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Simtropolis Returns! 05/26/2026
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Hi there. Sorry I've been absent for so long. SC4 and simtropolis was in my thoughts but not in my agenda. I had to deal with so much crap over the past few months. I'm emotionally traumatised. There is no other way to describe this. Sound melodramatic and sudden. But it's the truth. I am now a broken shell. But I am just as willing to put self back together. So bring it. Round two. I'll show u. I was warming up, life. Ok Ok. What's this? wut? drama. Run. No. Wait. Please. (raptor bark) ok i deliver: (hopefully this post will be able to contain the volcanic eruption that is about to ha--) FOREWORD What you're about to read might appear weird to you. Do not panic. I want to weird you out, hopefully to intrigue you in visiting more... Yes, crumbs lead to paths, that lead to inhabited forests, that lead to underground stories. Wanna find out? Read. SCREENPLAY READING TIPS: - INT/EXT means interior exterios. It's a SCENE HEADING. It defines where the action is happening. - each action paragraph (normal text) is a camera shot. Short lines are quick/simple shots. Longer paragraphs are intricate shots. Maybe longtakes... - O.S. (OFF SCREEN) means character is in scene, audible, maybe visible, but not in shot. We can't see them. V.O. (VOICE OVER) means voice is recorded over the picture. Not necessarily a living character in story, or in the same place/time as scene. - (RADIO/INTERCOM) dialogue comes from specific source - PROLOGUE (introduction to story) , TEASER (snippet, to create hype)( , ACT 1 (beginning, introduction, stakes) , ACT 2 ( rising action, obstacle, choice, no turning back) , ACT 3 ( falling action, towards climax) , ACT 4 ( post-climax) , TAG (closing statement/teaser to next stuff) - SUPER : super-imposed text over picture. - **WEBSITE LINK**: do trust, will link to World Anvil site with explanation article on specific highlighted topic. Check **ANVIL VALLEY** for SC4 region map. Are you ready Set? Go! "Hold on to your butts" - J. Arnold SHELDER COLONIZATION 102 - Growth P.1 written by Marcus G. Burke "Shelder Colonization" side story RolePlay Script draft PROLOGUE SUPER: After 8 human colonists settled on planet Shelder, local dinosaur-like wildlife struggled to adapt to the strangers, and in an attempt to domesticate these creatures, the colonists implanted some of them with digital mind interface surgical brain implants, a mouthfull - a wonder - a potential catastrophe in the making... FADE IN: SHELDER-EVO VIDEOGAME EXT. **ANVIL VALLEY** - PRAIRIE - DAY A team of **Aralodon minoris** professional sound engineers gradually set up a stage... ADVERT POSTER: TRICKSTER SWITCH TONIGHT THE BAND - Frontman Wade, juvenile **Sheldoraptor lumen**, lead voice, lead choreography. Foreground, crossed-arms, serious pose. Emo-Metal accessories. - Harem x3 female juvenile raptors, backing vocals, backing choreography. Matched-attire KawaiiMetal themed. EXT. CONCERT HALL We don't have time to linger on the poster... INT. TRAILER - CONCERT HALL - DAY PAWN WADE? (waits) WADE! A young adult Sheldoraptor lumen is shouting out of the window, to the open prairie outside, at the concert setup. His voice gets lost in the noise of the operations... This is PAWN, the big brother of WADE. PAWN (CONT'D) WADE? (barking) WADE! Loud enough for the setup crew to snap their Aralodon heads towards him. EXT. CONCERT HALL Wade walks the prairie, practicing his parts in passionate whispers and faint animal snarls. WADE (singing) Jo-eee-aaaaaww wresta con meeeeee-owe-eaaaah! (hears barking) Uh? (turns) WHAT? INT. TRAILER PAWN (hears Wade) WADE! (snarling) COME HERE! (trilling) Come on, hurry... EXT. CONCERT HALL WADE (hears Pawn) OKAY! (trill) Now what? Wade walks back toward the trailer. INT. TRAILER Pawn smiles and leaves the window. He wonders in the narrow room staring at the desk full of documents. PAWN (broods) This is gonna take all day (trills) What time is it? Pawn looks up to ELVIN, sitting behind the desk, studying. ELVIN (looks up) urm... (thinks) 'bout three... Pawn frowns and starts pacing back and forth as he thinks. Elvin watches him for a bit. Then he goes back to reading. Wade opens the door with his clawed raptor