in this town nothing is what it seems

welcome to strangerville.

in this town, nothing is what it seems. on hiatus

our story starts here // read from the beginning

don’t wander into the desert // mobile navigation

it follows // i comment and follow from captaintransvestite

liminal spaces // behind the scenes and reblogs over at @strangelyloste

the twilight zone // fundie simblr over at @church-of-beelzebeef

Money is tight for the Smith family.

Between the mortgage, bills, vet fees, pool maintenance, bills, clothes for the twins, bills, spiralling grocery prices, and yet more bills, it’s a fight to keep the lights on. Even with her eldest kids both working -- Johnny’s pulling as much overtime as he can, and Jill’s snagged a coveted apprenticeship at FutureSim Labs -- Jenny just can’t make the money stretch. There’s no getting away from that. 

“Damn Circe,” Vidcund snaps, not for the first time. “If she hadn’t left, you’d still have a job.”

“It’s not Circe’s fault they closed the clinic,” Jenny points out, not unreasonably, but without success; Vidcund’s always had a blind spot where the Beakers are concerned. “There’s not much money in a town like this. So Lola keeps telling me, anyway...”

“You’ll think of something,” Vidcund says encouragingly. “You always do.”

Which Jenny does. She sets up a stall selling homemade jams and canned vegetables in the town square, and knits soft toys for Plopsy, and puts up an ad for a lodger. But jellies and teddy bears only go so far.

“It’s no good,” Jenny tells her brother between wet, sobbing hiccups, a few days after a final demand from the bank lands in the mailbox. “We’ve all scrimped and saved and we’re still out by §500 a month. The money just isn’t there, Vid.”

Vidcund helplessly pats his elder sister on the back. “We can help,” he says quickly. “I know how much this place means to you --”

“Not that much,” Jenny says sharply, her face now tear-streaked but fiery. “I won’t hear of it, Vidcund; you’ve got Ionantha to think about. The twins and I will find somewhere smaller, and we’ll make it work.” She smiles sadly. “Lazlo told me there’s a couple of houses near Lola for sale. Maybe it’s time for the Smiths to go to Oasis Springs...”

And with impeccable timing, the doorbell rings. Cursing, Vidcund follows Jenny out into the hall. “Hold that thought,” he hisses, keeping his voice low as they pass the kids. “It’s bad enough losing Lola to that place -- I don’t want you to go as well.”

“You say that like she’s gone somewhere awful,” Jenny whispers back. “It’s only Oasis Springs!”

“Sure, next time I want a cup of sugar from you I’ll just hop on a bus for ten hours...” Vidcund mutters, as he pulls the door open. 

“Hi there!” says the cheerily exuberant figure on the other side of the door. “I’m here about the room. Let me tell you, that was a relief when I saw the ad in the paper; you folks don’t even have a hotel here, and I’ve been bounced about on buses for days on end --”

“That’s great,” Vidcund says abruptly. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“The spare room,” Jenny says patiently. “I did tell you I was renting it out...”

“Annie? Did it work?”

“Just a moment!”

“Come on... just one more line...”

“... Oh, no. Again?”

FutureSim Laboratories, Oasis Springs Campus

“...  And the second astronaut says ‘in space, no one can! Here, use cream.’ Heh!... heh... ah, you had to be there. But jokes aside, feeding our brave space explorers is no easy task. You’ve got to balance weight limitations, nutrition, preservation, even packaging -- with all that to consider, flavor is often the last thing anyone thinks about. 8 out of 10 astronauts say they’d rather eat dog food than another MRE!”

“But over at FutureSims, our latest developments in extraterrestrial food technology have finally broken the taste barrier. After much hard work, we’re delighted to announce -- drumroll please -- the FutureSims Grilled Cheese Flavor Tubes! Each tube contains a real grilled cheese sandwich which has gone through a delicate process of pulverization, dehydration, and rehydration to ensure both nutrition and taste! Now if you’ll turn your attention to the screen, we’ll get... er...”

“... started on the... um... Actually, what’s even more exciting than a presentation? A demonstration! So I’m gonna... hand over to our wonderful intern Blossom, who’ll show you how to make a genuine FutureSims grilled cheese sandwich! Come on up here, Blossom... yes, right now... okay folks, I’ll leave you in Blossom’s capable hands! Please, er, excuse me for a moment...”

The Futures Past Espresso Bar, Oasis Springs

“There’s something we need to talk about,” Crystal tells Lazlo, once they’ve found a table in a quiet café.

