Chapter 30: Strangetown Stories

Strangetown Stories



Hey Kasson! Moved on to surfing the want ads for houses? Wasn't Salina's realtor able to help?

"Oh hey Babe. Well it's like this ya see. Lina's realtor, while real cool, was if anything too much help. She had all sorts to houses and stuff for me to look at and places ta go to. When I started looking I thought I like knew what I wanted in a house, but after looking at the first couple I realized there's like soooo many different styles and types and do ya like want new or to build or buy one that's pre-owned or... just... whoa Babe, I'm getting totally overwhelmed here."

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Yeah, I see what you mean. The real estate market in Strangetown and the surrounding area does seem to be booming. I can't blame you for not knowing what you want, what with so much to choose from.

"And with the Mom-babe like totally jumping all over me an trying ta set up my wedding, I'm really jonesing to get out of here an into my own place... well, I guess it'll be like our place, since my Keth-babe is gonna be there too. Whoa. Heh. I never looked at it that way."

Hmm... have you thought about possibly renting a place?

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"Rent, Babe?"

Yeah, until you find a place you really like. Or until the wedding or... until whatever. If you don't want to rent a house, you could get a nice apartment or maybe a condo instead. There's lots of places in the Strangetown Urban Complex. I'd say you could move in with SK, but her place isn't laid out well for more than one resident. That and you blend into the kitchen; I'd lose you every time you turned around.

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"Babe, that is totally an awesome idea! Like Why didn't I think of something like that? Heh. I guess that's like why you're The Babe. I'm pretty sure Lina's realtor said she had some awesome rockin rental pads. If you'll like excuse me here, I've got some folks I've totally gotta talk to about this."

Sure thing Kasson. I've got to go have a chat with SK anyway. Hopefully your mother hasn't scared the pants off her with all her wedding plans.

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"Uh huh... yeah... uh huh..."

Heya SK. Who's on the phone?

*hand over receiver* "It's Orrin."

Orrin? What's he calling you for?

"Beats me. He's been calling a lot since Lina's wedding. Maybe he's lonely at Hoh House or something."

Or something.

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"...what? Oh no, no, I'm here. I was just... ah... talking to Bibby."

Tell Orry that Bibby says you need to go.

"Uh huh... No, it's not like that Orry... Ah sorry sorry sorry..."

Sheesh, touchy ain't he? Tell the cheesehead bye-bye. I need to talk to you a moment.

"No Orrin I don't want... yes, I do... Of course I'm serious..."

*sigh* And I'm serious too. We need to discuss a couple things here.

"I need to go. I've got a bunch of stuff to do. Yes, some of it has to do with that. No I'm not changing my mind. *sigh* Yes, I'll talk to you later Orrin."

Oy, I never pegged Orrin as the clingy overlord type.

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"I would thank you for giving me an excuse to get Orrin off the phone, but I've got this bad feeling about you wanting to talk to me."

Why on earth would you have that? I don't want to talk to you about anything bad.

"You're going to tell me I can't marry Kasson, aren't you?"

What?! Why on earth would I do that?

"Well you whined and complained the whole time about us."

But I never stopped either of you, did I? And I certainly could've done so at any time, couldn't I?

"Ah... yeah... I guess so."

I'll admit to not being too overly thrilled at first, but you two won me over. That and watching Kasson wander around like a lovestruck idiot is kinda funny.

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"So... ah... what did you want to talk to me about?"

Well I do need to talk to you about the wedding.

"I knew it. You've got some bizarre plan in place for it, don't you? You're not going to let Texas run the whole show, are you? I mean, I like her but..."

Oh no no no. This has nothing to do with your wedding except, well, the fact you're getting married.

"I don't quite follow."

Well, you're my avatar. My representative here in Strangetown. You get to wander around the lots, attend the parties and stuff, interview sims, basically be my eyes and ears.Once you get married though, there's kind of a conflict.

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"You're not going to make us be the eternally engaged but never married couple, are you?"

