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Nice. :cheese: So today he's cuddling the rodent, tomorrow he's stuffing it in the dishwasher?
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Aww, Mac's such a good boy. :) Just look at him clean. Ooh, and nice fish tank.
Now, Mr. H giving "Mom" make up tips really, really amuses me. The only thing I can really imagine him saying is how to trim and groom one's whiskers. Yeah, Rhonda's gotta love that! 8D Amanda needs to wop Terrence one for being a Peeping Tom. Nope, no lady likes that. Shame on him. It's awfully cute how he's finding "comfort" in the womrat's hugable little body, though. I do much the same with my cat when I'm upset. :berry: |
Does Amanda always get chosen? For in my game there is usually one or maybe two unlucky families, whom neighbours constantly watch on...
Cute womrat scene, btw, I liked that! :) |
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Foster's Valley - Ten random pics Just a bunch of pics I thought y'all might enjoy before the Visit. Which reminds me, if any of you have anything that you'd like me to have your Sims do when I run the scenario, or anything you'd like to see for those of you who don't have self-Sims in the game, now would be a very good time to ask, either here or via PM. The Valley's firstborn: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b01.jpg Sarah Burnell gets her first bottle from mom Linda early on Friday morning. I don't think this is the same Sarah who was born in the old Valley. They may be the same physically, with the same hair, features, etc.; I'll find that out as she ages. She definitely has a different personality, though. In the old Valley, Sarah's personality was the same as her father's but with a 9 in Outgoing (Robert has a 6). This time around, she has her mother's personality but a full 10 points in Active. In other words, she's hyper. It'll be interesting to watch her grow up and start racing around the neighborhood. Watch and learn: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b02.jpg The New Guy likes videogames; he plays all day and talks about them when he's not playing. This pic was taken from Samira Marville's point of view; the New Guy is showing off, more or less. He is rather good, although the only competition he has right now are Stevie and Ivan. An A+ in school means you get a gold star floating over your head: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b03.jpg In Wilt's case it also meant a bonus of 3000 Aspiration points and a platinum mood for several hours thereafter. Excellent job, dude. Coco got an A+ as well that day but didn't seem to care. Eduardo got homework. Ah, the joys of public school. When I ran the Headmaster Scenario at Foster's in the old Valley Frankie had a Cooking Skill of 7 at the time. As of Friday evening she had it back up to level 8 and could very well have it maxed out at 10 by Sunday if I push her. Either way, the Headmaster will be well fed. Another day, another womrat: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b04.jpg Tiffany Bratman wanted a womrat, so I gave her one. This particular rodent answers to the name of Mr. Biggles. She's quite attached to the little hairball and goes straight to his cage everyday after class for a little playtime. Shortly after Mr. Biggles joined the Bratman house, Sweetums got a new icon in her Wants panel. Specifically, she wants a cat. You guys can see where this is going. Rotten kid. Linestra visits the McBride boys: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b05.jpg "So, your mom set fire to the chili, right? Might be bad karma catching up with you for doing the Bandrowsky's dirty work." Robert got a little huffy at that point. The rest of the visit went well, though. The McBride boys brought a bunch of people home from school that day, and I opted to invite a couple of walkbys in as well, so it got pretty chaotic in there. The subject of the chili fire came up several times, and it's come up in conversations and gossip in several other houses as well. Sims love to dish about each other. Luanne thinks it's funny, although the rest of her family isn't so amused, especially not Travis, who had to eat the stuff. I have a pic of him gagging on it; it's rather funny. Except to Travis, of course. Frankie discovers modern art: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b06.jpg The picture is a recolor by Sparky of one of the paintings that come with the game. I've tried to do stuff like that one or twice but haven't had any success. I'll figure it out someday, maybe. Frankie still has no idea that those same characters she's looking at are animated and on TV; she thinks it's just a cartoon-style painting of her family that her grandmother had done by some guy named Craig. If she finds out what's really been going on I don't think she's going to be very happy about it. Coco goes loco: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b07.jpg Well, we all knew she was a little crazy, and on Friday evening she proved it by bouncing around on the furniture. Wilt thinks it's funny; Madame Foster doesn't really know what to make of it. After she was done with the couch, Coco juggled the bottles in the refridgerator, played videogames, soaked in the bathtub for a couple hours, and spent some quality time with the house's new bubble blower. Sounds like a fun evening, I should try it myself sometime. Mr. Herriman enjoys a cup of espresso: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b08.jpg Sims have two ways to recharge their Energy meter; coffee and espresso, or a good night's sleep. Mr. Herriman really doesn't want to go to bed just yet so a cup of espresso is just the thing he needs to keep going for another couple of hours. Frankie practically lives on the stuff, given all the work she does in a given day. Everybody else likes to indulge in it as well, mostly in the evening when their motors are winding down. Espresso has a price, however; it recharges one's energy, sure, but it fills one's bladder pretty quickly, too, and sometimes it leads to a crisis: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b09.jpg Fortunately there's a bathroom nearby, so no little "accident" this time. Coco shrugged and went for the bubble blower. And finally, one of the coolest pics I've ever seen: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...i90125/b10.jpg One of the game hacks I use allows Sims to teleport from point A to point B with a bright flash of multicolored light at both ends. I seldom use it but in this case I wanted Stevie Marville in the house now, so two mouse clicks later, there he was, and I managed to press the Pause button at just the right time. Gotta love the way his glasses stand out like that. Anyway, that's the lastest pic set; I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Assuming the game doesn't explode, the next set will be the Foster's cast at the Never Forgotten house. This could get pretty wild. Stay tuned... |
Wow, that last picture is really something to look at.:P All the colorssssss!
Can't wait for the Foster's gang to visit the NF house; it should be a hoot! |
I use the teleport featur quite often, but I never stopped it to make it look like this...
