The Mayors of Ellis Valley - Year of the Monkey stamps are here!

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Hmmm... something is a but "fishy"....

I must say, I know lots of cats who would enjoy a stay at Fish Island!

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Oooh, she's gone shopping!

Why do people care about that so much, anyway?

[Benedict 3,119]

Hi, Jacqulina. Thanks for returning to Ellis Valley - thanks for your nice comments!

Hi, Schulmanator. Haha. Rumor has it that there is actually a Wirdle Street somewhere in Wexlin, but the sims won't confirm or deny it.

Hi, Shadow_Assassin. Well, I guess the story *implies* that she went shopping... you'll just have to stay tuned to see if that's what really happens. And for some the purchase of new things gives them such a thrill that it becomes an addiction, to the point where it ruins people's lives. Not only financially, but it takes up all of their time - they usually realize they can't possibly keep all the things they buy (money, storage space) so they have to spend huge amounts of time taking things back - and that can negatively affect their work and personal life. Crazy!

[jacqulina 162]

your welcome my friend looking out more more of your fantastic work

[Benedict 3,119]

Season 2: Episode 8

It is time to see how Benedict has been spending the city's money now that the daylight robbery being perpetrated by the water companies has come to an end.

The city councilors expected Benedict to get to work on improving city services, expanding the El, and attracting more sims to Eloff with a brand new university.

However, Benedict's first order of business is to revamp Commerce Circle...

The city council isn't going to be very happy about any of this, since all the facelift appears to have done is spend a lot of money just to move Benedict's statue from the northeast edge of the plaza to the middle. Benedict argues that the overall look of the plaza is much better, and he did add an extra bus stop. Plus the fountains do look pretty.

Of course neither Benedict nor the rest of the city government is too happy when it costs an astronomical amount to replace 4 lampposts that have been incorrectly positioned...

There... much better!

Perhaps now that his ego has been appeased Benedict will get down to business and start fulfilling some of his promises...

Next: A reality check in Port Sinclair

[Schulmanator 5,815]

I am surprised he didn't supersize the statue while he was at it! A 3x3 doesn't cost but 59000!

[Benedict 3,119]

Hi, Jacqulina. As long as the sims keep coming up with these storylines there'll be more updates.

Hi, Schulmanator. I think the city council would notice if 59k simoleans suddenly went missing... plus at this point I think that would bankrupt Eloff!

[jacqulina 162]

excellent news my friend and another excellent update and pics

[Benedict 3,119]

 

Season 2: Episode 9

Things are heating up for the mayor of Port Sinclair. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, a crime wave has hit the city.

Normally quiet Midtown has recently experienced its worst crime in decades - a double homicide.

 

Criminal activity has even become rampant in well-to-do Mansion Park, where the police and local neighborhood watch are baffled and frustrated by the recent spate of carjackings.

 

The mayor has even increased funding to the Port Sinclair police force, the largest in Ellis Valley. However there still seem to be more police cars in the parking lot than out on patrol...

 

And of course the underground comic scene just seems to lap this sort of statistic right up...

 

Next: The Selanned peninsula

[Schulmanator 5,815]

I figured the cars would be in front of the Krispy Kreme!

[MayorTim 16]

Hmm, custom content is your friend!

But the cities are still great, and its nice to see the journal still going after a year! Good work!

[Benedict 3,119]

Hi, Jacqulina. Thanks for your comment! I really appreciate it.

Hi, Schulmanator. Haha. I'll have to go an see if there is one close by... The police station in Eloff is right across the street from a burger joint, though!

Hi, MayorTim. Well, this *is* a vanilla CJ - so by definition no custom content. Thanks for the rest of your comment - glad to see you like what I've done so far.

[Benedict 3,119]

Season 2: Episode 10

Similar to Wexlin in the north, Selanned occupies the southern peninsula that forms Sinclair Bay, protecting Port Sinclair from maritime storms and tides.

Unlike the mayor of Wexlin, who really just does enough to get by, the mayor of Selanned, Paula Dabul, is quite industrious.

Paula is proudest of her town's traffic management. Selanned is essentially a quiet suburban place and almost all the residents commute to other towns and cities for work.

Selanned is the only town in Ellis Valley where the car is the least used of all the transport options...

The simcitizens of Selanned commute via ferry to Port Sinclair and towns further north....

...they drive or take the bus to Nereid just to the south...

...and a few take the bus or drive to Port Sinclair.

Paula does, like most of the mayors in Ellis Valley, have her own dark little secret. Despite all of this excellent management, she is bored. And so Paula has plans. Big plans, in fact. Secretly she refers to it as her "Costa del Sinclair" project...

What will the citizens of Selanned think of her proposals?

How she is going to get the mayor of Port Sinclair to extend the monorail to the peninsula??

Has she given any thought as to the fact that it would be too easy to call it the "Costa del Sin"???

You'll just have to stay tuned for future episodes to find out...

Next: Head injury...

[Godzillaman 21]

Lets see it with the development!

[penguin007 27]

Ambitous plans should really modernise the area. Hope to see some custom content

Will

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Costa del Sin? I think that COULD be a major selling point!

[Benedict 3,119]

Hi, Godzillaman. I'm glad to see you're so eager to see some development. If you are familiar with the rest of this CJ you'll know that the pesky simcitizens of Ellis Valley seem to take forever to get things done. And frequently plans are disrupted for various reasons. I guess it all adds to the soap opera feel - you can sort of stop by any time and still pick up the storyline!

