Strangetown: outtakes and reflection

[strangetomato]

Well, after posting ten installments in one month, I thought it was high time to take a little breather, have a cup of tea (or, in this case, a rather large beer), and reflect on Strangetown, especially since I managed to end the last chapter on a feel-good note. I quite enjoy a little peak behind the scenes myself, so let me offer some inside info of my own. This will have some outtakes, hint mongering, and all that good stuff.

Let's begin with this little oddity:




Instead of heading to work, Circe decides to drive right off of the cliff! Nervous seems quite relieved. I would be too, Nervous.

Circe is an odd person to find humour in, really, but there was also this:




Yes, those are very nice pet collars, but you HATE animals, Circe! You wanted to cook a puppy for dinner, remember?

There weren't many bloopers for Nervous, but I do have this one really weird photo:




That's one extreme angle.

Moving right along to the Specter estate, we find a really odd glitch, and I wonder if anyone else has ever had this happening to them. Every night, the ghosts in Olive's graveyard change their appearance, clothes, and hair. Take this, for example:




I'm fairly certain that Willow Nigmos was not an alien, or even descended from aliens, but those eyes are definitely hinting otherwise!

Then there was the late-night meeting between Ripp and Ophelia, which had some nice bloopers. The game provided me with a number of really good reasons why Ripp Grunt would probably not make a reliable person for Ophelia to call in her time of need:




a. General horniness.




b. Lack of attention to the task at hand.




c. A serious penchant for pillow fighting.

Oooh, boy. Well, thankfully, this is a story, and not a play by play of actual game events.

The Specter estate is extremely dangerous to live in, and I was constantly having to save a major character from dying, including Ophelia and Olive herself. That resulted in this unlikely situation:




Ophelia pleading for Olive's life... and winning! Right...

Ripp managed to survive all of his trips over there, but he did piss himself from fright once (I exited without saving because I didn't want Tank gossiping about it, as if Ripp had been a bed wetter, or something).

Speaking of Tank, the Tank/Ophelia crush plot was all based on a really random action by Tank in the game. He autonomously flirted with Ophelia! Yes, a suggestive flirt, like he was possessed by his brother for a minute. Tank and Ophelia don't even have a single bolt for each other (they're dead centre on attraction), so I don't know why this happened autonomously.




Cute picture, but please, PLEASE, file this under "It never happened". This is so out of character for Tank that I considered not even posting it in the outtakes for fear that it would give the wrong impression. Let me be clear on this one. If Tank did decide to make a move (and I'm not saying that he will), it wouldn't be this particular type of move.

What is it about Ophelia, anyway? Is it because she's the only girl for miles, or is there something else at work here?

I have plenty of extra photos from the Ripp/Genesis rendezvous, but I had to edit it down to a reasonable amount, and many of them were just too lovey-dovey to use. That's really not the vibe I was going for. These were some of my favourites, but they seemed way too romantic.








And then there was Mrs. Crumplebottom.




"Save me from the bad lady, Genesis!"

Crumplebottom really, really hates Ripp. Better get used to it, sweetie! He's just getting started.






Ripp is so not impressed. He thought Johnny was a prude...




And here we are with some post-coital dreaming of the hot chick from downtown (I'm not sure if it's Genesis that's dreaming about her or Ripp. Does it really even matter?).




Yeah, I get it, Genesis. You did just go for a romp in the sheets with him, so I assumed that you found him hot.

This was the best part. After eating the crepes (or whatever that was), they both got fat!




Ummm, Genesis? Even if you did get knocked up in the process, I don't think it takes effect quite that fast! I really liked how Genesis looked with a little more booty, but I had to have her work it off for continuity's sake, at least for now. Maybe I'll let her spread out a bit later on.




Ripp didn't so much get fat, as get less fit. Yes, lazy boy was actually "fit", because he needed body points for his drama major. Plus, it pleases me. *grin* Before university, Ripp had nary a body point, though. Which makes this so much harder to explain:




He really did kick Tanks ass in the game (thus the "I won a fight" icon when he's bragging to Genesis about it). Now, I briefly thought that this turn of events would be kind of interesting, but it was ultimately way too unbelievable for me. Ripp could not kick Tank's ass by any stretch of the imagination, so I went with the result described in the story.

Am I the only one who giggled at the sight of Ripp fighting Tank in that stupid Weiner Wagon uniform? That just really cracked me up for some reason.