Btw, you can see babies' personalities??? I can only see them when they turn into toddlers! Will you ever post anything about my family, or are we some weird outsiders there? :D |
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I check their personalities with SimPE. You can also check them by using the InSIMenator to make them selectable. You'll see some odd things in the other panels when doing so, and the crystal will be lying on it's side on the floor, but you can read the kid's personality. I exit the lot without saving after looking, just to be safe. Oh, before I forget, don't try to teleport babies or toddlers out of the crib!!! Foster's Valley - "Imaginary Afternoon" Sparky phones the restaurant to explain why she can't make it to work today: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw01.jpg Seems she's all stuffed up and has a bad cough, and has spent the entire morning either dashing to the bathroom or lying listless in bed, lying being the operative word here. Like any of us wouldn't under the same circumstances. It's about 8:30 AM in the pic. Having dealt with work, Sparky told everyone what she knew; that Madame Foster had made some kind of deal with Cartoon Network without telling anybody in the House about it and there seemed to be some sort of conspiracy between her and Rhonda Cassiman involving Bloo. There was a lot of puzzlement and disbelief but it was decided that everyone should keep quiet about it. "But we wanna talk about the episodes with them!" someone complained. "You still can," Sparky reminded them. "Just talk about it like it's a story you heard from Madame Foster instead of something you saw on TV. She's been here and talked a little about stuff that's happened at Foster's so it's not exactly a lie. And use some discretion, okay? Some of what's on the show may be stuff the writers added as embellishment and never really happened. Just use some common sense." There was some grumbling about the cast having the right to know the truth. "I agree but we don't know all the facts, so let's keep quiet," was Sparky's response. She called Madame Foster to let her know that they'd keep her secret. Big relief for Madame Foster, there; when Frankie had mentioned the invite at dinner the night before the grand old lady almost had a heart attack and had spent the rest of the night as a nervous wreck. The Foster's cast was scheduled to arrive around noon, and sure enough, they did: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw02.jpg Coco went for the doorbell as the others milled about. Imaginary Light did the honors of greeting everyone and Frankie was the first one in, and she headed straight for the couch: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw03.jpg Day off or not, Mr. Herriman wanted the House spotless before they left, so she spent the morning cleaning, as usual. Beats me what he was worried about; I guess he didn't want any potential burglars to think they were robbing slobs. X_dummkoff_x voiced a loud opinion about something involving travel, based on the suitcase icon that was in her speech bubble. In the background, Lynnie is getting lunch ready. Things proceeded rather nicely from there. Sparky chatted up Mr. Herriman, Frankie headed for the swings, and Madame Foster started to relax a bit: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw04.jpg Bendy wasn't much in the mood for socializing; he wanted food, he wanted it now, and the moment Lynnie had the chili on the table he was seated and got right to work: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw05.jpg By the stars that is one demonic looking Imaginary Friend. You should see the close-ups; think of Junior from the Problem Child movies but without the niceness. Yeah, that bad. While Bendy wolfed down a couple bowls of chili, most everyone else was congregated out front, getting to know each other a little better: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw06.jpg And inside, too: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw07.jpg Some knew each other already but now everyone was getting to know everyone else, which was pretty much what both sides were hoping for. Some, however, were interested in things other than conversation: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw08.jpg Somehow, someone always finds the bubble blower. Always. Berry found it first and happily fired it up and before long she was floating and spinning and laughing. Others eventually joined her, of course. While Berry blew a bountiful bonanza of big bright bouncing bubbles Eduardo found himself in a bit of trouble: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw09.jpg I really don't have a clue as to why Imaginary Light did this. Eduardo yelped, her Fun meter went up, and a moment later he was rubbing his head while she smirked. And to make matters worse, barely thirty seconds later Eduardo got noogied again: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw10.jpg Wilt, wisely, decided not to get involved, and went inside to sample Lynnie's chili. Back-to-back noogies... that was a first. Eduardo was almost certainly wishing he still weighed 700 pounds and had horns. It was otherwise a fun afternoon for everyone; lots of food, good conversation, friendships being forged, pretty much an idyllic late Autumn Saturday afternoon. Until Frankie went upstairs... |
Lol, Mr. Herriman looks kind of displeased with me in that shot. :herriman:
Anyhow, I've been really looking forward to the union of our two houses. Can't wait to see what develops! :D |
Good work Cass!
I think Fosters should just go on the road entertaining sick people (not mentally of course). Sparky got her entertainment from the Fab Friends; not a bad day off for her too!:frankiesmile: |
Oh my, what happened upstairs??!!
(Oh, and can I use the InSIMenator to raise attractiveness? I want 2 people to have 3 lightnings a.k.a. "strong attraction" but their Aspirations decrease it...) |
This is awesome! I've been looking forward to it. :D
Poor Eduardo... 8D And what happens upstairs? |
Oh my, this is awesome!
