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Greg 03-16-2007 04:04 PM

Tales of Happy Valley
 


This is a read-only forum.
It's a work in progress.
(Or digress, as the case may be.)

The complete Tales of Happy Valley are over at the Hullabaloo where they originated. I thought I'd try transcribing them here on Sun Sims with hopes of getting all my stories in one spot and to find out if there are things I can do in phpBB that I can't do in vBulletin. At the moment it looks like there's just too much editing and reformatting required to adapt those stories to vBulletin.

(I'm still working on methods for embedding HTML in a vBulletin post. This is one area where the HTML mod in php is far superior to vBulletin.)




Threads in Tales of Happy Valley

Chapter 1: The Franks Family
Chapter 2: The Bennett Family
   Chapter 5: The Bennetts' Personalities
Sidebar: DMA Sims Workers and Hookers
:tutorial: How to Change Appearance with SimPE
Chapter 6: Another Baby Bomb Goes Off
Chapter 7: A Visit to the Broadleaf Sextuplets
Chapter 8: How to Win Friends and Influence Cows
   The Cow Revealed!
Chapter 9: Manse Orleans, the Collegiate Edition
Chapter 11: The Allardice Girls
Chapter 14: The Tragic Tale of Jason Allardice
Chapter 15: It's a Boy! Barry Bennett
Chapter 16: Giles Edward Bennett
Chapter 20: Frieda
Chapter 25: Barry's First Bottle
Chapter 28: Of School and She
Chapter 29: Hymnus Angelicus (Gloria)
Chapter 32: The Bennetts Go To College
Chapter 34: Manse Collegium
Chapter 35: Maintaining the Family Tree
Chapter 36: Private Quarters
Chapter 39: Transportation Strike
Chapter 40: Honey, We Have A Problem
Chapter 41: Barry's Dilemma
Chapter 46: The Nanny
Chapter 48: Barry Meets His Grandparents
Chapter 50: Introducing the Schuylers
Chapter 53: Hitting The Books
Chapter 54: Barry and the Baybraces
Chapter 57: Caught Again!
Chapter 60: Fantastic Fledgling
Chapter 61: Strategic Planning
Chapter 62: A Day That Will Live in Infancy
Chapter 63: The Graduates
Chapter 68: Return to the Manse, Triumphant
Chapter 70: Mysterious Scotsman
Chapter 72: The World According to She
Chapter 76: Last Act of Tyranny
Appendix: A Psi is Just a Psi
Chapter 77: Transitions
Chapter 79: Overqualified for Everything
Chapter 80: Barius Vobiscum
Inset: A Theme Song for Happy Valley
Chapter 81: Brain Food
Chapter 84: Roundup at the Franks Ranch
Chapter 88: Steamy Showers
Chapter 89: Pancakes and Power Politics
Chapter 90: The Case of the Inobservant Hero
Chapter 91: A Voice From the Past (Monica)
Chapter 97: Great Expectations
Chapter 98: Oogenesis of a Statesman
Chapter 99: Shebacize!
Chapter 100: Alcedonia Domesticus
Chapter 101: Gilbert
Chapter 103: Move to the Manse
Chapter 109: The Longest Journey...
Chapter 110: Conner Forsythe
Chapter 111: Doing What Children Do
Chapter 112: Another Hero
Chapter 113: Family Council
Chapter 117: Expanding Their Territory
Chapter 118: Sisters Forever
Chapter 122: Rejuve!
Chapter 128: The Vigil
Chapter 131: Catching Up With the Collegiates
Chapter 133: The Gilbert Committee
Chapter 137: Gilbert at the Big U
Chapter 138: Teens and Toddlers and Tiny Tikes
Chapter 139: Maids on Campus
Chapter 140: Sunrise, Sunset...
Chapter 141: The New Collegians
Chapter 142: For the Love of Zeke (Evangeline)
Chapter 154: Queen of All She Surveys
Chapter 155: Evangelical Dawn
Chapter 156: Grampa Oatha
Chapter 157: Cally's Conundrum
Chapter 159: Six Score and Ten
Chapter 160: Whatever Became of Baby Barry?
Chapter 165: Kicking Them Out of the Nest
Chapter 166: A Tale of Two Houses
Chapter 167: Amarilla Does Sheik Omar
Chapter 168: Monica in Motion
Chapter 169: Again, Family Council
Chapter 170: One for the Money! Two for the Show!
Chapter 173: Gilbert's Story
Chapter 174: Great Great-Grandparents
Chapter 175: Busybodies
Chapter 179: Roissy
Chapter 181: Passion and the Pool Table
Chapter 182: Aaron's Advance
Chapter 183: The Feel of Your T.U.C.H.
Chapter 196: Suburban Sprawl
Chapter 200: New Family in the Old World
Chapter 205: Ripples From The Bomb
Chapter 212: Again, Dangerous Compulsions
Chapter 222: Boveena Bridge
Chapter 223: Strategic Planning
Chapter 228: Vectors
Chapter 233: Transuniversal Yearnings
Chapter 235: Irvin
Chapter 236: Advent of the Overlord
Chapter 237: Sheba's Excellent Adventure
Chapter 238: Eyes of the Overlord
Chapter 239: The Map (The region around Happy Valley)
Chapter 240: The Tribune
Chapter 249: Meadow's Collegiate Adventure
Chapter 264: Bernadette
Chapter 265: The Tellermans' Neighborhood
Chapter 268: Narcissa at the Bridge
Chapter 272: Dream a Little Dream of Karen
Chapter 274: Narcissa Tries Again
Chapter 276: The Innocent Maid


