Asylum - Chapter 4

Did Someone Mention Catastrophe?



Hey Parson, we're here for the second half of... er... maybe now's not a good time...

As time in the Asylum winds on, the minds of some become more fragile. Like with poor Parson here, who just can't seem to get it together. But we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

Let's pick up where we left off, sometime in the middle of week two.

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Lynn, stopping by the Asylum to visit the loonies, or are you just taking your daily constitutional? Checking to see if Parson was offering any recycled (or non-recycled) kisses to any other Sim Somebodies?

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Or did you stop because you sensed something was wrong? If that was the reason, you're right on the money because someone left some food on the stove, expecting Marie to watch it while she ate. And Lizbet is still at work.

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But due home anytime. She got home shortly after the fire broke out and was able to call the fire department before too many people realized what was going on.

Lizbet earned a promotion and hit a money milestone too... I think this one was to elementary school teacher.

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And so life continues on for the patients. Some are comfortable with their time here, unfazed by fires, the lack of beds, and the tendancies of their asylum-mates to run around in their undies.

The others, however, are starting to show some cracks and fraying around the edges.

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Parson was bringing out Dr. Phyllo (der Flugball) for some on-site consultation much more frequently as the week wore on. Wanda's flour baby Wondra hasn't put in an appearance yet, but I wonder how long it will be before it reappears.

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The incidents of spying on the neighbors have been on the increase as well. You'd think the residents of Middlington would have expected such things to happen when they built an asylum within the city limits. Van has quickly become one of the main voyeurs.

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Although Wanda spends her share of time as the telescope as well... when she's not dragging Earl or Van to bed.

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The spying was so bad one afternoon, that it created a ripple in the time-space continuum. As you can see here, Van is spying on poor Sim-K while she's here poking Marie for doing that very thing a few minutes earlier.

This was the same afternoon that Wanda broke the TV. I also realized about this point that the piano was horribly out of tune, which was why no one was playing it and the toilet was clogged again. Lizbet had earned enough mechanical points that I felt safe letting her fix the dishwasher, so I let her get a little bit of shut eye before sending her off to fix things.

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First thing I had her fix was the television, then let her sit down and catch a few minutes of the Yummy Channel. She invited several of the other patients to join her, then left to go tune the piano, unclog the toilet (again), and fix the dishwasher. I think we had 5 residents watching the Yummy Channel at one point, all earning cooking points. Thanks for the tip Aer.

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The dishwasher was the last thing I sent Lizbet to fix, figuring that if her mood was too bad by then, she could leave it for another day. They'd been making do without it for several days and while dishwashers aren't as deadly as trash compactors, I have had them catch on fire when trying to repair them. But Lizbet came through with flying colours and all is right and repaired in the world.

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Yes, that is the holiday mistletoe (that's also HystericalParoxysm's visible popcorn ceiling, not the night sky). While sticking artwork and such up in the asylum, I stumbled across it in the buy bin. Since I've never seen any sim use it autonomously, I figured I'd stick it in the common room just to see if any sim would use it under free will (I had my doubts) I'm not sure if Marie initiated this or if it was all Parson's doing...

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But they got together for a chaste holiday kiss. Either Marie was needing some lovins bad, because she wasn't getting any, or Parson wanted to test his theory about recycled vs non-recycled kisses. Neither Lizbet nor Lorna seem overly thrilled there.

But the weekend is here, and you know what that mean...

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Yep, the Sim-Somebodies will be coming out of the woodwork. Actually I think Quavi wandered by on Thursday, but Lizbet was more than happy to run out and greet him anyway.

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Quavi also left Thursday night after a very short stay. Normally I have to chase Sim Folks around with a stick to get 'em to leave. They'll stick around forever, even when they don't fall asleep in their mac 'n cheese. Quavi just chatted up a few folks, said his good byes, and trotted on out.

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He probably quickly realized that most of the humans here have elevators that do not go to the top floor. Not the sort of folks he's looking for.

