Fanon:Stratonike Attalida

Stratonike Attalida, born December 28th near the end of 3rd century B.C. at Pergamon, is the main character of the Attalid Chapter of the story, and the first of the supersims following the path of academic monasticism. Stratonike is of blood type O.

Stratonike, unlike her Alkmaionid Counterpart, experienced plenty of adventures (mainly because Alkmaionids were played mostly without expansion packs) and once again becomes a major character in the Second Time Warp. Stratonike formerly essentially the third-in-command of the Union of the Insane, having mastered Martial Arts, Sculpting, Inventing, Handiness, Mixology, Gardening, Logic, Fishing, Athletic skill, Cooking (The Sims 3), Painting, and Writing along with 1 point in Piano and 5 points in Riding and thus just behind Kallisto and Hypatia, and later on Kallistrata Pellaia. Currently, Stratonike resides with her original household, the Attalids, helping promote the entire family to stardom (which isn't that much of a feat, considering the growing and recovering remains of Scholars' Alliance having drawn male members from romances which has its share of stars, and the Union of the Insane, loaded with highly skilled superstars and disciples.

Stratonike has been noted for a strong tongue before the times of the Church, having alienated every one of the Union (before its conversion to a ecclesiarchal faction) save Kallisto, some viewing it as a side effect of the Insane trait. However, this crisis has been cleared of, and the tongue seems to be softened, as shown by Stratonike's handling of Bradley Conners.

The Path of the Creator
"Screw this. Do not disturb! I'm going to invent!"

Unlike the most of the Attalids, Stratonike did not share the party loving attitude abundant in the Attalid household. In fact, Stratonike usually stuck on the enormous study mastering skills needed to build machines with. Stratonike back then was quite the techie loner, practically living in another world. Stratonike would have grown old, but then Polyxena's accidental discovery however, allowed Stratonike (along with the other Attalids) from aging, and it kept Stratonike inventing and learning, in some cases, leading to self-inflicted fires.

Incidentally, when Stratonike mastered invention, Stratonike was solicited by the Science department, allowing Stratonike to create the first simbot in the Fanon universe. However, it would only mark the beginnings of her long list of memorable events...

The Great Adventures of Mikuru Stratonike Attalida
"Ha, some adventures. Tomb raiding is only extra: I need to get that pink diamond!"

As a member of the royal household, Stratonike frequently travelled to other places. While most other Attalid members preferred France (particularly Parthenope for obvious reasons), Stratonike's destination of choice was China. This was partly an byproduct of the Simbot craze, as Space rocks are one of the greatest sources of pink diamonds, leading Stratonike to master the Martial Arts skill just for the ability to smash the said rocks. However, Stratonike confident in her mastery of Martial Arts first entered the Martial Arts contest, only to lose to Sun Young Kim who was vastly less skilled. Stratonike's tomb raiding also brought exotic treasures despite minimal usage by the Attalids in general. However, Stratonike's obsession with the Simbot led to the prioritization of acquisition of many things, including a life fruit seed. Despite the failure of the project due to Stratonike's uncertainly, Stratonike benefited from this as one of the seeds happened to be a Death Flower seed, allowing her a reprieve.

Frankenstein and The Living Saint
"''Suckers don't know about my additional... what was that again? Agh, whatever: I LIVE!!!" ''- Stratonike, then oblivious to the Death Flower

Eventually, Stratonike's dedication led to her mastery of the Martial Arts Skill, along with the Timber Terminator Challenge that allowed Stratonike the facility to obtain the pink diamond. Eventually, Stratonike completes her challenge and creates Theophania, sealing her name in the fanon universe as the first Sim to create a Simbot (and standing for a long time as one of the only two alongside Kallisto until the formation of the Church, then to be followed by Hypatia and Eurydike). The party lovers of the Attalid household found this an additional reason to be party animals, since who would pass on a chance to see the first artificial life in the neighborhood? Theophania became close friend with Stratonike, and even accompanied Stratonike in her second trip to China, where Theophania would be introduced to the art of Martial Arts. However, when they met up at the rendezvous at the Academy, Stratonike in a whim to increase logic looked at the telescope, only to be killed by a meteor. In another twist of fate, The Grim Reaper discovered the death flower seed (Stratonike however was oblivious), giving Stratonike a second chance, establishing a mood humorously broken when Theophania complained of lower hygiene motive established by the Grim Reaper's life grant. This feat allowed Stratonike a huge clout, something that would be especially important in the second time warp as a practical living saint of science. Stratonike eventually surfed the web and acquired information about the death flowers, which Stratonike acquired and multiplied with help of Polyxena.

Initial contact with the Beauty 4
"Hmm, you look different and act different. I like it: lot less common than those party lovers who make too much noise."