Other Stories About People and Places in Happy Valley
The Bomb That Wiped Out Happy Valley
Gregsim in My Sim - Myself
Sim has a job but her ride doesn't show up in Sims 2 Bugs & Patches
Narcissa (Brenda's Mother)
Ghost Stories
The Llama and The Cow
The Aardvarkians

Links to Topics with Downloads

Topics with Downloads from Happy Valley
My Favorite House
  Download: Manse Orleans
  Also the Invasion of the Hookers story
223 N Franks Ranch Road
  Download: Toddulaunga House
215 S Happy Valley Road
  Download: Stewart House
Kilimanjaro
  Download: Kilimanjaro House
Manse Collegium
  Download: Manse Collegium

The Houstonian
  Download: The Houstonian (House)

Goddard Engineering Building
  Download: Campus Building

Kilimanjaro
  Download: House

Sheba Steps Out
  Download: She

Greg Goes Adventuring
  Download: Greg






Topics with Downloads from Other Adventures
The Thing in the Attic
  Download: The House of Too Many Gables
More About Basements
  Download: 16 Stripes Measuring Wall
Graviton Test Facility
  Download: Unusual Home
Stonewood Cottage
  Download: House
2x2 Empty Lot
  Download: Very Small Empty Lot


Clothing and Skin Tones

Better Living Through Chocolate
  Download: Crop Top

Fun With Tan Lines
  Download: Tanned Skin Tone

The Return of Tan Lines
  Download: Another Tanned Skin Tone

Wilhemina's Sexy Top Collection
  Download: Women's Tops

Wilhemina's Blue Blouse and Capris
  Download: Women's Everyday Outfit


Inga's Knit Shorts
  Download: Tan Knit Shorts

Inga's Pink Shorts
  Download: Women's Shorts (Bottoms)

Inga's Civ II Crop Top
  Download: Women's Top and Matching Shorts

Inga's Topless Swimsuit Collection
  Download: Women's Topless Swimsuits

Bast's Bikini
  Download: Women's Swimsuit


Topics with downloads should have the symbol in the message subject.





Edit 3/31/2005: Added Links to Related Topics
Edit 5/11/2005: Added links to threads in Tales of Happy Valley
Edit 5/20/2005: Added Manse Collegium
Edit 6/17/2005: Updated links to chapters of Tales of Happy Valley and added chapter numbers
Edit 7/29/2005: Updated list of downloads and added more links to chapters of the story
Edit 12/5/2005: Updated table of contents
Edit 7/12/2006: Updated table of contents through Chapter 276
Edit 5/ 7/2007: Attempt to adapt this message to vBulletin.
Edit 9/ 1/2007: Added episodes through chapter 13.

Greg 03-16-2007 04:51 PM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 1: The Franks Family

When I first started playing, I was messing around in Strangetown and became enamored with Ophelia Nigmos. She's the poor girl who is living with her doomed-to-die die aunt at the mausoleum. You've probably met her--dark skin, blonde hair, totally gorgeous; and very nice.

I wanted to rescue Ophelia from her plight so that's when I created the three Franks Brothers. I figured she was bound to hit it off with one of those boys. She ended up marrying Tommy Franks and thus was born the Franks family.


The Frankses

Like 90% of my characters, the Frankses are all Family sims. I like to play family sims because they have the least neurotic aspirations.

Tommy Franks (blue shirt) is married to Ophelia Nigmos (kneeling). They have one teenage son, Tommy Jr (gray shirt with orange stripe).

Bobby Franks (getting smooched) married Lorna Geieffies (red coat). They don't have any kids yet because the household is full. Bobby is a general in the army. Lorna is a doctor.

Carl Franks (purple sweater) married Donna Powers (another purplish sweater). They have one teenage son, Carl Jr (red shirt).

The Frankses were my viewpoint characters for a long time. When I first created Happy Valley, I made a copy of Franks Ranch from Strangetown and imported the whole family (three brothers, their wives, and two sons) into Happy Valley.

Two generations of Frankses later, they had become the most influential social and political force in Happy Valley. Every time I added a new family, I befriended them to someone in the Franks family as quickly as possible, so everybody was friends with them.

The later generations were lost when the bomb hit, but I was able to rescue the family as you see it here from a previous backup. So their story starts anew at the point where Happy Valley was first created.

Incidentally, they earned most of that $8,953,173 in their bank account. All the adults were well along in their careers before they started making babies back when they were living in Strangetown. They also acquired considerable chunks of wealth through matrimony -- Donna and Lorna both come from very wealthy families and brought fabulous amounts of money with them.

Nowadays, Bobby and Lorna are the only adults who still have jobs. Tommy Jr and Carl Jr are also both working, well past earning their Overachiever rating.