Nope. Not unless you want to be.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass. Kasson finally proposed; I'd like to get married before he gets distracted or forgets about it while on a three day bubble blower bender."

Can't say I blame you. What I've decided is that once you and Kasson tie the knot, you'll no longer be my avatar. Your family is more important than being my reporter here.

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"You're releasing me from my contract?"

A'yup. Of course, losing your avatarship does have some drawbacks...

"Oh really? Like what?"

That immortality you've been enjoying? Yeah, sorry, but that's part of the avatar deal. And all those other avatar powers.

"What avatar powers?"

Er... nevermind. I will let you and Kasson have a nice trip to the elixir bar first, to make sure you're starting married life young and fresh, but after that you'll be aging like everyone else. The only exception will be Bibby because, well, it'd hit way to close to home for me to lose Bibby.

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"That's it? No big evil plot for my future family?"

Not that I've got planned at the moment. Right now the storyboard says 'happily ever after... or as happily as is possible for a Holldum.'

"Well... I suppose I can live with that."

Glad to hear it. Now, if we're cool, I've got dash off and check up on some other folks. Oh, and I'll shake down Orrin and get him to quit phone stalking you. Only the Captain is allowed to do that.

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"Gee thanks... Wait! I'm not going to end up pregnant on our wedding night, am I?"

Hey, I haven't poked 'Try for Baby' on a wedding night in a long time.

"Of course not. People have already been pregnant on their wedding day, or else ACR and/or risky woohoo has gotten 'em that night. You haven't needed to push the button."

*smirks*

*sighs* "I guess I'll see you in a chapter or two for the wedding. Thanks for handling the Orry thing too."

And now... on to our first victim, er family in this chapter of Strangetown Stories... a look into what the rest of Strangetown is doing.

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Warning!

If you're fed up to your eyeteeth with other people's stories about the standard Strangetown denizens and swear that you'll scream if you have to read one more update from someone about the Curious Brothers, the Beakers, the Smiths, or the Spectres... well... you might want to hang out somewhere else until next chapter.




Anyone still here? Okay, lets go continue on.

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We'll start our whirlwind tour of some of the other families in Strangetown with fellow 'Nutty Professor and Mad Scientist Brotherhood of Greater Strangetown' members The Curious Brothers. We've seen Vidcund in his Mad Poker incarnation quite a bit, but his brothers not so much. The Curious aliens haven't made much of an appearance either, but they've been growing like weeds.

Here we see proud father Vidcund and his daughter, Clara.

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Clara's a popularity gal with the dream of being a star athlete. With maximum active points, she's always on the go. Much to her father's dismay, she's not too keen on hitting the books, preferring to talk on the phone, dance, and pretty much do anything but study.

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That 'anything' includes trying to sneak out for a night on the town with her best friend Omaha Holldum. (un)Fortunately Sergeant Larry Mace, Holldum-bane, is on the job and swift to put a stop to such shenanigans before they get too far underway.

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Clara's grades would be suffering horribly if it weren't for the assistance of her cousin-sister, Marie. As Pascal's daughter, she's the eldest of the Curious aliens.

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Marie is a very nice, very neat knowledge girl who eventually wants to max out all her skills (like every knowledge sim I get *grumble*). If she's not hitting the books, she's bustling about the place, keeping it tidy.

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Like her father though, she's got a lazy streak a mile wide so it's not uncommon to see her working out to the Simmercize channel to try to counteract all the hours she spent earlier parked watching The Yummy Channel.

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The youngest Curious alien is Lowell, Lazlo's son, shown here with Pollyanna Subject. Like his cousin-sister Clara, he's the gregarious and friendly sort...

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Always seeming to bring friends home with him from school. Here he chats up the Holldum Gen 3 spare-to-the-heir Treynor. I had to have them run through the sci-fi conversation several times because when the rocket icon comes up in conversation, Lowell leans over and pats his bum. I couldn't believe it (hence the convo replay). I guess he was telling Treynor about what happened to his Dad when he got taken to outer space. Maybe Treynor should ask his uncle for more information on what goes on up there.