hand. Even though it's a routine gesture now, he is reminded of the struggles learning it and clicks his lips. WADE tsk. He faces a nervous Pawn, and eyes a distracted Elvin. Where are the others? He doesn't see anyone else apart from archives and lockers. WADE (to Pawn) What is it? Pawn stops pacing when he realizes Wade is here. He eyes him... PAWN (fondly) Nani-bro! (frustrated) Fetch the full setlist, would you? ...and walks forward to rest a hand over his shoulders, smiling, for how much a raptor would smile plausibly. Wade appreciates the brotherly hand over his shoulder with a spontaneous smile. WADE (nervous) I-urr... It's not ready yet. He can't help glance at Elvin but doesn't see him react. Pawn freezes. PAWN (angry) What do you mean it's not ready? He strengthens the grip on Wade's shoulders, without hurting him though. Wade frowns. WADE (nervous) Queen said it needs refining... (shrugs) She said she'd call me when it's ready. (fondly) So I can bring it to you. Wade glances Elvin again. Pawn is pleasently surprised. PAWN Oh! (confused) Refining? (angry) What does she need to refine for? (frustrated) It's already refined! Pawn starts pacing again, brooding. WADE (wails) I'm sorry! I'm waiting for her to call me! She didn't call yet! PAWN (still pacing) It's okay, it's okay. Another young adult Sheldoraptor looks up at Pawn... It's ELVIN, the cousin of PAWN and WADE. ELVIN Don't stress out like that, cous'... (fondly) Rachel's be here in a minute. Pawn stops pacing and looks at Elvin. PAWN (softly) Did she d-m ya? Elvin shuts his eyes and slowly shakes his head. ELVIN No. (merry) But I just know. She won't be late. Pawn rolls his eyes and starts pacing again. WADE (confused) So, can I go? PAWN (still pacing) Yeah-yeah... Wade sighs, turns around, and walks back out. EXT. TRAILER WADE (walking) tsk. EXT. CONCERT HALL - LATER Wade walks to the MANAGER TRAILER... EXT. MANAGER TRAILER He knocks on the door with the feathery back of his raptor hand. WADE (politely) QUEEN? QUEEN (O.S.) (brief wait) Yeah, kid? WADE (nervous) PAWN WANTS TO KNOW IF THE FULL SETLIST IS READY... (holds a giggle) He's kinda... urr... nervous... QUEEN (O.S.) (brief wait) Mmmhh. OKAY DARLING, COME IN. Wade is caught off guard and walks one step back in insecurity. WADE Okay... He takes a breath and opens the door. Another flashback of learning how to even be able to... QUEEN (O.S.) Come on! Don't be Shy! (snarling) I don't bite you! Wade chuckles timidly and closes the door behind him. INT. MANAGER TRAILER Silence. The raptor MATRIARCH is sitting at the desk. Refining... This is QUEEN. Wade stands there, butterflies in his stomach. FADE OUT. ACT ONE FADE IN: SHELDER-EVO: EXT. ANVIL VALLEY PRAIRIE - CONCERT HALL - NIGHT Everything is set for an open door concert: Floodlights are on. The audience space on the ground is irradiated as if daytime and what could host ten thousand people is currently an empty field. The stage is dark. But the lighting equipment is ready to perform. Props and backstage are up. Behind the stage the atmosphere boils... EXT. CONCERT HALL - NIGHT The security staff, x5 **Sairasaura florensia** in security attire, open the temporary fence to let audience in. All local Sheldosaurs, so, other Sairas, Aralodons, Raptors, even the **Riviosaur**. Ofcourse these are are avatars of the real ones. The chipped creatures in the real world can control an avatar in this isolated cyberspace, a game within a game, whereas the unchipped are simply depicted as extra-NPC by the game engine. They start pouring in and filling the field... Generic rock music from the loudspeakers fills the air. INT. BACKSTAGE QUEEN (snarling) WADE! Queen prowls around props, equipment, performers, and crew.. ELVIN (O.S.) No! No! Not like that! I need that up there! PAWN (O.S.) (wailing) ELV! EEELV! ELVIN (O.S.) What? PAWN (O.S.) (CONT'D) EEEELV! ELVIN (O.S.) WHAT? QUEEN WADE! Queen notices a juvenile raptor still not dressed for show, chatting to his harem of three female child raptors, also still not ready for show. QUEEN (snarling) WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? She approaches them and stops. Intimidating as fuck. Wade and the harem freeze in the presence of the queen. WADE (gulping) Queen! Urm... (nervous) What's up? Wade steps away from the girls and turns