***

You might recognize many of the lots visible in this screen shot. North is to the upper right in the picture.

If you follow Franks Ranch Road up to its north end, you'll see Manse Orleans where Gregsim lives with his family at 229 N Franks Ranch Road.

Next door to Manse Orleans is the Toddulaunga House at 223 N Franks Ranch Road.

Walk one block north and one block east from the Franks Ranch and you'll come to Downtown Happy Valley. The entrance to the main downtown lot is at 101 N Happy Valley Road. Main Street and Happy Valley Road are the dividing lines between north and south, and east and west, respectively.

From that point I use a consistent lot-numbering scheme throughout, counting one lot square as one house number. Even numbers are west and south side of the street; even numbers on the north and east. So if a 3-square lot is at 100 N Happy Valley Road, the next lot to the north would be three even numbers up from there at 106 N Happy Valley Road.

Next to the (i) symbol in the Franks family window is the Stewart house at 215 S Happy Valley Road. You can download it from this message. That's in the thread entitled Sim has a job but her ride doesn't show up in the Sims 2 Bugs & Patches forum.

Greg 03-16-2007 04:52 PM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 2: The Bennett Family

If you drive all the way up Franks Ranch Road to its North end, you come to Manse Orleans, the home of Gregsim and his family.


The Bennett Family at Manse Orleans, as of March 28, 2005

Again, the Toddulaunga House is right next door at 223 N Franks Ranch Road.

Right next to the (i) in the Bennett Family window is the home of Gregsim's maternal grandparents, the Cramers at 201 N Happy Valley Road. It's as close as I can remember to my real-life grandparents' home in Martinsville, Indiana. I'm still working on the Cramer Machine Shop where my grandfather and Uncle Bill made bell housings for Allison aircraft engines during World War II. I'm still working on the machine shop in my game so Hirohito's evil hordes will just have to wait a while before our boys blow them out of the sky. (Time is a slippery concept in The Sims!)

From the Cramer House, walk two blocks down Hammond Steet and make a left turn, northbound on Cherry Street. The first lot is the home of my sister Joyce and her husband, Dr. Jay Van Cura. I haven't built their house yet; they just got married. In real life, they've been married a long time and live happily in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.

Then continue north past the home of three of the Baybrace girls and you'll find a large brick house with lots of gables. That's Gregsim's original home at 213 N Cherry Street, still occupied by his parents and his paternal grandparents.

Gregsim's big brother, Ralph Jr, married a girl named Beryl Baybrace and built the house right across the street at 212 N Cherry Street. (Ralphie's real-life wife is named Sylvia and they live in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania; but sim Ralphie really, really wanted to marry the girl next door before I created a sim for Sylvia so I indulged his sim whim. Besides, I wanted to get him out of the house!) They don't have any kids yet but Beryl is knocked up.

Gregsims's younger sister Jana is engaged to Roger Stewart (the name of her real-life husband). I mentioned their house in the previous message about the Franks family. This whole adventure of preparing houses for download started when Liss wanted the Stewart House. With a little luck (and perhaps some tweaking of the game if I can figure out how), Jana and Roger will produce my nephews Jarrod and Jaden, but I still haven't played their wedding yet!

In real life, Roger is a deputy sherriff in Sangamon County, Illinois and Jana is an RN in the intensive care ward at the hospital there; but just next week Jana will be moving to San Antonio, Texas to take a nifty job there. Roger will be along as soon as he gets Jarrod out of school and closes up the house near Springfield, Illinois. Real-life Jaden is in the Air Force, serving his country "in the Middle East." Jarrod graduates this year and is already committed to going into the US Navy. If there is an uncle more proud of his nephews than I, I have yet to meet him.

Greg 03-16-2007 04:54 PM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 3: The Bennett Family Tree

The only way to keep track of the rapidly growing Bennett Family is to show you the family tree, so here it is!


Greg's Family Tree as of March 28, 2005

Obviously, the family tree departs rather dramatically from real life when we get to Greg.

I tried to depict real-life members of my family as best I could in The Sims. My real-life maternal grandparents both had darker hair all their long lives, but I'm limited in what I can do with elders. On the other hand, real-life Joyce has been a blonde for most of her adult life, and now that she's out of the house, that's something I can fix! :D

My brother and two sisters are based on real-life people and She bears an uncanny resemblance to Alexander's real-life mother, Melva, but beyond that point we're venturing into fantasyland.


Edit: No change to the text of this message but the image has been updated to add Sabrina.

Greg 03-16-2007 04:56 PM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 4: Be Fruitful and Multiply

Now, with a family tree at hand, this family portrait might make a little more sense.


The Bennett Family at Manse Orleans, Again

While She (blue dress) was still a child, Gregsim had a thing with Her Aunt Winona (brown dress). He was practically living at their house. I wanted to see how long I could keep him visiting there without ever going home. His stay was up to seven straight days when She grew up to be a teenager and exercised Her territorial rights.

One night while he was staying with her, Winona wanted to fool around. I blundered when clicking on the Woohoo link and sure enough, along came the twins, Sandra and Wanda! Sandra is holding baby Alexander and Winona is holding Amanda.

