Chapter 13: Behind the Scenes
Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in the Severn household? What goes on that doesn't get recorded on the pages of The Book? What are the motivations and aspirations of those who call Muse Ridge home?
Let's take a moment to step outside the story to feed some of our curiosity about Spencer and the rest of the Severn family.
Muse Ridge had started as a hood where I was testing my architecture skills and building a few new houses (you can see pics of the houses gracing the covers of Kasson's Realty Today magazines) I liked the way a few of them turned out, but wasn't sure if they'd be playable. So I cloned a couple familiar faces and moved them to Muse Ridge to test things out. I didn't quite expect a story to grow out of it though.
Capricorns flourish in Muse Ridge, especially in the Severn household. Mom, Pop, Charity, and Cassie are all Capricorns (as is their creator, so there's a natural affinity there) Only one member of the family has managed to deviate from the mold...
...and that would be Spencer. The apple of his mother's eye is a very mean Scorpio. He doesn't come across that way in the pages of The Book, but when left to his own devices he's just not a very nice person. Were Muse Ridge a standard 'hood, he'd give Komei a run for his money.
As a Scorpio, Spencer's stats clock in as 10 Neat, 7 outgoing, 9 active, 5 playful, and 1 nice. I have no idea how he managed to only get 1 nice point; his parents are pretty average in that department and both his sisters excel in it. What's more confusing is his 9 active points. It's a stat that both his parents are distinctly lacking in.
He's also a pleasure sim, though he rarely acts like it. When he's on his own, Spencer is grouchy, grumpy, and prone to making faces at everyone and everything. When he's around one particular person, however, his surly side rarely makes an appearance.
That person would be Genesis. People have commented about how cute these two are together. It's not just something fabricated for the story; these two are sickeningly sweet even during casual play. In the chronicles of Muse Ridge, their relationship may be stalled 'till college (as most suspect) but in casual play I'm always finding reasons to get these two together.
I'd meant to actually work this into the storyline somewhere. Just a nice casual lunch date at the local diner. If you were thinking they were over-the-top cute the whole time, well...
...unfortunately, things didn't quite work that way. Their waiter was constantly underfoot and interrupting, much to their consternation.
When their waiter wasn't hovering about, Spencer seemed more than a little nervous about being out in public with Genesis. I suppose that, with a father like Brant, he has a right to be.
Now, with a Nice of 1 and as grousey as Spencer tends to be, you'd think he'd have poor relationships with pretty near everyone.
However, his relationships with the rest of his family are pretty strong... perhaps a little too strong when it comes to his older sister. If he's not giving Charity a noogie he's giving her a kiss. Good thing my autonomous romance settings won't let it get any more... interesting *waggles eyebrows*... than that.
Charity doesn't get a lot of storyline because she doesn't talk to me in quite the same way (or to the same degree) that Spencer and Cassie do. That doesn't mean that she's any less fun to play or that I like her any less. She's a nice blend of her parents. She takes after her mother more in looks and her father more in her stats. She's a Capricorn knowledge sim with 10s in Neat and Nice, a 7 outgoing, and no active points at all. She's only got 2 playful points and I'm not sure that came around. Kinda like Spencer's 1 nice. Her folks are on the playful side, so how she ended up with 2... *shrugs* Her hair is actually brown, but the game decided to give her one of my brown hairs that has a red tint to it, which I thought was a nice blend of her parents.
Those 2 playful points mean Charity is more than a bit on the serious side, though most of the time it comes across as laid back rather than studious (probably those 10 nice points tempering it). Her boyfriend Matthew does earn himself some odd looks from her when he tries to get romantic with her though.
Considering how much (and how often) as her parents carry on, you'd think that Charity wouldn't find those 'romantic moves' quite so strange.
Mom and Pop Severn. Capricorn knowledge sims, both of them. For the most part, I let them do their own thing and, for the most part, their own thing is doing each other *snicker* Even if I wasn't running ACR (autonomous casual romance) these two would be all over each other. I don't have very many 2 bolt couples who act like 3 bolt ones, much less 2 bolt knowledge couples who do.
If they're not following each other around or flirting with each other, they'll wander off and do whatever... while daydreaming about the other. Or...
...thanks to ACR they'll wander off together to take care of a few personal things *snicker*
There is a down side of ACR though, especially when one of your sims is well liked.
Old college friends can get a little flirty at inopportune times and wreak all sorts of havoc. This is why I don't invite Mom's college buddies around anymore. Heh. Poor... er... Pop.
Moving along...
