and she’s making an effort to have positive thoughts.

Evie being assaulted and thinking it's just a right-of-passage/part of being a girl is heartbreaking.

On a side note, I love how you set up the festival. Every image looks great, with my fav being Evie standing out from the lights behind her. The way you used the decosims was excellent. They blended in extremely well.

18-20

He would do absolutely anything for her. Everybody would, she’s just one of those perfect girls.

Evie’s “friendship” with Kelly is toxic, but I think Evie’s friendship with Claire is also lacking. I wish that Evie would see Claire as human instead of constantly being in awe of her. If Claire ever had any problems, I feel like Evie wouldn’t be able to see them as significant because she’s always describing Claire as this lucky, perfect girl.

Jude's friends don't seem particularly genuine or to respect him that much… It's sad. Evie wanting to steal one of his books is also sad. I agree with everyone that this may be a case of right person, wrong time. :(

It's almost hilarious that he never wakes her up.

The only trouble is that Evie is in love with him. Even if she sees him act out in front of her, she won't see it negatively. He tells his sister she's bad at playing the piano? Oh well, I guess he's just being silly. It's nice to see him play with her. He's constantly doing wrong, but she won't see it like that.

Interesting. I took him at face value when he said that and thought that he was rudely telling his sister the truth. She hasn't practiced all summer and she's young, so I assumed that she must be bad too and that her teacher would tell her off when she got back to class. Evie also describes Ivy's playing as jarring.

Now, I’m lucky because I can read at my own pace, but when I finally catch up, I’ll have to wait in suspense for the next chapter just like everyone else. I look forward to that, though.

Thanks! I actually didn't make this build, I rarely make them because they're so time consuming & that one was so different to how I'd pictured it in my head, but I think it's a gorgeous building all the same. I was inspired by these corrugated iron houses I spotted nestled among the dunes on a beach last summer and thought - oh wow, what kind of people could afford to have a holiday home like that? That's where the idea for Jude came from.

15: good point hahaha - I guess he didn't want to disturb her but he could have thought that through more, as it was pretty awkward for her to have to emerge alone.

Also, yeah, Kelly and Evie totally hate each other. This chapter was meant to be the big "reveal" that actually, Kelly secretly dislikes Evie as much as Evie dislikes her, and they both have reasons to be jealous and believe the other is a terrible friend. They're a bad bad match, but at least Evie stands up for herself here because that friendship was nothing but a mess.

16-17: Evie worries, worries, worries in part 1 and never enjoys herself. She'll learn but obviously she's supremely insecure. I see what you mean about Jude's words about Liam, although he's trying to be funny more than anything. He has very little respect for him, and even more because he was probably jealous and bitter that someone who he considered to be a bit of a loser was able to score a girl that he - Jude - was interested in. I'd say he's a bad loser (and a bad winner) and has an entitlement complex but doesn't mean genuine harm.

Ugh yes - I know. Unfortunately this is something I used to feel too, like if something ever happened you'd feel like you needed to be quiet about it because it shouldn't be a big deal, but thankfully society has progressed so much past that point that very few would put up with it now. In small rural places here the old attitudes still persist, but we're moving on up & improving all the time. I hope.

Thanks so much! I loved making this chapter & it was the first time I used deco sims. I was so happy with how it turned out, and I'm glad that you noticed the effort

18 - 20: Evie and Claire are good friends, and they'll only become closer after this but it certainly will take a while for Evie to see Claire as a real flesh and blood human rather than some angelic specimen that she can only aspire to be. Claire is meant to be there as an aspirational figure, because things in her life work out at the same time as they don't work out for Evie. It's hard for her to look at her friends achievements and assets reflected back on her and not see herself as lacking in comparison. This is what I was getting at with the title of the story, kind of. Each of these girls is looking at one another and believing that one is luckier than the other, the point being that you're never satisfied with what you have.

Jude has good friends like Shane and Jen but those girls are toxic. A reflection of the kinds of attitudes that will prevail during the college chapters.

Hahahhaha - I guess there's a running theme here. Jude is just very bad at waking Evie up at crucial times.

Interesting. I took him at face value when he said that and thought that he was rudely telling his sister the truth. She hasn't practiced all summer and she's young, so I assumed that she must be bad too and that her teacher would tell her off when she got back to class. Evie also describes Ivy's playing as jarring.

Actually, I'm glad you said this, because I have this horrible habit of second guessing myself and starting to feel unsure about what I've written. When this scene played out in my head, Jude was just messing around the way that older brothers do sometimes and it really wasn't intended to be mean. When it was out there though I thought "Oh darn, maybe I overplayed his teasing and he seems like a horrible guy now" so I just accepted it and rolled with it and thought "hey, yeah I guess he's the worst." I suppose the lesson is to be more confident in my writing. I always default to assuming I could have done something better with it lol.

Woo! You're so close to catching up now, and I'm curious to hear what you think of the next part, which is a bit of a shift in tone.

Thanks for taking the time to comment & read! <3

OK, so he and Evie weren't a good match but there's a lot to like about Liam. He helps his dad, he gives to his community, he's great with kids. In short, for a guy of 18 he knows the value of responsibility and as you've said: Eventually he'll be fine and I think he'll do well when among more mature and less selfish people.

I like Shane and Claire as well. Shane's kind of got a Chandler Byng quality about him: Quick with the wit and repartee and initially you might be mistaken for thinking he's a jerk but he's always there to help when needed and his friendships are long lasting and deep. I also like that he's reasonably good looking, but not super hot, but he's managed to pull Claire who is one of the best looking Sims I've seen. It shows that Claire's primarily attracted to Shane because of his character and personality because she could easily attract someone who's in Jude's league for looks.

Speaking of Jude...he bears a striking resemblance to the French actor Alain Delon. Delon's eyes are blue but apart from that there's a strong resemblance.

I thought Jude's scenes with his sister were revealing about his character and his family dynamic, especially after his parents show up. The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.