Brenda (red shirt and shorts) made her first appearance in this message in the thread about My Favorite House, where you can download Manse Orleans. She is the daughter of Narcissa Sapphos, who had no interest at all in raising her. As they say, Click in haste; repent in leisure. You can learn more about her mother in the topic just about Narcissa.


Gregsim's fourth woods colt, Constance Willows, was actually intentional. Her mother, Cordelia Willows had some strange aspirations. She wanted to woohoo with Gregsim and wanted to have a baby, but feared getting engaged or married. So of course the fool obliged her.

When Cordelia got knocked up I thought it best to change her aspiration to Family. Sure enough, then she wanted to get married, but the target of her matrimonial desires was not Gregsim but rather the elderly (and very wealthy) Samuel Willows, proprietor of the Willows Morningside Cemetery in Happy Valley.

Baby Constance makes a cameo appearance inside a very pregnant Cordelia in this image...

The Willows Family

... in the Ghost Stories topic.

These peculiar events might have happened because of the way I created Cordelia. Originally she was an elder, married to Samuel and the mother of Brian Willows. While playing around with the Tombstone of Life and Death at the cemetery, I changed her to a teenager and she became unwired from her marriage to Samuel. I think she started sim life with the Fortune aspiration but I might have blundered and made her a Romance sim.

I used the TOLAD to force her to grow up to adulthood, whereupon she became obsessed with Gregsim. Her relationship with him was actually much higher than her relationship with Samuel. However, when I changed her to a Family sim she remembered something about her former marriage to Samuel and their son Brian, and sent Gregsim packing.

Or maybe it was all due to living in a cemetery and getting spooked every night.

Anyhow, Cordelia's desires were just as well because all this happened just about the time She decided to put a padlock on Gregsim's zipper and keep the key for Herself!
:D

Greg 03-16-2007 05:43 PM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 5: The Bennetts' Personalities

Quote:

Originally Posted by miros1
Dumb question: is She making bunny ears behind Gregsim's head to entertain the babies or for some other reason?

I think that's "clowning for the camera." Sheba's playfulness rating is only 5, but that seems to be enough to enjoy bunny ears and airborne babies.


Sheba Plays Catch-The-Crystal with Amanda
Saturday, Day 65, 8:36 AM at Manse Orleans
Wanda is playing with Alexander while Brenda tries to get her attention.


The older girls decided for themselves what they wanted to wear for pajamas when they became teenagers. We can hope that this means the little ones will grow up with a healthy attitude toward the human body.

Of course it also means that Alexander in particular will receive an advanced education in comparative anatomy that most boys only get from the Internet these days. He hasn't yet learned to use those things as an aid to avoiding eye contact.

As of this morning, the todders have four days before they grow up and they have already learned the basic toddler skills. From this point on it's just a matter of interacting with their parents, making friends, and wrecking toys.

Their personalities are awesome:
Alexander: 8 - 5 - 9 - 4 - 8 (Pisces)
Amanda: 8 - 5 - 7 - 5 - 9 (Cancer)

Those are pretty close to my idea of the perfect sim. B'b'but, how did two children, born minutes apart on the same day, end up with different Zodiac signs?

I have a theory that if you keep the higher you keep the mother's aspiration during the pregnancy, the more personality points the kids will inherit. Someone else will have to test the negative side of this theory; I served my time testing babies.

I worked really hard to develop their parents' personalities when they were kids and they both turned out really well:

Greg: 8 - 6 - 7 - 5 - 9 (Pisces)
She: 8 - 5 - 7 - 5 - 8 (Gemini)

Greg 09-01-2007 05:52 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 6: Another Baby Bomb Goes Off


Oops! He did it again!

Last night I revisted a house that I had not played in many weeks, the home of Greg's good friends, Donald and Valerie Matson. They are Meadow Thayer's adoptive parents, the ones who rescued Meadow from the Never Never Land of NPC teens who never grow up.

Valerie was pregnant so I decided to play until the baby was born to see how things turned out. Besides, I like to play with the babies. :D

Everything went fine, until...

Miss Sabrina Matson

There's Valerie with newborn Sabrina, and smiling Donald in his purple pajamas, but look who has the pacifier above his head!

I checked back in Valerie's diary and sure enough, she had a fling with Gregsim 16 simdays earlier and has been waddling from house to house all this time, waiting to give birth to baby Sabrina.

And so, the family tree grows again!

Gregsim's Family Tree





Jump to Chapter 7: Greg Visits the Broadleafs and Their Sextuplets
This link currently points to the Hullabaloo.

Greg 09-01-2007 05:53 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 7: Greg Visits the Broadleafs and Their Sextuplets




Gregsim Visits the Broadleafs

After they bundled their teenagers off to college, Gregsim and She made a little trip down the road to Bonnyview Shores to visit the famous Broadleaf sextuplets. Here he's helping Max and Maxine get the babies out of their cribs after their afternoon nap. That's bouncing baby Bosworth Broadleaf he's holding. Note who he's thinking about, though!