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Well, with three growing kids crowding the Curious compound Lazlo (who's always been the different one of the bunch) decided it was time for him to find a place of his own. First he asked his long time squeeze Crystal into the conservatory so he could pop the question to her...

(she said yes, despite his stink)

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And then he looked for a new home for he and Lowell.

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A new home that was conveniently located just across the road from his brothers.

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Not a bad place, with plenty of room for a young scientist and his future family. There was even a greenhouse so he could continue to grow his special plants. *chuckles*

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Lazlo wasted little time in throwing a wedding party. In fact, the welcome wagon showed up just minutes before the Curious extended family arrived for the ceremony, making for a rather crowded upper deck.

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Crystal didn't seem too thrilled about the whole thing, or at least not about Lazlo stuffing the cake in her face. I've never had a sim look so pissed about being on the receiving end of the cake smoosh. That or she realized she was marrying the lazy, slobby Curious brother (the maid's going to have to spend extra time disinfecting the showers).

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As the honeymoon limo pulls up next to the front walk, Lazlo applauds one of the most important days of his life. He should also be applauding his rather excellent timing, choosing to move out of the house when he did, because...

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Later that night the aliens decided they wanted a second chance to examine the specimens they'd abducted so many years ago, snagging poor Pascal one night...

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And Vidcund the next night. I actually feel kinda bad about it happening to Pascal; he's just this quiet, laid back knowledge sim who likes nothing more than playing chess with his daughter, cleaning, and watching tv. He really doesn't deserve aliens giving him the once over once again.

Do I feel bad for Vidcund? Ah, not so much. Probe him all you like, lil alien dudes.

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There are some families in Strangetown who never put in an appearance in the Holldums, and there are others who are all over the place. Anyone who has read the past few chapters (especially any where Omaha is involved) will recognize these two.

Yep, these are Bernie and Loki Beaker, the twin sons of mad scientist Loki Beaker and his money-grubbing wife Circe.

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I really shouldn't bad mouth Circe and Loki too much. They're not as evil in my simmension as they are in some others. Some of it's because they didn't get a lot of play until after Nightlife came out, at which point the chemistry and attraction stuff kicked in, making them go all ga-ga over each other. Yep, 3 bolters *boggle* Okay, so Circe does still have eyes for a couple others, but Loki is all hers... and the toilet's, since he seems to have little pink hearts for it too.

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Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones or maybe it's just her being overjoyed at being played again, but Circe is being overly lovey to everyone one. Normally she's the sim you don't want to look at the wrong way, or she'll be all over you. While Vidcund may be more renown as the Mad Poker of Strangetown, the worst he'll do is shove you. Circe will beat people up for no reason at all. Her being pregnant has lowered the number of fights at parties and downtown significantly.

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While Loki may be appear cold, indifferent, and obsessed with things scientific (to the point of ignoring his own kids), he does occasionally unbend to show there's more to him than being a member in good standing of the Nutty Professor and Mad Scientist Brotherhood of Greater Strangetown.

Gah! Loki, you did not bring SK home with you from work! And SK, you had better not be tickling and being cute with him. What would Kasson say?

And who's that looking rather lost and confused, standing with homework in hand?

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That would be Baldur Beaker, Beaker son #3, whom I have still not given a make over as he grew up in decent clothes and hair that didn't make me scream. I should probably send him to the mirror sometime, but I'll probably wait until after he teenifies. He got Circe's eyes so his teen make over will depend on how scary he turns out.

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Baldur is kind of quiet and polite, almost nerdy in fact. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. He's happy to curl up with a good book or his diary. He's got a goodly amount of nice and playful points so he's always a cheerful child.

Have I mentioned that Bernie is a popularity sim?

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Baldur's brothers, however... are not quite so nice or polite. Specifically, Thor is not quite so nice or polite. He's lacking in all playful and nice points, just like his parents. The Beaker personality seems to be max or nearly max neat, outgoing and active with no playful or nice. So yep, Thor has 10 outgoing, 0 playful, and 0 nice. Hoo boy is he gonna be fun at college *rolls eyes*

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Thor really isn't that bad looking as a teen, though he's not about to win any Mr. Strangetown contests. He got Loki's teeny tiny eyes and that unfortunate Beaker nose to go with the Beaker personality. Both Loki and Circe have zilch when it comes to nice and playful but someone (and I suspect it's Circe) is hiding a few points in their genetics.

