Author Topic: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)  (Read 56635 times)

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 13 (23 Oct 2016)
« Reply #60 on: October 25, 2016, 01:38:09 AM »
Chapter 14 - I Promise I Love Him

Rose had butterflies in her stomach.



She and I had been working on something special, not just for her, but for the future generations of Morvens as well. And now she needed to show it to Norman, and ask him a very important question as well. She urged him to follow her outside to the yard, telling him it was her turn to show him something.

Clueless as he was, Norman followed her obediently.



"I know it's dark out now," said Rose, "but it will look beautiful in the morning sunshine. Don't you think so?"

"Oh ho, it is pretty," said Norman, gazing up at the leaves of the cherry trees.



Rose took a deep breath. "This isn't all I wanted to show you," she said.

She took a deep breath, and tried to sort through all the competing thoughts that were running through her head. She had written everything she'd wanted to say, but reading seemed tacky. What were the words?

"Uh, sure Rose," said Norman, looking at her expectantly. Finally, she got down on one knee.



"The truth is Norman," she began, "I think I'm in love with you. You make me laugh, and you drive me insane. You're everything that I'm not, and yet you complete me. My youth is going to be a whirlwind of adventures - of raising kids, of accomplishing goals, of learning, of growing, of spending time together. I've been thinking for a long time about who would be the best sim to help me out on this adventure, and I think I've finally found him."



"Norman Johnston," she said, "will you marry me?"

Norman seemed to stare at the ring for a very long while, and Rose started to get worried. Maybe she'd rushed into this. Maybe she'd been so worried about whether or not she was ready, that she hadn't thought that maybe he wasn't. Maybe she should have done what her parents had done, and spent plenty of time together, working together and becoming best friends with one another before they even started looking at one another romantically.

It seemed all these thoughts rushed through her head at light speed, so that she was almost ready to put the ring back in her pocket and ask again another day.



"Hey," said Norman, finally, "I thought I was, uh, I thought I was s'posed to ask you."

"What?" asked Rose, confused. "I mean, I was gonna ask you. I thought I was s'posed to."

"Well, typically, yes, it is stereotyped that the guy asks the girl, but that doesn't mean the girl can't ask. It just means we're a little bit different," said Rose, slowly, "a little bit more progressive, perhaps?"

"Oh ho, so I can say yes?" asked Norman?

"Oh yes, please do. My knee is starting to hurt."



Norman took the ring from Rose and examined it closely. Even in the dusky evening light, it seemed to shine. He liked the way it shined.

"So Norman," said Rose again, starting to get a little bit annoyed, "will you be my husband?"

"Oh yeah, Rose. I would love to be your husband," he said at last.

Rose breathed a sigh of relief, and finally pulled herself up from the ground.



"I mean, I can't think of anything else I'd rather be," said Norman, "but your husband. That sounds alright! And you would be my wife! Oh ho, this is going to be great! Come here!" he said, finally cluing in to the romance of the moment, "let me kiss you."

"Now that," said Rose, "I can definitely do."



"Now," said Rose, pulling away, "would you like me to show you the newly redecorated bedroom? Maybe we can even try out the new bed?"

"Oh ho, yeah! I would love to see the new bedroom!" Norman exclaimed.



And so try out the new bed they did.



But due to consuming a moodlet solver after returning from work, Norman can't sleep. Even though the rest of the household is asleep, he decides to get up and try to get some reading done for his daily task.



So Joaquin decided to pay his soon-to-be son-in-law a visit.

"Hello there," he said, politely, "You must be Norman. Rose has told me about you."

"Oh, uh, hi?" said Norman. "Sorry, I gotta read some books for my daily task. Rose is going to help me become a journalist!" he said.

"Is she now?" asked Joaquin.

"Eeyup. She also asked me to marry her," he continued.



"Did she really?" asked Joaquin, not sure if he should be surprised or worried. The last time he spoke to Rose, she was less than enthusiastic about her perhaps premature decision to invite Norman to move in. But if she did the asking, maybe that meant she'd made up her mind? He hoped this was the case.

"Heck yeah!" said Norman, "you're looking at this dynasty's official generation 2 spouse!"

This wasn't exactly the Dad-meets-daughter's-boyfriend chat Joaquin had anticipated, but Norman seemed pretty harmless. Perhaps Rose could have done better, but if she was happy, he was happy.



The day of the wedding started off perhaps a bit slowly. Most of the household had stayed up far too late, so Sergio was the first one awake.

"I got a call from one of the Bjergsen girls. Apparently Sofia had twins! That's three little girls in that house," he explained.

And that makes a total of 14 children, not the 13 I initially anticipated. Great work, Sergio!



Breakfast for the Bride and Groom is a little bit different.

"I'll wear a lavender-tinged wedding dress, I think. Should I change my hair? I quite like my hair the way I wear it normally. No, I don't think I will. Have you arranged for a suit, Norman?"

