Strangetown, Here We Come: Prologue
Nov. 1st, 2007 10:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
strangetomatoAnd so we begin...
Prologue
All things considered, I think I'm a pretty normal sim. Well, maybe not "normal" (That's so terribly boring, don't you think?), but I don't like to think of myself as being all that exceptional.
My upbringing was somewhat unusual, sure, and my skin is green, but I'm not weird or anything. I'm just here at La Fiesta Technical College to better myself like all the rest of them. I want to make friends, learn new things, and prepare myself for a future career. That's what everyone wants, right?
Oh, so you heard that I was an artist? Well, yes, that's true. Perhaps I should backtrack and explain my upbringing, just so you understand where I'm coming from. Do you have a few minutes? It's so weird to have to start from nothing with new people, but once that's out of the way, we can just relate normally.
I was born in Strangetown. My father moved there before I was born to get away from his past life. He was a pretty big deal to some people back then, in Sim City, but he desired solitude. Strangetown provided plenty of opportunities for that. It's the perfect place to disappear. Our house was located on the very outskirts of town, and few people ever came to visit us there.
All alone, dad could indulge in his various scholarly and artistic persuits. He's the real artist. I can only aspire to be half of what he is. He's a musician and writer as well as a painter. Not to mention all the other things he does. He's a real renaissance man. Strangetown was a perfect place for someone like him. He wasn't planning to have children; he wasn't even seeing anyone, in fact.
The skies just opened up one night and decided all that for him. Who was he to argue?
He named me Jane, which is so dreadfully plain. Plain Jane, ya know? I changed the spelling myself, once I was old enough, to make it a bit more intriguing. We didn't fill out the forms, so it's not official, or anything, but that's how I write it. Jayne Doe. Sometimes, sims mistakenly pronounce it Jay-nee, like Janie, which is kinda funny, but I like it, because it sounds like they are giving me a nickname. I've never had a nickname. The Doe part was altered too, so we could be anonymous, like in witness protection programs. That part is official. No, we aren't really in the program, but I won't tell you what it used to be, either. My father wouldn't want me to.
I'm pretty sure that dad would have been content there alone forever, but he never said that to me. He's never been anything less than a devoted father.
I think my presence in the household helped him to lighten up a bit. Dad has always been so terrible serious about everything, and I guess I've learned that from him too, but by nature I'm much more cheerful. We balanced each other out, I think.
We had some fun times, just the two of us. Dad's super shy, but I drew him out of his shell. He's just not that comfortable with other sims, ya know. He thinks that sims weren't really meant to "get on" with each other. I can't say that I really relate to him that way. I find other sims fascinating. It could be difficult at times to draw dad away from one of his many projects. Just between you and me, though, he did the smustle with me on occasion. He's pretty good at it.
We really did become the best of friends.
Once I was old enough, Dad saw to it that I was promptly enrolled in private school. He has little faith in the government, especially in a place like Strangetown, and was sure that anything publicly funded would be worthless to a bright young thing like me. There was never any question that I would go to university, so I had to be prepared for that.
I was really busy with schoolwork after that. Dad helped out a lot. My education became another one of his projects, ya know. When all the homework was completed, we'd move on to reading the classics. I enjoy reading, but it was never as much fun when I was reading books by myself. I honestly liked the fact that he was reading to me a whole lot more than the book itself. It sounds terribly sentimental, but I usually imagine Dad's voice in my head when I read to myself, even now.
When all the schoolwork was out of the way, we each went about our separate pursuits. As long as I was bettering myself, Dad didn't really care what it was that I did. He wanted me to develop well-rounded talents, so I tried a lot of things. Art is still my favourite, but I enjoy cooking a lot too. And playing chess. Dad always encouraged me to do things for myself, so I picked out my own clothing, not that the other kids at school ever got to see it. The uniform, ya know. I even cut my own hair. It's nothing fancy, but I think I'm getting pretty good at it. Better than having long hair, anyway. All the girls at my school with long hair were so giggly and vacant, I seriously began to think that the hair was sucking out their intelligence, ya know? Well, I didn't want to be mistaken for one of them, anyway, not that this was even slightly possible.