Aw, poor Eduardo. He must be very noogie-able or something. 8D Can't wait for the next installment; I wanna see what's going on upstairs! |
I LOLed at Ed getting noogied twice in 30 seconds. Poor Ed. I bet he wonders what he did to deserve it. Maybe it's because he's too dang lovable? :smed:
Yay, I meet Bendy! No wait. That's not "yay" worthy at all. Ah well. As long as he didn't hurt me. Yeah, he looks demonic when looking into his eyes, doesn't he? I'm scared now.... J/K. :P 8D Yes, I too am looking forward to the next update. What on earth does Frankie find upstairs?? :o |
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As the others talked and played, Bendy continued with lunch: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw11.jpg There's malevolence on his mind, you can tell just by looking at him. Everybody in the house could tell, too, so they wisely left him alone. He's irritated because he got busted for flooding the downstairs bathroom the night before; he tried to blame Wilt but nobody believed him because (a) if Wilt had done it he'd have cleaned it up right then and there, and (b) Wilt wasn't home at the time. Eduardo caught him, Mr. Herriman sentenced him to clean the bathroom, and Frankie supervised him. Now he plots his revenge over a bowl of Lynnie's chili. Hopefully he'll get over it; maybe a little time with the bubble blower might help? That's what he went for after lunch. With Bendy out of the way it was time for others to take their turn at the table: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw12.jpg Here Madame Foster, having finally relaxed, is telling a wild story about Mr. Herriman from way back in the late 1930's. Seems that one day she forgot her lunchbox when she left for school and the old boy had quite an adventure getting it to her. According to Madame Foster he met Al Capone. "Al Carbone, Madame, not Capone," Mr. Herriman insisted. Either she's embellishing or he's hiding something. I doubt we'll ever know for sure, but either way I'll bet it was a heck of a story. Another great story was Casablanca, which Frankie had been watching on the TV until Bendy got tired of the bubble blower and demanded to watch Night Of The Living Dead. She argued with him until he threw a tantrum, at which point she said the heck with it and went for lunch: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw13.jpg The chili was long gone by then so lunch is now chef salad, courtesy of Linestra. In the background Sparky has dinner preparation underway, specifically hamburgers. There was a lot of cooking done in the Never Forgotten house that day. In the foreground xxxClaire has entertained Wilt with a joke, which he thought was hilarious. Frankie mentioned that she's missing Casablanca; you can tell by the TV icon in her speech balloon. She wasn't too happy about it, either, as she'd never managed to see the whole thing. She brightened up when Linestra told her that there was another TV in the house, up on the second floor. So Frankie headed upstairs... Quote:
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http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw14.jpg A second painting by that Craig guy, the one that drew the cartoon-style family portrait hanging in the hallway at the House. But how?? Why would a picture of the Imaginary Friends be hanging here?? How did they get it? From Madame Foster? Craig? These people... OMG they weren't IF stalkers of some kind, were they? Frankie was completely baffled. She headed towards the staircase, determined to find out what the story was. On her way she passed by the TV and glanced down at the shelf beneath it, where she spotted another picture that looked oddly familiar. Curious, she stopped to check it out and discovered that it was a picture of Cheese, again done in cartoon-style, and it wasn't just a picture, no; it was a DVD case. She read the title: Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends: The Complete Season 2. Frankie was stunned. What in the world was going on? She needed answers. Best to start with what she had in hand. So she popped one of the discs into the DVD player, pressed the 'play' button on the remote, and the disc began playing where it had left off. Up came a title card. Cookie Dough. Frankie watched and saw herself in cartoon form, buying boxes and boxes of cookies: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw15.jpg Devouring cookies: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw16.jpg And the final credit sequence: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw17.jpg The leaky roof, the lemonade stand, Madame Foster's cookies, the antics of the Imaginary Friends, the destruction of the roof by that lunatic Bloo... it was all there. Exaggerated, but there it was, a page from her life, animated and marketed without her consent on a Cartoon Netword DVD. Her mind reeling, Frankie sat there in silence. She realized that there was only one person who could be responsible for this... Downstairs a flock of birds took flight, squirrels raced up trees, and fourteen heads turned towards the stairwell as an angry female voice thundered down from above: "GRANDMA!!!" "Uh-oh," said Sparky. (To be continued...) |
Poor Frankie... I can understand how she feels, since I saw myself screaming silly stuff in the class video we aired at the end of year 12... :D
Can't wait to see more! |
Yeah I can see Frankie yelling, "WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SELLOUT!":wiltshock:
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OH, SNAP!
That was my inititial reaction. |
Damn, poor Frankie.
This is exciting, nice work Cass! :D (And yay, Wilt thinks I'm funny! :D) |
Oooooooh. Busted. Now I'm glad I'm not there. XD
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I'm trying so hard to fight the guilt at watching the show now. I respect them all too much! :o
Yes, it has hit the fan now! Poor Frankie. This is turning into a TV show in itself. ;) Can't wait for the next installment. |
My thanks, as always, to those who commented. It's always nice to hear a few words of appreciation. :frankiesmile:
Foster's Valley - "Secrets revealed" (Warning: long post ahead) Madame Foster was up the stairs in no time; not an easy thing to do at her age. She was confronted by a very angry-looking Frankie and knew immediately that she was in trouble. "You called, dear?" she said in a nervous voice. Frankie didn't say a word; she simply pointed at the painting. "Oh, my, isn't that nice?" Madame Foster said. "Did one of our lovely hosts do that? It's very good, everyone looks so cheerful." Frankie again didn't say a word; she held up the Season 2 DVD case barely six inches from her grandmother's face. "Oh. Frankie, I can explain-" "WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?!?!" Frankie was clearly upset: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw18.jpg "Frankie, please understand, I did this for the House-" "You traded the stories of our lives for the House?? This had better be good, Grandma, this had better be real good!" At that point Wilt and Mr. Herriman showed up. "Is everything okay?" Wilt asked. "What's going on here?" Mr. Herriman added. Again, Frankie pointed to the painting and held up the DVD case. "Our lives have been animated and put on public display," she growled. She directed their attention to the TV. "See for yourself." Wilt and Mr. Herriman sat and watched in stunned silence as the events of Where There's A Wilt There's A Way unfolded before their eyes: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw19.jpg "But... a lot of that never happened!" Wilt said, distraught. "You can't do all of that in the space of one basketball game! And I'm not an astronaut or a dentist!" "Well, perhaps now you all understand how I felt when that video of me entertaining my creator was posted on the web!" said Mr. Herriman. "Waitaminute... Oh, no, don't