"Om-nom-nom. Why do I need to arrange for a suit? Don't I just get one automatically?" asked Norman.



"Well, you could do that. But wouldn't it be more fun to go to the dresser before the party and choose your own clothes for the wedding? That's what I've done," asked Rose.

"Eh, doesn't sound like that much fun to me. This salad is delicious, Rose. Did you make it?"

Rose beamed. "I did, actually. I know Mom said she was going to take over most of the cooking, and we've still got Uncle Sergio's delicious meals, but I was feeling so inspired to cook yesterday that I just had to try it. I didn't want to make anything that needed the stove, though."

"Oh ho, you could be a great cook! I never like salad, but this one is tops!" Norman continued.

Rose beamed. She lived for Norman's compliments. Unfortunately, she also suddenly felt very nauseous, and had to excuse herself.



Unfortunately, neither Iris nor Sergio had made their way round to fixing the only bathroom on the ground floor. (Do clumsy sims break things more often?)

I don't care how sick I was, Iris, I definitely would have picked the kitchen sink over that. Gross!



I would have needed twenty showers to recover from a face full of toilet water, but Rose just takes one (long) shower before she calls all her friends, and she and Norman make their way outside to the wedding garden.



You don't have to go through with this if you really don't want to. You could find someone else. She could hear her father's voice in her head.

No Dad, I really can't. I have a very limited amount of time to complete Big Happy Family, though the watcher said she'd keep Leader of the Pack on stand-by, in case it starts to look like it won't happen in time, but I'd still really like to at least try. Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm already pregnant.

So your eldest child and heir can be Norman's, but you can find someone else to marry, said the Joaquin in her head.

No, I promise I'm happy with Norman. He's been my friend since high school. I know he's a bit simple, but he's genuine and loyal, and usually pretty optimistic. I dolove him, and I will marry him.



And when she held his hands and looked him in the eyes, she knew that it was true.



And so marry him she did.

With the ceremonies over, it was time to mingle with and entertain the guests, in order to ensure that this would be the gold medal wedding party she needed.



"Mom, you dyed your hair! It looks amazing - you look so much younger!" Rose exclaimed. She'd been so preoccupied with everything else, she hadn't spoken to her mother much before the ceremony.

"Oh, honey, that looks painful. You just put your arm through a tree!" Iris replied.

"Oh, this? I'm fine Mom, I swear. Did you just dye your hair for my wedding?"

Iris smiled. "That was definitely part of it. But I guess, if I'm going to be effectively ageless for the next 7 generations, I'd better look the part as much as I can."

Rose nodded. "That makes sense. Grey until you eat Ambrosia, then ageless."

Iris nodded. "That's the idea."



Though Joaquin himself had missed the ceremony, he showed up for the after party to provide the entertainment. He needed to at least make an appearance at his daughter's wedding.



Sergio's cooking (and children) made the party a roof raising success, and they easily earned a gold medal, early enough that they could end the party an hour early so that everyone could go home.

This was just as well. As wonderful as the day had been, Rose was absolutely knackered. Though it was barely ten o'clock, she made her way upstairs to bed.



But she didn't quite make it to bed before she received the 100% assurance that she was indeed pregnant. The generation 3 heir was on its way, and Rose could hardly wait to be a mother!
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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 14 (25 Oct 2016)
« Reply #61 on: October 25, 2016, 03:33:57 AM »
How great that Rose and Norman have come to understand each other so much better!

And sorry, yes, now that you mention it, I remember you saying that Rose and Norman would "pair" their careers.
Good thing there's all of those children of Sergio to invite over and interview!

A warm congratulations on the successful proposal and the gold-medal wedding!
Ah yes, and the nooboo on the way! For the Big Happy Family's "Have 4 grandchildren" goal, I hope it's a boy, Rose!

Haha, did Norman never realize that the ghost was his father-in-law?

P.S. A club is very handy for finding people and getting them to your home.



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Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 14 (25 Oct 2016)
« Reply #62 on: October 25, 2016, 01:10:39 PM »
Nice timing, Rose! Got the pregnancy in, but managed to make it through the wedding before getting the baby bump. :)

I really like your idea of grey until ambrosia, then timeless! It makes sense and is a nice symbol.

I liked that the proposal was sort of bumbling and awkward, but worked out in the end. Very fitting for Rose and Norman.

Lovely wedding, too! Hooray for incoming nooboo!

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 14 (25 Oct 2016)
« Reply #63 on: October 26, 2016, 07:46:07 AM »
How great that Rose and Norman have come to understand each other so much better!

And sorry, yes, now that you mention it, I remember you saying that Rose and Norman would "pair" their careers.
Good thing there's all of those children of Sergio to invite over and interview!

A warm congratulations on the successful proposal and the gold-medal wedding!
Ah yes, and the nooboo on the way! For the Big Happy Family's "Have 4 grandchildren" goal, I hope it's a boy, Rose!

Haha, did Norman never realize that the ghost was his father-in-law?