to the queen. QUEEN (snarling) How are you not ready for the show still? (to girls) And you! What kind of behavior is this? The kid raptors blush at the scolding. They submit as guilty and bow. It's OFFICIAL. QUEEN (barks, intimidating as fuck) GO! Get changing! Queen sees the girls stand there like idiots. QUEEN (CONT'D) (leans over) GO! Get out of my sight! They scurry off. Wade remains... EXT. HALL The banter grows. More and more "people" flock in... The ambulant SNACK VENDORS walk in and start selling shit. People buy it happily. How do they pay? By CREDIT - an underground form of payment. You either know about it or you don't. INT. BACKSTAGE Wade notices the queen calm down and become more intimate with the girls gone. He sort of feel embarassed in front of her half-dressed like that... QUEEN (O.S.) (fondly) Darling. The full setlist is ready. Bring it to your brother. Will you darling? Wade relaxes his tense muscles and his plumage sinks back down, revealing intriguing reflections thanks to the bright lights of the backstage room. EXT. HALL Apparently, some folks are pushing drugs and other vices, too... INT. BACKSTAGE WADE (embarassed) Certainly, Queen. Wade looks down at Queen's powerfully built body covered by a smart suit tailored for her raptor body. He looks at her with stunned admiration. QUEEN Sweet boy. And go get dressed. You up in ten. Better be quick, or I bite yer head off. Wade's skin crawls up. WADE (O.S.) Okay, queen. I will. He scurries off. EXT. HALL Security notices a considerable decrease in arrivals. All but one crew members switch from bouncers to their prime positions as stage security. The gatekeeper counts a few more sporadic arrivals. GATEKEEPER (SAIRASAURA) Hey DAEN? DAEN (SAIRA) (O.S.) WHAT? GATEKEEPER Did you punch-in any player yet? DAEN (O.S.) NO, AL! NO PLAYERS YET! GATEKEEPER Alright Dael, see you later! DAEN (O.S.) SEE YA! The gatekeeper focuses back on the sporadic arrivals... INT. BACKSTAGE - LATER WADE (PRE-LAP) PAWN? PAAAAWN? Pawn is setting up his guitar. The instrument is tailor-made for his raptor anatomy and thus looks slightly different than a guitar made for humans. It does the same things and sounds the same nevertheless. PAWN (focused) WHAT? WADE (O.S.) (panting) PAWN! TIM OH! WADE! Come here bro. TIM is another young adult Sheldoraptor, childhood friend of ELVIN and PAWN. He is ready in rebel attire, macho-pumped but chill from smoking questionably-legal shit. EXT. GATE Yome could not have passed on this opportunity. She signed up a mini-game avatar, took the night off surveillance duties at Camp One, and she is now controlling herself as a raptorified creature, walking up to the gate to buy a ticket in. YOME (hyped) How the hell am I gonna pay with? Meat? GATEKEEPER (spotting Yome) Oh! A player! Hi! He gets on his hind legs and shows his hadrosaur arms in a welcoming pose. INT. BACKSTAGE Wade is in front of Pawn. Brothers. Eternal rivals. WADE (waves paper) I have the list. PAWN (eyes list) 'bout time! (extends claws) Give! WADE (pulls back) No! (close to chest) Mine! One step back. Wade wishes to keep the power of control the list gives him. He knows it's temporary. Pawn POUNCES Wade for the list. TIM (laughing) GET HIM! The Harem BARGES in, sparkly from their KAWAIIMETAL costumes. Simply, darkly, adorable. MINI I'm the prettiest! MANI No! I'm the prettiest! MONI Pfff. Neither. EXT. HALL Yome improvises. YOME (vaguely british) One ticket, please, gentle sir... GATEKEEPER (smiling) Sure thing, babe. The guy convalidates Yome a half-ripped ticket and hands it over to her. She grabs it, confused. YOME How much? GATEKEEPER It's one credit. Thank you for your custom. (points at crowd) There's some room in the corner there... YOME All paid? GATEKEEPER (smiles) Yes ma'am! Enjoy the night! YOME Thanks! She walks in.... EXT. HALL The white panel in the very back of the frontstage lights up from a projector and shows CCTV footage the side entrance to the backstage. Nobody can be seen but a corridor. Music lowers down and audio from the TV footage fades over the music to give the audience a peek to the ambience backstage. Audience can hear the performers BANTERING as they get ready. INT. BACKSTAGE Wade is dressed up: He's like batman, but raptor. A large cape with a thin veil of stuff that looks like