tell me they made an episode about that!" "I don't know," said Frankie. "I don't know how many episodes there are, or what they're about, or how this all happened without us knowing about it, but we're going to find out! Aren't we, Grandma?!" Madame Foster sighed. "It's a long story." "We have time," Frankie said. "Spill it." Sparky arrived at that point: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw20.jpg "Um, you mind if I sit in? I know it's none of my business but I'd like to hear this, too, if nobody minds," she said. "I've been a fan since the show started. We all have; that's why we were so eager to have you come spend the day with us. And Madame Foster, I'm sorry this got out. The painting and the discs were supposed to be put out of sight; I don't know why they weren't." "It would have gotten out eventually," Madame Foster replied. "No one's to blame for this but me." She shifted gears for a moment, trying to lighten the mood. "So, who's your favorite character?" "Terrence." "The Cassiman punk??" Frankie was incredulous. "He's in the show too?" "Not lately," Sparky said unhappily. "But why... hold it, Grandma, stop changing the subject!" "Sorry, dear, just trying to lighten things up a bit." Wilt excused himself at that point, feeling a need to tell the rest of the IF's what was going on. Eduardo didn't believe him at first: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw21.jpg "Animated? And on TV? No way!" Wilt did convince him pretty quickly, and Coco, too; feeling rattled, both headed for the bubble blower. Berry giggled and wanted to watch the show; Bendy, still engrossed in Night Of The Living Dead, didn't much care. Wilt was feeling pretty rattled and a little violated himself and needed to talk to someone about everything. Fortunately, this was the Never Forgotten house so there were definitely a few people who might understand what he was going through: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw22.jpg "It's a really good show," Jekylljuice told him, "and you've got a lot of fans out there, and in here, too. It's something you should be proud of." "Yeah, maybe, but it was done without me being asked. I'm sorry, but I'm kind of a private person; I mostly keep things in and don't tell the world about my life. Now a lot of it is on TV. Madame Foster should have asked me first, I wouldn't have liked it but I wouldn't have said no." "You never do," smiled xxxClaire. "Never been able to. Hey, how'd you know... oh, yeah. I guess we've both seen Where There's A Wilt There's A Way now." A little laughter, a little healing. Upstairs, Lynnie joined the group; there wasn't any laughing going on as Madame Foster told her story: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw23.jpg "It all started about five years ago. The House has always been short of money, and as you can imagine the bills are huge, what with all the residents we had. After the incident with the Imaginary Klingons-" "Imaginary Klingons??" said Lynnie. "Yes. Some Trekkie kid created them. Two months later another Trekkie kid adopted them. In the meantime they broke things while playing 'Capture the Mugato'. They decided Eduardo was the Mugato, whatever that is, and terrorized the poor dear, and you know how he gets when he panics. After we paid the repair bills we barely had enough money to stay afloat. One day while I was at the mall I met a man named Craig McCracken, who it turned out was working for Cartoon Network. We chatted for a bit and ended up having lunch together. He told me that he was working on a new show for CN, a show focusing on Imaginary Friends, so I told him about Foster's and what we do. He was fascinated by the stories I told him and it hit me that they might make for good TV. And a good bit of money from the royalty checks. It took me quite awhile to convince him that the show he wanted to do was in the foster home that I ran but in the end I talked him into it. The problem was that I knew no one in the House would want a bunch of animators and writers following them around, asking personal questions and telling them to hold still while being sketched. The 'being on TV' part would be even worse; the shyer IF's, not to mention private people like you, Frankie, and Wilt and my dear Mr. Herriman, would never have agreed to it." "True," said Frankie. "There's a reason it's called a 'private' life, Grandma." "I know. But we needed the money so bad. What's more, Craig was on a deadline and I didn't have time to tell him all the stories I knew. That's when it occurred to me that everything he needed to make a show about us was on the House security tapes." "You sold our security tapes to cartoon people??" "I did. I asked him to please not go into too many background details or personal stuff but other than that, do what you want with them. Before I started mailing the tapes to him though I had to figure out how to keep everyone from finding out about it once the show started airing. I was able to convince the IF's that CN wasn't worth watching; I showed Wilt a few episodes of Billy & Mandy and that show with the three boys named Ed and he wrote of CN as having no educational or cultural value. Eduardo, I let him see what was on Adult Swim, and he won't go near CN now. Same with everyone else; I convinced them all that CN wasn't worth watching." "And what if we went out, hmm, Grandma? How'd you plan to keep us from finding out from someone else's TV?" "With one exception, that wasn't as big a problem as you might think. Most of our day trips were to the parks or the beaches, places without TV or internet. I kept you from finding out online at home with blocking software and search filters and such. Other trips out. like to the mall or anyplace with a TV, well, I kept my eye on the TV schedule and worked around it. The IF's seldom went out on their own much anyway, fearing that a child who might want to adopt him or her might arrive while they were out. I played on that fear to keep them in. The exception was you, dear. You had a life outside the House; you'd go out with your friends at night or on a date or some such thing and I had no way to keep you in. But I did find a way." "And I'm guessing that this is where Rhonda Cassiman enters the story," said Sparky. "Rhonda, and Bloo. Oh, hell, I think I know what you did. Dang, Madame Foster. Just... dang." Frankie spoke again. "So do I. But I want to hear you say it." "First I want to say that I'm ashamed of myself," Madame Foster continued. "All I was thinking of was the House, and the money, and the plan. I should never have dragged the Cassimans into this. Like with Craig, I met Rhonda at the mall one day, and we chatted and had lunch. The poor woman was clearly tired and I asked why, which is when she told me about her problems with Bloo and her children. I suggested that she pack up Bloo and send him to my place but she wouldn't hear of it. 'I can't just ship off my son's best friend, imaginary or not,' she said. 'I need relief from him but it wouldn't be right.' I explained to her what I was up to with Craig and CN, how it would get Bloo out of her hair and get Mac out of the house to meet new friends, and in the end I offered to cut her into the deal because the way she described him, I had to have Bloo. I had to have him in the House because this loud, messy, destructive, egomaniacal troublemaker of an Imaginary Friend was the only thing I could think of that could wear you down and leave you too tired and cranky to go out and discover that I'd sold your life to Cartoon Network. And I've hated myself for inflicting him on you ever since. Frankie, I am so, so sorry that I did this to you." Madame Foster had tears in her eyes. So did Mr. Herriman, Sparky, and Lynnie. So did Frankie as she got up and left. To be honest with you all, so do I. (To be continued...) |
This is becoming epic. I seriously cannot wait for the next installment.