“I figured that much,” Lazlo says. “I didn’t think you came all the way out here just to see me talk about grilled cheese for a half hour. What’s wrong?”

“It’s... Well, we’ve...” Crystal begins slowly. Where can she start? Her and Lazlo haven’t really discussed children. And that’s before Crystal can even begin to think about that... that awful thing in her basement. “Look,” she says abruptly, trying to stop her mind from going there. “I’m pregnant.”

And there it is, out at last. Lazlo looks at her, stunned. “Pregnant?” he says at last. “Really?”

“Really,” Crystal says. “I’ve just seen a doctor. That’s why I drove all the way out here. That, and...” She swallows thickly. “I want to talk about this before we go home.”

“Okay,” says Lazlo. “Do you want a baby? I guess that’s a good place to start.”

Yes, Crystal thinks. That much hasn’t been in question since she found out -- which was longer ago than she’d care to admit to her husband. But whatever it is that’s happening to her -- whatever that horrible plant is doing, when it takes over her body and steals away her memories -- might have other plans. What if it hurts them both? What if what’s really growing inside her isn’t a baby at all?

But the doctor had told her everything seemed fine. And Crystal is fine, isn’t she? Other than the occasional midnight excursion where she wakes up in the middle of nowhere, with no memory of getting there and soil caked under her fingernails, has anything bad really happened to her?

“I want this,” she says. “I do.”

Lazlo grins, like the smile of a thousand delighted suns. “I’m gonna be a dad!” he exclaims. “Hey, while we’re here, we’d better go shopping for the nursery. Not to mention build the nursery! Maybe we can discuss an extension with some builders -- or, no, I’ve got a better idea! We could just stay here!”

Crystal fights down the voice that isn’t hers. “What?” she says, with as much calm as she can muster.

“Well, we’ll need more room,” Lazlo says excitably, not paying attention. “There’s plenty of good homes here; Lola says there’s a few just down the road from her. Not to mention better schools, a real hospital... I can get a transfer to the Oasis Springs lab, and you work from home anyway. It’d be easy. We’d barely need to go back! Except to pack, I guess, and grovel to my brothers for leaving them...”

Crystal lets Lazlo talk away. It would be easy, she thinks. It would be so damn easy. She could stay here and never go back. That plant could rot underneath the house for all she cared! Crystal could make her life here, with her loving family, and that thing would never be able to get its tendrils on her child...

...Ɨ ŴƗŁŁ ĐØ ΔŇ¥ŦĦƗŇǤ ŦØ ƤŘØŦ€ĆŦ Μ¥ ĆĦƗŁĐ...

But there lies the truth of it. Crystal could no more abandon the plant she’s nurtured for so many years than she could leave her own mother. It’s strange, and terrifying, and lives so intertwined inside Crystal that it scares her. Sometimes she doesn’t know where she begins and it ends. Not anymore.

But it is hers. And she, in in turn, belongs to the plant.

She could tell Lazlo. They could get away...

“... I... I want to stay in Strangerville,” she chokes out. “I like it there.”

“Sure,” Lazlo says, oh-so-breezily. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

Paradise Place Wellness Center, Oasis Springs

“But are you sure the baby’s okay?”

“Like I said, Ms Vu, everything appears to be normal,” Dr. Al Mahmoud says pleasantly. “I understand first time pregnancies can be worrying, but right now I don’t see any reason to be concerned. Of course, if you want further reassurance, I can make a referral to Del Sol General for additional scans...” The doctor pauses, frowning as he looks through his notes. “Although that may not be the best course of action, given how rural you are. Are we really the nearest clinic for you? We must be a good day’s drive from Strangetown!”

“Strangerville.”

“Of course, of course. Well, now would be a good time to research your options,” Dr. Al Mahmoud continues breezily. “Finding a good doctor when you’re out in the sticks isn’t an easy task. To be honest, unless you want to spend your pregnancy shuttling to and from Oasis Springs, you may wish to consider moving --”

“ŇØ!”

“I’m sorry?”

“I mean... no, no, I’m sure that’s not necessary,” Crystal says quickly. “I’m happy in Strangerville. And like you said, I’m sure everything’s okay.”

“No one watching actually cares what happens to us!”

Meanwhile, over at Kristen’s vlog...

“And that about wraps it up for this video, angels! Once again, I’d like to thank Skip’s Pool Company in Oasis Springs for building our beautiful new swimming pool, as well as my sponsors at Smogue. Use my discount code strangelyloste for free delivery on swimwear orders over §274.69!”