P.S. A club is very handy for finding people and getting them to your home.
Oh yes, club gatherings will be very handy for getting those interviews done. Especially since the lot they're using is so isolated! I love having a bigger lot and Windenberg is beautiful, but if I ever do this again I'll probably go back to Willow Creek or maybe try Newcrest.

I was also rooting for mostly boys this generation, and yes, it was mainly for the purposes of that requirement. :)

And no, he probably didn't. :-/

Nice timing, Rose! Got the pregnancy in, but managed to make it through the wedding before getting the baby bump. :)

I really like your idea of grey until ambrosia, then timeless! It makes sense and is a nice symbol.

I liked that the proposal was sort of bumbling and awkward, but worked out in the end. Very fitting for Rose and Norman.

Lovely wedding, too! Hooray for incoming nooboo!
Oh, the timing was excellent. It was almost as if someone planned it that way. ;-)

Yeah, except I rarely ever dye my elders' hair and now I keep forgetting that Iris is an elder until I see the elder idles (ooch, there goes my hip again).

Thanks! The proposal scene was fun to write. :) And yes, yay for nooboos!


I'm working on the next update, and hopefully I'll be able to post it soon. But I could really do with some inspired moodlets right about now. Either that or focussed moodlets - I feel like I have the attention span of a kitten right now and can't seem to get anything done.
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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 14 (25 Oct 2016)
« Reply #64 on: October 26, 2016, 09:27:13 AM »
Onya, Mate!



Iris had to slip away to work before the wedding party finished, but when she returned, she was overjoyed to find out that she was going to be a Grandmother. The moment was, however, bittersweet, as she desperately wished Joaquin could be here in the flesh, not just in spirit, to meet their new grandchild.



Norman, too, was excited to become a father. Very excited, in fact. He set up his new computer in the living room, turned on some alternative music, and set to writing a storybook for the new baby.

' "I am the smartest of all the animals in the meadow," said the duck.

"Oh ho, really?" said the turtle.

"Yes, really," said the duck, "and I will prove it. A, B, C, D, E…"

It certainly wasn't a bestseller, but it raised his writing skill for his next promotion, so that was good enough.



Rose finally joined the writing career herself (she wanted the wedding out of the way first), and though she had already maxed the writing skill, she still had to write books every day for her career, and for her aspiration. Her specialty was quickly becoming self-help books. Though self-assured was not one of her traits, she was often very confident, and she decided that she wanted to be able to help sims the world over who weren't naturally self-assured to be confident as well.



But she also needed to get to work on some of her other skills. Logic, being necessary for the Author career, was a natural choice, and so she and the chess table decided to get much more intimate.



"So, how are you feeling? Tired? Hungry? Nauseous? Is your back sore? Have you had any cravings? Just let me know how I can help, Rose, and I'll do it," Iris fretted.

"I'm fine Mom," Rose replied, "it's not like no sim has ever been pregnant before."

"Oh, I know, but I just want to make sure everything's fine. You know if you ever need anything you can ask me - you're lucky to have both Grandmas in the house, you know. Plenty of extra, experienced hands, you know," Iris continued.

"Mom, I swear to Plumbob, just take your freaking turn already!" Rose returned.

"Right," said Iris, "hormonal is definitely on the list of symptoms."

"MOM!"



"You know, I didn't imagine I would ever be a grandmother," Colette mused.

"Oh, how did you figure that?" asked Rose.

"Well, I didn't think I'd live to see Norman get married. I'm getting old you know, Rose."

"I know," Rose nodded, "and I'm pretty sure Mom's baking a cake for the occasion as we speak."

"Oh, you mean you remembered my birthday?" asked Colette, somewhat shocked.

Rose smiled warmly. "Norman told me this morning, and I wanted to make the day special."

She could have sworn she saw tears welling in Colette's eyes, as if no birthday of hers had ever been noticed before.



Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Sergio had gone a few days without getting up to any of his old tricks, but after the wedding life on the farm seemed to finally be getting back to normal, so he decided to take some time to explore what was left of the town. Apart from the Bjergsens and Olivia, there at first didn't seem to be any more females of child-bearing age, until he found Lola Elam in Oasis Springs, living in a house with her brother.



He decided to invite himself over and 'introduce' himself.



True to Rose's words, Iris had indeed baked a cake for Colette. And so when Norman returned home from work that evening, four sims gathered in the kitchen to celebrate the occasion.



"Happy Birthday Colette!" shouted Iris, Rose, and Sergio.

"Happy Birthday Mom!" shouted Norman.

It may not have been a 'real' party, but it was celebration enough for Colette.



So that with a quick twirl, she was very soon looking the part of a grandmother, too.



That night, while the sims were sleeping, I made a few more additions to the house. I bought Spa Day a few weeks ago, and have had it installed the entire time I've been playing this challenge, but haven't experimented much with it. I decided to have a look at some of its features, starting with a sauna and a yoga studio in the basement.



