Author Topic: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)  (Read 56618 times)

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 40 (24 Feb 2017)
« Reply #180 on: February 25, 2017, 05:10:57 AM »
Chapter 41 - Someone as Wonderfully Evil as I



"Nice dress," I greeted the bride on the morning of her wedding.

"What, this silly thing?" Harley asked. "It's just the dress the party company gave me. I have a better one for the ceremony."

"Fair enough," I nodded. "The party's barely started and you're already hitting the juice?"
 


"You'd be drinking too, Watcher, if you were about to marry Gerald Morven."



"Ah, I remember my wedding day," Iris reminisced, fondly. "Of course, we didn't have money for an arch or any of the other accessories - spent so much on the house, we lived from bill cycle to bill cycle. Joaquin and I got married at the Von Haunt estate, you know."

"Sounds lovely, Nana," Harley sighed. "Of course, none of this is my dream wedding. They're just giant ruses to get people to spend money and fawn over looking pretty. I'd rather elope, but requirements are requirements. We need a party and we need to get married. Yawn."

"Sergio did the cooking for us. I know Gerald thinks I'm the best chef around, but really, he didn't taste any of Sergio's cooking," Iris continued, oblivious. "Oh! That reminds me! I'd better get started on the cake."



"Hey beautiful!" quipped Gerald.

"Alright, I'll play along. Hello, handsome," Harley replied.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to see you in your wedding dress until the ceremony?" Gerald inquired.

"Oh, this isn't my wedding dress," Harley replied. "It's my pre-wedding dress."



"Well, that's the cake finished!" declared Iris with a flourish. "Oh, I just love weddings!"

"I'm glad," I told her, "because I'm sure this won't be the last one."



"It belonged to my great-great-great-great-grandmother," Harley explained.

"I…er, I can tell?" Gerald stammered.

"My mother never got to wear it," Harley continued, pointedly.

"Well I think you look beautiful, Harley," Gerald managed.

Meanwhile, I'm more interested in that little blue dot near Harley's hand.



There he is! The man of the hour! Isn't he just adorable! I never get to see my sim children in their formalwear, so I'm pretty stoked that I managed to get the toddler to a wedding his little suit!



It wasn't long before the rest of the family, as well as a small smattering of guests from around the neighbourhood, began to gather in the garden to witness the wedding between the third generation heir and his bride.

Rose didn't know how Gerald felt about all this. It seemed, so often, that he was too absorbed in his plots and schemes to think about family, to dream of finding love. One thing was certain, he wouldn't have ever gotten together with Harley without Henry's help.



As Rose took her seat (!!!) on the bench next to her husband, she remembered her own wedding day. Pregnant with Gerald, though she didn't know it at the time, she had spent the days leading up to it convincing herself that Norman was the right man for her. And, it seemed after all they'd been through together, she'd made the right choice.

She couldn't help but wonder what thoughts were whirling through the minds of her son and his bride on this beautiful morning.



Gerald took Harley's hands in his and cleared his throat.

"Harley Bjergsen," he began, "Love of my life, jewel in my crown,
My beautiful bride, on this our wedding day, under the sunlight
I welcome you to this place with arms wide open.
I'll show you everything. I'll show you love and laughter.
I'll show you power and prosperity.
Harley my bride, I promise you
My love will last longer and go farther
Than the super-dangerous nuclear missile that Edith will make for me so that together we can truly take over the world.
And I will make you grateful every day of your life
That you married someone as wonderfully evil as I."



'I definitely should have proof-read his wedding vows, hey?' thought Henry. He wondered how long it would be before the Sims Intelligence Management Services agents turned up to arrest his brother. Then he remembered that he was a S.I.M.S. agent himself.

Maybe his goal of deflecting suspicion away from his brother within the organisation would be more difficult than he'd initially thought.



If Harley had been at all put off by the content of Gerald's wedding vows (although, let's be honest here, no one should have really been surprised), she presented no reaction to indicate that this was so. Instead, she smiled, took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"Gerald my love, my light, my window of opportunity, opened to the morning sun. You don't need me. I'm neither smart, nor pretty, nor selfless, nor evil. I offer little to your quest and dynasty and goals, and yet here we stand.

People think I'm different. I think I'm different. I think I think differently to everyone else. Sometimes I feel like I can sense things, like I know about things before they've happened. Or sometimes I know when something has happened even though there should be no way I should know about such things. You know that already. Sometimes, too, I feel like I can sense the watcher. I know the rest of you can to, but not like this. I sense her influence. I know what she can do. I know what she can't do. I wonder about her powers, but I wonder also about her limitations."



"Is she finished yet?" asked Morgan Kim-Lewis, before she lost interest entirely and pulled out her phone.

"Hush," hissed Iris, "I'm listening."

"I'm just here because Gerald threatened me if I didn't show up," muttered Sloane Goth. 

"I think a lot," Harley continued. "Maybe I'm an over-thinker. For example, the more I learn about computers and programming, the more I play those silly games we all love to play when our fun meters are low, the more I can't help but wonder if any of us are even real, or if we're just imaginary creations, made for the entertainment of the Watchers.