The destruction of the dollhouse wasn't planned, by the way. Tank autonomously destroyed it because his aspiration level was low. My reaction was seriously, "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" Thanks, Tank!

Since I have Seasons installed, Strangetown is set to permanent summer, so we occasionally have some sunstroke issues to deal with.




Teenage angst? No wait, just sunstroke!




Again, more sunstroke...




And... ooookaaay. Johnny turns a whole lot less green when he has sunstroke! They really didn't think about aliens when they designed that, now, did they? He has some acne going on there too, but Ophelia still likes him!

Some more random amusements...




General Buzz showing up at the Smith's house randomly to eat chips. Why not?




Buzz saw this when he went downtown. Well, then. Ex-girlfriends can be so damn clingy. Chloe knows what I'm talking about.




*snicker* Busted!




And here's Ripp exaggerating the length of his "bow". Yeah, sure, Ripp... I'll bet. How typical.



Other notes:

I feel really lucky to have been handed the idea to make Ripp a musician by the randomly generated LTW, because it just seems to suit him so well. Rock stars have groupies, afterall. :) We'll get to see him in action really soon.

A small note about musical selections: does anyone pay any heed to them? You should. I have left some hints in the form of lyrics, so be aware. Not all of them, but some of them have been and will be hints.

My favourite so far was Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran, because, well it's Duran Duran! *grin* But seriously, besides being silly, this applied to this chapter in a number of ways, if you really think about it. I also really like the idea of Ripp having an intimate knowledge of some seriously questionable 80's favourites, and we'll see his love for such things crop up again really soon.

You may have noticed that I referred to two songs by Neko Case. I highly recommend that album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. It's really great. She's a great storyteller, and listening to that album always helps the words to fly off my fingers.

I've been leaving some hints in the comment section too, but they're usually fairly minor, and pertaining to something that will happen fairly soon, but there are some exceptions.



For those of you who might be pondering the identity of the person that I based Mr. Doe on, here's a summary of the hints that I've dropped so far:

- He's based on a real, living person
- He's not really a celebrity (but somewhat), and not from television
- The identity will reveal a cheeky pun once you figure it out
- His hair should be a very good clue
- Oh, just re-read the prologue! :)

As I've said, it's one of those people that you'd know well if you do know them, but not so much a really mainstream figure. Perhaps this extra pic of Mr. Doe will help a little...




It's not a perfect likeness, but from this angle it's fairly accurate to me.

Any ideas? ;)



Let me close by adding some more gratuitous nudity.




I considered having Ripp streak around for a laugh, since he's super outgoing, but after what he said about "keeping his cards hidden", it hardly made sense. He likes to have some surprises to share with his "friends", afterall.




On that note, I'll leave you. Questions? Comments?

Comments

[hidden-kitten.livejournal.com]

I love the inside look and the extra hints toward Mr Doe. Something tells me I haven't guessed yet because I'm not following the crowd that knows. I read the prologue twice more since I talked with you in your comments and I'm no closer than before. I don't think I know of any people that are only 'somewhat' celebrities, much less cheeky puns! Can't wait to find out ;)
I have my Strangetown set to half Summer/half Spring after consulting my Reno, Nevada, born-and-raised boyfriend about desert weather. That, and I thought all hot all the time would get old fast.
Major lols from Circe driving off the cliff.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it really is one of those things you'd probably get immediately if you knew. What I mean by "somewhat" of a celebrity, is that he has more of a cult following, and is not a celebrity in the tabloid sense, really.

Yeah, I considered the half spring thing too... for a rainy season type of thing, but it just seems to rain way too much in sim spring. I get rain enough in the summer, so that works. La Fiesta Tech is set to permanent fall, just for some variety (and to make getting grades easier). I've never been anywhere near a desert, but I've always wanted to visit one someday. Strangetown will have to do for now.

Yeah, Circe driving off that cliff was pretty sweet. :)

[hidden-kitten.livejournal.com]

I figured you meant a cult-following...hmmm. Pompadour...I'm so stuck on John Travolta as Danny Zuko, but that's nowhere near cult. I'm so bad at this, lol.
My bf tells me that the desert is awesome, except for the dust storms. I've lived near Niagara Falls all my life, so it would be a welcome change to be in the desert. Alas, the only deserts in Canada are waaaayyyy up north.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's not John Travolta, but the hair is a key clue here (maybe doing a little search on a popular site for researching would lead you to him). You're so close, really.