Iris, old as she was, hadn't spent much time getting into shape when she was younger. Now, she could barely look at a treadmill before she found herself hurriedly rushing for a restful nap, or a nice, relaxing soak in the nearest bathtub. She hoped that she would be able to better maintain her physique via gentler means, such as swimming or yoga.

Yoga, she found especially relaxing.



Colette and Sergio, for their part, had seemingly formed a rather special (surprisingly platonic) relationship by bonding over fishing. Colette was really starting to get the hang of it now, and though they hadn't caught many angelfish since their initial, super-successful trip, that didn't mean they weren't trying - or immensely enjoying themselves in the meantime.

But on this particular day, Sergio had to stop himself.



He was rather suddenly feeling very, very weary.



"Sergio, no!" shrieked Colette.



But it seemed as though there was nothing she could do.

"Sergio's made good use of his time in this life," the Grim Reaper assured her, "he lived far longer than anyone expected him to, and when all is said and done, he will have fathered 15 children throughout the neighbourhood."

"Oh Sergio," Colette gasped, "I'm here. I'm right here, right beside you."

The grim reaper nodded. "And I'm sure he appreciates your presence, Colette."



"Oh, Sergio," Colette whispered. "I'm so glad I could be here so you didn't have to die alone. And," she sniffed, "at least you died doing what you loved the most."

"Indeed," nodded the Grim Reaper from beneath his cloak, "it is an excellent way to go."



And so, Sergio Romeo breathed his last.



It was with a heavy heart that Colette brought Sergio's gravestone up to the house. She laid it in the ground next to that of his dear friend Joaquin, and planted a flowerbed over his grave as well.

Iris was devastated to hear the news of the passing of her dear friend and helper. She had been upstairs, working on a new comedy piece (her first new one since Joaquin's passing), but she feared now that it would go unfinished for rather a long time to come.



Though she hadn't witnessed Sergio's passing herself, she knew that she, too, would need at least some time to mourn and recover from the loss.

She owed so much to this man, she knew. And perhaps she would wonder for weeks and months and years to come if she had ever shown him the appreciation he deserved.



Rose and Norman had been at work for the entirety of the day, and they each returned home with a promotion, oblivious at first to the passing of their friend. For his part, Norman had barely gotten to know Sergio. But to Rose, he had been a dear friend - a best friend, in fact, since she was a child. She is devastated to discover that he would never meet her child (though he feigned a general dislike of children, she had grown up with him, and she knew otherwise).



But there is always work to be done, and we cannot waste too much time mourning the loss of our friend. After some serenades and some cloud gazing, Norman again sits down to write. "Duck Ponds and Turtle Shells: A Series of Short Stories. Yeah, I like the sound of that!"



Unfortunately, the main computer did not like the sound of that. And, even more unfortunately, we no longer had Sergio around to fix it.

The reality, it seemed, had yet to sink in.



Rest in Peace, Sergio.

Though you may have been less than enthusiastic about joining Iris on her quest for Immortality, you were won over sooner or later, and became instrumental in enabling Iris to eventually obtain and eat Ambrosia. You fathered fifteen children to ten different women. You maxed fishing for angelfish, gardening for death flowers, and cooking and gourmet cooking so that you could prepare the Ambrosia. In all honesty, you were probably more accomplished than Iris, for being around for as many years (except I suppose not having a job helped). Still, you were one pretty awesome sim who lived an entire week after your final death warning. I had to double check that I hadn't accidentally fed you Ambrosia or given you the long-lived trait.

Onya mate, and may you enjoy all the fishing and child-free bliss on the other side as you deserve!
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Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 15 (26 Oct 2016)
« Reply #65 on: October 26, 2016, 10:44:24 AM »
Oh, Sergio! I'd gotten so used to him being around and taking care of things. It's hard to imagine this story without him.
I love your memorial shot of him fishing. Is it too Colette of me to say that I really liked the close-up of his last breath? The smoke from Grim looming around . . . very intense.
I'm relieved that we'll have so many of his children around to keep us company, but I'm really going to miss that guy. Goodbye, Sergio! I'm going to think much more kindly of you next time I see you in game.


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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 15 (26 Oct 2016)
« Reply #66 on: October 26, 2016, 11:07:30 AM »
Oh no, Sergio! You and your gentle smile will be deeply missed!

Because Colette is now single, I'd thought maybe something untoward had happened to Norman's father which led to her odd interest in Joaquin.
But she seemed to deal with witnessing Sergio's death as any Sim might. I, too, am glad Sergio didn't have to die alone.
(Though, frankly, I hate having to deal with that two-day Sad moodlet from mourning the loss of a loved one...)

I hope you're enjoying Spa Day. I so love that pack!