You know, the things sims usually say about only children, besides being slanderous, are grossly untrue. I don't think I'm "spoiled" at all. I guess it's true that I hardly know what it is to do without something, but that has nothing to do with being an only child. It's about money, and lots of people have it. I know I'm well off like that, so that's better than taking it for granted, right? I appreciate it.
I'm also not socially stunted in any way. Just because I'm used to playing alone and making my own fun, doesn't mean I don't know how to make friends, because I do. I just don't get insanely freaked out by being alone either. Some sims just don't know how to be alone, but what's the big deal? Sims are always complaining about being bored, but that just seems like a lack of imagination to me.
All in all, I was a very happy child. It's true that I did kinda live in a bubble, but I was happy there.
When I was still just a child, I met another green-skinned sim for the first time. He wasn't just half alien, like me, he was the real deal. A full blown alien. I was so excited to talk to him, and he answered a lot of questions that I had been wondering about for some time. He me asked a lot of questions too, to make sure that I was treated well, I suppose. Turns out that some sims don't welcome alien children into the family quite as well as Dad did, which I can understand. I've certainly heard other kids whispering disgusting things about my appearance at school. I'll bet the public school is even worse.
The alien man was pleased to see that dad was feeding me the appropriate vegan diet, which was just a coincidence, since dad has been a vegan for ages. I've never even tasted meat, and I'm kinda curious, actually. Maybe I'll experiment while I'm in college. I'm half sim, afterall, so what's the worst thing that could happen? I might like it? I'm not afraid, though I'd better not mention that to dad.
He had something to discuss with my father in private, though I tried to listen in. I couldn't make out much of what they said, but it appeared to escalate into a very heated debate. Dad seemed really upset by something the man had said, and then showed him the way to the door without further comment.
Dad seemed a little funny afterwards, asking me questions like what I really wanted out of life. Of course, my teen transition loomed, and all sims know that your coming of age party is the time to decide and declare your future aspiration. We had a quiet little party, and baked a great vegan cake. Yes, you can make a cake without using eggs, you just use bananas or applesauce, or whatever. Plenty of things. It's easy.
I'm not sure what dad was expecting, exactly, but I had known for some time what I wanted out of life: to be famous. Is that too much to ask? I think he was slightly disappointed, but he didn't say anything. He should have known I'd choose that, being an accomplished artist, and all. What was the point of creating masterpiece artworks if it wasn't for fame and glory?
Sure, all those portraits look beautiful on the wall, and as a point of discovery, they can occupy your entire life, but without recognition, they're just elaborate and extremely time consuming scrapbooks. I know that it's different for him. He doesn't do it for any other reason but the art itself. The pursuit of knowledge is paramount. I admire him for it, I really do, but if no one else knows about it, ultimately, what's the use?
When I was a teen, just before I left for college, that alien man returned to talk to us again. Dad really surprised me by letting him in and hearing him out. This time they let me in on the discussion, or rather his proposition to us. It was unusual, yet also quite interesting.
He told me about his past, his former line of work as a pollination technician for our species. He'd retired from all that, moved to settle permanently on this planet, and found a mate for himself in the form of the daughter of one of the sims he'd previously pollinated. He then chose a common sim surname, just like my father did, in an attempt to blend in. He acknowledged the truth in my comment that green skin is pretty hard to disguise, even with the world's most common last name.
I enjoyed that man's company a great deal. He was like family, you know? We talked at length about our heritage, which dad was unable to inform me about, since he was just as in the dark about it as I was. I've never felt bad about being half alien, not really, but now that I know more about it, I felt really proud. Some sims assume that the aliens come here for some sinister purpose, but that's not how he explained it. His work was essential to the survival of our species, and are we really hurting other sims in any way by being here?