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One word for you-
WOW!! :wiltshock: Man alive, this is getting intense! I sooooo want to give Frankie, Wilt and Ed a hug and apologize for them finding out like this. And even Madame F, since at least she meant well. But it would have been much more honorable to get permission from the residents (and the Cassiman kids and Bloo) first. Aww.. Yes, I felt myself getting teary eyed at the end there. I most definitely cannot wait for the next update! |
Gasp...8D
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Whoa... that was intense... can't wait to see what happens next.
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Concluding the visit...
The meeting upstairs was mostly over at that point. Lynnie caught up with Frankie and managed to convince her to at least eat something before heading back to the House, which she did: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw24.jpg It was pretty obvious to everyone that she was more than a little upset. Linestra inquired if she was okay; Frankie responded in a calm, detached voice, saying, "Well, it seems that Madame Foster..." and repeated the entire story. Nobody missed the fact that she referred to her grandmother as "Madame Foster" and not "Grandma". There was a lot of hurt here, a lot of deep hurt, and it wasn't going to heal anytime soon. Eduardo took it all in and stood quietly nearby and spaced out, his mind gone to another place where he didn't have to deal with any of this: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw25.jpg "I..." Words failed him. "I know, Ed, I know," Jekylljiuce said as she joined him. Meanwhile, Coco found a different way to cope with things: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw26.jpg And that's where she stayed as Frankie gathered up the rest of the Imaginary Friends and went home. Upstairs, Madame Foster continued to explain herself to Sparky: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw27.jpg "I can't say much more than I already have," she said. "It seemed like it was the only thing I could do. The House was in bad shape, the bill collectors were closing in, donations were flat and we couldn't get help from the government. It looked as if my life's work was coming to an end. Now my granddaughter hates me, the show is ending and the royalty checks aren't going to cover our expenses for long. I remember moving here because the taxes were lower, but something went wrong. I don't know what it is; the taxes and the bills weren't as low as I thought, they skyrocketed two days ago, and there's a huge gap in my memory between when we left Washington and when we arrived here. Everyone in the House has it, and so do a lot of other people. I don't understand it." "Don't you remember anything from that time?" Sparky asked. "Echoes of fear and something about a crystal. That's all," she replied. "I'm more concerned about money right now. Did you get your tax bill? My goodness, the first one was bad enough but the last one, poor Mr. Herriman nearly had a heart attack when he saw it. What happened that they rose so much overnight?" Sparky shrugged. "The Bandrowskys warned us. 'Don't talk about the Piano with the newcomers or else'. I guess someone talked, and Kimmy and Darran found out about it. He's on the Valley council and pushed the tax bill in retaliation." Madame Foster rolled her eyes. "Again with this Piano thing! What is the big deal about a musical instrument? You press the keys, it makes a nice sound. Have I missed something?" "I don't know if you want to get involved in this," said Sparky. She looked at Madame Foster for a moment. "Then again, maybe you do. There may be a lot of money at stake." "Newcomers or not, we live in the Valley, too. We're involved whether we want to be or not. So, what is it? Made of rare wood with keys of ivory and onyx, strings of silver, and lost out in the bay until someone finds and claims it?" Sparky laughed. "No, not like that. It's not lost at all; in fact, I'll bet you've already seen it. A piano is a musical instrument but the Piano, the Jewel of the Valley, is a house." http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw28.jpg "A house?" Confusion tinted Madame Foster's voice. "The Bandrowskys are up in arms because people might talk about a house? Who are these Bandrowsky people?" "Wealthy, ambitious, and ruthless," said Sparky. "Kimmy, Darran, and their three daughters: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw29.jpg "Kim, the youngest, she's not too bad but the rest of the family... I don't know. They want what they want and if you cross them or get in their way they will hurt you. They're also very charismatic, charming people, and they know how to use that charm. Be careful around them; if you frack them off enough, Kimmy will arrange a response, and it won't be pleasant." "That bad? Dang. How does the Piano fit into this?" "It started decades ago. There once was a man in the Valley named Marcus Langard, just another guy, really, nothing special about him until after he graduated from the University. He went on to become an adventurer like no other, travelling far and wide across the Valley and well beyond. When he finally returned to the Valley to settle down he had a fortune with him and bought a lot of land. People started calling him 'Marcus Landgrab', which he thought was funny, so he changed his name to that... 'cept there was a typo on the legal documents, so it's spelled 'Landgraab'." "As in 'Malcolm Landgraab the 4th'? The fellow in Bluewater Village who owns Club Dante and the electronics store?" "That's Marcus's descendent: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw30.jpg Marcus and his wife Irene had two children, Malcolm Landgraab the 1st and a daughter named Teresa. The Piano, built for him by the great architect Seomi, was their residence. Cost a fortune to build but was worth it. Total luxury. Unfortunately both Marcus and Irene died in an off-lot accident while the kids were in college, leaving the Piano as an unowned lot that nobody could afford, and in the Valley" (and in the game) "if no one owns a lot, no one can enter it. Malcolm the 1st tried for years to raise enough money to buy it back but never succeeded. Same with Malcolm the 2nd. Malcolm the 3rd lost interest in the house; I don't know what Malcolm the 4th thinks about it. I don't know what happened to Teresa; she left the Valley after graduation and that's the last anyone heard of her." "Okay, so the Piano is a big expensive house," said Madame Foster. "So is my house. What's the big deal?" "The big deal is what might be inside. The stories and rumors are pretty wild but the fact is that Marcus was incredibly wealthy and collected a lot of stuff during his life. No one knows what's inside the Piano but everyone knows it's far more valuable than it's already high price would suggest. The place is an incomparable treasure trove." http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e_Piano_01.jpg "So the Bandrowskys wanted everyone to keep quiet to reduce the competition, is that it? Wow. This is a lot to take in, Ms. Read, it truly is. But it'll have to wait; right now I'm more concerned about my granddaughter." "So am I, Madame Foster. So are we all." The evening was pretty much over at that point. Madame Foster headed home while Sparky chatted briefly with the last two stragglers: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw31.jpg Mr. Herriman, dedicated as always to his creator, promised he'd look fter her and do whatever he could to heal the rift that had now formed between Frankie and Madame Foster. Coco promised