Strangetown Conspiracy 11: A Brother's Fall (chapter at the end of the thread)

[joe_mulcahy]

Part two (or rather three, but known as two because there is a part zero) is available for your viewing pleasure, enjoy!

Thank you all for posting your videos, which I have been enjoying.  In fact, you've inspired me to join in the fun and begin creating movies of my own.  Thank you as well to the moderators of this fine community.  Your hard work is appreciated far more than words can express.

Here are the links and a brief synopsis:

Strangetown Conspiracy-0 (The Prologue)-Following alien terrorist attacks in SIMNation's Capital City, the President proposes a preemptive sweep against aliens residing illegally throughout SIMNation. This action puts the residents in Strangetown directly in the line of fire. General Buzz Grunt must make a terrible decision: his position as General, or saving the lives of his neighbours.  


Having been bullied by General Buzz Grunt since childhood, can Pascal Curious  truly trust his old adversary?


Strangetown Conspiracy I- Gathering Storm-As the preemptive strike against the alien terrorist groups believed to reside in Strangetown draws nearer, Nervous Subject's attempts at sleep are thwarted by foreboding images.  Are they mere nightmares, or have the years of scientific experimentation on his body yielded unintentional side effects?


Nervous tells Loki and Circe about his strange visions.  Are they mere dreams or visions of a dark future?  Will Circe and Loki even believe their test subject's words?

 If some of you in the Harry Potter community recognize my co-writer Avatar Arkmage, it is because he is one of the guys who wrote one of my favourite fanfics!  And he agreed to help me with the writing for this series.  Hope you enjoy it!

Edit: 11/9/2007, added part two.  I sincerely hope you enjoy it!

Strangetown Conspiracy II- A Violent Legacy-The Beakers begin to suspect that Nervous Subject has developed unusual capabilities of foresight; while the price of General Grunt's imminent treason against SIMNation is paid by the entire family.


In a rare, fleeting moment of solidarity, Tank and Ripp lean on one another for support after enduring a beating from their father.

Strangetown Conspiracy 3A- Time of Hate-Part One of Two. The attacks perpetrated by alien terrorist cells have led to an all time high of suspicion against all aliens residing on Earth. Johnny Smith and Ophelia Nigmos fall victim to a zealous street gang who are particularly hateful toward aliens and humans with alien blood.
A street gang, who believes aliens have no place on Earth, chases Johnny Smith through the deserted streets of Strangetown Downtown.


Strangetown Conspiracy 3B- A Time of Hate-Part Two of Two. Nervous's odd abilities strengthen, and all are distressed by the fact that he has indirectly witnessed the assault of Ophelia and Johnny; General Buzz feels remorse over the stout beating he had subjected his sons to, but with his responsibilities toward SIMNation's military, he doesn't chance any further interactions with his sons for fear that he will harm them even more

Loki, Nervous and a battered Ophelia search for Johnny Smith, who they believe to have been beaten and dumped in the desert.


Strangetown Conspiracy 4- Deeper Than By The Blood That Binds Us. Strangetown is in mourning over the murder of Johnny Smith, but they can little afford to grieve, as the pre-emptive strike draws nearer. What connection do Olive, Ophelia and Nervous share, and how much do the Beakers know about this? General Buzz turns up at the hospital as well, but is it to offer his condolences or for another reason entirely?


Nervous ponders the kinship he feels toward Ophelia.  Does she cling to him merely because she had been traumatised, or because she may know more about Nervous's true identity than Nervous himself does?


Strangetown Conspiracy 5: Death of Innocence
Part 1 of 2. The HMS Wright closes in on Outolaakso, a Northern Province of SIMNation, where alien terrorist activities have been strongly indicated, but what is closing in on the HMS Wright?  Pascal asks Buzz what is the reason for the hatred Buzz seems to have felt toward Pascal since their youth, but Buzz is less than forthcoming.
 Disturbed that anyone can be so callous when human lives are concerned, Pascal lets his feelings be known.


Part 2 of 2



Although the HMS Wright was one of the ships slated to carry out the pre-emptive strike, is this really the case?


