Challenge 004: Drabble+: Blame

[strangetomato]

Here's my entry for this week's challenge from the simstorytellers community. It was another drabble+ this time, and the prompt word was blame. This might end up as the opening to the next update, or it might remain separate. I haven't decided yet. I had another opener in mind, but this might work too. Either way, it gives a little more of Johnny's experience with the abduction than I had intended to get into right away. All will be revealed eventually, but it won't be out in the open for a while. What that mostly means is that Johnny may tell someone about it, but as readers, you won't be privy to all of the details. 




Challenge 004: Drabble+: Blame

Prompt: Blame
Word Count: 150-200
Pic count: 1-2
Expiration: 4/29/08





He had been reading a lot of Oscar Wilde lately. Not just the novel, but the plays too. Johnny didn't do things halfway.

One quote had really stuck in his mind. It was one of those things that gets quoted again and again, and not always in context.




"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

Now he was applying it out of context too, but he thought that his context might be better than the original. They were in the gutter. Very much so. They were looking at the possibility of ruin. Could he blame his parents for what they wanted for him? Could he blame the Curious family for looking to the stars for answers?

Could he accept the offer that had been presented to him?

Johnny picked himself up off the ground. The sun had just risen.

He wanted a lot of things from life. He had ambitions, and he strived to achieve them. The chance to do something significant appealed to him. Something heroic and noble. Something right.

But that wasn't the only thing he wanted. It wasn't even what he wanted most of all.




Johnny Smith walked home.








 

Comments

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

Oh, that throws an interesting spanner in... I had assumed that he's knocked up, as in a typical abduction, but now I'm not so sure any more. That could still be the case, but.

"He has to be convinced."

"They will talk to him, and make him understand."

And Stella isn't aligned with the rogue PTs, who knock up sims without regard to the official guidelines. So now I'm thinking this was a conversion attempt. The alien belief system could be interpreted as cultish, from some points of view, which makes this look like a brainwash attempt.

Not that I pretend to know where you are going with this. I am just thinking out loud, or in type, rather. ^_^

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yes, those are interesting theories. All I will say is that the faction of P.T.s that Stella is linked to (the two that abducted Johnny - No. 14 and No. 35) have something in mind, and they think that Johnny could be very helpful in their plan. It would still involve him breeding the next generation of hybrid aliens, but there's more to it than that.

I'm still working it all out myself. It doubt the logic will be airtight, even after much pondering. I'm going to blow it with all the sci-fi stuff. I just know it...

The other two P.T.s in the replacement package are the rogue P.T.s, and one of them is Jayne's other parent. (The other is the basis of your Akbar, am I right? Though you switched him to a red head... I think I have that right. And he became Madame Ugly's Albert, who switched back to blond. Do I have that right?)

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

I think you do have it right. But just to make sure...



I only used the first two un-altered. And I've used the blond one twice, once as Akbar (switched to red hair, but also slightly altered in the face) and also as Forty-two (slightly altered so he looks less like Akbar). I don't think Mme. Ugly changed Akbar except to make him blond.

So Jayne's other parent is the black haired female, correct? Fwiffo's 88. I think she has the largest eyes of them, or at least the roundest.

I wouldn't worry too much about the science fiction being just right. There will always be people that quibble and argue over what exactly constitutes science fiction, but they don't even agree with each other, so there is no pleasing all of them. And I don't think your readers are like that at all. Though I know you want the science details to be logical for your own satisfaction. :)

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

*butts in*

I didn't alter Akbar in any way. And I THINK when I brought him down from elder, his hair just changed on its own. I don't remember actively changing it. (I also gave him the same personality spread as Akbar, so he'd be a good match to Pascal)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I'm beginning to think that reverting the age of elder packaged sims results in a random hair colour. That's about three examples I've heard of so far. It's funny that Albert reverted back to his orginal colour.

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

That happened with Mortimer, too, didn't it? Probably the game randomly picks a hair color. If they're cloned as an elder, they wouldn't have the original's genetic data for hair color, would they? I don't really know how that works, but it seems to make sense.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting that. This is what I was assuming, but you know what they say about what happens when you assume. It's nice to know for sure.

Yeah, I'm thinking that Jayne's "mother" is No. 88. I know it was one of the female P.T.s and Jayne doesn't has the huge eyes (and they're not pointy like No. 14's eyes are). She also has no recessive colour, since her Dad has black hair too.

I'm thinking of keeping my P.T.s with the same names that Fwiffo gave them, to make things simple (I'll be too confused otherwise). Then, all I'll need is to give Stella a number, and we're good.