"So people think I'm crazy. And I think it's because I'm different, but I'm okay with that. But what astounds me, Gerald Morven, is that you're okay with that, too. And I can't help but wonder if maybe it's because you're so different yourself, in your own way."



"So what if we're not really real, I tell myself. So what if we're just code and pixels? What matters is I feel like I'm alive, and as far as I know, I only get one shot at being alive. You maybe feel like you'll live forever, and hey, that's okay too. I don't resent your immortality. In fact, I would be honoured to help you achieve it."

"So I take back what I said, back in the beginning, about your not needing me. Because I've decided that that's not entirely true. You need me to keep you on track. You need me to uncover the truth - if I can. You need me to keep things interesting, and I guess you probably need me to produce an heir for you as well. I can't wait to start a family together, Gerald. Because here's the thing;



"I need you, too."
 


The audience clapped politely, though truth be told, many of them had stopped listening about two paragraphs in. Most of them were just grateful that the ceremony was over so that they could get on with the celebrations. 



"Oh good, it's finally over," quipped Edith.

"I just love weddings," sighed Iris.

"And how are you doing, Rose?" I asked.

"Well, that's Milestone Three of Big Happy Family taken care of, I suppose," Rose replied. "So that's something. What's left?"

"Quite a lot, actually, and you're less than a week from Elder," I told her, "But we'll talk through it all later."



"Mmmmf, Harley?" mumbled Gerald.

"Hmmm?" Harley replied.

"Nana made cake," said Gerald. "It's time for cake."

"Mmmmhmmm," agreed Harley.



"I didn't know you got streamers and confetti and noise makers for wedding cakes, too," mused Gerald, "or is this just because you all forgot my birthday?"



"Taste it, Harley. It's like Mana from Heaven."



The party requirements were actually finished pretty early. But instead of ending the even once the gold medal was awarded, as they usually did, Rose decided to take advantage of the time to start (start!?) working on her friendship requirements. Friend #1: Asher Kim-Lewis.

Asher ended up staying until long after the party finished, stargazing with Rose and generally getting to know her. And, score, they're good friends by the end of the day.



Everyone else dashed off to work on their…other...requirements. Norman was back on toddler duty, and Henry tried to catch up with some of the women before they left. Edith's application to become a scientist was not rejected, thankfully, and so she made her way downstairs to the basement to get working on some scientific breakthroughs. In peace.



Gerald and Harley, unfortunately, didn't get much of a honeymoon. They went to work that evening, as they usually did. One of the things Harley had been anxious was how slowly they were both progressing in the Criminal Career. Gerald's theory was that Harley didn't like doing any of the low-level dirty work with her hands. She would be much happier in a secret lair, hiding behind a computer screen, and just desperately wanted to reach that point.

Gerald, meanwhile, was happy to get to push people around, and given the added emotional boost from being newly married, he came home that evening with a promotion to…The Muscle. He was well on his way to becoming The Boss, and he couldn't be prouder.



Harley, on the other hand, simply returned home exhausted, and passed out on her way to bed.

Sorry girl! I'll get someone to read your book of life ASAP, and then I'm sure you'll be right back up on your feet and ready to tackle the world!
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Offline oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 41 (25 Feb 2017)
« Reply #181 on: February 25, 2017, 06:21:43 AM »
Oh Whirligig, what a wonderful wedding!

Chimo running in his little suit is, of course, too adorable!

The exchange of vows really reflected the personalities of the bride and groom--I loved it!
Gerald started out as if he was actually going to be romantic, then veered off into his evil self, lol!
And how cool that at the very end of her vows, Harley confessed that she needed Gerald, too.
I actually find Harley very pretty and brimming with personality. You've really done a fantastic job with her character!

Congrats to Rose on Good Friend #1! (If time starts feeling tight, going to a gym and asking a gym trainer to mentor not-elder Rose will also produce a good friend after a few hours.)

What a great chapter this was!
Gerald and Harley, may you enjoy many sim-days of love and happiness as well as success with your dastardly projects.
And it also seems as if Rose and Norman are very happy together these days, too!



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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 41 (25 Feb 2017)
« Reply #182 on: February 26, 2017, 07:43:13 AM »
@oshizu I'm so glad you enjoyed the wedding - I was definitely trying to reflect the respective personalities of the bride and groom in their vows, so I'm very glad that came through. I'm really working on Harley as a character, so I'm glad you're enjoying her.

To be honest, time wasn't really feeling tight for Rose except that I hated the idea of her not getting to her ambrosia requirements before Norman's death.

I'll certainly pass on your well-wishes to the bride and groom. :)
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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 41 (25 Feb 2017)
« Reply #183 on: February 26, 2017, 07:53:30 AM »
Chapter 42 - My Life's Calling



Friday morning marked Edith's first day of work as a Junior Tinkerer at SimTech Laboratories, and she couldn't be more excited. Her entire life, she had dreamed of becoming a renowned and successful scientist, and now the dreams were finally coming true.

Hopefully it wouldn't be long before she was developing serums and creating inventions - most would be for Gerald's benefit, but some would be exclusively for her own personal use. At long last, she felt she was finally serving her life's purpose.