I'm in Canada too, you know. :) In the far east of the western world. I've been to Niagara before. It's very beautiful. Will you ever make a trip to Reno? That'd be very exciting, especially for one of us northerners.

[hidden-kitten.livejournal.com]

No, I never knew you were up here! Are you...a Newfie (of course, I'm including Labrador in that)?? Or perhaps a Bretoner, like my dad's side? I wish I could go to Reno, but, sadly, certain things prevent us from going anytime soon. He misses it so much, poor thing.

*reads down in comments* England and alive? Not TV? Pompadour? Of course, I'm stuck on Tim Curry now (the cultest of the cult). Ooh, or Robbie Williams (SEXY). *gets lost looking at pics of RW*

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am a Newfoundlander (be careful, though, not all Newfies like to be called that... I really don't mind it at all, like most other rural-dwellers, but there seems to be a sweeping sentiment against it in the city).

Oooh, Robbie Williams is sexy too. Lots of sexy men are being suggested, in fact. *grin* Still not the right one, though. Someone will get it eventually, when I drop the right hint.

[indigoleo.livejournal.com]

Instead of heading to work, Circe decides to drive right off of the cliff! Nervous seems quite relieved. If I was Nervous, I'd be relieved too! Maybe it's a flying car. (?)

I've noticed that several of the ghosts in Olive's graveyard in my game are bald, including Lyla Grunt and Luc, the boy I had her bring back as a zombie. others have hair. The alien eyes are new though.

Aha! Ripp really Did win that fight! LOL! Definitely improbable but it is humorous.

Johnny with sunstroke...Whoa!! He's gone Pinto! That makes me kind of glad I don't have seasons.

Some of the pictures you get when things (or sims) merge when they're not supposed to is so funny. I've got several like that. They're always good for a laugh. And all of these were good.
I'll admit Mr. Doe looks somewhat familiar. Hmm...I shall have to think about this but not too hard. I really like surprises anyway. then afterwords I can go, 'of course! That was so easy!'

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Circe was in such a hurry to get to work, she decided to just jump over the chasm, maybe?

I used to get bald ghosts too, which is interesting for Lyla, since she died of electrocution (you know, like how they shave your head before you get the electric chair, with the death sentence). I get a different hair every time now, and usually cc hair. I wonder if it's a Seasons thing.

Yeah, I didn't expect Ripp to win that fight, since he had 0 body points compared to Tank's 6 or more. How random. I was happy for him though. He was just so mad about Tank destroying Buck's dollhouse. And the look on his face when he's bragging to Genesis later is just too good.

Haha. Pinto. Yeah, Johnny looks very odd with sunstroke. Just another example of a lack of attention to detail on the part of the game creators.

I'm actually pretty ambivalent about Seasons. I don't get why people keep listing it as their favourite EP. It's not that great. I kind of hate all the country furnishings (which are okay if used separately, but definitely not as a set), and the outerwear just irritates me. I like Nightlife and University a whole lot better. I haven't fully experimented with the gardening aspect of it, but I do like that part of it.

Yeah, I have one particular reference pic for Mr. Doe that matches that photo really well, and if I posted it, you'd probably have a real "Aha!" moment.

[katsuko]

*points at he in the icon and grins* Somewhat of a resemblance, so maybe him? If so, kudos for going with Doe for the name, bwahaha! And I always love seeing outtake stuff, it's why I do it so often with the legacy (which, fuck, I didn't have time to update. Tomorrow hopefully -_-) But I am in love with these posts and eagerly looking forward to more!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Is that Doctor Who? If so, you're on the right continent. ;)

Doe was more of a play on the whole Jane/John Doe thing. Just a generic everyname. How does that relate to Doctor Who (if I have your icon figured out)? I know the show, but only very vaguely. It airs on CBC (one of the two channels that I get... I'm one of those weirdos without cable), so I see a little here and there.

Glad that you're still reading and following the story!

[katsuko]

Mmm, hooray for correct continent! And my previous kudos was mainly because the Doctor tends to use very "normal" sounding names when undercover, like Smith :3

A bit of research makes me think I may have it figured out who Mr. Doe is based on, but I want to be surprised!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Normal... like Smith. Now there's a telling comment. ;)

[katsuko]

Hahaha, yeah! btw, legacy update in my sim journal :3

[hcraig480.livejournal.com]

I am intrigued with finding out who Mr. Doe is. Is the person he's based off of still alive or is it a legend type thing?