That's Gregsim for ya--always a sucker for babies and babes! Every time he walks into that house, "Uncle Greg" is mobbed by babies wanting attention.

The babe who has his attention at the moment is Anette, the handybabe from DMA Sims. Danny calls her the "janitor" although she does about everything around the house but cleanup work. I did a little makeover on her; changed her hair style, and I think that's Carrot's eye makeup and lipstick.

It's almost impossible to keep track of them all, but that's baby April in the pink jammies. You might also recognize the NPC Jan Tellerman passing by outside. Of course, the other guy in the picture is Max Broadleaf, the father of the Six Pack.

Do you sometimes find yourself right-clicking on these pictures and trying to rotate the view?

Greg 09-01-2007 05:54 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 8: How to Win Friends and Influence Cows



Group Research at the Dorm, with Cow

Tired of bothersome bovine boisterousness interrupting your serious sims studies? Weary of competing college cutups setting off your sprinklers? We have a solution!

Get the cow to join your group research!
:lol:

I sent Gregsim's teenagers off to college, and as soon as they landed at Happy Valley University they were hoping against hope that some of their friends would come to college, too. Several of those friends were NPC's so I bundled up the ubiquitous Tosha Go (distinguished by her signature handlebars), Ricky Cormier, and Alvin Futa and planted them in a dorm. Here you see them as young adults.

Alvin and Tosha both had a session with the buyable Plastic Surgery from The Sim Republic, but Ricky is however Ricky turned out.

Veteran University players might be wondering what the heck happened to Prof. Mehrissa and Prof. Simjin, whom you will meet as elders in your game. (So far, they've been the first teachers all of my college kids have met. They must teach the Freshman Studies class.) With a little help from Merola's Magic Mirror, the Testing Cheats, and the Plastic Surgery, I gave them a new lease on life.

They are still full college professors (and hence, good people to know!) but I converted them to young adults and made 'em purdy. Fueled by their newfound passions of regained youth, these erstwhile elders leaped into a torrid affair with each other. In fact, they shamelessly consummated their relationship in a bed on the room of the dorm!

Yes, Prof. Mehrissa is topless. That's the way she wanted to dress when she became young again, and who am I to argue with a college professor? Perhaps this is her way of keeping the guys awake in class, albeit perhaps not focused on the academic subject matter.

(Does anything normal ever happen in Happy Valley?)

The naked gal coming up the stairs is Miss Jane Royce, the NPC streaker. She came streaking through, bothering my college students. I decided I'd have none of that nonsense at HVU, so I slowed her down, befriended her to everybody, and even had her make herself useful by hiring a maid while the kids were at their first class. Now she's having a love affair with the cook.

Finally that brings to Miss Melanie Kody, the cow. When she arrived, Melanie kept trying to sneak off and set off the sprinkler system. I suppose I could have just fed her to the Cow Plant (a fitting end, that would surely be) but the game would just generate another one. There are already at least two cow cheerleaders working HVU; the other is a guy named Cody.

Once again, Merola's Magic Mirror and the Testing Cheats to the rescue! Melanie is now best friends with most of the students in the dorm and has a sane personality. I caught her tip-toeing toward the sprinkler again, and decided on the Final Solution: Get her to join the ongoing group research!

I'ver learned with her cow cohort, Cody, that you can keep the cow busily studying 24/7 if you use a refresher cheat. No deadly sprinklers or harrassed students at Happy Valley University!

See below to find out what Melanie looks like under her silly cow costume.

Greg 09-01-2007 05:55 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 9: Manse Orleans, the Collegiate Edition



Breakfast at Manse Orleans, the University Edition

On the morning of their second day at college, all of the girls were seriously missing their mom and dad and wanting to invite them over for breakfast, so they did!

Isn't it nice that the university is so close to town that their folks can just drop before they have to go to class?

The girls are really growing up! They've been to their first class, befriended their professors, gotten engaged to their high school sweethearts (who are also now in college), and are even got outfits that match what their boyfriends wear!

The twins have taken to wearing undies now. Perhaps they figured they were getting too old to be parading around in the buff every morning. They still leave their books lying around, though.

Not only did they build a house reminiscent of their old home in Happy Valley...


Manse Orleans, the Collegiate Edition
It helps to have a fabulously wealthy daddy who spoils them rotten.

... they even have the same maid! (I checked--it's the same Lucy! She even remembers when this trio were still in diapers! Actually, she remembers when Gregsim was a teenager because she was the maid at his parents' house long ago.) Obviously Lucy takes advantage of the time warp in The Sims--and perhaps a painting in the attic--so that she can maintain all these households.

The twins will probably be pining for Aunt Winona next. (That's Her Aunt Winona, their mother.) Interestingly, while Brenda is very close to She and Winona, she has never shown any interest at all in her own mother, Narcissa Sapphos. Perhaps that is just as well.

Greg 09-01-2007 05:56 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 10: The Cow Revealed!



Miss Melanie Kody, the Contentious Cow

That's not a reference to her mammary apparatus but rather to her avocation. Did you ever wonder what Melanie Kody looks like underneath that cow costume? Here she is!