Friday for Henry, on the other hand, marked a continuation of the four-day weekend that had begun, for him, when he'd taken Thursday off work to attend his brother's wedding.

In just shy of a week, he'd very nearly put a daughter in every remaining occupied house in town (unfortunately, only seven). But he wasn't about to slow down any time soon. Trailer park sims may be at a higher risk of being 'moved on' by the authorities, but that certainly didn't mean they were of little-to-no-value, as some might have thought.



And Amaya Ventura was an alien, which was doubly cool. Henry wasn't about to let Norman be the only Morv-, er, Johnston with part-alien offspring now, was he?



Of course, once he was finished with Amaya, there were still plenty of other young women in town onto whom he would lather his affections.



He certainly wasn't about to let the weekend go to waste, in any case.



True to her word, Rose went straight into high gear when it came to wrapping up the loose ends when it came to completing her own requirements. A few hours of fishing on Friday morning were the last she needed to bring her fishing skill up to level 10 (and she even caught a couple of angelfish!).



And then it was back to the computer to smash out the last couple of bestsellers she needed for the museum. Chimo, of course, was more than happy to supervise her and perhaps even offer her some ideas for her latest book series "The Chimo Chronicles" - a sci-fi series, of course. So far books I and II were only excellent, but she could feel that Book III would make it to the bestseller list for sure!

After this, she would probably only need to write four books a week, quality irrelevant, for her daily task. She could hardly wait!



As her mother had done, Rose would continue to work through much of her immortality. It would give her something to do to keep her from getting completely bored, but with only two days a week, it would still also leave her plenty of time to spend with her family.



The other thing Rose needed to work on was her friendship. She had already decided who her friends would be (mostly Sergio's children - sims she'd been acquainted with for most of her life, and whom she thought would be close to her in age), now it was just a matter of building her friendship up with each of them. She spent most of Friday evening stargazing with and building up a friendship with Nehemiah Fyres.



Edith's first day of work had been everything she'd dreamed of, and more! Almost immediately, she bought herself an invention creator and set it up in the basement. Excitedly, she approached the device and began developing her first ever creation, a simray!

Everything she'd hoped for was confirmed. In the world of science, Edith had found her calling!



For her final round of books, Rose decided to write a Biography for each of her friends, and then for every sim in the house. Hopefully one or two of them was bound to be a bestseller. Saturday she settled in for a long round of writing.



Meanwhile, Henry had an important phone call to make.

"Hello, Dr Stone? Yes, this is Henry Morven. You remember me, you were in my club back in high school. Yeah, sorry for kicking you out when you became an adult, the watcher had it set to teens only for a while. We might have a vacancy opening up again, if you want to rejoin? Anyways, the reason I was calling, Doctor, was that I've been feeling a little queasy as of late, and I was wondering if you would be willing to maybe do a house call and give me a thorough examination. If you catch my drift. You will? Oh, how excellent. Yes, yes, I'll meet you at the gate."



"Thanks so much for stopping by, doctor," Henry smiled, "I mean, just seeing your face has made me feel about ten times better."

Kasey Stone felt herself growing weak to Henry's charm.

"So, how many babies have you delivered? Care to deliver another? You know, I'm not really feeling that jacket with those shorts. Maybe a visit to the closet?"



"Come here, you charmer!" Kasey laughed.

"Well, we can always sort out those shorts another time, can't we Doctor?" grinned Henry.

He was definitely enjoying this 'pollinator' business. Just as Edith had found her calling, he had most certainly found his.



"Oh ho, Chimo," sighed Norman, "looks like you'll be growing up into a big boy pretty soon. I can hardly believe it! And hey, level four in all your skills isn't too bad! We tried our hardest, didn't we?"

"You be daddy?" asked Chimo.

"That's right," smiled Norman, "and you're playing the Henry doll, aren't you."

"Bed-bye, Henry," Chimo cooed, tucking the Henry child into bed, before letting out a yawn himself. Once again, his energy bar was inching towards the red.



Norman sighed. He was ready, of course, for Chimo to become a child, but that didn't mean he wouldn't miss all the cuddles, the hours with the dollhouse and the long days at home with his son.

Pretty well the only thing he actually wouldn't miss was the potty training.

"I can't believe you'll be starting school on Monday," he sighed. "You be a good student little man, and I'll help you with your homework every night."

And then he slowly got up to read his little toddler to sleep one final time.



"Well, that's that nonsense over with," Rose smiled. Her tenth and final bestseller for the museum had indeed been a Biography.

It seemed incredibly fitting that a book entitled simply "Norman" would remain in the family museum forever.



"And here they are," I showed her. "The least-valuable is the biography of your childhood friend Dominic, at $402 simoleons. While the most valuable is a Mystery Book entitled "A Case of Missing Inspiration?" which weighs in at $1,106 simoleons. In all, the entire collection is worth $4,214 - a far cry from your mother's $170. I'm so proud of you, Rose!"



"Of course, it won't be long before you or Harley or one of the ghosts comes out here to put all the books back on the bookshelf again, but for now, this is your corner of the museum! What do you think?"

"I think I'm looking forward to not writing another book ever for at least another week," she grumbled.