plumage, making the costume seem like a natural extension of his body. Tailored carefully by the troupe. The Harem showcase past Wade. They all have performerintimacy going on... MINI (over the top) WADE! My prince! MANI You look gorgeous! MONI Get in character, girls! They walk off. They bully each other past the CCTV the audience can see, and stop before the frontstage entrance to peek at the audience still irradiated by light, unseen from them though, thanks to frontstage darkness. EXT. HALL Seems like everyone warmed up. Shady deals and vice as well as hype floats over the field. Suddenly the floodlights SHUT. DARKNESS. INT. FRONTSTAGE ENTRACE MINI (freaking out) That's it! [almost time] MONI Don't freak out! MANI Shut up! You're freaking me out! EXT. FRONTSTAGE Tim bombastically marches past the three kid raptors with extra-confidence to spare. He carelessly walks the stage as if it was a private living room. He settles at the drumkit. Suddenly a light shines over his head and kit, and he is pleased. He nods with pride, glances at the dark field imagining audience, and gets setup at the drums. Elvin follows Tim hugging his BLUE BASS. He also ignores the darkened audience and goes to his sideline to get his bass setup. Pawn follows Elvin hugging his GREY GUITAR and stops short of center stage to get his guitar plugged in. EXT. HALL The audience starts to get clued in that the performers are entering. An applause and cheers FADES in. EXT. FRONTSTAGE And now from the backstage come the three STRINGS players, Aralodons... They setup their VIOLINS and VIOLA alongside Tim's drums. Terry walks in with puffy drumsticks and flanks Tim, where he had been setup with orchestral drums for himself. EXT. HALL RAPTOR (elbows Yome) Wanna have a smoke? Yome glances over, it's a young stoner raptor passing her a joint. She shows raptor palms. YOME (embarassed) No thanks! EXT. FRONTSTAGE GREG enters, another young adult Sheldoraptor, long-time friend, carrying his personal microphone. And gets to the keyboard stand by Elvin. EXT. HALL Seasoned fans notice Greg and explode in JUVENILE HYPE. KID MOB GREG! GREG! GREG! GREG! GREG! The kid mob is mostly pre-mate aged raptors, and a few odd kid from other species. They incite with paper slogans and starlight bracelets. EXT. FRONTSTAGE Frontstage light ON. The band is almost complete. Sober applause is heard from the back of the field. Greg glances at the kid mob and smiles timidly. He sets up his keyboard. RACHEL enters. She is the other young adult Sheldoraptor posse member, in her full KAWAIIMETAL attire too. EXT. HALL A separate teen mob now chimes in for Rachel, rivalling the kid mob for Greg. TEEN MOB RAY-CHEL! RAY-CHEL! RAY-CHEL! RAY-CHEL! EXT. STAGE Rachel smiles at both mobs and waves hello, as she hugs her RED GUITAR and walks to the opposite side of Pawn. The HAREM enters stage. EXT. HALL Both kid and teen mob lose the chant pulse and various names are now being chanted at once, making it a jargled mess. YOUNG MOB GREG! RAY-CHEL! MINI! MANI! MONI! (continue ad lib) EXT. STAGE Wade enters. Nobody cares. Nah. Thats what he fears as he walks. Bit of a stage fright, well hidden behind his batraptor costume. He instead is welcome with a standing ovation and a few excited whistles and howls from the back. Encouraged, Wade raises his feathery tail and puffs up his plumage and cape and waves hello back. EXT. HALL Yome finds a realtively intimate corner of the audience space where she can clearly see everything and activates the footage record function. Whatever her avatar sees gets saved to Yome's real tablet. EXT STAGE Queen enters. Returning fans seem to know from experience to immediately shut up and freeze for full attention at the queen. The new and uninitiated keep bantering and are soon overwhelmed by... QUEEN (P.A.) (pumped) ANVIL FOREEEEEST! ARE YOU FUCKING READY TO ROCK? It's permission to EMOTE LOUD hype again. Her work is done... Queenie waves a smile to the performers, seeming to have a different goodbye emote for each individual performer. Then she leaves. Lighting fades to starting atmosphere and the dryice PUFFS in from below to give a HAZE. SYNTH BACKGROUND sets a dark tone. The band gets ready. Wade sets up his microphone, ready to sing lead. Pawn and Rachel look at each other for clues to coordinate