This SimDay, meet one of the more unusual characters from The Sims Livin' Large -- the Tragic Clown.
When Lyon and Chetin Wezil moved to Vegas, they decorated in style. This, after all, is a permanent party town. Some might question their taste, but you have to admit, everything matches. Just different shades of ugly, really.
And their 24-hour party pad does seem to attract quite a crowd!
But it doesn't take long for the endless partying and gambling to take its toll on their bank accounts. No money, no party...no party, no friends. As the bills and trash pile up, the brothers slide further and further into depression.
What's this? A new visitor? "Hey Lyon, you order a clown-o-gram or something? Man, musta been a cheap one."
"No way, man. We haven't even got enough Simoleons to hire a BAD clown. Beat it, Bozo." But the tragic clown just gazes back sadly, a caricature of their own suffering. And then, he begins to juggle.
The pins fly everywhere, some striking the clown's huge feet. The brothers just look at each other, sigh, and do their best to ignore the skinny stranger with the big red nose.
But the clown pursues them relentlessly, constantly performing bad tricks and turning balloons into twisted horrors of air and rubber.
Even sleep is denied the Wezils, as the clown interrupts their fevered nightmares with his travesty of showmanship.
On the edge of bankruptcy, or perhaps even a darker fate, the Wezils return to the one-armed bandits. They look once at each other, then drop the last of their Simoleons into the coin slot and pull.
Jackpot! They can hardly believe it! Their winnings are enough to pay off all their debts...almost.
"What can we sell quick?" "I say we get rid of the clown painting. We got enough clowns around here already."
And so it is done. When they return from the flea market, the brothers are riding high. High enough, perhaps, to finally spare a smile for the tragic clown who haunts their home. But, as strangely as he arrived, the clown is gone.
Carla has a mean streak. She regularly insults her "useless" husband Henry, and when the neighbors visit, she does nothing but brag and tell crass jokes.
Henry doesn't dare confront her. She makes good money at the lab, much better than his psychic hotline "job". Plus, well, she can kick his butt.
At a psychic's convention, Henry finds the ultimate passive-aggressive weapon: a voodoo doll! He knows that such things really don't work, but at least he can vent some frustration with it.
Henry tucks the doll away in his shed, alongside other worthless "collectibles": the "psychic" crystal ball, the "talking" moose head, the "magic" genie lamp.
The next time the neighbors visit, Henry makes dinner for everyone. Carla immediately lays into him. "How can you possibly have burnt my hamburger and served our guests raw meat?!"
Henry hangs his head. After clearing the dishes, he goes into the shed to take out some frustration. He grabs the doll out of its box and starts shaking it angrily. "Burnt? That burger was PERFECT!"
Out on the patio, Carla is right in the middle of a really scathing remark. Suddenly, she begins flailing about, as if tossed into an invisible spin dryer.
Henry's jaw hits the floor. Can it be? The Voodoo Doll is REAL? He gives it an experimental poke.
Carla doubles over. "Ohh, my stomach! I told you that burger was no good!"
As Carla recovers, Henry hastily puts the doll away and returns to the party. "Are you all right, dearest?" He is not cruel, and genuinely loves Carla. But Henry is intelligent, and he knows that people can be...trained.
Now, whenever Carla's mean streak shows itself, one of her strange "seizures" occurs. The doll, meanwhile, has moved to a more convenient location -- right next to Henry's beloved chess set.
Life takes a turn for the brighter, as quiet, friendly Henry now lives with quiet, friendly Carla. They say long-lasting marriages never lose that special magic. But they never said where it comes from...