Interesting and entertaining update! I can see quite a bit happens within your sim hood!

@Emperor Crat thank you!

After the long session with the previous household, I decided to tackle Ajay Loner next. I admit, he's one of my least favorite of the family bin sims simply because I never know what to do with him. He came with a LTW to be Hand of Poseidon, though I decided to reroll it as I didn't want to go through the hassle of moving him later (plus it seemed to clash with his being in Strangetown at all). He got a new LTW of earn $100,000 as that seemed to give the most freedom in what to do with him.

Loner:
The Singles household weren't the only ones looking for a new place in Strangetown. For whatever reason, Ajay had decided to give this desert town a try. If he had had friends or family, they probably would have deeply questioned his decision. Very few people moved there with any sort of purpose. It was a haven of scientists, the military, and aliens. Though admittedly the last two had little say in the matter. The military had it's base there and the law still restricted aliens or alien descended sims to live there up to a certain generation. Scientists came because the naturally clear atmosphere made for excellent stargazing.

Ajay was none of these things, so the allure of the sandy settlement to him was a mystery. There had been very little choice when it came to buying a house. He was told there was only one available to a civilian, so unless he fancied buying the empty plot and overseeing construction of a new one it was sort of take it or leave it. He chose to take it. With what little remained of his moving fund, he bought a few items he wanted and the rest was necessities. The kindest thing to be said about his interior decorating was it was 'eclectic'. Ah well, it wasn't permanent. Though it did put a dent in what resources he had. He chose to voucher his Humble computer, having already bought one of the cheapest models on the market. It gave him a bit of breathing room, at least. Enough that he decided not to apply to any of the day's offering on the job exchange. Maybe tomorrow would bring something more in line with what he was looking for.

Watching t.v. quickly became a bore and messing about with the easel didn't distract him long. A rumble in his stomach reminded him he had yet to stock the fridge. So in spite of the storm, he headed out to do some shopping. Once he arrived at the odd group of buildings that passed for a shopping center, a delicious smell drew him into the grocery. It seemed the place had set up a self serve pancake cart to attract customers! That would do fine for a lunch. Ajay helped himself to a short stack and settled in at one of the folding tables that had been provided.

Before he could dig in, however, he noticed the blond man with a goatee staring at him rather intently. Rather than ignore the stranger, Ajay politely stood to shake his hand. When a woman came in to distract the man, Ajay went back to his pancakes. It seemed he had gotten his in the nick of time, as more people came in to try out the cart. A fellow customer, a dark-haired man this time, sat down at his table. They engaged in a brief conversation before Ajay finished off his plate. The woman from before interrupted his cleaning up with a joke, though he remembered to throw away his trash quickly after. (I admit I was sort of distracted at this point by how well Don Lothario and Loki Beaker seemed to be getting on in the background.)

Ajay chose to stay and wander about the little area for a while. He bought himself a new watch and thought the cashier was cute, though a bit too young. There was also an older woman who struck his fancy, though she didn't appreciate his forwardness in offering her a hug. Fortunately, she seemed to forgive him his faux pax and they fell into hang out right there in the clothes shop. Time flew by and before he knew it, Ajay had gained a new friend and an aching backside. Saying goodbye to his new acquaintance, he headed back to the grocery to grab food before heading home.

The shopping trip had really taken it out of him. Putting away the food and getting a quick wash-up, he laid down for a nap. (No Welcome Wagon generated despite being accepted.) He woke up a few hours later to mess around a bit more with the easel. To his surprise, someone he didn't know called to invite him out. Did they have the wrong number? No, they didn't. Or at least they didn't admit to it. Curious, Ajay accepted the invitation. He was even more confused when they picked up the rest of the group, one of whom was a child! Perhaps that was why they ended up at the weird retro diner. In his bemused state he offered to treat everyone to dinner.

Intrigue can only hold one so long, however. After dinner, some jokes and some pool, Ajay found himself tiring. In the end, he never discovered just how or why he ended up being invited along. But it was still a fun time. He met some new people, including Kristen Loste. Once home, he helped himself to some juice before turning in for the night. All in all, probably not the strangest day he could have had.

It was good to read about Ajay Loner, I am interested in what will be next for him.

In my own game, he married Kristen Loste and took her name and had a couple of kids, did well and reached his LTW and then passed away along with Kristen.

Maybe he might get to know Kristen better?

Ahh I Loved reading about the Singles household.

Me I had them all go separate ways. Kristen with Ajay, Erin with Johnny and some others in a Menage, and Lola and Chloe with Almeric and his brother from University.
Lola and Chloe are among my most Favourite.

So far I really like reading about what your Chloe is up to.

Thanks for the update! I also can't wait to hear what's next for Ajay

I didn't get around to reading most of the text, but I just now took a look at the pictures you posted in April. Wow! What a beautiful neighborhood. I want to live in one of the Terrace homes!

Thanks for the comments, everyone! I seem to be slipping more and more into narrative prose, which is making my posts longer than likely necessary. Sorry!