I grinned. "I'm looking forward to that, too. Now, about that elder birthday?"

She sighed. "I'm ready."



As the family gathered in the kitchen, first up to the cake was Chimo. Norman brought him to the cake and helped him blow out his candles, while sisters and brothers cheered enthusiastically.

"Happy Birthday Chimo!" shouted Iris.

"Hurry this up, please," muttered Edith.

"Oh ho, Chimo, here we go!" cheered Norman.



But as the sparkles settled on the toddler-turned-child, Chimo was looking rather sad.

"What's the matter, Chimo?" asked Harley.

"I'm hungry. I want some cake. Can I have some cake?" Chimo asked.

"Mother needs to blow out her candles first, then you can have some. Alright, Chimo?" answered Gerald.



"Make a wish, Mom!" shouted Henry.

"Eh, I'm hungry now," sighed Chimo, "I'm going to get my own food from the fridge."

Rose thought about what she might wish for, for her final birthday wish. Good friends? Good family? That she would finally reach her goals and taste ambrosia? But she was doing alright. Maybe she should make a wish for Gerald's success?

She thought of Norman, and wondered if maybe she wasn't doing as well as she thought she was. She would certainly be able to complete her ambrosia requirements in time for her, but Norman didn't have all that much time left. Would she eat it in time for him to be around to see it?

It hurt her to think about his death, but at the same time, her mother had been right. Death was as much a part of Dynasty life as Life itself.



Rose took a deep breath, and blew out the flickering candles on her cake one final time.



"Oooh, so this is what being old is like," Rose grimaced. "Mom, why didn't you warn me?"

"Woo, Congratulations Rose!" shouted Iris, still caught up in the celebrations.

"It's okay, I didn't want to wait, so I found cake in the fridge," said Chimo.



And so Chimo became a child, and Rose is in the home stretch.

She's made one good friend in Asher Kim-Lewis, which means she needs 5 more. She also needs to be good friends with one of her grandchildren for Big Happy Family, so as long as one of those 5 is a grandchild, that's all she needs to eat Ambrosia. Oh, and one of those will have to be her new BFF (currently she's still BFFs with Edith). Once all that is done, she'll be ready!

But she'd better hurry, because Norman's age bar is filling fast. And I don't think he has much time left...
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Offline MarianT

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 41 (25 Feb 2017)
« Reply #184 on: February 26, 2017, 08:15:18 AM »
Way to go, Rose! And poor Harley, worrying about all the dynasty requirements. No wonder she's exhausted. With Gerald, I wouldn't even try making friends until he gets close to being an elder. Getting mentored at the gym is good.
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Offline oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 42 (26 Feb 2017)
« Reply #185 on: February 26, 2017, 02:39:44 PM »
It's great to see Edith so happy to stay downstairs in her fancy lab and that she finds her new job very fulfilling.

Henry, way to go with a daughter in every housed family! I bet he's generating a lot of points for Potions of Youth, too!
Has he already completed Serial Romantic and Friend of the World?
In my experience last year, a townie household with a child got culled but all of the not-in-the-world households with children born from pollination remained.
I wonder if that's just coincidence or some law of sim-nature?
You sly dawg you, Whirlygig! Best of luck on gaining the alien hybrid toddler of your dreams! And we would expect screenshots, of course!

Happy birthday to Rose and Chimo!
I giggled a little to read that Rose was also doing Bestselling Author, but was delightfully surprised that she completed it AND her museum collection!
You can do it, Rose! You can nab those good friends while Norman still lives!

I'm curious to know if you plan to create a human disguise for Chimo and, if yes, what he will look like...

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 42 (26 Feb 2017)
« Reply #186 on: February 27, 2017, 09:02:26 AM »
@MarianT She's definitely a worrier - she worries enough for herself and Gerald. Also, night shifts, it seems, don't really agree with her.

Yeah, I usually leave the friend making until the end, anyways (exhibit A: Rose). But all it takes is a couple moments with Gerald left on free-will and he's throwing insults rather than compliments, so I'm wondering how that will turn out. Thanks both for the gym tip. I'm planning on fitness being one of his three skills, so that should work out nicely, actually. I got the tip from Oshizu a bit too late for Rose, but we managed okay. :)

@oshizu Yep, science really suits her. I know you saw my thread, though about trying to get some of the other knowledge aspirations done with her. I haven't had time to test that out yet, but hopefully I will tomorrow!

Henry is definitely a natural at pollination. He's working on the last milestone for Serial Romantic now (I wasn't thinking ahead - I was so worried about getting kisses from everyone for milestone three, I wasn't asking for girlfriends for milestone four. De-doy), but with Rose's friend-making taking priority, he often had more than one love-interest on the lot at a given time, so making progress in that regard has been a bit risky as of late.

And I hadn't even thought of doing Friend of the World with him! After doing it with Iris, I just kinda ticked it off as done in my head and for some reason never thought of it for spares/helpers. I'll definitely be doing that next time I pop into the game. Thanks! :)

Rose had actually finished Bestselling Author really early - all that writing was just for the museum. I probably should have taken the best excellent ones and focussed on other things, but I wanted ten bestsellers, dammit! :P

I really needed to focus on Rose's Ambrosia just then, but now that that's mostly sorted out, hopefully some Henry-meets-his-children screenshots can be arranged shortly. If not, I'll make a good old copy file and get the screenshots that you desire.

