Generation 1, Chapter 1

Aqua Family History
Written by Boreal Aqua

After years of pressure by both the mayor and the publisher of the Verona Vibe, I have finally consented to recount as much of the family history of the Aqua's as I have been able to research. Our family's convoluted and sometimes tragic history has always fascinated me and I've spent near 2 decades researching it, finding what pictures I could, and occasionally imaging what must have occurred in the gaps between the known details.

Now that we are one of the most influential and powerful families in Veronaville, I have been asked to share with the rest of you our beginnings. Although the story should probably start with the first generation our mutant genes appeared in, our true first step along the path the Aquas have taken lies with the second-born daughter, Slick Aqua.

Here is a picture of Slick, her sister, and their parents.


Meet the Aqua clan. Elsa and Tyler Aqua and their daughters, Icy and Slick, their youngest on the right. The Aqua's, as I'm sure is not surprising, were fairly obvious outcasts in Veronaville back then. Elsa and Tyler would go to work, come home to spend time with their daughters, and wouldn't associate with a single one of their neighbors. They had a small 3 bedroom townhouse in the downtown section and have encouraged their children to also disassociate with everyone else around them. Icy and Slick's grandparents were normal baseline humans, however both families had lived too near the nuclear powerplants and their children came out deformed. Both children were born with blue skin and Tyler even had pointy ears. Before you scoff, remember, this was 12 generations ago. Safety measures back than were nothing like they are now.

It seemed only natural when Elsa and Tyler met each other at school to stay together and try to raise a family. Especially since none of their peers wanted anything to do with such freaks. When they had children of their own, they refused to allow their children to attend public school. Instead both girls were home-schooled and were not allowed to even contemplate attending college.

When she reached her age of majority, Slick decided she'd had enough of her parents' self-imposed exile. She knew her generation was far more accepting than the previous one and she was determined to prove it to them. Not being allowed outside, Slick had never had reason or opportunity to spend her weekly allowance and was able to save a tidy sum of money. It wasn't a lot and she would have to be careful how she spent it, but she had $20,000 to her name. She tried to convince Icy to join her, but her older sister refused to leave their parents alone in their mutancy, afraid they would simply wither away.

The day Slick informed her parents of her plans, they declared their youngest daughter dead and refused to speak with her or about her. Slick took no more than one tiny suitcase of clothing and her meager life savings and looked out in the suburbs of Veronaville. She wasn't willing to live too far from Icy, but she also wanted to avoid her parents as much as possible. Although there were no homes for sale, she did find a substantial plot of land she was able to purchase at a fantastic price. A great price it might have been, but it also just about wiped out her savings, leaving her a mere $1,500 left to attempt to purchase furniture.


Here is a picture of Slick Aqua in those early days. I have never been able to find out who took this picture of her, but they managed to capture her essence perfectly. Determined, strong-willed, and beautiful. It's no wonder Veronaville was already taking notice of the Aquas before she had even passed on.

Slick was born under the sign of the War God, Aries and had a thirst for knowledge. She wanted to be the best at everything. (Controller's Note: Lifetime want is to max all 7 skills) She was fairly neat (6), more than a little outgoing (7), fairly active (6), but very serious (3) and grouchy when crossed (3).


And here's a close-up of my ancestress. I wonder what she must have been thinking there. She looks so sad for some reason.


Yeah, she definitely didn't have much money left over after buying her plot of land. A single piece of wall, with a toiletbowl on one side and a shower on the other. From someone else's yard sale, she got a couch, a mini-fridge, and a small side table to put her phone on. And she also bought a pink flamingo. I'd read in the remnant of a letter she'd sent to her sister she felt "a pink flamingo makes any property feel like a home. There's just something so fun about them!"


Not surprising, given the abilities the Aquas have, Slick enjoys skiing and talks about it every chance she gets. Not that there was much opportunity to ski in Veronaville back then!


Slick did very well in Veronaville, finding a job in the Science career track her first day and earning two promotions in the first few days! By the first weekend on her own, she already had a real bathroom and bedroom, but putting up all those walls wiped out her bank account. Again!


Of course, just as that first weekend hit, she came home with yet a third promotion and promptly hired contractors to add on another room. I suppose those arguments about home schooling being so effective just might have some validity the way Slick was flying through her chosen profession. She was even able to have everything carpeted, wallpaper put up and picked up two large mural paintings. One for the main room and one for her bedroom.


A friend of Slick's from work, April Hutchins (yes, of those Hutchinses!) came over for a light game of chess and they began discussing some of the new luxury cruise ships coming out. Slick has always wanted the opportunity to explore more of SimEarth.


I'd found some old security camera tapes and was able to convert them to modern viewing methods. It looks like Icy found the time to go out on the town too! If only her parents had taught her that it was proper and polite to wear clothing in a public pool...

"Marcus, why did you hire a hooker to join us in the tub? You know I'm not interested in women anymore."


"Hey! I'm not a hooker, lady!"


"I'm just very open and I like meeting new people. I didn't realize you were supposed to wear something in a tub though. I thought it was like the tubs at home."

I don't know about you, dear readers, but I noticed "Marcus" never seemed to complain about having a virile woman in the hot tub with him, no matter what her skin color.


Here's a rare shot of Slick at one of her secondary jobs. She was pushing so hard to build up a good home that in addition to her full-time job, she worked downtown in the evenings. Although it hurt her social life, it turned out to be a good thing.


Since that was where she met her future husband, Sinjin Smith. Yes, that's right. One of my ancestors was Veronaville's exterminators. You thought we all came from illustrious backgrounds and jobs? Hah! Just because we're the movers and shakers in this 'burg now, we definitely weren't back then.


Slick and Sinjin spent the entire evening standing outside the club talking that first night. It was one of those rare occurances of love striking immediately. When the sun came up, Slick realized she was going to have to rush home and get ready for work, but she made sure to exchange phone numbers with Sinjin first.

I think this is enough for right now. My fingers are getting a little cramped and the publisher told me I shouldn't make the chapters too long for the serial printing in Verona Vibe. So I shall return to you next week with another chapter about the Aqua Family.