I had her do a bit of a makeover so that she wouldn't look so drab, but otherwise this is Melanie! Here, she is at the Allardice girls' house at Happy Valley University. She's in the Allardice girls' home laboratory, tending the plants in the hydroponics garden because (a) keeping her busy keeps her out of mischief and (b) it's an action that causes her to lift her arms so that I could get a good angle for this carefully fig-leafed close-up.

Even with an improved personality, her primary avocation is still pulling pranks, but no wonder poor Melanie is such a ditz! The only clothing she owns is that silly cow costume! So now I have to decide whether I want her running around in my game wearing that (admittedly cute) cow costume or her (even cuter) skin. In either case, she's just too adorable to feed her to the cow plant.

Hmm... I wonder if I could pair her off with the llama. What would the children look like?
:doubt:



For more of the adventures of Melanie Kody, see the tale of The Llama and The Cow.

Greg 09-01-2007 06:00 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 11: Allardice Girls



Judy, Janet, and Joanne Allardice

Speaking of the Allardice girls, it's about time we visited them, too. In this scene they are celebrating their outstanding success on their first final exams at Happy Valley University with a little jam session to entertain their boyfriends and some visiting college professors.

Their parents, Edward and Sally Allardice, are among my oldest and most influential sim families with a history that dates back to before the bomb. Originally established in Strangetown, they moved to Happy Valley and were among the many families I was able to rescue from oblivion after the bomb.


Allardice House - The original version in Strangetown

The girls were born in the game as teenagers, originally intended to provide girlfriends for the teenage Franks boys. The Franks boys didn't pay any attention to my plans, however; instead they showed a strong interest in other girls in town. That left the Allardice girls without boyfriends, so I left them alone while I developed other parts of the neighborhood.

When Gregsim grew up to be a teenager, he was for a time the only teen boy in town (except for some really ugly and unpleasant NPC's) and so, he and the Allardice triplets became a signicant part of each others' lives.*



----------
*The Allardice triplets appear in Anja's story identified as the J-Girls.

Originally posted in the Hullabaloo on Tuesday April 19, 2005 at 7:03 PM.

Greg 09-01-2007 06:02 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 12: Allardice Girls: The Back Story



In the Spa at the Allardice House

That's back story, not backside. (The backside in this particular image belongs to Gregsim's older sister, Joyce.)

Way back in the ancient history of my game, before She was even born, there were only a few families in town and I only played a small number of them. The rest were just extras on the set.

When cousins Tommy Franks Jr and Carl Franks Jr paired off with others, that left several teenage girls without a counterpart. At that time I was busily developing the Bennett family and didn't want to invest the effort to create a bunch of new teenage boys, so teen Gregsim became the Generic Teenage Boy. He visited any house I was playing and quickly became friends with everybody (which lead to his meteoric rise in several career paths as an adult, and how he became fabulously wealthy).

So it's not surprising that the Allardice girls shared a boyfriend during their early teen years. Whenever they had some spare time they'd invite Gregsim over. Sometimes he'd arrive with one of his sisters in tow. The scene above was a prelude to a pleasant evening spent in the Allardice's spa.


Janet, Joanne, Joyce, and Greg discuss life, the universe, and everything amidst the bubbling waters

Then on the occasions when he was trying to think of something to do on a Saturday afternoon (and growing weary of his sisters' companionship), he'd invite them over.


Janet visits the Bennett House

When Gregsim needed a date for a special event, his first thought was always to ask the Allardice girls if he might escort one (or all of them). In the lost universe, Greg's sister Joyce married Tommy Franks Jr in a beautiful formal wedding, and Judy was Gregsim's date for the evening.


Judy Allardice and Gregsim at Joyce and Tommy's Wedding
Tommy's cousin Carl Jr is in the foreground, and Tommy is just getting up from the table.

In addition to having a throw-down boyfriend available at their beck and call, the Allardice girls benefited from this relationship because by following Gregsim all over town, they too developed quite a network of friends. In fact, Janet met her fiance, Graham Backlace, during one of Gregsim's adventures; and now Graham and Janet are happily living together at Happy Valley University.

Joanne and Judy took up with a couple of boys they met at college, Donald Walton and Chuck Scott, respectively. Donald and Chuck were just a couple of freshman who showed up one day at Whiting Hall (my custom dorm) while they were visiting. They hit it off quite well, which turned out nicely since none of them were controllable characters at the dorm, and today all six of them--Janet, Joanne, Judy, Graham, Donald, and Chuck--share a big house at the big U.

Greg 09-01-2007 08:16 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 13: The Allardice Girls in Transition


Judy and Greg at the Franks Wedding

Even though he forgot to wear a tie to his sister's wedding, Gregsim proved to be an attentive and affectionate date; much to the amusement of Carl Jr's mother, Donna Franks. I'd blame it on the atmosphere of romance that goes with weddings, but the truth is that they behaved like teenagers any time any of the Allardices were in the same room with Gregsim.

This was at the Carl Franks house, and neither of these characters were controllable. They were, in fact, quite out of control! Since Carl and Donna had room for the wedding on their huge patio, Tommy Jr (the controllable sim in the background) was living with his aunt and uncle while he built a house for Joyce and himself.