I was shocked by his proposal, at first, but also very flattered. It was certainly a little unexpected, but also quite intriguing.
It made a lot of sense after all he had said, and something so important to him, someone who knows so much about our culture, seemed like a worthwhile thing to me. I felt proud of where I came from, but also a little uneasy about the whole thing. I could understand dad's reservations about him. Then again, dad is not an alien, is he?
The more he explained his reasoning, the more sense it made to me. It was unlike any conversation I've ever had, and like anything that has the potential to change your life, it was exhilarating.
All three of us continued to discuss it over the evening's meal. Dad still seemed reluctant about it, because I'm sure he was worrying about me and whether it was the right thing to do, but eventually he said that I was old enough now to make the decision for myself. I'll always appreciate how he stood up for me like that.
In the end, I agreed to it. It's part of my heritage, and was clearly very important to that alien man, which made it worth giving a shot. I can always change my mind, right?
Dad supported my decision, or at least my right to decide for myself. I know that he wouldn't have made the same choice that I had made, but again, we're very different people.
He had made the decision to come to Strangetown, to throw it all in and start over, so why couldn't I do the same thing? I had to make my own choices in life, and sometimes that might involve a leap of faith.
We both knew that part of it was just him having trouble letting go. I was his sole companion for all those years, so it makes sense that he would miss me. That I can understand. The idea of leaving him was strange to me too, but that had to happen, either way. I was going to university, and then on to the rest of my life. It was unlikely that I would ever live there with him again, no matter what I did. That part was hard for both of us, but I think we both accepted it, in the end.
So I packed my bags and left for university.
What was the proposition? Oh, you mean I didn't say? Well, you might think it a bit odd, not being an alien yourself. Want to grab a drink at the campus bar, before I get into the details?
Continue to Chapter One...
Notes: It feels good to finally post this, since I've been marinating this story in my head and in-game for quite a while now. It feels a little awkward starting with an original character, but it really makes the most sense to post this as a prologue to the main Strangetown action. It will make more sense later (if it isn't completely obvious already), as it collides with my main Maxis-inspired storyline.
I'm borrowing Simantics' practice of using lyrics as the text in the LJ cut, because I really liked it and I'm really quite into music. It often inspires my writing. Consider that line an extra hint or another look at how I feel about that particular entry, if you're interested in looking into it. If nothing else, I like that particular line, and the overall mood of the song.
Please do comment!
Prologue
All things considered, I think I'm a pretty normal sim. Well, maybe not "normal" (That's so terribly boring, don't you think?), but I don't like to think of myself as being all that exceptional.
My upbringing was somewhat unusual, sure, and my skin is green, but I'm not weird or anything. I'm just here at La Fiesta Technical College to better myself like all the rest of them. I want to make friends, learn new things, and prepare myself for a future career. That's what everyone wants, right?
Oh, so you heard that I was an artist? Well, yes, that's true. Perhaps I should backtrack and explain my upbringing, just so you understand where I'm coming from. Do you have a few minutes? It's so weird to have to start from nothing with new people, but once that's out of the way, we can just relate normally.
I was born in Strangetown. My father moved there before I was born to get away from his past life. He was a pretty big deal to some people back then, in Sim City, but he desired solitude. Strangetown provided plenty of opportunities for that. It's the perfect place to disappear. Our house was located on the very outskirts of town, and few people ever came to visit us there.
All alone, dad could indulge in his various scholarly and artistic persuits. He's the real artist. I can only aspire to be half of what he is. He's a musician and writer as well as a painter. Not to mention all the other things he does. He's a real renaissance man. Strangetown was a perfect place for someone like him. He wasn't planning to have children; he wasn't even seeing anyone, in fact.
The skies just opened up one night and decided all that for him. Who was he to argue?