Now that the Attalid household made quite a name for themselves in the neighborhood, it was only a matter of time before the Beauty 4 took sight of them. Demetria especially was elated, since most of the Attalids shared the party loving spirit. In fact, Demetria was a regular guest to the Attalid household, and most of the Beauty 4 also frequently paid visits to the households, asides from Kallisto, who was often too busy dabbling with machines or experimenting with nectar combinations. However, when the Attalids took back Martial Arts from China, Stratonike would meet Kallisto at the newly found training ground, and they quickly bonded especially due to their common traits, speaking madness to one another.

Despite the quick friendship, Stratonike and Kallisto's interaction with each other were quite limited, due to both side preferring to stick to their invention room. However, this relative lack of interaction was all changed with the arrival of Hypatia, whose goal of establishing a household of elite sims eventually led to the Scholars' Alliance, and along with it immediate interest in Stratonike, eventually leading to Stratonike's allegiance to the group.

Under Hypatia
"So, you're the one who invited me? Hmm, fascinating, although don't expect me to mix well, well, maybe with notable exceptions, that is."

Hypatia's grand scheme incidentally included taking Stratonike to the fold, and to the Attalids, it sounded like a great deal for two reasons: Attalids would gain a powerful ally, further cementing their position on the neighborhood backed by Demetria and now Stratonike. Secondly, Attalid love of party was rather soured by Stratonike's relative aversion to parties (compared to Olympias and Thetis' mere indifference), and a loss of a party pooper sounded like a great deal to the party-loving Attalids, who kept Theophania in their hold simply because Theophania was a show indeed, and Kallisto's simbots occupying the old Crumplebottom residence didn't draw any attention at all.

In this scheme, Stratonike initially was slow to grow: Stratonike didn't even touch mixology initially, while Hypatia and later Kallisto would be fond of the benefits of it and immediately delved into it. In fact, Stratonike was largely held back by her head start: Stratonike would eventually fall behind for the most part, developing quite slowly in the first Time Warp. But then, another rift occurred, and the household would be severed from this timeline, leaving families behind, although Stratonike's family quickly returned for unknown reasons, major loss being Kallisto's simbots rather than any other powerful families there (allthough the old Landgraabs and Altos were gone by then.)

Second Time Warp
Insanity was the thing that kept Stratonike and Kallisto as close as they were: In fact, they misinterpreted the Christopher Steel's travesty with Hypatia and Achaia as a sign of decay (which would be prophetic in retrospect), and decides to head off to establish a new household, the Union of the Insane. Admittedly, they weren't exactly friends with the Alkmaionidai, but somehow they were able to persuade both Eurydike and Lysistrata to join them. Once they have joined, the 4 became best of companions, swearing their lives to maintaining that companionship. With the absense of Hypatia, Stratonike soon grabbed the second-in-command position with ease, and even with Hypatia invited due to Kallisto's whim, Stratonike held on to a powerful position and refused to let go, to a point where Stratonike is considered one of the greater core members alongside slightly more skilled Kallisto and Hypatia. Here Stratonike had a second growth spurt, mastering logic, mixology, sculpting and was the first sim of the Union to master the Athletic skill, considerably boosting Stratonike's standings.

However, Hypatia's renewed interest in romance that led to Hypatia's romance with Sam Sekemoto caused some issues, although even before that the bond between Stratonike and Eurydike was shattered. Later on, Stratonike, along with other members except Stephanophoros and Kallisto, found romantic partners, leading to more tension and eventually the partial breakup, leading Stratonike to return to the Attalids, who still remembered Stratonike (although not as a relative), leading Stratonike to provide star bonuses to the other Attalids. With Stratonike, the secession was anything but final, seeing as her bond between the core members (save Kallisto) shattered. Stratonike could now only look to the party loving Attalids, and looked to the Sunset Valley now filled with powerful entities, to a point where Stratonike wished to travel back where the sims weren't as nearly as powerful, especially since Stratonike had the experience of having loads of adventures and skill growth in her younger years not surrounded by other supersims like Kallisto and more so, Hypatia.

Stratonike however was not exactly blameless: Stratonike was somewhat known for her ill manners, often insulting people at will, noted by Kallistrata who observed Stratonike's conversation with Eurydike, which might have led to Stratonike's later attitudes, where Eurydike was the one with the insulting (Despite Eurydike's Schmoozer trait.) Similarly, this is inferred to be the reason why Stratonike pretty much alienated most of the members of the Union of the Insane (asides from Kallisto for unknown reasons, compared to Lysistrata whose meat was targeted only towards Hypatia.), and later on Eurydike observed Stratonike again having the same pattern with Lilian Syrakousia.