Joanne, Janet, and Judy share You Know Who
OK, so we have a couple of backsides to wrap up this back story after all!

As I said, for a time the Allardice girls shared the same boyfriend; and when I say shared I do mean shared!

It was happy time for these adventurous teens, but of course it had to come to an end. They might do things differently in Baumdoubt Valley, but here in Happy Valley only Arabs have plural marriages.
Nevertheless, I'm becoming increasingly concerned about the relationship developing between Her and one Miss Gloria Baybrace.

So, when Gregsim grew to become an adult his little love affair with the Allardice girls ended. By that time, he was involved with Her Aunt Winona. (Ref: Sandra and Wanda, genesis thereof.) Besides, She was rapidly growing up! The Allardices were left behind, remaining teenagers during the next several decades of his life.

Nevetheless, they still played a role in his life, popping in here and there as supporting cast members. The fact that they were still teens proved to be an asset. All of them became close friends with Her during Her teen years.


She and Joanne - On the Front Porch at Allardice House

And, of course, because they were still teens, they were eligible to go to college when University came along. And that brings us back to the beginning of the story of the Allardice girls!

Greg 09-01-2007 08:20 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 14: The Tragic Tale of Jason Allardice

We interrupt our narrative to recall the sad tale of one of the happiest and brightest boys ever to grace the homes of Happy Valley, Master Jason Allardice.

Soon after the Allardices first moved to Happy Valley, Mama Sally gave birth to her fourth child, Jason.


Sally Allardice with her son Jason

It was a rough birth. In fact, Sally almost died, and but for some emergency pleading with the Grim Reaper, the Allardice girls would have grown up without a mother. Fortunately their father was persuasive in his pleas and Sally is still with us!

The Allardices are a very close family. The teens are much attached to both of their parents and actually prefer the company of their own family above all others. Even Gregsim takes a back seat to Momma and Daddy. Now that they are off to college, they still think of him all the time, but they think of calling their parents first!


Edward Allardice with his daughters Joanne and Janet

So, it's no surprise that when baby Jason came along, the teenage girls became very attached to him and proved to be faithful and attentive babysitters.


Joanne Allardice with her baby brother Jason

The baby became the hard-won treasure of the Allardice family, to be cherished more than anything else in life. This feeling was not lost to the girls.

It took a lot to pry them out of the hot tub, but any time the infant Jason needed something, they were there for him. They would hold him and play with him and pass him around among themselves without even being asked.


A midnight snack for Jason while Momma and Daddy get some much-needed rest

The girls enjoyed every little thing they could do for their beloved baby brother.


Janet changes baby Jason's nappies

And, of course, during his infancy Jason came to know and love all of his big sisters.

When the time came for him to start his career as a toddler, it was Janet who scrambled out of the hot tub to assist him.


Janet helps baby Jason become a toddler

From the moment he grew, Jason was a giggly, happy, adventurous baby, his sparkling eyes showing his quick wit even at this early age.


Jason Allardice, the Happiest Baby in Happy Valley

And quite a toddler he was, too! With help from his three sisters as well as Momma and Daddy, Jason learned all of his toddler skills in record time!

He continued growing, becoming ever more creative and charismatic, always able to charm a bottle or a snuggle from one of his sisters. He was near to maximizing his ability to think logically, perhaps owing to the constant exposure of his sisters' second obession beyond the hot tub--chess!


Joanne Gives a Bottle of Smart Milk to Baby Jason

With three beautiful, loving sisters and doting parents, Jason was well on his way to becoming a pillar of the Happy Valley community. He was without parallel among other babies born in the city, with naturally high ratings in all areas of his personality. Absolutely everything was going his way!

But, sadly, this is the last picture that ever will be taken of superboy Jason Allardice, because among many others, baby Jason perished in the bomb and continues to defy my attempts to resurrect him. And so Jason Allardice, whose parents had to fight for his life from the very beginning, finally succombed to the Grim Reaper. You see here the last recorded moment of his short but happy life.





Jump to Chapter 15: Barry

This link currently points to the Hullabaloo.

Greg 12-16-2007 10:48 PM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 15: Barry

SATURDAYGD 71LATE EDITION


IT'S A BOY!
Happy Valley's Second Wealthiest Family Creates Another Eligible Bachelor
Amarilla Allspin, Reporter for the Society Pages


Barry Bennett, born 7:00 PM on Saturday, GD 71 Tribune photo.

We are pleased to announce the birth of Master Barry Bennett, son of Gregsim and Sheba Bennett, born on Saturday, GD 71, at 7:00 PM at the family home, "Manse Orleans." After a very difficult pregnancy, mother and baby are doing fine. Dad is in intensive care but his doctors anticipate a full recovery. Barry is her third child after Alexander and Amanda, and his tenth (that he knows of).

The birth was attended by Miss Frieda Baybrace, Barry's sister Amanda, and the father, with brother Alexander providing musical accompaniment.

"I was beginning to wonder if this one would ever get here," Mrs. Bennett said. "I had to carry him for eight straight days! Doctor Tolad attempted to speed up things, but that didn't work. Thankfully Doctor Simpy was finally able to induce labor. It was a very rough pregnancy, but he's worth it!"