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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 15 (26 Oct 2016)
« Reply #67 on: October 27, 2016, 01:38:38 AM »
Oh, Sergio! I'd gotten so used to him being around and taking care of things. It's hard to imagine this story without him.
I love your memorial shot of him fishing. Is it too Colette of me to say that I really liked the close-up of his last breath? The smoke from Grim looming around . . . very intense.
I'm relieved that we'll have so many of his children around to keep us company, but I'm really going to miss that guy. Goodbye, Sergio! I'm going to think much more kindly of you next time I see you in game.
I had to get used to him not being around as well. I'm glad you liked that 'final breath' shot. The whole time I wanted Grimmy to move so I could get a shot like that, but death is a stubborn thing I suppose. Eventually I just went with it, and it turned out great actually. Yes, very Colette and very haunting. I'm glad I have a few of his kids around to keep me and the family company.

Oh no, Sergio! You and your gentle smile will be deeply missed!

Because Colette is now single, I'd thought maybe something untoward had happened to Norman's father which led to her odd interest in Joaquin.
But she seemed to deal with witnessing Sergio's death as any Sim might. I, too, am glad Sergio didn't have to die alone.
(Though, frankly, I hate having to deal with that two-day Sad moodlet from mourning the loss of a loved one...)

I hope you're enjoying Spa Day. I so love that pack!
I know, I was so, so sad to have him go. I was beginning to get used to him just going on living.

I hadn't really thought of a reason for Colette to be single. Just sort of figured she'd be pollinated and forgotten about, actually. Now I'm kind of disappointed about a missed plot point development opportunity. Haha, oh well.

I'm mixed about the sad moodlet. On one hand, this is why we wanted our sims to have emotions, right? So they wouldn't just carry on without reacting to certain events, and I love that more realistic aspect of the game! In that vein, I almost wish that sims didn't have to witness a death in order to be sad about it. Rose carried on without Joaquin almost without batting an eye (except she does try to mourn him on a fairly regular basis, too). On the other hand...yeah. +5 sad for two days is a bit strong and a bit of an annoyance. If it didn't prevent sims from doing certain things or if it wasn't so strong, I'd be okay with it.

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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 15 (26 Oct 2016)
« Reply #68 on: October 27, 2016, 01:54:41 AM »
Chapter 16 - The Heir is Born


Fate is cruel. It seems unfair that mere hours after Sergio's meeting with the Grim Reaper, Iris must eat her second plate of Ambrosia.

She of course had no intention of holding a club gathering every time she has to eat it. She instead opted to sit down in the lounge room among her immediate family.


"I don't think it's right," said Colette. "You shouldn't be eating that while we're mourning the death of our good friend Sergio," she scolded.

"Excuse me?" said Iris, shocked.


"It's not right for you to go flouncing your blessed immortality in front of us mere mortals," Colette continued. "I'm not stupid. I know what's going on. My son and I have lived here to support you and your daughter to live forever, as did Joaquin and Sergio before us, without sharing in any of the benefits of immortality ourselves. It's not right and it's not fair!"

"I would stop talking right now if I were you." said Iris coolly.


"You will not know what it's like, to watch those you love die while you go on living. You don't understand at all, do you? This immortality thing? It's not a blessing. It's a curse. You don't know why this curse has been placed on me, do you?" asked Iris.

Colette went silent.

"No one does - no one understands, and trust me, I'll not be sharing that information any time soon, but believe me when I say, I didn't choose this, and I wouldn't choose it again. I would never choose to live forever while everyone around me, everyone I love, keeps dying."


"I-I'm sorry," said Colette. "I didn't-- I mean-- Hmmm."

She sighed.

"You must think me so insensitive," she said, finally.

"No, not at all," Iris rushed. Of course, it made sense. It seemed, at first, a blessing. A great accomplishment, to live forever. But Iris knew otherwise. Sometimes she forgot that other sims didn't see the world through her eyes.


"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have raised my voice," Iris continued. "But I suppose we each have our burdens to carry, don't we?"

Colette nodded.

Iris offered her a smile. "Still good friends?" she asked.

"Of course," Colette said. "Still good friends."


Norman, meanwhile, missed the entire conversation, though he was sitting only a few meters away. He was so engrossed in working on raising his writing skill.

A Poem About Ducks I like ducks.
Ducks don't cluck.
Ducks are yellow.
Aren't I a fine fellow?
Ducks like to waddle
Ducks like to quack
Toddlers like to toddle
I can't wait for toddlers to come back.


With Sergio's absence felt heavily in the house, Iris was now more determined than ever to fill at least parts of his shoes. Though she wouldn't be fishing or pollinating, she would, as promised, take over meal preparation and household repairs, at least until such time as a more suitable Immortal came along.


"Yeouch!" she shrieked, as she may have sliced a bit off her fingertip along with the watermelon. "How did Sergio make this look so easy?"


Colette seemed to be taking the death of …

"Hey! Timmy-er, I mean Colette" I scolded (much in the same way I scold my cat (Timmy) when he jumps onto the kitchen counter), "what do you think you're doing?"

It seemed when Colette had moved Sergio's grave, she had moved both graves back just a smidge so that she could still mourn from the far side of the fence.