the same thing... and demanded to know where she could buy a bubble blower of her own. Early Sunday morning at Foster's, neither Wilt nor Madam Foster could sleep. They found themselves taking comfort in each other's company on the living room sofa: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/qw32.jpg "I've done a horrible thing, Wilt, a horrible thing." "I know, Madame Foster. Your heart was in the right place, trying to save the House and all. It's just bad judgement. Really bad. Especially dragging the Cassimans into it and using Bloo to wear down Frankie like that. Sorry, but that's really not okay." "I know, Wilt. I always have. And knowing what I did has been tearing me up inside for five years now. I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for doing this to her and to all of you as well." "This is going to be with you for a long time. Look, I'm not happy about this either, but I forgive you. Does that help?" He smiled that big white smile he was so well known for. "Thank you, dear. But will Frankie ever forgive me? I don't know if there's any way I can ever make this up to her. I just don't know." With that she sighed and went to bed, leaving Wilt in front of the fireplace to contemplate the future of the House. Actually, Madame Foster, there is a way you can make it up to Frankie. You see, there's some unfinished business at Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. And you're going to be the one to finish it. Stay tuned. |
Dun dun duuuuuuun! :D
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I second what Ant said, hehe. :D
I want to give Ed a hug in that shot of him all spaced out, awww. Yes Ed, I know too. And I love the look on Coco's face while she's playing with the bubble blower. ;) Ah hah! So that's what "The Piano" is! Fascinating. It looks spectacular from the outside, and I can see why it got its name. I feel sick for Frankie. I hope she'll be ok. :cry2: |
Darn it, this is getting really good. And it's nice that I was able to chill a bit with Eduardo there. :smed:
As for the Piano...lol, good to have that mystery finally solved. :) |
Yay for detailed family stories! (God, I hate saying "yay" but it fits here, I guess.)
Keep this up! - and I'd like to see where I am while all this mess is going on (or is it better for me to stay out of it...?)? |
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Due to a power surge from high winds and a later game crash I had to run the Foster's Headmaster scenario three (deleted) times to complete it, so if you spot any inconsistencies it's because I used pics from all three tries. Sheesh, this game puts me through hell. By the way, this story has a title card, just like the actual Foster's episodes, except it's a Sims 2 loading screen and you don't get to see it until the end of this chapter. Don't skip ahead, you'll spoil the surprise. (Insert a Mr. No-no smilie here.) Foster's Valley - "Retribution, Part One: Prologue" The next day Frankie woke up and got straight to work, as usual. She hadn't slept well the night before because of the revelation of what Madame Foster had done and wasn't in a very good mood. Nonetheless she got to work, partly out of habit, partly to get her mind off of everything. First up was a toilet that someone had plugged: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt01.jpg Then there was mopping to do in the downstairs bathroom: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt02.jpg After which she snapped the mop in half over her knee and sat on the toilet for a half-hour with her face in her hands, sobbing softly. Her once happy home now seemed more like a prison. After she recovered, Frankie got herself some breakfast and waited for Mr. Herriman to show up. He soon did so, with his usual bowl of cereal: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt03.jpg "How are you this morning, Miss Francis? I understand that last night was very hard on you-" "I want a vacation." Mr. Herriman hadn't expected that. "Say again?" "You heard me. I want a vacation. I have got to get out of here for awhile." "We can't spare you. Replacing you for a few days would cost-" "I don't care what it costs! We're talking about my mental heath here, okay? In the past four years I've gone out with friends four times and been on one date with a guy who turned out to be a total jackass! I work here every single day with hardly a break or any time for myself. I rarely go out unless it's to pick up groceries. Most of my social life is on the phone. And now I find out that my own grandmother brought in a self-absorbed lunatic to wear me down so that I wouldn't go out and find out that she'd sold videos of me and everyone else in the House to Cartoon Network and turned our lives into a public spectacle! I need a break!" "You don't have to yell-" "I'M NOT YELLING!!!" Mr. Herriman sighed. He knew she was right but he also knew how much the House depended on her. "Can't we discuss this after the Headmaster's visit?" "No, Peter Cottonbutt, we'll settle it now." There was a lot of anger in Frankie's voice. Anger and hurt. She did her best to calm down. "Look, it's not like I'd be gone for long. Besides, Wilt can take over while I'm gone, you know he's good at it and he loves to help out." "He's not half as good at your job as you are." "Eduardo and Coco can pitch in, too." She paused as a tear formed in her eye. "Am I really asking for so much?" Again he sighed, not without sympathy. "It would help if the House was in peak condition up to the moment you left. Can you have this place spotless by the time of your departure? Absolutely spotless?" Frankie smiled. "Watch me, rabbit man." With that, she got on the phone, made all the arrangements she needed, and got straight to work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O5NBf4tmO0 And soon Frankie had the House clean all over from top to bottom. Keeping it that way would be a challenge, but if she could keep Bendy out of trouble and away from puddles and such, she might be able to pull it off. Frankie had one other triumph that afternoon, too: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt04.jpg Cooking Level 10. First in the Valley to get a level of 10 in any skill. I just sat there and smiled, and not because of the little black dress. A moment later she went into the kitchen and put that cooking skill to work: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt05.jpg Frankie cooked, Mr. Herriman schmoozed, and Wilt waited patiently, ready to step in if the old rabbit managed to insult the Headmaster. No insult, fortunately, and dinner began a few minutes later: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt06.jpg She looks so beautiful in that dress... um, anyway, the rest of the residents joined the meal at various points throughout the evening. There was tension in the air from the night before, particularly when Madame Foster arrived at the table, and the Headmaster noticed it, resulting in a lower score than in the previous Headmaster scenario in the old Valley. Not low enough to fail, of course not; not with Frankie Foster in charge: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt07.jpg And so it went. The Headmaster departed and the scenario was won. Private school and spiffy new http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt08.jpg What the hell? http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt09.jpg "Hey hey, Frannie, long time no see! Wow, is that turkey I smell? I'm starved! Oh, can I get a different room instead of my old one?" Oh, no... http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt10.jpg (To be continued...) |
"Oh no" indeed!
