Oooh! Another lurker delurking? That's great. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for the kind words! I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed it so far.

You totally should work on a story of your own! You could always do a shorter one-shot story to get yourself started. Not many people do those, but it would be a great thing to see. I also love seeing other people's versions of the Maxis sims, since that's the fun of the Maxis characters - that so many people can do their own take on it all (and I'm with you on the especially Ripp part - it's not hard to tell that I have a soft spot for him).