the beginning riff, checking Elvin and Tim for sincopation. The rest, including the Harem, seem relaxed, if only smiling and generally in a good mood, but not really about to play or sing. It's not their part. Starting positions... FADE OUT. END OF ACT ONE Take a breather... You deserve it! ACT TWO FADE IN: SHELDER-EVO: EXT. ANVIL PRAIRIE - CONCERT HALL - NIGHT As the raptor band performs the first song - "Unfair". Two young rogue raptors meet in a corner of the audience space, taking advantage of the concert: LURION (secretly) God! (bows) You're here! ASARI (snarls) This is so cool! (bows) Honoured to meet you, Apprendista. Yome spots Lurion. She notices he's whispering to another raptor. YOME Target acquired. One unknown raptor. She waits for the concert noise to reach a quieter part... YOME (CONT'D) Memo: I was one of the last ones in. From what I heard, I was the first Player creature to attend. (contemplates) If that's Asari, they entered from somewhere other than the front door. End of memo. EXT. STAGE First song's done. Now the band plays "Red" with a TIGHT cheerful choreography. EXT. HALL Yome sneaks closer to Lurion and Asari, scooting past headbanging and dancing creatures of all kind and wearing different styles of attire. She stops a few heads away from theirs. She could read their lips if they were humans. Being raptors, all she can read is snarls and trills. YOME Targets are conversing. Might be able to infer emotions from body language. (skeptical) Hopefully... EXT. STAGE Third song is "No No No". Another tight choreography. Wade sticks with the Harem backing vocals forming anenergetic choir. EXT. HALL Yome keeps watching Lurion and Asari... LURION Snarl. ASARI Trill. LURION Trill. ASARI Snarl. She's bored. YOME (frustrated) Chutes! EXT. STAGE A brief pause on the stage as instruments are re-tuned or swapped, and singers catch their breath. Then they set a dark, depressing atmosphere... ...and they play "In the Attic". EXT. HALL DIMAR (INTERCOM) (excited) I'm in! YOME (intrigued) You hacked in? DIMAR (INTERCOM) Yeah! I'm running the protocols... YOME Sweet! Yeah, she was tired of watching them not being able to understand a thing. LURION Snarl. ASARI Snarl. LURION Trill. ASARI Trill. EXT. STAGE Atmosphere remains depressing... ...but the following song "Vanilla Sky" also brings nostalgia, romance, and a vague sense of hope, and the change in colored lighting effects reflects this. EXT. HALL DIMAR (INTERCOM) I've got it! Tell me when you hear... YOME Okay. LURION Snarl. ASARI Trill. LURION Trill. Yome hears NOISE in her ear. Then... LURION (CONT'D) [safe] --afe? ASARI (trilling) Sure it is. You will be sedated. You won't feel a thing... YOME Holy crap! It's working! DIMAR (INTERCOM) (chuckles) Cool! Let me know if you can catch all of it. LURION (trilling) And what will happen to my body? YOME Will do. Shush! ASARI (trilling) Will return to god, my son. LURION (gulps) Perfect! (sighs and nods) Very well! YOME (confused) What? EXT. STAGE Next song "Who Cares" is faster and a lot more upbeat. EXT. HALL ASARI (nods) Very well indeed. (trills) You look ready, Apprendista. You learnt to be a Guide. Now go! Teach your own Apprendisti! LURION (bows) Yes master! YOME Whatever this is about, sounds like they're plotting something... DIMAR (INTERCOM) Yeah. I've been listening... I'm analysing what you recorded before. I'll let you know. YOME Yeah. Good. EXT. STAGE The song ends dramatically with the band in a panting still pose and a big smile. Then they exit in orderly fashion for a break. Some floodlights come back ON in the audience space. EXT. HALL Yome squints her eyes at the floodlights and re-tunes her sensory settings in-game because of the sudden absence of loud music. When she looks back at Lurion and Asari... ...they're gone! YOME (sighs) I lost 'em. DIMAR (INTERCOM) Damn! FADE OUT. END OF ACT TWO TO BE CONTINUED... I hope you enjoyed and that I might meet you in Shelder Evolution discord or World Anvil! bye!
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in preparation for ShelderEvo episode 2, also titled Perspective, here is the next issue of the comic Wild World!
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Seti Alpha Prime command base
Mary Maurine Mayo posted a City Journal entry in Moon Base Colonizing a Moon
