Opening and ending animated by Studio DEEN.The entertainment world may be wild and unpredictable, but Sian's about to learn there's also a lot to love. When a sudden accident topples her plans for a smooth college life, she realizes she must put her own makeup skills to use if she wants to make it through the year. As the daughter of a professional makeup artist, she knows how stressful and uncertain work can be, and she aspires to something more stable. The glamor and glitz of showbiz hold little appeal for Sian.

Work with upcoming talent or established pros? Focus on your schoolwork, or use your industry connections to climb the ladder and land a job as a high-ranking producer? Date a famous actor, cultivate romance with a fresh-faced pop star, or strike out on your own? The choices are yours (and yours alone)! Play as makeup artist Sian Goodin as she navigates the world of showbiz. To read previous High Road columns, go to /highroad.A visual novel/sim game about life, love, and working in the entertainment industry. But maybe next time, you all just go to the mall. Explain good-naturedly that it was next-to-impossible-in-fact-harder-than-giving-birth to get those backstage passes, but you really hope that she has luck doing so, “and here’s the contact name and number so you can ask.” Assume that this was an unusual manipulative lapse into bad judgment on the part of a mother trying to prevent hard feelings between siblings.

Since your friend made an unilateral decision to buy that extra ticket, tap into her independent streak. You and your daughter get to do something really cool together that she will long remember.

It’s a shame that your friend is putting you in this awkward position when you have done something so generous for her. Low road: Tell your friend you’ll meet her and her two girls at the event, but “accidentally” give her the wrong date. This puts me in a difficult position, since I had to jump through hoops to make the backstage thing happen because of strict security. An hour later, she called me back and said she’d bought an additional ticket for her older daughter (whom we barely know) and is “really hoping” that she can come backstage, too. My daughter, who is the same age as hers, also will be with us. The problem: I gave a friend and her daughter tickets to a special event, which includes backstage passes to meet the entertainer.

Star backstage pass game