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

The man in question is definitely still alive.

[hcraig480.livejournal.com]

I think I figured it out but I'm not sure. I don't want o post it here though and ruin the surprise for everyone else...

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I can verify it if you like. Send me an email at nervous_subject(at)hotmail(dot)com. It would be a shame to spoil the fun for anyone else. Maybe I'll wait for a few people to guess it before I give it away.

Did you get the pun? ;)

[ohcherub.livejournal.com]

I've been following your story since the beginning and I love the direction it's taking. You've also made me really adore Nervous, when normally I don't play the Beaker family at all.

As for Mr. Doe... is it Rufus Wainwright? He kinda looks like him.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

How nice! I'm glad to hear that you've been following it and enjoying it. Please do add me if you want to get the updates as they are posted.

It's good share the Nervous love. He seems to get a lot of undeserved negative feedback from many players. And really, could his character and situation be any more interesting?

No, not Rufus... though Maxis-sim Frances Worthington (at La Fiesta Tech) also bears a resemblance to Rufus (seriously, go take a look at him), and Frances makes an appearance in the next chapter (which I'm busy writing now, as if my life somehow depended on it).

[http://users.livejournal.com/fileg_/]

I really love this story, and I'm getting very spoiled by the frequent updates.

Perhaps Circe is shopping for collars for Loki?


Your John Doe reminds me of this picture of chris isaak (taken by my annaliese)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Why, thank you! I have been doing pretty well with updates, and I hope to keep the pace for as long as I can. The holidays will obviously interrupt it a bit, but I have a rough outline going for the next four chapters or so.

*snort* Yes, maybe. Madame Ugly has a great story involving Circe and Loki, where a collar for Loki might be appropriate. ;)

Hmmm, yeah... I can kind of see that, but he's not the mystery man either. The eyebrows are more prominent than that. You'll see. :)

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

That was my first thought when I saw Circe eyeing up the collars. Loki's either been a really GOOD boy or mabye a really BAD boy.

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

I love extra pics. Love seeing others and showing off my own. Sometimes sims just do the weirdest things and you just can't resist documenting it.

I love the nostril shot of Nervous. Nice to see he keeps his nose hairs trimmed back.

I also love seeing characters acting uncharacteristic (like Ripp whooping Tank's butt and Genesis/Ripp being romantical). Speaking of Genesis/Ripp, perhaps they're BOTH dreaming of the hot downtown chick. Can you say "three way"? I knew you could.

And like another commenter noted, I thought Circe was buying the collar for Loki, too. (though she'd probably want one of those shock collars. . .)

As for the "who's Mr. Doe, judging from what you're giving away in the comments, I have no clue (I don't follow British t.v. that much nor do I follow sci-fi t.v.--I don't have cable t.v. so. . .). My knee jerk reaction was Fox Mulder from X-Files. But that's just because I have a David Duchovney lady hard on for him.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, some of this stuff was just too good not to share.

My favourite thing about that Nervous shot is how much of his lip is protruding! Just weird.

*grin* I would imagine that Ripp could get that one to work out for him, if he brought it up to Genesis. She seems to be pretty much up for anything. Perhaps he needs to call her up again.

Oh, Circe, you vixen! *snicker*

Yeah, Mr. Doe isn't from T.V. (Did I type that wrong and confuse people?) He's definitely from England though. I'm in the same boat about television, with not having cable and all (is that why I occupy myself with sims stories instead? Most of them are better than the crap on T.V., that's for sure).

Oooh! Duchovney is indeed worthy of a wide on. *swoon* He would have been suitable for Strangetown too.

[loki-fenris.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say that I've been reading your story since it started and i love it. Strangetown has always been my favourite maxis-made neighbourhood and reading this has made me adore its residents even more.

I would write more but noticed that while i was off creating my lj account (long-time lurker) you've posted a new update so i'm anxious to read it but first wanted to say thank you for taking the time to write and share it and please, please, please keep up the fast updates!

Oh and finally i think i know who Mr Doe is modelled after, being English and into that era possibly helps but i think your comment/reply about 'normal' names helped most, that and his creative side.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I really love to hear that someone has been following it. I've got some big stuff coming up really soon, so it's nice to be up on what's happened so far. I certainly hope to keep the updates coming too.