Let me not overlook mentioning her delusional highness, Cassiopeia. She's a bit young to know what aspiration she'll be, but she is a Capricorn just like most of the rest of the Severns. If you look at her stats, it's obvious she's got one alien parent (or at least that she shares only one parent with Charity and Spencer) She has a neat of 8, and outgoing of 3, an active of 4, and her playful and nice are both 10.
Cassie's teen birthday is rapidly approaching. It'll be interesting to see what sort of changes it brings.
Now the Severns aren't the only family in Muse Ridge but most of them, like Carl and Allyn, I won't have info on until they hit the dorms in college. The Lillards, however, are a special case. Genesis started life as a game generated townie. She walked by the Severn lot several times before I was able to finally get someone to run out to meet her. She and Spencer hit it off so well as kids (and she was so cute) that I knew I had to move her into a house and grow her up with him. So Brant and his wife Evey were created in CAS and moved into a cozy little place. I used the teleporter bush to move Genesis in and InSim to link her to Brant and Evey... then proceeded to off Evey and set up her urn in Brant's bedroom, to give him someone to obsess over. *grin*
I'm beginning to think that Genesis' stats lie. She makes grumpy faces as much as Spencer does, but with 8 playful and 5 nice I'd wouldn't expect it of her. She's also has 7 neat, 4 outgoing, and only 1 active, but Brant has encouraged that one up a few. She's a Capricorn too but... surprise surprise... she is not a knowledge sim. She's wealth.
Here we discover that Genesis apparently does not read the tabloids... or else she does but, like Paris and Britney, has not learned that important lesson on how to exit a vehicle in a short skirt.
This is one of those situations where I do not want to know what she just said to Allyn. Her stats lie, I tell you. 8 playful and 5 nice my foot!
After the little incident with Genesis, Spencer, Brant, and the couch, I really shouldn't have been surprised to discover this in his want slot the next time I loaded the Lillard lot. I never pictured Brant as the Hatin' Type...
psst... for those wondering... Genesis' version is the accurate account of what really happened between she, Spencer, the couch, and Brant.
But the Stalking Type, yes. Brant's been stalking the Severn household for a long time, long before he met Spencer. I think he's got a stalky sort of personality. While he has 6 neat and 8 active, he's only got 4 outgoing, 3 playful, and 4 nice. He's a Scorpio, and a wealth sim like Genesis.
I'm rather fond of this shot, but haven't found a way yet to use it in any chapters. Charity was out getting the mail and Brant was the afternoon walk-by. Charity stopped where she was on the sidewalk and they stared at each other the whole time as Brant walked past.
Brant has a doberman, Canus, that he and his wife Evey bought after they were married. Like any good pet owner, he cares about Canus like a second child. Here he worries as Canus gets in a fight with one of the neighborhood wolves...
And gets his tail kicked by the wolf. Poor puppy. Canus isn't the sharpest spoon in the drawer. I keep meaning to make him a nice red dobe lady so he can father some puppies. Maybe when Genesis goes to college.
There are pets in the Severn household too. Charity picked out Waggles from the local shelter when she and Spencer went downtown clothes shopping. I couldn't figure a good way to write it into the chapter, however, so the shots remained on the cutting room floor.
While Canus isn't much brighter than his chew toy, Waggles is a genius among cats. Just look at that smirk; she knows she's got Charity wrapped around her finger already.
Sorry Spencer, no birds. They tend to have a short life expectancy in TS2 and frankly, they drive me nuts in game. Besides, you're still in those dork clothes. Get thee to the department store immediately!
Spencer did eventually get his kitty. This is Whiskers. We'll find out more about him in future chapters, but I just had to slip a shot of him in. He's just too frickin' adorable at this age.
And even more adorable when he tries to play in the snow. Can you find the poor little guy in this shot? *laugh*
Waggles doesn't fare much better in the snow, but at least she's easier to find. But what on earth is she doing outside at night?
Why, checking out the army which arose on the front lawn. Yep, Spencer's been making snowmen again. He's the only one in the house who makes the mean ones. Maybe you been cut back on how many you've been building...
You never know when they're going to come back to haunt you.
What's wrong Spencer? Did you forget the fire extinguisher? You look like you see something shocking out the window.
Hmm... it does look like there could be someone outside, peering through the window...
Plotting and stalking....
I didn't move the snowman there; Spencer built him right there at that angle. When the fire started and I noticed I could see the snowman through the window (and he looked like he had somehow instigated the whole thing) I had to get screenshots. Once again, they don't fit in the storyline anywhere but they're too fun to leave out.
And that brings us to the end of this session of out-takes. Apparently the lack of snow in Strangetown has driven all the penguins and their handcuff conversations over to Muse Ridge for the time being. So tune in next time when Spencer or Cassie or somebody picks the story back up =)
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posted by Kethwyn at
8:03 PM
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