Oh don't give me that look Lizbet. He wasn't your ticket out of here anyway.

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Nor is this fellow.

Bacillus Bacter came walking by Saturday morning, so I sent Lizbet out to greet him. His creator, Sgt Heather, is the only Sim Somebody who hasn't been in to visit Wainwright Asylum (she's wandered by a few times when Lizbet was at work; apparently she's been warned about the place) Well, Lizbet is usually pretty friendly when she greets walk-bys. Shakes their hand, smiles, the works. She and Bacillus just nodded at each other, kind of like how two sims with a negative relationship will greet each other.

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But as you can see, they don't have a negative relationship. They don't have much of a relationship at all... but they do have 3 bolts and she thinks he's the hottest thing she's seen. (You can see the full, unedited pic here)

Er... no... I sent a 3 bolt boy off to college for you Lizbet. Besides, the bolts lie.

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Bacillus didn't really seem interested in Lizbet (unlike Taylor, who stalked her the whole time he was visiting) He just wandered around fuming about Scot the Bartender from Sim-K's party (I have no idea what he did to Bacillus) and chatting up the residents. He ate dinner with the wackos then pulled a Quavi and left early. It was just as well. With the fragile mental state of some of the patients, they don't need an angry visitor about.

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Earl was the next one to crack. I should've realized it coming quickly when I caught him worrying and starting paranoidly at the closed drapes, trying to see through them out into the night.

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Eventually he was out front, panhandling for change. His favorite handout locaton did put him in the perfect position to catch the indiscretion...

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Of a certain Sim-Somebody who had wandered within greeting range earlier in the day.

Yeah, he looks soooo excited to be there, doesn't he?

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Don't let him fool you.

I think this version of Orrin is another "Romance Sim Trapped in a Knowledge Aspiration". I get those occasionally.

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And he thinks it's all a game. *chuckle*

Believe or not, poor Earl here is our first bathroon accident and it's Sunday night of week two. I'm impressed it didn't happen for someone earlier. Earl almost made it in time too; the bathroom was even open and available.

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What's her name the Ottomas mom had been a walk by earlier in the day and she stuck around talking to folks. Unfortunately she distracted Van while he was trying to cook, with obvious results. I'd tried to get Lizbet to serve dinner earlier, but she had been a bit too... distracted... to respond to my command.

Someone obviously had a fear of fire

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And Parson seems to be the only one with that fear rolled up. Hopefully the fire department gets here before we find out how many of those panicking have a "So-and-So dies" fear spun up.

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Fireman Corey showed up promptly and extinguished the fire in hunky fireman fashion, but it was too late for poor Parson.

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That brings Parson up to 3 break downs, and a total of 8 visits to the Asylum for the Good Doctor. This is what happens when you listen to Dr. Phyllo, Parson. Where did that volleyball get his degree anyway? *sigh* If you keep this up, you'll never get out of here.

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As the Good Doctor put Parson back together, Van retrieved his dinner, What's-Her-Name Ottomas waddled home, and the rest of the residents tidied themselves up... Most of them without stalkers hovering about.

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I'd sent Lizbet to serve up a meal for everyone and then panned around the asylum to check on everyone. Obviously she was busy doing other things instead of cooking while I gave the place the once-over. Parson looks either concerned or confused about the whole thing (that or he was debating over whether these were recycled or non-recycled kisses) Luckily our little confused knowledge sim headed for home after this

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So, at the end of our second week, how do things stand? Here's our running total

Fires: 6
Items destroyed by fire: 1 (stove, first week)
Nervous Breakdowns: 8
Job Level: 5 in Education (high school teacher)
Chance Cards: 1 (earned promotion to substitute teacher)
Family Friends: 7
Family Funds: §4946
Lot Value: §33319 (I swapped the roof tiles out for the visible ceiling ones, to make picture taking easier)
Total Family Wealth: §38265 (value on the neighborhood screen)

Yeah, keep dreaming those happy dreams of being free of this place Lizbet. At this rate it'll be a while.

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