Hi, penguin007. Hey, Will! Well, this is a vanilla CJ right from the start. The idea was to focus on all the small details from the original game that seem to have been overlooked, especially with all the glitz and glamor of the bats and mods. Don't think I'm not tempted though, some of the NAM is amazing, as are many of the bats. The first thing I would get is the diagonal street mod - that was a disgrace it wasn't part of the original game.

Hi, Schumanator. I see where you would like to party if you ever visit the Valley !!

[Benedict 3,119]

Season 2: Episode 11

In Wexlin, Andrew Bridge* is the police officer investigating the serious traffic accident. Detective Bridge has been gathering evidence at the scene, some of which is very odd. The journalist's notebook doesn't seem to make any sense. Most of the pages have just a few words on them, such as 'Eloff - elevated train' and 'Omalle - circles'. And her car, now a complete wreck, has an Ellington license plate.

Unfortunately the accident victim is still being treated for her head injury at the local clinic. And even more unfortunately for the investigation she has total amnesia. Detective Bridge decides to stop by the clinic anyway to see if he can use the notebook to help 'Jane Doe' remember who she is and what she was doing in Wexlin before the collision.

When detective Bridge arrives at the clinic he becomes even more suspicious of the events surrounding the crash. 'Jane' has been transferred to the main hospital in Port Sinclair for further evaluation of her injuries and memory loss. He is forced to head back to the police station and file his report. He also hopes that somehow he won't be assigned to travel to Port Sinclair to continue investigating this case.

What Andrew Bridge doesn't know is that, while 'Jane' was indeed transferred to Sinclair General Hospital, she was not moved in an ambulance...

...she was whisked away in the middle of the night in a black limousine.

(* played by honorary simcitizen of Ellis Valley, Zipme17)

Next: Crossroads

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Ooooh! I want to be whisked off in a stretch hummer!

[penguin007 27]

great update

Will

[Zipme17 18]

havn't been on here in ages but i felt i should comment considering my apperance, this is definetly my favourite CJ, the valley seems alot more developed than in season 1, great work

[MayorTim 16]

Ah, I didn't know it was supposed to be vanilla - in that case, awesome job!

[Darmok 34]

episode 4

Yikes... a scream in the night! (biting nails... yuck... I prefer popcorn..)

episode 5

Why don't they (the clinic personnel) have a pool on the mayor's coming coronary?

episode 6

Good starting point for Port Sin... (original..)

episode 7

Accident? no accident?, the plot thickens....

BTW really like the slopes in Wexlin

episode 8

I think I preferred the previous park... greener and with more trees... just a personal preference. Though the statue is better in the center of the plaza, on this we agree!

episode 9

Crime wave! everyone lock your doors!

episode 10 and 11

Wexlin and Selanned do have similarities... they're like twin cities!

Ah HA! A limo/ambulance trip! (painting an "know it all expression" on his face... but in truth completely and utterly lost in the story...)

(Taking notes, and waiting for the next one...)

[Benedict 3,119]

Hi, Schulmanator. Only if you have a severe head injury... oh, right...

Hi, penguin007. Thanks, Will! You said something in a previous post that intrigued me - something about how you underestimated this CJ - in what way??

Hi, Zipme17. Really glad you'll be around to see your character. Sorry it took me so long to introduce him, there was a lot of background to get through first. And I am extremely flattered that this is your favorite CJ - really means alot to me, especially since most updates generate only a couple of responses.

Hi, MayorTim. Thank you very much! I think the CJ has been going on for so long that most viewers forget that it is vanilla (with rush hour). I started this CJ as a way to showcase the tiny details that I find fascinating (like synchronized tennis, for example) and the story grew around it. A major influence on this CJ was Digby in general, and Digby's "Dirty Little Secrets" updates in particular. Of course since then the story has sort of taken on a life of its own - these sims, I tell ya, they do some crazy things!

Hi, Darmok. Great to see you back in Ellis Valley!! Thanks for the mini-comments on each update, they were fun to read. Interesting that you preferred the earlier central plaza over the updated one. Maybe Benedict will add more trees... And if you think you're lost in the storyline now, just you wait!!

[jacqulina 162]

wow amazing work you have done my friend looking really great excellent work and pics

[Benedict 3,119]

Season 2: Episode 12

Ah, the beautiful Shipwreck Coast of Ellis Valley!

Today we are going to drop in on Derna, a town that isn't on the coast, and is just as boring as it sounds. Most people consider it to be a suburb of Port Sinclair, which always puts a frown on Mayor Ann Boleyn's face.

Secretly Ann does admire Port Sinclair for one thing - its modern monorail system. Up until recently Derna has been too much of a quiet backwater to warrant a mass-transit extension from its much larger neighbor.

These days Derna is becoming an important crossroads, and the rail station is so overcrowded the simcitizens are grumbling about the late and jam-packed trains.

Ann feels that the time is right to approach her counterpart about a better link between their two municipalities, although she is going to be cautious given the reputation of 'Port Sin'.

Next: General hospital

[penguin007 27]

cant wait for the monorail link

Will

[Schulmanator 5,815]

Hmmm - that's another thing mayor Anne Boleyn can frown about... DOH!

[Zipme17 18]

haha, cool update, Mayor Anne Boleyn? i can't imagine she'd be frowning much after that nasty incident at the tower of london.

[suplado! 23]

well its really fun to see that the sims use transport station to its full capacity..