He named me Jane, which is so dreadfully plain. Plain Jane, ya know? I changed the spelling myself, once I was old enough, to make it a bit more intriguing. We didn't fill out the forms, so it's not official, or anything, but that's how I write it. Jayne Doe. Sometimes, sims mistakenly pronounce it Jay-nee, like Janie, which is kinda funny, but I like it, because it sounds like they are giving me a nickname. I've never had a nickname. The Doe part was altered too, so we could be anonymous, like in witness protection programs. That part is official. No, we aren't really in the program, but I won't tell you what it used to be, either. My father wouldn't want me to.
I'm pretty sure that dad would have been content there alone forever, but he never said that to me. He's never been anything less than a devoted father.
I think my presence in the household helped him to lighten up a bit. Dad has always been so terrible serious about everything, and I guess I've learned that from him too, but by nature I'm much more cheerful. We balanced each other out, I think.
We had some fun times, just the two of us. Dad's super shy, but I drew him out of his shell. He's just not that comfortable with other sims, ya know. He thinks that sims weren't really meant to "get on" with each other. I can't say that I really relate to him that way. I find other sims fascinating. It could be difficult at times to draw dad away from one of his many projects. Just between you and me, though, he did the smustle with me on occasion. He's pretty good at it.
We really did become the best of friends.
Once I was old enough, Dad saw to it that I was promptly enrolled in private school. He has little faith in the government, especially in a place like Strangetown, and was sure that anything publicly funded would be worthless to a bright young thing like me. There was never any question that I would go to university, so I had to be prepared for that.
I was really busy with schoolwork after that. Dad helped out a lot. My education became another one of his projects, ya know. When all the homework was completed, we'd move on to reading the classics. I enjoy reading, but it was never as much fun when I was reading books by myself. I honestly liked the fact that he was reading to me a whole lot more than the book itself. It sounds terribly sentimental, but I usually imagine Dad's voice in my head when I read to myself, even now.
When all the schoolwork was out of the way, we each went about our separate pursuits. As long as I was bettering myself, Dad didn't really care what it was that I did. He wanted me to develop well-rounded talents, so I tried a lot of things. Art is still my favourite, but I enjoy cooking a lot too. And playing chess. Dad always encouraged me to do things for myself, so I picked out my own clothing, not that the other kids at school ever got to see it. The uniform, ya know. I even cut my own hair. It's nothing fancy, but I think I'm getting pretty good at it. Better than having long hair, anyway. All the girls at my school with long hair were so giggly and vacant, I seriously began to think that the hair was sucking out their intelligence, ya know? Well, I didn't want to be mistaken for one of them, anyway, not that this was even slightly possible.
You know, the things sims usually say about only children, besides being slanderous, are grossly untrue. I don't think I'm "spoiled" at all. I guess it's true that I hardly know what it is to do without something, but that has nothing to do with being an only child. It's about money, and lots of people have it. I know I'm well off like that, so that's better than taking it for granted, right? I appreciate it.
I'm also not socially stunted in any way. Just because I'm used to playing alone and making my own fun, doesn't mean I don't know how to make friends, because I do. I just don't get insanely freaked out by being alone either. Some sims just don't know how to be alone, but what's the big deal? Sims are always complaining about being bored, but that just seems like a lack of imagination to me.
All in all, I was a very happy child. It's true that I did kinda live in a bubble, but I was happy there.
When I was still just a child, I met another green-skinned sim for the first time. He wasn't just half alien, like me, he was the real deal. A full blown alien. I was so excited to talk to him, and he answered a lot of questions that I had been wondering about for some time. He me asked a lot of questions too, to make sure that I was treated well, I suppose. Turns out that some sims don't welcome alien children into the family quite as well as Dad did, which I can understand. I've certainly heard other kids whispering disgusting things about my appearance at school. I'll bet the public school is even worse.
