Down & Out in Del Sol – Ch 5: One Star Celebrity

Orchid A-Go-Go Club, Wednesday, midnight

Enthused by her $4 simoleon tip from Holly Alto, Mariel decided to play the guitar a bit longer at the club. She desperately needed some simoleons. She needed some type of shelter. She didn’t know how long it would take to build a house, and she didn’t even know where to start. All Mariel knew was that she didn’t have many days left until her trial gym membership ran out, and then she would be living on the streets again. Mariel was determined that she wasn’t going to let that happen to her. It was already after midnight and the lounge seemed to be overrun with celebrities. Mariel could hardly believe her luck! Maybe she could meet them all and get their autograph. She saw Octavia Moon by the door, and…..oh my gosh! She looked around and then she spotted him. It was him! Really him! The sim she had dreamed about and even written a fan letter to once. It was Dustin Broke. She had to meet him. She had had a crush on him for too long not to. Oh sure, she had a crush on Thorne Bailey, too, but the difference between Thorne and Dustin was that Dustin was single!

She went over and casually commented on his headphones. Mariel knew that these were his own celebrity-endorsed Beats headphones. She had read all about him. Memorized all his likes and dislikes. Dustin Broke was a famous B-Lister media production producer and internet personality. He had more than a zillion followers. Maybe more. She also saw Izzy Fabulous at the bar, but all she cared about right now was meeting Dustin. And before she knew it, she had asked Dustin for a hug. And he said he’d love to give her a “huggy”.It was only for a fleeting moment, but Mariel didn’t want to let go. He smelled so good, he felt so good, oh my gosh, she just didn’t want this to end. But, unfortunately, the hug ended all too soon, and then she heard him say, “Hey babe, maybe we can have a few?”Um, did he just ask her to have a drink with him? She and Dustin Broke? Had she heard him right? Were her dreams finally coming true? Maybe he had heard her sing? Maybe he wanted to produce a record with her? Then they would spend a lot of time together. Really get to know each other. He’d find out how fabulous she was and want to go out with her. Then they would fall madly in love and they would get married. All the other single women would be wildly jealous of her and her perfect life with Dustin. Oh my gosh, it was all going to happen. They got to the bar and before they even had a chance to order, all these paparazzi were suddenly snapping pics and calling his name. Dustin seemed bothered by all the publicity.

“Laterz,” he said as he exited the door of the club.

Mariel sighed after he left. Well, so much for her dream life with Dustin Broke. Mariel looked at the time. It was 2:00 a.m.! Oh my gosh! What was she still doing here? She had an audition at noon. She needed to get some rest. She headed back to the gym and expected it to be empty as usual. But when she got there the place was packed. What had happened to her quiet little gym area? She’d been invaded. What were all these sims doing here? How was she going to get some sleep with all these sims here? And then she saw her. Of course, it was Octavia Moon. Octavia was Thorne Bailey’s wife, and a famous best selling author herself. It seemed Octavia was holding a Fan Meet and Greet in the gym bathroom. There were paparazzi taking pics, fans yelling her name, while other fans screamed and fainted. All the while Octavia was smiling and signing autographs for fans. Oh, what was Mariel going to do? She needed to get some rest. And then she heard Octavia say that she could only sign a few more autographs because she had to head home. Oh, my word! It was Mariel’s chance to get another autograph, so she held up her hand and asked for one. And boom, Mariel got an autograph. Shortly after that, everyone seemed to dissipate as Octavia headed out the door. Ahhh….finally, peace and quiet to get some shut-eye before her audition. With only a few hours of rest, Mariel felt energized but tense when she woke up. Maybe a bit of a workout before her audition would help her feel more relaxed. She quickly changed into some workout clothes and headed upstairs. Oops! Maybe she was more tired than she thought as she almost slipped and fell off the treadmill. Ugh! Where’s the off button? Well, that was enough exercise for today. She headed back downstairs, where she showered and used the facilities. She still had some time to kill before her audition and realized that she needed to take another gym promo pic. It was getting a bit busier now, so she thought she would head upstairs again. And how lucky was this? There were two celebrities who were working out. Mariel didn’t recognize one of the celebrities, but she did recognize Holly Alto! Oh, Holly probably didn’t remember her from last night. And Holly was using weights? She looked so fit and toned. Mariel quietly introduced herself and asked if Holly worked out at Pectoral Fitness a lot. Holly told Mariel she heard it was an up and coming fitness gym and was more than happy to talk about her workout routine.

Mariel wondered if Holly would pose for some photos to promote the gym, and Holly agreed. Wow, she was buff! Mariel snapped a shot, wrote a tagline and posted it on simstagram. Work like a Beast, Look Like a Beauty. #pectoralfitness #contest #HollyAlto #celebritysighting #workout #weightliftingAnd then she saw it. A paparazzi was taking a picture of her! Yes, her, Mariel! And another sim was looking her over. What had happened? She wasn’t famous. What was going on? Why would someone take a picture of her? Well, she didn’t have time to figure it all out as her audition was in less than half an hour. She headed over to the mirrors to psyche herself up and then she was off.

And just in time, too. Yes! After four grueling hours, she had passed her audition for the Makin’ Moosic commercial. The acting gig was scheduled for Friday at 7pm. 

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And then I got this notice. Yeah for Mariel! She was now a 1-star celebrity. Maybe that is why the paparazzi was taking her photo. I decided to go and see what fame perks she could get. Woot! I decided to give her the Noticeable Fame Trait. No fame quirk yet.

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Author’s Notes:

Under a freeway bridge in Mirage Park, is a tent city which is part of the neighborhood that you can’t access. As Del Sol is supposed to reflect Hollywood, this encampment provides a glimpse of reality that is unfortunately also a part of the Hollywood landscape: homeless tent cities. Read more about it here.

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