Yeah, as long as my attempts at sci-fi are not too ridiculous, I'll be happy enough. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. I wasn't planning to get as involved in that side of it as I have been, but I should have known it would go there with the alien thing in Strangetown. It's hard not to take it to outer space eventually.

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

"You make an ass out of u and me." *laughs* I actually really hate that saying! Because someone said it to me once in a really jerky way. :D

I forgot that I also used Fwiffo's #88 as my Twenty-three. She only appeared once or twice, though.

There's nothing wrong with Fwiffo's number-names. I just have certain numbers I like, because I'm weird that way. I sometimes even use them when I'm making slider adjustments in Photoshop. 13, 23, 42. Is that not totally dumb? I think so. But I can't help it. It's probably related to the synesthesia. Those are all "nice" numbers.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that saying can be annoying anyway, even without the jerky delivery. :P That's why I usually just trail off after the first half, since people usually get it.

I understand your number hang-ups. I'm like that too, but mostly about even numbers. I always round slider adjustments up to a number I like too. Probably not the most precise way to do it, but it makes me feel better.

(I'm breaking out my new Johnny icon.)

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

Hee! I love the icon! ^_^

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Isn't he cute? This icon has so many applications... *grin*

(Akbar is pretty cute too, with his floppy red hair all blowing in the wind like that. ^_^)

[smjoshsims.livejournal.com]

Poor Jonny. I am also wondering if Johnny is going to return with an alien bundle of joy. I am very worried...

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

My lips are sealed. You'll find out soon enough... about that part of it, anyway.

[simgarooop.livejournal.com]

Wait a minute...

When was Johnny abducted?!

Man! I go away for a couple days and now he's been abducted! Oh well.. I guess I should check my friend's list before typing more non-sense, right?

I have no idea what's going on, but I loved the drabble. Especially the first picture with the shadow.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

*snicker* Sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but I just imagine you entering the room and looking around all confused. This is set up in chapter 25, which I posted yesterday. It should make sense after you read that.

Thank you. Again, I have to thank the camera mod for helping me to manipulate the height and angles of the camera more easily. I just love it!

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

While I'm very curious about the "maybe baby" thing, I'm more curious to see if Johnny arrives home to find his compadres all snuggled up in bed together.

That would just be a kick in the teeth.

BUT, on topic, this is a nice tight drabble. And would make a lovely opener (though I'd love to see the inside of the ship again, just to see what you'd do with the PT's)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Well, he's heading home, and it's dawn. How early does Ripp usually wake up? I don't think they set an alarm clock, so...

I agree. This might feel like a pretty big kick in the teeth. Let's hope that Johnny's in the right frame of mind.

Thank you. I think I will use it as an opener, and then lead into my original idea for an opening, since it would still work, following this.

I'm not going to show much more of the ship just yet, and I went cheap on what I've showed so far, since I have no idea what they'll actually look like. I liked the bright white room idea for dramatic impact (and it's the lazy way out, for now). I will involve these P.T.s and all that a bit more as I move along. I'm getting a lot of it figured out, but there's still quite a bit to do with it before I want to reveal all. I hope it makes sense. *crosses fingers*

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Yes very nice drabble :)

I had those replacement PT's once but when my old Dell kicked the bucket I lost them. I've since been through a new Dell and now the Alienware and I have NO IDEA from whence they came, lol! Are they from MTS2?

Johnny getting abducted was a nice twist. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

Yeah, the replacement PTs are from MTS2. There's a link on my user info page.

Yeah, it's a good twist, isn't it? I feel like I can barely take credit for it, since it just appeared out of nowhere. You have to love random ideas like that.

[lovelysims.livejournal.com]

I really liked this. It was an interesting take on the drabble and it's great to get in Johnny's head.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I haven't gotten into Johnny's head all that much in the story yet, so I'm excited to do so. He keeps his cards hidden most of the time.

[realandgritty.livejournal.com]

I adored the quote. I also liked the tone of it, somber and mellow. Good read.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I've always like that quote. Oscar Wilde has a lot of great quotes, since he was such a great wit. I also enjoy:

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

[realandgritty.livejournal.com]

I've never read any Oscar Wilde, which, apparently is a very unfortunate thing.

Any recommendations?

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I would go for The Picture of Dorian Gray, his only novel. It's a good one.

[realandgritty.livejournal.com]

Alright. I'll have to stop at the library this weekend.

[80sfiend.livejournal.com]

Good drabble. :) I like this. And I love that Johnny's on his way home....O.O