"I could maybe forgive you mourning Sergio, but you're still mourning Joaquin, aren't you?" I continued.

"Such an inspirational sim," she whispered.


"AND you've let yet another cowplant die. Excellent, Colette, you are truly excellent," I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Maybe," she sniffed, "if I had someone to talk it out with, I'd feel better about these things?"


"Off you go then. I'm sure the sadness hotline would love to hear from you. Again." I mumbled, my patience wearing thin.

With much frustration, I moved the graves ahead a square or two in hopes that they're no longer reachable from ANY angle.

"Yes, yes," Colette was insisting, "he just died. Right in front of me. It was soo sad. And his friend - oh, he was such," she sniffled dramatically, "such a wonderful sim."


"Norman, you're not stuffing your face? Eating eggs and toast with a fork? You haven't been sneakily mourning for anyone - what's up?"

"Oh hey watcher," sighed Norman, "aww, I'm just worried. Am I gonna be a good Dad? I mean, I didn't really have a Dad, so I don't really know,"

"Oh Norman," I tried to reassure him. "I'm sure you'll be fine."


In order to reassure him further, I went looking for Rose to get a status update on her pregnancy - and just in time, it seemed!

"Ooof. Ooof. Ooof. I think the baby's coming."

"Here, or the hospital?" I asked.

"Home was - ow! - good enough for Mom. It's - ow! - good enough for me," she said.

"Hmm, well, if you're sure. Why don't you go try to lie down through the pain - make yourself as comfortable as possible until it's time to deliver?" I suggested.

"Ow! Ohh, ow! Good idea!"


"Well, Norman, looks like we'll be finding out sooner rather than later what kind of father you're going to be," I told him.

"Uh huh," nodded Norman, taking another bite of eggs and toast. He took a few more bites, slowly. Not like himself at all.

"Wait, what did you say?" he asked, finally.

"Rose is in labour. Your new nooboo will be here soon," I told him, much more slowly this time.

"Oh boy! A nooboo!"


A few hours later, Rose gave birth (in what used to be her room, hence the drawings) to their son.

"Isn't he beautiful?" asks Rose.

"Oh ho boy, Rose! You just had a nooboo!" Norman enthused.

Rose giggled. "No, Norman, we just had a Nooboo. You helped to make him, too," she said.

"Oh ho wow! He's awesome! I'm pretty good at this, aren't I?" Norman replied.


Welcome, Gerald, our generation 3 heir!


Gerald, it seemed, would be a very lucky little boy. Not only would he have both parents to love and dote on him, but both grandmothers as well. There was always someone who loved him around for a cuddle, a rock, or a coo.


"Now, Gerald," said Colette, "I hope you always remember me. You'll always have your Nana Iris, but you won't always have Grandma Colette. That doesn't mean I'll ever love you less than she does, okay?"

"Come on, Colette," I said, "don't talk to him like that. I reckon you've still got plenty of time left."

"It'll be over before you know it, Watcher," Colette replied. "The clock is always ticking!"


Morbid as she is, sometimes Colette speaks truth. I'd sort of been hoping for twins, but as Gerald had been a singleton, Rose and Norman waste no time before trying for baby number two.


And this time, Rose wastes no time in finding out whether or not their attempts were successful.


"Guess what Norman?" she asks her husband.

"Iris is going to bake a great big chocolate cake to celebrate Gerald being born?" asks Norman, hopefully.

Rose giggles. "No silly, there's already cake in the Fridge still from your Mom's birthday if you want some."

"Oh ho, boy, do I ever!"

"But that's not what I wanted to tell you," Rose insists. "Norman, I'm pregnant again! We're going to have another baby!"


"What? So soon?"
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Online oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 16 (27 Oct 2016)
« Reply #69 on: October 27, 2016, 12:15:40 PM »
Not a missed opportunity yet! You could always give her a backstory, using your awesome let-me-just-use-a-separate-game-file trick that you excel at.
Not a request, but I can't help but wonder why Colette has such a thing about death and dying alone?

The Iris/Colette convo was great. I imagine Colette feels a lot of underlying envy for Iris, even apart from the immortality.
Awww, look at Gerald and his long eyelashes! Welcome to the third-generation Morven heir! I can't tell if his eyes are violet or grey.

Oh, another nooboo already on the way! Are you influencing gender? Are you hoping for a girl? Sorry for all the nosy questions, hehe. I'll just sit back to wait and see.

Norman, don't be like that when your Rose looks so ecstatic! He gets excited about chocolate cake but not another child? (He makes a very cute pout, regardless.)
I wonder if Family-Oriented sims react differently to the "big news."

Offline Joria

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 16 (27 Oct 2016)
« Reply #70 on: October 27, 2016, 02:29:18 PM »
Catching up again!  I am going to miss Sergio, even more than the well mourned Joaquin.  He often winds up one of my favorite Sims.  Ok, loved the wedding and pretty dress.  Had a good laugh at the annoying, incessant mourning, (I feel your pain on that one!), and can hardly wait to see how little Gerald ages up.  I'm sure he's going to be a wonderful nooboo.  Have to laugh at Norman.  He is so clueless sometimes.  Not exactly the brightest crayon in the box, is he?
What?  Grannies can't play games?
I speak perfect Nooblik, (and some Simlish)!