Some of your remaining questions should be answered in either this chapter or the next. ;)
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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 43 (27 Feb 2017)
« Reply #187 on: February 27, 2017, 09:19:18 AM »
Chapter 43 - Friends, Friends, Friends



"Well Rose, here we are. I am so proud of you! I can't believe you've finally made it to this point!" beamed Iris. "Oh, I'm so happy!"

"Me too, Mom. Me, too," sighed Rose, satisfied.

"Soo? What does it taste like?" asked Gerald, keenly interested in the food that would eventually keep him alive forever, too. "Come on mother, tell me! Did Nana make it?"

"Actually, this is still coming from Sergio's batch, though there aren't many of those left," Iris explained.

"Gross!" moaned Harley. Her father had died when she was a baby. "How old is that stuff?"

"I'm trying not to think about it," Rose murmured. It still seemed surreal to her…



Rose had resolved just before her birthday (on Sunday, four days earlier) to put some concentrated effort into friend-making. One of her good friends would be one of her grandchildren - she would have to go out to visit them in their homes as most of them were toddlers. The remaining five would all be friends of Sergio - she had chosen Asher and Maeve Kim-Lewis, Nehemiah Fyres, and Josef and Sloane Goth. She'd formed a club with these five, and chosen some nice, friendly social activities as the club's activities.



But she discovered on Sunday that someone had also set age-based admission requirements for the club to Young Adults and Adults only. Being an elder, she was kicked out of her own club!

Edith tracked them down and joined the club without any trouble. And she spent quite a bit of time on Sunday morning trying to win them over.



She especially concentrated on Maeve Kim-Lewis, the club's new leader. She feigned interest in the upcoming birth of her child (another niece or nephew, no doubt), accepted two or three massages, and even played a few games of chess with her, before suggesting she step down as club leader, allowing Edith to take her place.

But Maeve was resolute - "Rose and Friends" was now her club, and there was no way she would allow Edith to take over it.



Gerald, meanwhile, had spent some time on Sunday finishing up some of the requirements for his aspirations. After declaring Amaya Ventura (Henry's alien baby momma) his enemy earlier in the week, he had now secured his third required enemy in Jarrett DeLuca. Apparently his red sweater annoyed Gerald to no end.

With only two tasks remaining in the public enemy aspiration - Witness a Death (which we don't want to think about just yet) and reach Level 8 of the Criminal Career (in progress), he returned his attention to Chief of Mischief.



He and Edith headed into Willow Creek to clog some drains.

Edith was definitely out of her element with the whole "infiltrate the club" thing - all the strangers were giving her anxiety and she was eager to just get back to her lab. So after a third attempt to overthrow the leadership of "Rose and Friends" failed, she decided to call it quits. Rose didn't need the stupid club, anyways. If she wanted to gather them all together, Edith could do that part. She just needed the friends.



Edith did, however, keep Maeve otherwise occupied long enough to allow Gerald to clog one of the drains in the house's upstairs bathroom.



Gerald was resolute, now, so on to the next house it was! This time, the Goth house. And for his accomplices? He chose Rose and Henry.

Sloane Goth had had twin girls to Henry not too long ago - Kellie and Ava, and Rose was eager to meet and befriend some of her grandchildren.

Rose wished she could say the same for little Ava.



But after a couple of hours of talking to and playing with Independent little Ava, she finally managed to become good friends with the little tyke. This not only earned her a second good friend, it completed for Rose her second unique aspiration: Big Happy Family.



Also importantly, it won Henry enough time to successfully complete his mission in the Goth house. Though dusk was falling, they moved right along to house number three.



The Fyres family line, unfortunately, would end with Morgan's sons Dario and Nehemiah - she had borne no daughters for Henry to pollinate. Unfortunate though this was, Rose was determined that their contribution to the town, and to the Dynasty, would not be forgotten. Nehemiah Fyres became Rose's third good friend that Sunday night, and again, Rose's distraction of Nehemiah had proven invaluable to the success of Gerald's mission.



With three drains successfully clogged at Gerald's hands, all that remained for him was to max the Mischief skill itself and he would have finished this particular unique aspiration. He hoped to do so within the next few days.



One thing that Chimo had learned on his first day as a big kid was that other sims seemed to make a big deal out of him being, well, not quite like them. While his daddy tried to tell him that his alien heritage wasn't one to hide, but one to be proud of, Chimo didn't quite agree. Whenever another sim 'determined' he was an alien, Chimo couldn't help but feel a little bit embarrassed at being so different. Maybe when he got older it would be different, but for now, before starting his first day of school, he had decided to disguise himself to look not unlike the humans he lived among.



Funnily enough, his geeky little self was not ashamed to wear his completely awesome Unicorn shirt. If anyone commented on it, he would proudly proclaim that 'Friendship is Magic!' and Celestia was his favourite Princess.



With Chimo off to school, and the rest of his children being adults with their own lives to live, Norman was feeling rather like his sense of purpose was missing.