Strangetown Conspiracy Chapter Six: Prisoners of war
WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS BRIEF, THOUGH NON-SEXUAL NUDITY.  Cover the upper part of the screen and only read the dialogue at the bottom if you do not wish to see that part.  You can safely watch the movie after approximately 0:16. Having been abducted by the very aliens they had been sent to attack, the surviving members of the HMS Wright do their best to survive the ordeal. Ripp Grunt, who was also captured, fares somewhat better, but what do the aliens truly want from him?

Ripp's alien abductors inquire about the wounds on his face and body, and not wishing to disclose the true cause, Ripp fabricates an elaborate lie.

Strangetown Conspiracy 7- Brothers and Adversaries. Some of you have called to my attention the fact that there is a lot of dialogue, and that it sometimes goes along too quickly, especially for those who like to read at a more leisurely pace, or for those whose native tongue is not English. It may help to watch the film with your mouse pointer on the pause button in the YOUTube player. Simply pause as needed to read the dialogue, then resume. Synopsis: The aliens who have abducted Ripp have no understanding of Ripp's entreaties toward his father, and inquire further on the matter. Things become worse for the survivors of the HMS Wright, when an act of sedition is revealed. General Buzz Grunt invites Pascal to his home, but what is his intent?
[/IMG]
Feeling the weight of all that has transpired far more than he lets on, General Buzz falls to his knees, his thoughts on Ripp. [/B]

Nervous once again has frightening visions, only this time, he's fully awake. General Buzz and Pascal begin to settle a score a few decades old.
[/IMG]
A memory buried by time and the pressures of his career, tears its way back following a confrontation by Pascal[/B]

[kattan]

This is great so far. Hope to see more soon!

[joe_mulcahy]

This is great so far. Hope to see more soon!

Thank you very much for the feedback, Kattan.  The next part will be uploaded shortly.

[Mask316]

I bow to you!

[Pierre]

great story

[joe_mulcahy]

Thank you very much for your comments, Mask316 and Pierreandreply4, it was a pleasure to work on this, and I'm glad you've both enjoyed it.

[Tenshii~Akari]

You're really good!  :thumblef:  :thumbrig:  I love how you captured all of the sims' expressions.  The storyline is great, and I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing more of it.  :smile bi:

[Mask316]

Are you using default Camera or zooming in edit ?

[xTERRIx]

WOW! i love it!

[joe_mulcahy]

You're really good!  :thumblef:  :thumbrig:  I love how you captured all of the sims' expressions.  The storyline is great, and I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing more of it.  :smile bi:

Thank you very much for the feedback, Tenshi Akari.  Capturing their expressions is trickly, but certain characters, i.e. Ripp Grunt and Pascal Curious, wear their hearts on their sleeves, so it is actually quite easy to film emotions when the camera is trained upon them.

Are you using default Camera or zooming in edit ?

 I've hacked the settings on the in game camera rather often, sometimes several times for the same shot, but there are still things it won't do properly.  Likewise, if you do all your zooming in the post-production, it looks rather odd, so in many scenes I'll actually combine both zooms and pans to make a well rounded camera motion.  Tricky at first to do, but the effect of the final film is worth the bother.

WOW! i love it!

Why thank you, hearing that does a writer good!

[xTERRIx]

that's a really good referance! (or whatever you call it!) i like how u used the tatoos in the end of the second ep.!

[joe_mulcahy]

that's a really good referance! (or whatever you call it!) i like how u used the tatoos in the end of the second ep.!

Thank you!

Being that Buzz Grunt is actually a General, and therefore not normally on the battlefield, I've often wondered why he would bother to wear facepaint at all.  In thinking on it, I came to the conclusion that the markings may not have been paint at all, and perhaps he could otherwise not remove them. Hence the darker idea of hiding scars was used in the final storyline.

[joe_mulcahy]

In case you missed it in the header, this chapter carries a warning about violence which may be somewhat upsetting to some of you.  Those that do watch, I hope you enjoy the show.

[themaltesebippy]

You've managed to turn the most boring sims neighborhood into something exciting and great!  Amazing work, keep it up!!  I subscribed to your channel.

[kattan]

Okay, damn it, part three has me wanting to kill pixels. Grrrr.... *sits and waits for more soon*