strangetomato | Strangetown, Here We Come: Chapter 32.5

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Strangetown, Here We Come: Chapter 32.5

Zoe pressed down on the last piece of tape and stepped back to observe her work.

The poster wasn't anything special. She'd tossed it together pretty quickly, cut 'n' paste style, while spending the night at her parent's house. It'd do the job, though, and she had been taping them up on every surface between her house and the hospital.

She was on her way to see Jaxy.

She was going to be okay, after her close call, but they were keeping her there for some counselling. Zoe was distrustful of therapists, having known a number of them through her parents. She hardly saw the need to pay someone to sort out her problems, especially when that person had problems too. Nobody was immune to that.

Still, Jaxy needed it. It was time for her to face her past, to deal with her problems, and every little bit helped.

Satisfied, Zoe turned from her work and looked down the alleyway, along the brick wall.

It was covered with posters, neatly arranged. They were slick, glossy posters, crisp and new. Not the sort of thing you usually saw on a city wall.

There was a man standing at the far end. He noticed her eyes on him and began to walk towards her.

As he stepped just a little too close, Zoe took a step back, giving him an indication that he should watch himself. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I see you've been admiring my posters."

"Well, I saw them, yeah." Zoe wasn't in the habit of flattering people if she didn't mean it. "What's that all about, anyway?"

"I'm spreading the good news of the coming of the third age of sims."

Zoe didn't physically back up, but in her mind, she was already running down the street. "Oh, really?"

"A change is coming. A whole new universe. If we're ready for it, and if we're worthy, we'll be reborn."

"Uhhhh-huhhh..."

"You don't believe me?"

"Nothing personal, Mr. I don't really believe things easily."

"Mr. Humble."

"Huh?"

"That's my name."

"Okay, sure. Whatever." Zoe turned to walk away. "Have a nice day now, Mr. Humble."

"Don't you want to be ready for it when it comes? If we don't adapt to the change, if we aren't prepared, we'll be left behind."

Zoe kept walking.

"Don't you have problems that you'd like to leave behind? You could start fresh, be reborn, and all of this world's worries will melt away. It will be like starting over with a clean slate."

Zoe felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she kept her head up, kept walking on just as she had been.

"It will free you from the suffering of this world."

Against her will, she felt a tear escape down her cheek. It would be nice to believe him. Zoe could do with an easy answer just then. Jaxy could use an easy answer. Ripp and her parents and everyone she knew could all use an easy answer in one way or another.

If only it were that simple.

"Hey, wait!" He had to shout now for her to hear him. "I have a present for you. Take this computer, free of charge! It'll show you. It'll show you the way. Here, take it! It's free! It's yours if you want it!"

But Zoe was already gone.

Helena Summerdream had only been in a the city for a day or two when she saw the poster.

Drummer wanted, it said, as if it spoke directly to her. She had decided to skip university to come to Sim City, a move that hadn't really surprised her family, but was unexpected all the same. With Helena, they had come to expect the unexpected.

She pulled a tab off the poster and slipped it into her pocket. It was the ticket to her dreams. Her golden ticket.

She was going to be a rock star.

She noticed an old woman talking to a man down the alleyway.

Even after only a week in this neighbourhood, she recognized the woman as one who walked that street, begging for change. Helena didn't think she was being too presumptuous in thinking that she must have been a lady of the night in her younger years. Maybe she still was, when interest allowed.

She didn't hear everything, but she caught fragments of the conversation.

"... and all the pain and suffering of this life will fade away..."

Helena's thoughts drifted.

"... a fresh start... loved ones... another chance..."

She thought of her father, crushed to death and burning.

Nothing left to show for his life but a pile of smoldering ashes.

Her sister, off at Académie Le Tour, was dead set on bringing him back from the afterlife. She wished to beat Death at his own game. As cold, calculating, and brilliant as she was, she just might achieve that. Hippolyta thought about it all of the time. Everyday, she thought of nothing else. Everyday, she relived it. She thought of nothing but death.

While Helena, her twin, tried desperately to forget.

"... you'll start over... it'll be a whole new world... a new chance..."

Helena reached into her other pocket, and popped something into her mouth. It was a seed. Her parents were active gardeners, but they grew things that nobody in this part of the world would have any knowledge of. She bit down and felt a spark of electricity shoot into her tongue as she broke the shell. After a brief metallic sensation, it tasted something like licorice.

She stood, looking straight ahead, watching the posters, observing the colours. Cars drove by and people walked pass, paying little heed to the young woman beyond a double take at her minty green skin and flaming red hair.

After several minutes, she saw a woman who was decked out in tourist gear from head to toe, and Helena started laughing.

She laughed and laughed.

She looked back down the alley at the odd man and the old whore and she laughed again. He wanted to give her a computer? Helena laughed and laughed and laughed.

What would a homeless woman do with a computer?

She listened to the man's message, and she looked at the woman's hopeful face. Was it true? Would the man really give her a second chance? It was nice to think so.

Suddenly, Helena found herself hallucinating, and she thought she could see the woman herself, reborn. Was she having a vision or simply imagining it? Standing on a cliff, a young child, looking out over a beautiful harbour. It was sharper, clearer, and more real than anything she'd ever seen in waking life.

It was as if the whole world had been upgraded.

Maybe she should also talk to that man. She could use a free computer, at the very least. How often did you get anything for free?

It was a good day. The sun was shining, and she had her golden ticket, and now she'd get a free computer too.

It was going to be a very good day.

(Continue to Chapter 33)

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Woooooooowwwwww! What an awesome way to integrate Sims 3 into the story. I also love your portrayal of Rod Humble as a bumbling, aggressive salesman.