Ugh. Why him? Why now? She needs a vacation NOW! Although I'm sure you agree so... yeah. I'm glad the house passed inspection by the Headmaster, though. :frankiesmile: |
That was lovely! Especially the Goofball surprise at the end... :D:D:D
(Wilt looks amazing in that formal outfit!) |
I laughed out loud at the end.8D Glad I didn't ruin the surprise by looking at the title card beforehand.:P
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Noes! Not Goofball. :o
Nice work! Frankie looks great in that dress... and Wilt looks awesome! :D |
Oh crap, Goofball!
....this will not end well... :wiltshock: |
The duckman does a long scream of anguish "not the 'goofpoop!':frankiemad:
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Well, this is certainly a turn up for the books...Goofball is just about the last character I ever expected you to invite into your Sim domain, Cass. Unless of course you have an ulterior motive here...like exacting vengeance, for example. :bendy:
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Whoa....how you took time to make a GOOFBALL sim I'll never know...You, as the simmaster, get the pleasure of tormenting him...:D
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I wish to state for the record that writing the following chapter was a very painful experience for me, and some of you may find it painful as well. I promise you that things will get better soon.
Foster's Valley - "Retribution, Part Two: Nightmare scenario "What the (deleted) are you doing here?!?!" Frankie yelled. The sudden appearance of this pest did not bode well for her vacation. "My family was gonna kick me out," Goofball responded. He scratched under an armpit as he strolled inside. Dunno why." "I can think of a couple reasons," Frankie growled. "Where's your trunk? Have it removed so you could pass yourself off as a real teen?" Her voice was heavy with sarcasm. Mr. Herriman showed up at that moment. "Did I hear yelling? Oh, hello, Mr. McGee. What brings you back to the House so early in the morning?" "Well, I'll tell ya:" http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt11.jpg "Lost my trunk about a year ago. Some guy callin' himself Toxin or Volkswagon or somethin' grabbed me, dragged me into an alley, and lopped it off with a machete." He winced at the painful memory. "Kept yellin', 'This is for what you did to her.' No idea what he was talkin' about. I didn't do nothin' to no one! And then he beat me over the head with it til I couldn't fight back and then he shoved-" "Okay, we get it," Frankie interrupted, her tone softened by pity. "Why are you here?" "Like I said, my family was gonna kick me out. One night a couple weeks ago they was watchin' TV like always, next thing I know they're talkin' behind my back about sendin' me to that Fester's House." Frankie smirked. Fester's Home for Delinquent Imaginary Friends might've shaped Goofball up a little. He continued. "So the next day I ran away. Didn't know where to go, then I remembered the good times I had here. So here I am! So, um, how 'bout that turkey, eh?" "Leftovers are in the refridgerator," said Mr. Herriman. "Indeed, it seems you have suffered considerably, but that ends now. Foster's shall keep you housed and fed until we can find you a suitable home." "Aw, thanks, Mr. H!" Goofball said as he headed for the kitchen. "I can't believe you're letting him stay here again," Frankie said. "Do you have any idea what he put me through?!" "You've mentioned it more than once," Mr. Herriman replied testily: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt12.jpg "And apparently you don't care." Frankie's tone was sullen with resentment. "I think you exaggerated the incident somewhat," said Mr. Herriman. "Look, Miss Francis, I understand that you don't like him and that you've been through a lot in the past 24 hours. We all have. But Foster's does not turn away an Imaginary Friend in need. Just put up with him as best you can and try to focus on your work, and your vacation. Now if you will excuse me, I have some paperwork to attend to. With that he turned and headed for his office. Frankie just stood there in the dining room, feeling angry and miserable. Exaggerated? She went through hell because of Goofball's uncaring attitude, because of his lack of empathy and consideration for others. Mountains of extra cleaning and shopping, disturbing the baby IFs, going to the concert she'd so been looking forward to and missed because of him... but the worst part was how nobody in the House had stood by her. Yes, she'd been wrong, Goofball was indeed an Imaginary Friend and not a teenage slacker looking for a free ride, but still none of them had made any effort to prove it to her, and Goofball himself had certainly gone out of his way to not prove he was an IF. She wasn't going to go through all that again, and she made dang sure he knew that: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt13.jpg "Get this through your thick head, McGee," she said with barely controlled hostility. "You put me through hell the last time you were here, making me do extra work and missing that concert. I am not going to put up with that kind of crap again. You make my life difficult, well, we've got another IF here by the name of Berry. She's unstable and likes to play with knives. Got it?!" "Hey, no problem, Frannie, I'm an easy-going guy! Can you get my room ready? I'm beat." It took Frankie every last ounce of restraint she could muster to keep from hitting him. "My name is Frankie, she said as she stormed off to prepare his room. "Sheesh, what's with her?" Goofball wondered as he headed for the living room. Once there he belched loudly: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt14.jpg And settled in to watch reruns of Ed, Edd and Eddy. Frankie finished his room and went to bed, exhausted both physically and emotionally, slamming the door behind her and waking Madame Foster in the