He'd completed five aspirations: Mansion Baron, Fabulously Wealthy, Bestselling Author, Soulmates, and Big Happy Family. Additionally, he'd picked up several aspiration points here and there, and the collection of Potions of Youth stowed away in the basement under the museum was growing slowly. He decided a leisurely afternoon in the garden would be the best way for him to spend his Monday.



Once the weekend came to an end, one day seemed to run into another for Rose. She invited Maeve, Josef and Sloane over to visit, each in turn, and slowly but surely built up a friendship with each of them.



Henry spent some of his days off hanging out with his, er, fight club, I suppose it's been called. Though now their purpose was more to help him build his mischief skill.

Unfortunately, he shocked and conspiracied and pick-pocketed all of them enough to get himself kicked out of his own club by the end of the day! I actually didn't know that was possible…

Luckily, Harley had already joined that particular club herself. Though she wasn't made the leader when Gerald got booted, as with Edith and Rose's club, it still meant gatherings could be called and the club could be invited over as needed. Gerald just needed to develop a plan to take the club back.



Not to worry, though. With only one final mischief skill point needed, hopefully lots and lots of forum trolling would suffice for building up his mischief skill.



Combined, of course, with a healthy dose of spying on the neighbourhood.



Though Chimo had initially started out with the Whiz Kid aspiration, he quickly switched over to Artistic Prodigy. Norman eagerly jumped at the opportunity to encourage and nurture his son's creativity.



And so, between encouragement from Norman, and mentoring from Nana Iris, Chimo completed artistic prodigy in a matter of days! Onwards and upwards, to better things!



Finally, by Thursday morning, Rose had become good friends with her six target sims. All that remained was to become BFFs with one of them, and she would be more than ready to taste eternal life!

She knew exactly which one she wanted! And no, it wasn't Maeve. Though they had developed a strong friendship, Rose still hadn't quite forgiven her about the whole club thing.



And no, it wasn't little Ava either, though the idea was certainly tempting. Honestly, Rose just couldn't resist stopping by her house for a final cuddle on Thursday afternoon while she looked for her real target.

Well, she wasn't here, so Rose called her up and requested that Sloane meet her in the park, instead. She even brought Chimo with her, so he could complete the first milestone for Social Butterfly.



"Now you may think it's foolish, Sloane - I know my daughter thinks it is - but I'm rather fond of tradition myself," Rose explained. "The Morven Dynasty has developed for itself a couple of unique traditions. Spouses team up on careers, for example. The Watcher has the Dine Out/Romantic Garden/Movie Stuff Bundle sitting on her desk, ready and waiting to be installed as soon as I've had my ambrosia, for another. She's only had it since her birthday, last November. Once I've tasted the food of the gods, I'll dye my hair back to blond, just as my mother did. And I am about to continue with another, Sloane. This one may not be carried on for the entirety of the dynasty, but for as long as it can be, I intend to see that it is kept going."



"On the day my mother tasted Ambrosia for the first time, she became BFFs with your mother, Cassandra. And so today, I would like to become BFFs with you. Do you accept?"

Sloane beamed. "Of course, Rose," she said. "I would be honoured to."
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Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 43 (27 Feb 2017)
« Reply #188 on: February 27, 2017, 02:21:55 PM »
Yaaaaay! Congratulations Rose!
I love your traditions so much. How sweet for Rose to become BFFs with Cassandra's daughter! I'm also super excited for you, the Watcher, to get to finally install your new stuff! Wheee! It's a wonderful way to celebrate, and one that I do not have the patience or restraint to implement myself, but I'm very excited for you!

Chimo continues to be the greatest thing ever. You are right, dude! Friendship is magic and your unicorn shirt looks awesome on you!

Good job on your progress, Gerald. I cracked up that he got kicked out of his own club. I didn't know that could happen, either! Too funny. I look forward to the day he can taste ambrosia himself, and I hope he gets some that his grandmother made. :)

Offline oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 43 (27 Feb 2017)
« Reply #189 on: February 27, 2017, 03:24:55 PM »
With Rose and Norman both completing Big Happy Family and gaining the Matriarch/Patriarch traits, the kids must be skilling like champs these days.
Chimo, don't let your daddy out of your sight!

A big congrats to Rose! You had trouble with your club (I also have trouble remembering to change age restrictions) but you knocked that requirement out of the park, anyway.
Loved seeing shots of Rose and Ava! What a cutie-pie!
And it was wonderful hearing about the Morven traditions!
And I'm so impressed that Rose submitted bestsellers as her museum items! Now that's dedication, Watcher!

Gerald! You are really moving ahead with all your requirements. Too bad about your club, dang it!
And yeah, all of Henry's kids will automatically become his friends, too, so since he's so passionate about his calling...lol.

Chimo actually resembles Norman quite a bit, don't you think? I'm so glad he's stayed!

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 43 (27 Feb 2017)
« Reply #190 on: March 01, 2017, 03:47:39 AM »
@FrancescaFiori LOL, I played the game for four hours last night for the first time since installing the new content, and I didn't even look at the new stuff. I'm just really used to playing the way I always play, I guess? Next time I'm in game, I'll definitely be trying out some of the Dine Out features more thoroughly.