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Offline Peaches

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 16 (27 Oct 2016)
« Reply #71 on: October 27, 2016, 06:21:19 PM »
Loving this story :) The look on Norman's face when Rose tells him about the second pregnancy is priceless! Hopefully he isn't having any doubts about this whole fatherhood thing...  ;)

Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 16 (27 Oct 2016)
« Reply #72 on: October 27, 2016, 07:18:44 PM »
Oh, Colette. If you ever figure out the exact distance away a grave needs to be to be mourn-proof, I'd be very grateful for the information. Not that I have room for it on my dynasty lot, but there's always next time . . .

But yay! Baby! Welcome little Gerald, and early welcome to Gerald's incoming sibling. I'm sure Rose and Norman will be wonderful parents once they get the hang of it.

I really liked Norman's poem, although I'm honestly not that interested in toddlers coming back. Easy for me to say, though, as I have a real-life toddler to chase around all day. ;) Sometimes I wish she could have just leapt out of a bassinet fully potty-trained and ready for school.

Anyway, great update, and I'm very excited for additional nooboos!

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 16 (27 Oct 2016)
« Reply #73 on: October 28, 2016, 12:14:11 PM »
Not a missed opportunity yet! You could always give her a backstory, using your awesome let-me-just-use-a-separate-game-file trick that you excel at.
Not a request, but I can't help but wonder why Colette has such a thing about death and dying alone?

The Iris/Colette convo was great. I imagine Colette feels a lot of underlying envy for Iris, even apart from the immortality.
Awww, look at Gerald and his long eyelashes! Welcome to the third-generation Morven heir! I can't tell if his eyes are violet or grey.

Oh, another nooboo already on the way! Are you influencing gender? Are you hoping for a girl? Sorry for all the nosy questions, hehe. I'll just sit back to wait and see.

Norman, don't be like that when your Rose looks so ecstatic! He gets excited about chocolate cake but not another child? (He makes a very cute pout, regardless.)
I wonder if Family-Oriented sims react differently to the "big news."
Hmm, I'll think about maybe giving her a backstory. I think I've got enough sub-plots as is, but I might see if I can come up with something creative for Colette.

I think his eyes are brown, actually. I didn't influence gender much with Gerald I don't think, but, well, spoiler alert
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I don't know about the reactions to the news. He was fine with the first big news, so I do actually wonder if "but we just had a kid" gets factored in.

Catching up again!  I am going to miss Sergio, even more than the well mourned Joaquin.  He often winds up one of my favorite Sims.  Ok, loved the wedding and pretty dress.  Had a good laugh at the annoying, incessant mourning, (I feel your pain on that one!), and can hardly wait to see how little Gerald ages up.  I'm sure he's going to be a wonderful nooboo.  Have to laugh at Norman.  He is so clueless sometimes.  Not exactly the brightest crayon in the box, is he?
Norman definitely isn't the brightest, but he's growing on me. He's just...really bad at getting promoted (how on earth he got to the top of Management in 2 days is beyond me).

I still miss Sergio. :( Yeah, definitely a favourite of mine. I shall have to treat him nicely in future game files.

I think Maxis needs to do something about the mourning, yes. Colette's not the only one either, and I keep ending up with pesky 'sad' moodlets that shouldn't be there.

Loving this story :) The look on Norman's face when Rose tells him about the second pregnancy is priceless! Hopefully he isn't having any doubts about this whole fatherhood thing...  ;)
Haha, lucky for Norman, there's two grandmas in the house to take care of most of the parenting. I do think Rose should have been a bit more up front with him with regards to her plans for a big happy family, though.

Oh, Colette. If you ever figure out the exact distance away a grave needs to be to be mourn-proof, I'd be very grateful for the information. Not that I have room for it on my dynasty lot, but there's always next time . . .

But yay! Baby! Welcome little Gerald, and early welcome to Gerald's incoming sibling. I'm sure Rose and Norman will be wonderful parents once they get the hang of it.

I really liked Norman's poem, although I'm honestly not that interested in toddlers coming back. Easy for me to say, though, as I have a real-life toddler to chase around all day. ;) Sometimes I wish she could have just leapt out of a bassinet fully potty-trained and ready for school.

Anyway, great update, and I'm very excited for additional nooboos!
I'm not sure exactly what the distance is. Possibly 3-4 squares away from a fence?

Having babies/seeing the next generation is my favourite part of these multi-generational challenges for sure. It was soo hard for me to a) keep myself from letting Iris and Joaquin have nooboos straight away, and b) keep them from having more than one. I'm glad Rose gets to have three. :)

Ahaha, yeah, I feel like at some point everyone has to complain about the lack of toddlerhood. I wasn't even going there until I had to think of a rhyme for 'waddle'. :P

I'm glad you all enjoyed the update.