process. Madame Foster didn't much care to try to go back to sleep, still wound up and wrought with guilt over what she'd done, so she dressed and went downstairs, where she finally met Goofball for the first time: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt15.jpg "Oh, yes, my granddaughter mentioned you some time ago. She was very upset with your behaviour, you know." "Yeah, she said that. Dunno why, I didn't do nothin' wrong." "That's not the story I heard, young man." "I'm an Imaginary Friend, not a man, ma'am." "Whatever. Frankie is in a very fragile state of mind right now and doesn't need anymore stress than she's already dealing with. Try not to make any trouble for her, okay dearie?" "Hey, sure, no problem. Can you get me a soda?' "Get it yourself. Is Mr. Herriman around?" "Yeah he's in the office or somthin'. Uh, my soda?" Madame Foster ignored him and went to speak with Mr. Herriman, who had left the office and was now seated at the dining room table: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt16.jpg "Mr. Herriman," she began, "what really happened when that putz in the other room was here last time?" "I don't know for certain," Mr. Herriman replied. "Miss Francis claims that he made a great deal of extra work for her. I believed she was exaggerating and forbade her from attending a concert until her work was done. At the time I thought she'd been slacking off but all things considered I'm beginning to wonder. I do still think her claims were exaggerated but perhaps not so much as I'd thought." "I see. I think something bad is going to happen because of his being here again, but I can't throw him out because of a feeling or because Frankie doesn't like him. I can't turn my back on another IF, like I almost did with you." "But in the end you found me again, remember? Goodness, that was a long time ago." "It certainly was." Both smiled, remembering that day in the attic. Goofball, in the meantime, remembered the fine art of making a mess: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt17.jpg And history slowly but surely began to repeat itself. The next morning Frankie discovered the mess, screamed angrilly, cleaned it up, and confronted her grandmother: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt18.jpg "I want him out of here, Grandma." "Frankie, I can't do that. It would violate everything I believe in if I were to turn away an IF in need. Just last night I was reminiscing with Mr. Herriman about how I'd almost forgotten about him, about how I'd been living on my own until the day I came home to sell the House and I discovered him living in the attic, waiting all those years for me to come back for him. I was so touched by his loyalty, even after so much time had passed. How could I ever turn my back on a friend like that? How could anyone turn their back on their Imaginary Friend? I promised him I would never do so again, and together we dreamed up the idea of turning the House into a foster home for IFs that weren't so lucky, who's creators couldn't or wouldn't keep them. And I was thinking about you too, dear; I remember how much you wanted an IF of your own but your parents wouldn't let you have one. So I let you hang around here after school, just like Mac used to do, hoping that would be enough. It worked well, I think; you had Wilt as a surrogate father, Eduardo liked to play dolls with you, and Coco... what did you do with Coco?" "We made fun of Douglas and Adam. Grandma, Goofball ruined an evening out that I'd really been looking forward to - which is what you brought Bloo into the House to do - and made my life miserable, and it's happening again, and Wilt and the others are starting feeding into it, just like Bloo did last time. I want him gone. You owe me." Madame Foster sighed unhappily. "If it were anything else, Frankie, I'd do it. But this... I just can't. I can't turn away an IF in need. I'm sorry." She left to be alone in her bedroom and cry. She was hurting Frankie again and she knew it. And she hated herself for it. She hoped Mr. Herriman was right, that this was all just an exaggeration. Work piled up all day; Goofball, it seemed, was incapable of cleaning up after himself. Frankie was hard-pressed to keep up with the messes; she hadn't worked so hard since the last time Goofball was in the House. Even Bloo had never been quite this bad. The other IFs helped but it wasn't enough, and eventually it caught up with her. And so did Mr. Herriman. "Miss Francis, didn't I say I wanted the House spotless before you left for your vacation?" "It was, until you let that pest in here again." She had a very bad feeling about this. "I'm sorry, but 'was' isn't good enough. What if a family were to come here, looking to adopt? What would they think, seeing the House in such disarray?" "That they'd gotten here just in time to 'rescue' an IF from this place." "Very funny. They'd think that IF's are messy things that need constant attention and are too much work to have around their home. We can't take that chance. Miss Francis, as I've said I know you've suffered greatly because of recent events and do indeed deserve a break, but the House comes first. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid your vacation is cancelled." Frankie felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Her knees buckled: http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt19.jpg "No, Mr. Herriman, please! You can't do this to me! I need a break!" "I'm sorry, Miss Francis. My mind is made up." "Please, Mr. Herriman, I'm begging you! Don't do this!" "I'm sorry, Miss Francis." With that he turned and left for his office, leaving Frankie in tears. He now understood what Madame Foster meant about hating herself. "Not again," Frankie sobbed. "Not again..." http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...90125/gt20.jpg (To be continued...) |
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