The alien man was pleased to see that dad was feeding me the appropriate vegan diet, which was just a coincidence, since dad has been a vegan for ages. I've never even tasted meat, and I'm kinda curious, actually. Maybe I'll experiment while I'm in college. I'm half sim, afterall, so what's the worst thing that could happen? I might like it? I'm not afraid, though I'd better not mention that to dad.
He had something to discuss with my father in private, though I tried to listen in. I couldn't make out much of what they said, but it appeared to escalate into a very heated debate. Dad seemed really upset by something the man had said, and then showed him the way to the door without further comment.
Dad seemed a little funny afterwards, asking me questions like what I really wanted out of life. Of course, my teen transition loomed, and all sims know that your coming of age party is the time to decide and declare your future aspiration. We had a quiet little party, and baked a great vegan cake. Yes, you can make a cake without using eggs, you just use bananas or applesauce, or whatever. Plenty of things. It's easy.
I'm not sure what dad was expecting, exactly, but I had known for some time what I wanted out of life: to be famous. Is that too much to ask? I think he was slightly disappointed, but he didn't say anything. He should have known I'd choose that, being an accomplished artist, and all. What was the point of creating masterpiece artworks if it wasn't for fame and glory?
Sure, all those portraits look beautiful on the wall, and as a point of discovery, they can occupy your entire life, but without recognition, they're just elaborate and extremely time consuming scrapbooks. I know that it's different for him. He doesn't do it for any other reason but the art itself. The pursuit of knowledge is paramount. I admire him for it, I really do, but if no one else knows about it, ultimately, what's the use?
When I was a teen, just before I left for college, that alien man returned to talk to us again. Dad really surprised me by letting him in and hearing him out. This time they let me in on the discussion, or rather his proposition to us. It was unusual, yet also quite interesting.
He told me about his past, his former line of work as a pollination technician for our species. He'd retired from all that, moved to settle permanently on this planet, and found a mate for himself in the form of the daughter of one of the sims he'd previously pollinated. He then chose a common sim surname, just like my father did, in an attempt to blend in. He acknowledged the truth in my comment that green skin is pretty hard to disguise, even with the world's most common last name.
I enjoyed that man's company a great deal. He was like family, you know? We talked at length about our heritage, which dad was unable to inform me about, since he was just as in the dark about it as I was. I've never felt bad about being half alien, not really, but now that I know more about it, I felt really proud. Some sims assume that the aliens come here for some sinister purpose, but that's not how he explained it. His work was essential to the survival of our species, and are we really hurting other sims in any way by being here?
I was shocked by his proposal, at first, but also very flattered. It was certainly a little unexpected, but also quite intriguing.
It made a lot of sense after all he had said, and something so important to him, someone who knows so much about our culture, seemed like a worthwhile thing to me. I felt proud of where I came from, but also a little uneasy about the whole thing. I could understand dad's reservations about him. Then again, dad is not an alien, is he?
The more he explained his reasoning, the more sense it made to me. It was unlike any conversation I've ever had, and like anything that has the potential to change your life, it was exhilarating.
All three of us continued to discuss it over the evening's meal. Dad still seemed reluctant about it, because I'm sure he was worrying about me and whether it was the right thing to do, but eventually he said that I was old enough now to make the decision for myself. I'll always appreciate how he stood up for me like that.
In the end, I agreed to it. It's part of my heritage, and was clearly very important to that alien man, which made it worth giving a shot. I can always change my mind, right?
Dad supported my decision, or at least my right to decide for myself. I know that he wouldn't have made the same choice that I had made, but again, we're very different people.
He had made the decision to come to Strangetown, to throw it all in and start over, so why couldn't I do the same thing? I had to make my own choices in life, and sometimes that might involve a leap of faith.
We both knew that part of it was just him having trouble letting go. I was his sole companion for all those years, so it makes sense that he would miss me. That I can understand. The idea of leaving him was strange to me too, but that had to happen, either way. I was going to university, and then on to the rest of my life. It was unlikely that I would ever live there with him again, no matter what I did. That part was hard for both of us, but I think we both accepted it, in the end.