“And before I go, I know a few of you have been asking about the purple spores that keep showing up in my videos. It’s real sweet of you all to care so much! I’m so lucky to have such a considerate fanbase. To be honest, angels, I don’t know what they are. But they don’t seem to be doing any harm, so don’t worry! I’ll still be back next week with another video. See you later, angels, and don’t forget to subscribe!”

“That was right, wasn’t it?” Kristen asks Erin later on, as they relax besides the new pool.

“What was?”

“About the spores,” Kristen says. “They’re not dangerous, are they?”

Erin tries to tamp down on the rising anxiety in her chest. “I don’t know!” she says unsuccessfully. “Why are you asking me?”

Kristen bristles. “Jeez, I just figured you’d know, that’s all! You’re the scientist!”

“Well, I don’t know!”

“Okay! Fine!” Kristen says tersely. “I just don’t want to upset my fans, that’s all. I’d hate for them to think there was something wrong.”

Erin snorts. “Come off it. Your fans don’t give a shit; they’d say anything to get you to look at them for a hot minute. They just want someone famous to fawn over and act like you’re all best buddies!”

Kristen looks hurt. “Hey, that’s way harsh, Erin.”

Behind The Scenes: Lazlo and Crystal’s Wedding

[poses and photos under the cut]

1. what’s the last screenshot you’ve taken for your story?

Crystal and Lazlo's house, slowly being transformed from 73 to 91 Road To Nowhere!

8. what about your story are you proud of?

That I've stuck with it. That 154 people want to know what happens next. That @dawaytoamarillo drew Johnny in his army uniform.

19. choose a song that reminds you of (insert character here) the grunts

If I were to make a playlist for them, it would definitely have In The Army Now by Status Quo; also quite a lot of Placebo for Ripp and Janelle Monae's Make Me Feel for Buck. Probably some [redacted] for Buzz, although he'd deny it.

(Whenever I listen to Ya'aburnee by Halsey it makes me think of Tank. One day I'll share why, but not today.)

“I don’t want this... You can’t do this to me!”

“Not when I’m...”

“ĦỮŞĦ, ĆĦƗŁĐ.”

“Please, have mer--”

“ŇØŴ ¥ØỮ'ŁŁ ҜŇØŴ ŴĦΔŦ ƗŦ'Ş ŁƗҜ€... ŦĦ€ ŞŦŘỮǤǤŁ€Ş Ø₣ β€ƗŇǤ Δ ΜØŦĦ€Ř.”

“¥ØỮ ŴƗŁŁ ĐØ ΔŇ¥ŦĦƗŇǤ ŦØ ƤŘØŦ€ĆŦ ¥ØỮŘ ĆĦƗŁĐ...”

“Happy birthday!” Vidcund announces, pushing a present into Jill’s hands. “Is my favorite niece having a good day so far?” 

Jill gives her uncle an amused look. “Can you really call me your favorite niece when Josie is right outside the door?” she scolds, trying to be disapproving in spite of the smile playing on her lips.

Vidcund raises an eyebrow. “Can I have a conversation with Josie about trying to synthesize vamprocillin with a watch battery and 20 gallons of pomegranate juice?” he scoffs. “No, I can’t. Anyway, she can’t hear; she’s too busy harassing Crystal.”

“Auntie Crystal!” Josie shrieks, tripping over her brother to greet the latest member of the Curious tribe. “Come and look at my drawing --”

“No,” Jackson interrupts, “I want to show her my stick collection --”

“Now now guys,” Crystal says happily, pulling her niece and nephew into a hug. “There’s enough of me to go around!”

“Where’s Uncle Lazlo?” Josie demands. “I want to show him my drawing as well!”

“Do you remember him saying he was going away for a few days?” Crystal says. “He’s going to a big meeting at work called a conference. It’s all the way over in Oasis Springs!”

“But that’s lightyears away!” Jackson wails.

With the party in full swing, Jenny pulls Vidcund aside for a quick exchange of sibling gossip. “Does Crystal seem normal to you?” she asks.

“About as normal as you can expect from someone who married Lazlo,” Vidcund replies. Upon seeing Jenny’s stern look of sisterly admonishment, he quickly continues: “Well, she looks fine to me. Why?”

“She’s not touched her cake. And she keeps disappearing to the bathroom.”

“So?”

“You don’t remember feeling... similarly?” Jenny prompts, meaningfully.

Vidcund risks a quick glance at Crystal, who, true to Jenny’s word, has an untouched plate and a decidedly nauseous expression. “No way,” he declares.

“It’s not that unheard of,” says Jenny. “Rumor has it several married people become pregnant every year.”