Back to Strangetown, though I suffered a few false starts. When I first moved the next family to the one apartment lot, I noticed multiple mailboxes. Oops. The lot had originally been a multi-family setup in the style of apartments. I moved them back out and edited the lot as needed. Moved them back and rented one of the apartments for them. I noticed they had odd wishes to buy things already provided (bed, toilet, tub). Turned out the upper floors, for whatever reason, didn't properly belong to their respective apartments. While they were still usable, it would interfere with what little redecorating I might want to do later. So out they went again. I wasn't in the mood to troubleshoot so I just bulldozed the lot and replaced it with a few more separate houses. Then I had to edit those a bit. By the time I got the family moved in and set up, it was well past the time I intended to begin!

Picaso:
Matthew and Jessica moved into one of the smaller and cheaper military houses available. Not that they really had a choice in the matter. In order to maximize efficiency, personnel had to move into whatever lot best fit their family size. As Matthew and Jessica were newly married without children, the small house with the barn style roof was considered sufficient. Of course, Jessica was hoping to change that soon enough! Matthew, on the other hand, wasn't quite ready for new duties. They had one last free day before they had to report in. And he wanted to make the most of it.

He quickly set to romancing Jessica, the two of them giggling and trading kisses and flirts until they landed upstairs. As much as Jessica wanted to start a family right away, she chose to remain honest. No skipping on the birth control this time. Besides, she had a few other things she could do. Their little homestead was so drab and lifeless. Maybe a small garden would liven things up? A lemon tree and some tilled soil satisfied her, even though she had yet to decide what to plant. Mucking about getting the garden plot ready brought to mind she should really look into how best to keep things clean in the dusty, sandy environment.

So she settled in with a well-worn book she had picked up before the move. This left Matthew free to try his hand at the daily crossword. Fun as it was, it didn't quite scratch the itch he had to keep his mind active. The new chess table arrived quickly. But just as he settled in, some neighbors came to ring the bell. He greeted Erin Beaker, Kristen Loste, and Jenny Smith. Hearing the voices outside and feeling she had plumbed the depths of cleaning as needed for now, Jessica made some lunch meat sandwiches. Fortunately, the military had seen fit to gift them with some food on move-in.

Jessica found she wasn't quite in the mood for company but she went with it for Matthew's sake. He always liked meeting new people. While he chatted with the visitors, she chose to read up an old cookbook for any interesting recipes. Matthew, on the other, quite enjoyed himself with a long conversation with Kristen. It didn't take long for the two to make friends. As he and Kristen played catch outside in the evening light, Jessica figured out something new to make. And just in time. The phone was ringing. Putting the cookbook up, she answered only to hear an unfamiliar voice on the other end. It must be an acquaintance of Matthew's she hadn't met. But rather than ask for him, the man simply inquired if they would like to meet downtown. They might as well, she thought. With a handshake to Kristen, she said goodbye to their guests.

It was quite a shock to Jessica when the taxi picked them up and Matthew wondered who her friends were. She had to admit it got even stranger when she realized a child had been included! Not sure what to do, the two decided to stick it out, though it was a vaguely uncomfortable feeling to be at a lounge with someone so young in tow. Jessica grilled some hot dogs after a brief soak in the hot tub. After eating, Matthew tried his luck with Dance Sphere. The Hard setting was a little too hard and he got flung to the floor! He took it in stride and joined some others on the dance stage.

His attempt at smustling was shortlived when he realized Jessica hadn't come with him. Before he could figure out where she had gone, he saw her coming up. She had needed a quick restroom break! Once she had joined the group, he drew her into a slow dance. But the poor man was sorely distracted. He ended up trodding on her toes instead, pre-emptively cutting off her romantic thoughts. Despite being relatively early for a night out, she decided she was ready to go home. Regardless of what the others might've thought, at least Matthew had enjoyed himself.

Back at home, Jessica showered and fell into bed. Matthew decided to make a quick call to Kristen before doing the same.

------

This is the second time Cruz Gomez has been the unknown caller, bringing the same people along (including the little girl). I'm beginning to think he has some sort of agenda

No need to apologize as far I am concerned since I like your narrative prose.

Rarely have I had some one bring a child along, but this happened a couple of times just recently to one of my sims. Frequently they do bring the same people along I think.

Cruz Gomez is not in my game, likely he has a different name in my game if he does exist in Strangetown, Downtown and Bluewater Village.

I wonder if he does have an agenda.

I just came back to read through your thread. Lots of fun stuff going on in your game!
I think Cassandra has some "issues." May I suggest counseling? LOL
As for the Dreamers, I have an idea why Derek might be upset with Darren: Leftover sandwiches!

I've never heard of the empty fridge mod. I might want to consider it in the future.

As Lordtyger said, no worries about the prose. Some days I don't have the time or desire to read through long narratives. Other days I think it's a fun way to spend time seeing how others play.