Strangetown really does have that "something extra". It really took hold of my brain.

Ooooh, your comment about Mr. Doe sounds promising. ;) What, pray tell, would "that era" be referring to?

[loki-fenris.livejournal.com]

"That era" would be 80's indie/alternative rock (i'm useless at labels!) music.

I thought i'd e-mailed you my full answer earlier but it turns out that i just replied to the livejournal comment notification! I'd like to blame noisy builders, a constantly crashing pc and cat on keyboard for my stupidity but don't think i honestly can. I'm just a muppet, and not one of the cool ones either.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, you do have the era right. ;) I'm pretty sure that you have it, really, even without you telling me. Go ahead and send another email, though, if you want verification.

Cats on the keyboard is like the bane of my existence. :)

[franwi.livejournal.com]

HA! The car going off the cliff is fantastic.

Yes, those are very nice pet collars, but you HATE animals, Circe! Um, I don't think she was browsing those for a pet - at least not the four-legged kind.

Great behind-the-scenes moments. Can't wait for the next installment. Is Nervous out of "the pit" yet? :(

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* See ya later, Circe!

Yeah, you all seemed to have Circe figured out with those pet collars.

The next installment is up right now. I was actually trying to get it posted before you stopped reading the the last one, since I knew that you were working your way through them, but I guess I was a little too slow. You'll have to go see how Nervous is doing for yourself...

[bnlmaroonvwbug.livejournal.com]

I just found your story tonight after looking for a celeb sim of who I'm pretty sure Mr. Doe is based on since he's one of my favorite singers, so what an odd coincidence! I thought I saw some resemblance but then I decided my mind was just playing tricks on me after looking for a sim version. That angle captures him perfectly though. By the way, I love the story so far, have fully caught up on all the chapters and I'm fully looking forward to the next one!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

What an odd coincidence! I have no doubt that you do know who he is. ;) I also looked for a sim version of him at one point, but found nothing. There is a t-shirt on MTS2 with his image on it, but that's all I ever found. I think he turned fairly well, but there are some flaws (and it depends on what reference photo you compare him to). I was hoping to find more accurate hair, but that was the best I could do. He's one of my very favourite singers too. He's simply one of the best, period.

Thanks! I'm glad that you're enjoying it. I am thisclose to posting the next chapter, so stay tuned. I really appreciate the feedback.

[sweetblasfemy.livejournal.com]

Mr. Doe, it was really nothing.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Are you saying that you know who he is?

[sweetblasfemy.livejournal.com]

i have an educated guess :)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, we'll see then... *smile* I think a handful of people have it now, but I won't say anything until it's completely obvious.

[80sfiend.livejournal.com]

Ok how did I miss the destruction of the dollhouse? :( Did I miss something in chapter??? That and Ripp helping Ophelia out in the middle of the night...did we see that happen? I'm confused. :( I've gone back and looked but I don't see anything....:(

[80sfiend.livejournal.com]

Ok..I found the chapter! I thought I had read it (cause of the header picture) but I totally accidently skipped over it. So...now everything makes sense. :)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Haha. I'm glad you figured it out. The thing between Ripp and Ophelia is fairly significant to the plot, so I'd hate for you to miss out on it.

[ikichi.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, I really want to beat Maxis for the way they screw up skintones. When I saw my first s4 vamp, I flipped out. She was BLUE! Like a smurf! And I was really looking forward to emerald green tanned aliens. T_T

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Have you seen tanned aliens? I don't have Bon Voyage installed, so I don't know if they considered that when they programmed the suntans, but they definitely didn't think much about the sunstroke thing, did they?

Vampires with the darkest skintone are blue? That's pretty funny. They all have a fairly bluish hue, don't they?

[ikichi.livejournal.com]

Well, there's a bluish hue, and then there's blue. I ended up getting a better default from MTS2 (Patches, I think). I didn't notice how blue they were until Jae, since the other s4 vamp wore longer sleeves.

I don't have BV (or Seasons) but I guess I was expecting sunburn/heat stroke to not be bright red on every skin. I mean, does Phi heatstroke red, too? Lame.

[missgan.livejournal.com]

Haha, I love that Nervous had double relationship plus points when Circe drove herself off the cliff!

Ripp & Genesis being all romantic together is adorable. Pity about Mrs. Crumplebottom ruining the fun, but I foresee that she's going to be quite a wet blanket during Ripp's future dates in Downtown! XD