Stratonike was however a primary target in the Detente, and it was Stratonike who first normalized relations with Hypatia, which was easier since introduction of Kallistrata, alongside Kallisto (and Kallistrata's) ascension as the effective leaders, made possible with the codex. Stratonike meanwhile outside the Union was content with picnics, released from the monastic life of the Union of the Insane for now.

Stratonike, being one of the closest to Kallisto, was well aware that Kallisto had no intention of leaving Stratonike to rot, at least according to Kallisto. Stratonike is also quite wary of Kallisto's new religion: Kallisto wants Stratonike back, and despite their warm relationship (Stratonike for some reason never quarreled Kallisto), Stratonike is very suspicious: Kallisto's move to get Philetairos's attention was somewhat unsettling, since it would have meant another period of all learning and work with no romance. Stratonike definitely wished for a compromise, despite the fact that relationship with Artie was declining rapidly, along with loss of many of her co-workers as friends. Stratonike had two choices: resist the new religion, or work as an insider, former option obviously not good for Stratonike, while the latter choice sacrifices romance. In fact, Stratonike and Kallisto talked on the phone regarding readmission: Stratonike requested some amendments to the codex, which Kallisto responded with a counteroffer: rejoin the Union to negotiate changes to the codex. Stratonike decided to delay making the judgment, as she knew Kallisto's tendency not to give in to core elements, and Stratonike fears that romance would be out of question, especially since Kallisto (and Stratonike herself) saw collapses of two superpower because of it. Kallisto would have said "Why keep holding on this nonsense? We should get rid of it, by force and inquisition if necessary," and this troubled Stratonike.

Stratonike relaxes much more in the Attalid household, accompanying them in their frequent visits to the dance club, as well as taking breaks more frequently. Later when Kallisto establishes the idea of Initiate households to house the initiates, Stratonike decides to take Kallisto's counteroffer and moves in, returning to the Union of the insane, knowing the potential consequence of the move.



Hekatonschoinos
What Stratonike failed to grasp was that Kallisto's move against Stratonike's romance life was to move to an entirely new neighborhood. Stratonike was rather too thrilled to be accepted as one of the best again thanks to Hypatia tutoring Stratonike in cooking, and while that and other blitz learning took place, Kallisto took Stratonike off guard and moved the entire family (and most of the faithful) to Hekatonschoinos, and Stratonike never knew what happened: the bliss of knowing that she was one of the greatest simply knocked Artie Page right off the map, and even after the move Stratonike just didn't care, much to joy and surprise of Kallisto and Kallistrata.

Now a loyal member of the Church of Alexandros, Stratonike was all too eager to accept the role as the treasurer of the new ecclesiarchy, happily observing the ever-growing treasury of the Church, despite the lack of direct taxation of the faithful: in fact, it was unneeded: Kallistrata now started to generate major income via nectar-making, far exceeding the income generated by either Lysistrata or Hypatia, and Stratonike would also serve in the Sculpting branch of the Church activities.

Expansion to China
"Feel the power!!! That's right, I'm dangerous!" -Stratonike after acqusition of Pangu's axe

The Hekatonschoinos chapter eventually paid a visit to China: the initial reason was to purchase cookbooks native to China, but soon Stratonike took an ell when given an inch. Stratonike already possessed a level 2 visa when Stratonike paid a long-awaited visit to China where Stratonike died of (and rose again from) a meteor. Immediately did Stratonike took the children to visit the marketplace, and the children ate dim sums, a most welcome thing as they were hungry from the trip. Stratonike then purchased the cookbooks and immediately took the tasks assigned by the locals, mostly menial tasks. However, all changed when Stratonike was given the task to find the Pangu's axe: Stratonike disarmed traps, dived in wells, and stepped on invisible activation panels and eventually acquired the Pangu's axe. With the power, Stratonike smashed rocks at will, and eventually gained the level 3 Visa. However, the truly important part was that in the process of getting the quest itself, Stratonike was to befriend plenty of the locals, some of them impressed by the new religion.

Not only that, Stratonike used the visa to acquire a vacation house, and by doing so, paved the way for the religion to seep into China. The Pangu's Axe was immediate hit with the house, and Kallisto praised Stratonike for the discovery, and immediately worked on making clones of the artifacts.

Sunset Valley and the Hardliner Crisis
"You must understand, the Church has an abject history with romance. I know, because I was involved in it." Stratonike, while cheering up Bradley Like all the other members of the Hekatonschoinos Chapter, Stratonike paid a visit to Sunset Valley to meet up with their old friends, who unexpectedly completed the resurrection initiative and put the Church in a favorable light to the Sunset Valley locals. With the massive pro-Church sentiments, Kallisto happily played along, becoming surprisingly lenient to parties for a time being, hosting several herself in the tradition of the public entertainment system to keep the population happy. Stratonike took an active part in the Hekatonschoinos Chapter's attempt at cementing the Church popularity, while not neglecting to teach the disciples, despite the fact that increased need to spend time with the Omni Plant initiative led to a shift towards more individualistic learning rather than collective pass-on.[[File:BradleyAsksPermission.png|thumb|Bradley: "Hello, I know that the Church has an anti-romance approach, but may go out with Esomena?"