"B'b'b'baby!" was the only quote we could get from the proud papa. It wasn't clear whether he was referring to his new son or simply muttering the lyrics to the Bachman Turner Overdrive song that his eldest son was playing on the piano.

Miss Amanda was ecstatic. "I have a baby brother!" she exclaimed. "Can I hold him, mom? Can he play kicky bag yet? Maybe he'd like to come to my tea party!"


Mother and Baby Are Doing Well

"Hot dawg," Alexander said. "This means I won't be the only one who gets stuck mowing the lawn!"

"Rich guys make me sooo hot!" said Miss Baybrace. [STRIKE THIS BEFORE TYPESETTING --Ed.]

[INSERT THIS INSTEAD --Ed.] The family friend and surrogate midwife, Miss Baybrace, was busily tidying up the house after the birth and was unavailable for comment.


Greg 03-30-2008 01:39 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 16: Giles Edward Bennett

Word of the impending birth of Barry Bennett had reached the old country, all the way to to the old family home of Edinborough, Scotland. One young man in particular took note of the blessed event.

When the news reached him, he was just preparing to take the Grand Tour. Traditionally this would have involved a year of gadding about the capital cities of Europe. During such a tour, he would learn the languages and cultures, absorb considerable business knowledge, and develop the strength and independence of a boy becoming a man.

His name was Giles Edward Bennett.


Giles Edward Bennett, Esq.

Now, Giles had already seen the great capitals of Europe with his parents, the Right Honorable James Edward Bennett and Amelia Francine Giles Bennett. He already spoke Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian and considered learning French to be a complete waste of time.

Nevertheless, James and Amelia pushed him to take his Grand Tour, to go out into the world on his own and make his own discoveries, to find his own path to maturity and prepare to define his own place among men.

When Giles heard of the impending birth of a distant cousin in Happy Valley, he resolved to make it a tour of his family scattered around the world, and in particular, to time the climax of his tour with a stay in Happy Valley.

Greg 03-30-2008 01:40 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 17: Giles Arrives in Happy Valley

His tour of Scotland only took a few days, and after that he ventured on to spots in Germany and on down under to New Zealand. After visiting relatives in Sydney and Brisbane, it was time for Giles to venture on to the USA.

The hills of West Virginia and Pennsylvania reminded him of his home and he found the farmland of Illinois to be as charming as the relatives he met on his journeys. All the while, he kept a close eye on the calendar, intending to arrive in Happy Valley about a week after his new cousin was born.

Giles wanted to give his relatives a week to get settled in with the new baby before imposing on their hospitality. His timing was perfect, but he had not learned that the baby came so late. So, as it turned out, at the moment baby Barry was busily being born at Manse Orleans, Giles was waiting at a bus stop in Happy Valley for his final ride to Manse Orleans.


Giles at the Bus Stop in Happy Valley

While waiting for the bus, Giles had time to reflect upon his journeys. He was happy that he had saved Happy Valley for last, because of all the places he had visited and all the wonders he had seen, this place appealed to him the most. He resolved to dwell in this land, to build his life among the verdant slopes of Happy Valley.

That is assuming, of course, that he got on well with his relatives here.

Greg 03-30-2008 01:42 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 18: Giles Meets Barry

And so, it turned out that Giles arrived at Manse Orleans just a few minutes after his cousin Barry was born. The calendar on the wall read GD 71*, so he knew that his punctuality was perfect even though Barry had been working to his own calendar.


Giles Greets His Cousin Barry

He need not have worried. The children were quite charming and he was immediately smitten with baby Barry, a most joyful child. She had a commanding grace that struck Giles as a continuous call to worship.

The extended family was well-stocked with relatives who exerted tremendous influence over the politics, commerce, and social life of the valley, and all seemed eager to help Giles get on his feet wherever he decided to settle. He saw that they were always there for each other, whether they needed thousands of dollars or just someone to mow the lawn and feed the dogs while someone was out of town.

With such people in such a setting, Giles felt that he had finally found his place in the world.


*GD stands for Greg's Day, marking the number of days that have passed in Greg's life since his birth. A lot can happen in Happy Valley during a single GD, and sometimes many Greg Days will pass between lunch and dinner in other households, but this is the primary calendar for Happy Valley. So, Gregsim was 71 days old on the day that Barry was born.

Greg 03-30-2008 01:43 AM

Tales of Happy Valley
Chapter 19: Giles Moves In



Giles Consults With His Cousin Greg About His Plans

Giles had come to value Greg's instincts about such things, so he asked what Greg thought of his plan to build a life here in Happy Valley.

"That's wonderful!" said Greg. "You know, with the girls in college we have a lot of empty space here at Manse Orleans, so why don't you stay with us while you get to know the town and build your career?"

Giles was delighted with the offer and accepted with only minor reservations. The warm welcome he had received dispelled any doubts he might have had about imposing on his cousin's family, but in the back of his mind, he held some concern that living with an established family might interfere with his investigations that could lead to matrimony.

As it turned out, he need not have worried at all.


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