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Bernie... ah, I'm hoping Bernie grows into his looks a little more as he ages. He got Circe's eyes with the Beaker nose and an obvious mis-match of cheeks and jawline. Unlike Thor, and like Baldur, he managed to score some playful and nice points which makes him a lot nicer to have around, even if he's a bit harder on the eyes.

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I'm not sure what Baldur is going to do when Bernie goes to college. They're very alike in personality (Bernie has active points, however, while Baldur only has 1) so they're often found playing together. He's going to be stuck with his grouchy, stuffy parents.

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I don't think he'll miss Thor quite so much.

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Ah, the Dork Brothers. So different in personality, yet there is one thing they share...

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An affection for one Omaha Holldum.

But then nearly every teenage boy in Strangetown shares an affection for her.

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I'm still trying to figure out how Thor managed to be the one that Omaha's all ga-ga over. Both the Beaker boys spin up wants for her, but if she spins up wants for either of them, it's Thor (the other boy she regularly spins up wants for is Ripp). Their personalities are only vaguely compatible; She's max nice which conflicts with Thor's grouchiness, but I guess her high neat and active make up for it.

It is fun to make Thor go flirt with her. He gets pissed and throws a tantrum every time I tell him to.

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Stat-wise, Omaha's certainly more compatible with Bernie, who actually has nice and playful points. Omaha and Bernie certainly agree with what the numbers indicate as well.

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But in the end it was Thor who asked the Holldum heir if she wanted to go steady. I expected Omaha to turn him down, being a romance sim and all, but she seemed tickled pink to say yes to him.

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And it certainly didn't stop her from getting cozy with her boyfriend's brother once Thor had headed upstairs.

Actually, it was Bernie that made the first moves... and the first lowering of the hands. *chuckle*

Eventually it was time for the love triangle to head home and for bed. Boy, are things going to be interesting in college.

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What's that Biscuit? Is someone in trouble? Did Timmy fall down the well? Is there a fire? Was there an accident? Is Timmy doing crack in the well?

No?

Well what's going on then?

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Oh, that's what's going on.

Dang Circe, I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to go into labor.

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I even tried to jump start her labor earlier by sending to fix the trash compactor, which we all know is one of the deadly species of Strangetown (as are mailboxes).

Apparently pregnant sims are relatively immune to death from household appliances.

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So with no fanfare from anyone... (everyone one else was asleep. I tried waking them up, but Loki and Thor bitched at me as soon as I Xed out 'sleep' in their queue. Bernie and Baldur decided to play red hands instead) ... Circe brings a little girl in the Beaker household.

Finally, a girl =) I was beginning to think all Circe could throw was boys.

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This is Calypso, who looks like she is going to be a blonde with big blue eyes. Sorry, she's not named for the character from Pirates (nor is she named for Jacques Cousteau's boat). Like Circe, Calypso is one of the women who delayed Odysseus during his return to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Unlike Circe, who only delayed him for a year and actually helped him on his journey home, Calypso kept Odysseus enslaved for seven years and had to be commanded by Zeus to release him.

I decided that since I was trying to use Norse deities for the Loki and Circe's boys, I wanted to use names from Greek mythology for their girls. Circe is a major figure in the Odyssey, so I chose another major female character for her daughter. If Loki and Circe have another girl, I'm thinking of naming her Penelope, after Odysseus' wife.

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Eventually Calypso's daddy and one of her brothers managed to wander downstairs to welcome her in their strange little household. Beaker Castle is starting to get a little crowded now, so I guess it's a good thing that Thor and Bernie are going to be moving on to University here soon.

And speaking of moving on, I think it's time to head on down the Road to Nowhere as there are other families to catch up on.

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