Yeah, with Gerald it didn't happen until I added Andrew Bjergsen back to the club. Then suddenly he had three enemies in the club and I guess there was a mutiny? First they made one of themselves the leader, then they kicked him out entirely. It was pretty funny!

@oshizu That trait is definitely helpful with the skilling. I wish it affected more than just their children (Chimo doesn't get the boost from Rose, and Harley doesn't get it at all. Will it work on grandchildren? I haven't gotten that far yet.

If I ever do Bestselling Author again, it'll be too soon.

Gerald was slow going at first, but now he's flying through his requirements! I'm excited because I hope it will mean I'll have more time to focus on the other sims some more (I love them all! :P).

Chimo is the spitting image of Norman. It's uncanny.
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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 44 (1 March 2017)
« Reply #191 on: March 01, 2017, 04:15:56 AM »
Chapter 44 - A Turn for the Worst



"Well Rose," I said, "Can you believe it? You're all ready! Time to rock and roll? I've had a warning for your mother, so you'll be able to eat Ambrosia together! I can get Edith to call the club together?"

Rose shrugged. "If you like. But for Mom, her friends were really important to her. She had over twenty, when all was said and done. But for me, my family has always been the most important. As long as they're all here, I'm happy."

"Sure thing," I smile, "We'll just wait for Edith and Henry to both get off work at 7?"

She nodded. "Sounds good to me."



"Hey Norman, how are you feeling?" I asked.

Norman shrugged. "Alright I guess."

"Your age bar is bubbling," I tell him. "

He nodded solemnly, then quietly slipped away to find his youngest son.



"Promise me something, Chimo," he whispered quietly in his son's ear.

"Sure Dad, what's up?" asked Chimo, cheerfully.

"Promise me," Norman repeated, "that you'll be a good boy. That you'll always do whatever Mommy asks, and you'll listen to her and your brothers and sisters."

Chimo rolled his eyes. "Of course I will!" he said, impatiently.

"Promise me that you'll grow up to be big and strong, and that you'll always reach for the stars," Norman continued.

Now this was getting weird. "Sure Dad, I promise," he replied.



"Will you be my BFF, Chimo?" was Norman's next question.

This time, Chimo laughed. "Sure I will, Dad!" he replied enthusiastically.

Norman leaned in for another hug. "Promise me," he repeated, "that you won't ever, ever forget me, okay? I'll always be your Daddy and I'll always be your Best Friend Forever."

"I promise," Chimo said, solemnly this time. Something was definitely up. "But why are you making me make all these promises, Daddy?" he asked. "Are you going away?"



Norman clutched his little boy tight, and let out a sad sigh. "I'll visit from time to time," he said. "And I'll always be looking out for you. To answer your question; Yes. I will be going away soon. But Mommy and Nana Iris and Gerald and Henry and Harley and Edith will all be here to take really good care of you when I'm gone, okay?" Norman blinked back tears, grateful Chimo couldn't see is face.



"I'll miss you," Chimo said thoughtfully. "Do you have to go?"

"I'm sorry," Norman said sadly, "I don't really want to go. But I am very, very glad that I got to spend all this time with you after all."

"Okay," said Chimo slowly, bravely. "I'll wait for you to visit."

Norman nodded, and placed a kiss on his son's cheek. "That sounds good," he said. "I'll look forward to visiting."

The warm green glow that engulfed his son encouraged Norman. If he could have, he would have held on forever. But now it was time for him to let go.



"Nehemiah, Maeve," Norman nodded politely. "So you've come to celebrate Mother's immortality?"

"Sure have!" beamed Nehemiah brightly.

"Well," said Norman, extending his hand, "welcome to our home."

"Uh, thanks?" said Maeve, as she gingerly took Gerald's outstretched hand.



"Aaack!" squealed Maeve.

"Hah!" shouted Gerald. "That's for stealing my mother's club, you low-life loser."

"I d-d-d-d-didn't m-m-m-mean t-t-to," Maeve stammered.

"Oh yeah? Then how come you didn't give it back to Edith, huh?"

But Gerald let go, grinning proudly.

"Aww, I can't be mad at you now!" he smiled. "I just maxed the mischief skill and completed my first unique aspiration!"

"Congratulations," Maeve murmured, nursing her sore hand.



But Rose's friends didn't come into the dining room to watch the 'ceremony', as it were. They scattered around the house, doing whatever club activities they'd been told to do. Rose didn't mind. She had everyone she needed by her side. Including Norman. Sure, her children were all in work clothes, Harley looked like she'd just woken up from a nap, and Chimo was busy chattering away about how, objectively speaking, Captain Picard was absolutely the best captain (though unfortunately, there were no geeks at the table to share in his enthusiasm).



"Oh ho, Rose, isn't this great!" cried Norman, delightedly, "The whole family, gathered around the table to celebrate your achievements! I'm so proud of you!"



"And one day, I'll get to have some, too!" Gerald added.

"Carl help us all," quipped Iris.