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Heh. Do I sense a bit of S2 and S3 merging in the future of SHWC? :)

I love Humble standing around giving away his free computers. :P And the story of the old woman was sweet and sad.

If you are going to be moving your story to S3 (even in part) I salute you. I still can't figure out the navigation well enough to feel comfortable using it for storytelling. You know me... I like to get all up close and personal with my sims and capture those fleeting facial expressions... and that's darn near impossible for me in S3! Sigh. But I'm working on it. If only they didn't keep moving after I hit pause, lol!

I really loved this. I even liked Rod Humble, which is truly weird.

I`m really curious as to which way you´re going to integrate the Sims3 world into SHWC. :) I wonder if Kaylyn wanted a second chance...

Wow, interesting way to get TS3 into the story. I wonder where this is going...

I like Mr. Humble. Anybody who can thumbtack posters to a brick wall can't be all bad. :P

The juxtaposition of Zoe's pragmatism and Helena's optimism is very nice! I love it, I really love it. I want your writerly brain. :')

I'm also wondering if Kaylynn wanted a second chance...and Don, for that matter. And Bella. If the Sims 3 verse really is a chance for Sims 2 sims to be "reborn" then that raises a lot of interesting possibilities. Color me interested, anyway!

Have I mentioned how much I love your writing? :D

Haha! That was awesome. It's kind of strange (although sometimes eerily accurate) to think of TS3 as some kind of religious cult.

I love love love how you integrated it into the story.

I really had to LOL at Mr. Humble there. I remember you having him play the role of some weird guy preaching about the "future". That's just too awesome. But does this mean that S,HWC is going to end up in ts3? Hmmm... XD

And there goes Helena cheering again. She's so adorable!

I absolutely love Mr. Humble's dialog in this. Wonderful.

I loved seeing Zoe again too. <3

Helena cracks me up, with her cheering.

Hippolyta seems like she is 900000 kinds of fierce, I wish we could see her in action. Cold and calculating is my type of lady. :P

oh my gods

You have no clue how much I needed this right now. Tonight is the worst night of my life next to the day my beloved life-mate died.

I needed something calming and you gave it to me. Thank you so so much. *clings, reads*

Brilliant Mr. Humble/TS3 reference. Heeheehee. Is the old lady of the night a pre-made? I don't recognize her.

Wow! I can't believe how you incorporated TS3 into the storyline. I love it!

Is that woman Brandi Broke? Her outfit is pretty reminiscent of the one Brandi starts the game with, but it seems weird that Dustin and Beau would let her live on the street and beg for change. I'm going to have to read back to where we meet Beau and see if there's anything said about Brandi.

I adore it! you are an awesome writer!!

What a great way to meld TS2 and TS3 together! I really enjoyed this and I'm glad to see Helena making an appearance as well.

You made it perfectly. I would've never thought of a better way to put TS2 and TS3 together. Do I smell changes? Something new? Can't wait to see more. :)

Wow, Thats scary! But Yay on the TS3 picture - I have one almost exactly like that as my Wallpaper! (LOL)

Its going to be odd having S,HWC in TS3.. because its the wrong time, and place, you know? I was hoping you would stick to TS2 but *oh well* :)

Wow, I never would have thought to cross universes b/w S2 and S3. It looks really cool, though, Keep up the good work!

Ok, Mr. Humble as a S3 prophet? BRILL. (Though, with the name, that's prolly was Maxis was hinting at...)

I'm suddenly VERY uncomfortable with the idea of Helena and Ripp being anywhere near each other. Sure she'll help Phi out, but the kid screams "bad influence".

Nice. I love these kinds of side stories.

And sims3 could be fertile ground for dreams. You always make such nice dream sequences.

(but part of me really wants Humble to be a cult leader, I do so enjoy a good cult)

I love this whole 'cult' concept, very cool way to bring TS3 into the mix, and the dream sequence was a great idea too. :D

So, how did you end up making Mr. Humble?

I find it just a tad ironic that while Zoe wasn't interested, Helena was, but Humble only approached the former, while the latter overheard.

I guess the rebirth aspect depends on where you are your life, and where you want to be. Fortunately Sims like Frances will have enough sense to not make the rebirth.

I'm sensing that Jaxy OD'd on something, yes?

Mr. Humble's dialogue, with pieces along the lines of "if we don't adapt, we'll be left behind" remind me of so many Simmers who thought "EVERYONE'S GONNA LEAVE TS2 BEHIND OMGGG." Well, I'm not budging for a long long time.

At first, Humble really, really creeped me out - the coming of Sims 3 seemed ominous. People being left behind? Hooo . . but then Helena steps up to the plate later, and it turned more hopefull.

Either way, an awesome way to integrate Sims 3! And it's so good to see that Jax is recovering.

so, do you prefer the sims 3 over sims 2?

This is a ninja update! I had no idea about its existence until I went back a few entries in your journal to see all your JRO Sims 3 pictures. What a pleasant surprise! (I must be blind, because I never saw it on my f-list).

Awesome way to integrate the arrival of the Third Age of the Sims to the story. Now I want Rod Humble to give me a free computer too, so I can "experience" the new age and "start over" my sims games.

(Not really, considering I'm currently in a similar situation with my game :P, but I'd love better graphics for the Sims 3).

Oh, I love Helena's story so far. So she's somehow addicted to drugs (magic seeds? She's a faerie after all). Can't wait to see her really interact with the band ^^.

(I also thought that poor old woman was Brandi, until the Sims 3 picture).

Good job!

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