So I packed my bags and left for university.
What was the proposition? Oh, you mean I didn't say? Well, you might think it a bit odd, not being an alien yourself. Want to grab a drink at the campus bar, before I get into the details?
Continue to Chapter One...
Notes: It feels good to finally post this, since I've been marinating this story in my head and in-game for quite a while now. It feels a little awkward starting with an original character, but it really makes the most sense to post this as a prologue to the main Strangetown action. It will make more sense later (if it isn't completely obvious already), as it collides with my main Maxis-inspired storyline.
I'm borrowing Simantics' practice of using lyrics as the text in the LJ cut, because I really liked it and I'm really quite into music. It often inspires my writing. Consider that line an extra hint or another look at how I feel about that particular entry, if you're interested in looking into it. If nothing else, I like that particular line, and the overall mood of the song.
Please do comment!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 02:15 am (UTC)This is very creative story, I'm very interested in seeing what'll happen next. I love how you developed Jane's character, including her alien traits. It really shows that you put a lot of thought into this story. What is Jane going to do? O_O
I wish you good luck with this project. I can't wait to see how you'll handle the rest of the Strangetown characters.
Thanks for sharing! :)
no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 05:29 pm (UTC)It's interesting to develop characters for sims born in-game. You have the whole family situation and their reaction to that, and the personality profile (which is usually extreme for aliens, and Jane/Jayne is no exception). I love trying to get into the sim's head. Like, how would you really react to being half alien? I'm sure it's different for different sims. In Jayne's case, her father was already a nonconformist, so she seems to take it more or less in stride. Piece of (vegan) cake!
no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 06:35 pm (UTC)Plus your original characters are quite interesting as I said before. I love how you give them a background and the explanation of Jayne's vegan ways and her alien heritage.
And yup, that's something I also love about aliens, their personalities are extreme! Lots of 10's and 0's.
I've already added you to keep with your updates! :)
no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 06:58 pm (UTC)I'm glad you thought the original characters were interesting. The vegan thing will be a lot of fun for me to develop with the half alien characters. I'm a former vegetarian (now semi-vegetarian) myself, so I have some experience to draw from.
I have an alien toddler in the game right now, whose last name is Curious *hint, hint*, who has ALL 10s and 0s in his personality. It's wild. I've never seen it before. I can't wait to see how he grows up, and for the opportunity to share him.
Thanks for the add. I'll do the same, if it's okay.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 07:13 pm (UTC)Yup! Maxis only provied the basic traits and personalities, so it's up to the player to the develop their stories.
So, with tons of possibilities for the Maxis characters, it's a pity that most people don't play with them because they are "fugly" :S.
I'm going to play with the Grunt house for the first time later today or tomorrow. And I've never played with Nervous Subject either, but can't wait to see how evil Circe and Loki are!
Sure, go ahead and add me back! :)
no subject
Date: 2007-11-04 07:28 pm (UTC)Have fun with the Grunts and Beakers! I know I do. :) Nervous is a wonderful mess (or a "beautiful loser", if you prefer) - others have referred to his personality as the weed-whacked one. It's all 0s, except for 10 in active. It really does make him seem nervous, twitchy, cranky, always hungry, and just plain odd. The Beakers don't have a single nice point between them either. It's such a happy family...
no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 05:57 pm (UTC)And for Pleasantview? I'm totally planning to marry off perfect Angela Pleasant to Ben Long. No lie. BECAUSE I WANT HIS GENES IN THAT FAMILY.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 08:34 pm (UTC)I also hate those default replacement face templates. They are all the same. Why would I want everyone to have the same face? That's just not logical to me. Plus some of those extremely ugly faces are funny. I'm sure that it's meant to be humourous.
Wow. Angela and Ben Long. That's like the battle of the noses, gene style. It'd take bets on which genes win out. I'd watch.
no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 08:36 pm (UTC)