To Rose, something about the whole moment just felt…surreal. Because it wasn't simply her achievements they were celebrating. She wouldn't be here without the Goths or the Kim-Lewises or Nehemiah. She wouldn't be here without Gerald and Edith, and especially not without Henry (who now had 13 children). She wouldn't be here without Sergio, who'd prepared the Ambrosia, or without Harley having married Gerald. Or, she turned to her right to look at her husband, she especially wouldn't be here without Norman.



And she was about to say so, too, when Norman rather suddenly got up from the table.

"I think when I make it," mused Iris, "I'll add a bit more pepper."

"Norman, what are you doing?" asked Rose gently.



"Norman," Rose urged, "Please come and sit down."

"Uh, Mom?" said Edith.

Rose knew straight away something was wrong.



Edith was the first up from the table. She may not be a doctor, but maybe…just maybe, something could be done?

Henry looked down at his little brother, still chattering away about the many advanced capabilities of the Enterprise, and he knew straight away that he needed to get Chimo out of there.

"Say Chimo," he asked, interrupting his brother's enthusiastic tale. "This is all pretty boring stuff, watching those Immortals eating their fishcakes when there's no dinner on the table for us. How about the two of us head downstairs for a game of chess? You need the mental skill, and I need the logic, right?"

"I bet I can beat you!" said Chimo, happily.

Henry nodded. "I'll bet you can!"



And so while a truly horrifying scene was developing in the dining room…



Henry quietly ushered his little brother downstairs to the basement, away from the chaos and grief that was silently ripping him apart, as well.



Rose, too, wanted to hide. While everyone else got up and gathered around to watch the reaping, she panicked. Upstairs. Downstairs. To the kitchen. Carrying the ambrosia with her. What was she supposed to do with the stuff, now? Oh, this was horrible! Absolutely the worst! Her heart felt like it was ripped from her chest and torn to threads.

Suddenly she understood completely what her mother meant by 'the curse of the Immortal.'

She couldn't bear to watch. She couldn't bear to look away.

Suddenly, however, it sank in. This was her last chance to see Norman in the flesh.



She couldn't hide.



Before long, he was gone.



And all that remained was an urn.



"Aww, you beat me!" Chimo chirped, good-naturedly.

"Yep, that's meckchate," Henry grinned, "and the last logic point I need for my next promotion," feigned Henry (he hadn't needed any more logic points immediately). "How about a hug, little bro?"

Chimo grinned. "Okay, big bro!"



"Has Daddy gone?" asked Chimo.

Henry nearly choked.

"He told me he was going away, but that he'd come back to visit." Chimo explained.

"Is that what he told you?" asked Henry.

Chimo nodded.



"Well," said Henry, feeling a little bit better himself, "I think you're right. Daddy has gone away."

"But he'll come back to visit soon, won't he Henry?" asked Chimo.

Henry blinked back tears.

"I hope so, Chimo," he whispered. "I really, really hope so."



Norman Johnston, we were all just getting to like you, and then you went and died during the Ambrosia gathering. Just to annoy me one last time.

I kid. I've always liked you. Clumsy, silly, always begging for another club gathering or to tell yet another insider story. And then you brought me Chimo.

Oh ho, Norman!

I am so going to miss you, big guy.

Rest In Peace.
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Offline oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 44 (1 March 2017)
« Reply #192 on: March 01, 2017, 06:12:04 AM »
Norman, you entered this story as some random sim that Rose married out of convenience.
Yet, with your endless duck tales and tireless efforts to complete Bestselling Author, you began worming your way into my heart.
I always appreciated how you were so unassuming, so gentle, and so very willing to take a back seat to your wife's ambitions.
And then, Chimo! What a blessing that he has turned out to be a mini-Norman memento!

Rest in peace, friend. You really deserve it! But come back soon, you hear?

Oh Whirligig, what a bittersweet victory for Rose! Another great chapter! *wipes a tear

Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 44 (1 March 2017)
« Reply #193 on: March 01, 2017, 08:56:17 PM »
Oh, man. The timing. I cannot believe the timing. How heartbreaking! Rose sits down to ambrosia just as Norman leaves the world.

Henry taking Chimo aside was so sweet. That really did me in.

I adored Norman, and I'm really going to miss him. Nobody "Oh ho"'d like Norman. I'm so glad he got to have that nice, glow-y conversation with Chimo, too. It was perfect.

Congrats to Gerald on the Mischief and the aspiration. He totally faked me out with his welcome to the house, too. I thought he was trying to make some friends, but then . . . the hand buzzer! Good one, Gerald. You're still my favorite. :)

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 44 (1 March 2017)
« Reply #194 on: March 03, 2017, 03:34:18 AM »
@oshizu Thanks for your kind words. When Norman died while Rose was eating ambrosia, I nearly started yelling at the computer, I was so upset! I know I complained about him a lot, but it was all in jest - the little annoyances were all just part of who he was and it's so strange not having him around anymore.

@FrancescaFiori That timing was absolutely the worst. I'm really and truly going to miss Norman, too.

Henry really is really sweet and caring - he has enough kids running around town that I guess his paternal instincts are kicking in.

Haha, no, Gerald hasn't changed. I'm still not sure how the whole friendship thing is going to work out for him.
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