Stratonike: That's not my domain. You should ask Kallisto, who is Esomena's guardian and trainer.]]

The Church however gets into a crisis that might have undone all the work that made the Church positively viewed upon: it all started when Esomena attended a prom and ended up engaging in a romantic relationship with Bradley Conners. The problem was that the Conners family was an unusual ally of the Church from its beginning at Sunset Valley, and thus there was a potential Scylla and Charybdis dilemma: allow the romance and see Esomena going decadent, or strike down the romance and potentially turn Conners family (and in turn, destroy the honor of the Church) against them. Kallisto of course chose the hardline option, censuring Esomena and leading to Esomena requesting that love relationship end to Bradley, infuriating Bradley. However, Stratonike served as an unusual conciliator: Stratonike was the one actively cheering Bradley up, and teaching him some skills and providing other measures to keep his mood up. With that, Stratonike paved the way for reconciliation, something that was facilitated by the fact that Esomena and Bradley were still friends despite the break. Bradley found Stratonike a very nice person, and sooner or later found himself welcome in the Church grounds: even Kallisto soon approved of him once the romance crisis was over, and Bradley ended up closer to Esomena than ever, although he still has the mental wound that needs to heal. Stratonike was thanked by Kallisto profusely: Stratonike pretty much handled the crisis perfectly for Esomena and the reputation of the Church was saved, or rather grew thanks to Chrysanthema's community service.

Sphere of Influence
"No more of this Western imperial nonsense! But then, it never hurts to establish an apoikia. The Egyptians didn't mind in Rhakotis for sure!"

Like Kallistrata, who had her eyes set on making colonies in Egypt (or Aigyptos as they say it) as to spread the Ecclesiarchal way of life as well as to negate the ever-growing threat of permeation of glorification of romance, Stratonike had an agenda in China: ever since the Pangu's axe incident, Stratonike was hailed as a legend in China, quite respected by most of the locals of the rural China. Stratonike capitalized on that reverence and made moves to create a Hellenic colony in China for the purpose of trade and proselytism. Stratonike was well aware of the Chinese reverence for the Confucian tradition, and Stratonike knew that self-righteous evangelism will not work in the Chinese environment, and Stratonike, unlike Kallistrata who wanted a clear Hellenic cultural eminence in reconstructing and colonizing Alexandreia, took a more cautious approach, preferring a slow conversion involving syncretism. The name of the new apoikia itself was a Hellenic one, (not even Stratonike had a strong command of Chinese, not helped by the globalization of Simlish) Attaleia-Stratonikaiopolis, but the design of the city was heavily syncretic, involving both Greek elements such as columns and marble as well as the Chinese structural arts such as the pagoda and the Asian-style roofs.

Trivia

 * Stratonike is of Greek Macedonian origins, like the historical Stratonike of Pergamon with which Stratonike of fanon is NOT derived from. In fact the father of Philetairos Attalos may have hailed from Macedon (convenient since Stratonike of the fanon is blood related to the other Attalid fanon sims)
 * There is an actual Stratonike of Pergamon who is incidentally the wife of Eumenes II (who himself incidentally has a representative sim in the Fanon), but this Stratonike is not in any means a portrayal of this Stratonike (after all, Stratonike of Pergamon wasn't of Attalid blood), nor is this sim an representative of any Stratonike's in history and certainly not a representation of Stratonike of Syria.
 * Stratonike's mastery of sculpting is an ode to the Stratonike of Pergamon, who has 2 statues in her honor placed in Pergamon and Delos, as well as an tribute to Damophon who made a statue of Stratonike of Pergamon free of charge.
 * Current Stratonike looks different from the original end product Stratonike: most notable adjustment include more upward position of the chin that makes the current one look less haggish, and the current Stratonike uses the same hairstyle as Hypatia, while originally it was the A-cut bob.
 * Despite the general positivity towards Simbots, only Stratonike and Kallisto successfully built one on the first timeline, although Hypatia and Parthenope has the parameters required to do the quest at the first timeline, and Kallistrata also being able to build one as a virtue of being a Kallisto clone: now Stratonike is accompanied by the Big 6, all having the ability to make a simbot and all except Kallistrata has made at least one.
 * Stratonike's personality (reflected with the quotes) is based on Alkor and Lysander of Diablo II, albeit lighter and less harsh.
 * Stratonike holds the position as the sole Fanon page to link to the Death Flower article.