Warning: Hallowe'en themed chapters incoming!
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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 16 (27 Oct 2016)
« Reply #74 on: October 28, 2016, 12:23:11 PM »
Anything but Witches



Welcome, welcome.
Enter if you dare
And I'll tell you a tale
Of four little Sims

One was quite simple
One was quite cursed
One was quite morbid
And one a naďve young woman
Who dared to think maybe
She could really have it all.

Bwa ha ha ha ha ha.



"Oh hush now, Gerald. No need to cry, the watcher's only trying to scare you. It seems she finally bought the hallowe'en themed pack and decided to do some redecorating. But it's all just candles and plastic, no need to cry. There there, Gerald, don't fret, Nana Iris is here."



Not a whole lot had happened in the last few days. Colette fished.



Gerald was fed, cuddled and cooed at by all the sims in the house.



Norman's writing skill was slowly but surely improving, and he was finally producing works worth publishing (still, interestingly enough, mostly about ducks).



And Rose…well.

Maybe it was the baby brain. Maybe it was the obsessive neatness. Maybe it was spending too much time with Norman? She was getting by okay, and making decent progress in her career and in her skills, but sometimes it seemed all the logic skill she had gained while playing chess was failing to transfer to other situations.



Meanwhile, in the watcher's world, hallowe'en was creeping ever closer. I have been living now for eight years in a country that doesn't celebrate hallowe'en very much. And while I hate to be one to 'live vicariously through the lives of virtual pixelated people', I wanted to celebrate at least a little bit. With a house inspection, a major assignment, and an exam coming up in the next week, it's not like I'll be going to any parties, either.



"But did you have to redecorate the entire house and put us all into ridiculous costumes?" asked Iris, somewhat annoyed.

"I didn't redecorate the whole house," I retorted. "Just the living room,



"The dining room,



"The exterior,



"And maybe just a little bit in the kitchen. But certainly not every room got a makeover."

"Right," replied Iris, "and the costumes?"



"So what if I just wanted everyone to kind of get into the spirit of things? It'll only be for a couple of days."

"Riiight," mumbled Iris. She wondered again why she was being forced to subject herself to this.



But Iris, it seemed, had been willing to take it all in jest until she saw Rose's costume.

"Rose!" she gasped, "What are you wearing?"

Rose was surprised by her mother's reaction. "A costume. The watcher wanted all of us to dress up for hallowe'en, remember? I'm a witch."



"Not in this family you're not!" Iris replied. "I'm sorry Rose, but I'm going to have to demand that you select a different costume. That simply won't do!"



Rose was rather taken aback to say the least. "But Mom, I'm the size of a house! Everything else looks ridiculous on me," she protested.

"Surely not everything. I don't care what, but you are not dressing up as a witch. Not today, not ever."

Rose did not, could not understand it, but she decided not to press the matter.



"I look ridiculous," muttered Rose.

"Nonsense," Iris enthused. "You make a fine fairy. I'm sorry, Rose, but I just can't stand witches," she shuddered.

"You know, I'm going to be throwing some costume parties, Mom. I won't be able to control what other people come dressed up as for some of those events. Are you going to be okay with that?"

Rose took a deep breath. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," she replied.



Her mother's reaction to her innocent witch costume puzzled Rose. It was hallowe'en, people dressed up as witches. What was the big deal? But if caused her mother so much anxiety, she supposed she could don a fairy costume instead.

Putting the incident to the back of her mind, she went off to find Norman, so she could mentor him in writing.



"I think the sadness of the duck would come through much more strongly if you could maybe show us how sad he is through his actions and his deameanour, rather than just, you know, saying the duck was sad," Rose suggested.

"So the duck should have an existential crisis?" asked Norman.

"No, not quite. But perhaps his descent into melancholy could be less…abrupt? And a bit more drawn out," Rose continued.

"Hmm," thought Norman, wondering what exactly Rose meant by 'melancholy'.



Iris, too, tried to put the incident behind her. Hallowe'en wasn't a problem, it was just.

Well, Rose didn't understand, did she? As much as she'd explained about the dynasty, Iris had never told anyone the reason behind it. And, she muttered to herself, if Rose hadn't so disrespectfully donned that witches' costume, she may have been able to carry on without ever having to reveal the whole truth.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered, as she carved away at her pumpkin.



Though he had been a very doted on and very loved infant, the time came for little Gerald to grow up far sooner than anyone liked to admit. Grandma Colette was lucky enough to squeeze in one last rock.



Before out of the cradle he jumped, suddenly ready (sooner than anyone would have hoped) to take on the real world.



"And with this hand," he exclaimed, "I will live forever so that I can take over the world! Mwa ha ha ha!"

Somehow, it was felt that this wasn't just Gerald getting into the spirit of Hallowe'en.
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