Medley Dynasty, the Third (Week Twenty-Nine)

[Lasnien]

So, third time's the charm? Here is the family tree, including both previous attempts. Spoiler alerts apply, of course, since I tend to play ahead. Should anyone care to read the backstory, part one can be found here, and part two is here.

Chapter Listing
Prologue
Week One
Week Two
Week Three, Part 1
Week Three, Part 2
Week Four
Week Five
Week Six
Week Seven Isabella's Immortality
Week Eight
Week Nine
Week Ten
Week Eleven
Week Twelve
Week Thirteen
Week Fourteen Hyacinth's Immortality
Week Fifteen
Week Sixteen
Week Seventeen
Week Eighteen
Week Nineteen
Week Twenty
Week Twenty-One Garret's Immortality
Week Twenty-Two, part 1
Week Twenty-Two, part 2
Week Twenty-Three
Week Twenty-Four
Week Twenty-Five
Weeks Twenty-Six and Twenty-Seven
Week Twenty-Eight
Week Twenty-Nine Finn's Immortality

[Lasnien]

Immortal Statistics


Generation 1: Isabella Medley - Immortalized Week 7, Day 3 at the age of 77
Brave, Loves the Outdoors, Gatherer, Green Thumb, Friendly
Sagittarius
LTW: Perfect Garden
Career: Science
Supermax: Gardening
Building: Isabella's Groceries (Formerly Goody's)
Property: Isabella's Lakeside Retreat
LTRs: Super Green Thumb, No Bills Ever, Dusty Old Lamp
Black Ops: Photo Contest; Uncommonly Good; Visa Photograph; Nourishment for Herbivores; Fix It!; Outstandingly Rare
Museum: YA portrait, sculpture, photo; Adult portrait, sculpture, photo; Elder portrait, sculpture, photo
Best Friends: Piper Diwan, Zahra Diwan, Vivienne Vasquez, Naomi Nita,  Nicole Damico, Sahan Diwan


Generation 2: Hyacinth Medley - Immortalized Week 14, Day 1 at the age of 74
Excitable, Good, Bookworm, Genius, Workaholic
Taurus
LTW: World-Renowned Surgeon
Career: Medicine
Supermax: Logic
Building: Hyacinth's Memorial Hospital
Property: Hyacinth's Community Library
LTRs: Bookshop Bargainer, Body Sculptor, Inheritance
Black Ops: Fixing the Celestial Slump, A Little Give and Take, Bad Medical Cliques, Riddle War in China, Shifting Responsibilities, Neighborhood Outreach
Museum: Toddler portrait, sculpture, photo; Child portrait, sculpture, photo; Teen portrait, sculpture, photo; YA portrait, sculpture, photo; Adult portrait, sculpture, photo; Elder portrait, sculpture, photo
Best Friends: Richard Irwin, Ariel Medley, Sandra Diwan, Lionel Lancaster, Jaycen Hendrix, Addison Ross


Generation 3: Garret Medley - Immortalized Week 21, Day 7 at the age of 73
Athletic, Disciplined, Adventurous, Brave, Lucky
Pisces
LTW: Physical Perfection
Career: Criminal
Supermax: Martial Arts
Building: The Warehouse
Property: Gym
LTRs: Learned Relic Hunter, Fireproof Homestead, Collection Helper
Black Ops: A Package for You, Push It!, Simoleons Under the Table, Chinese Delivery, Secret Techniques, Thief Like There's No Tomorrow
Museum: Toddler portrait, sculpture, photo; Child portrait, sculpture, photo; Teen portrait, sculpture, photo; YA portrait, sculpture, photo; Adult portrait, sculpture, photo; Elder portrait, sculpture, photo
Best Friends: Yuna Tanner, Kinslee Hudson, Cricket Irwin, Scarlet Vandeen, Emi Irwin,  Irving Randall


Generation 4: Finn Medley - Immortalized Week 29, Day 1 at the age of 76
Good, Friendly, Snob, Charismatic, Schmoozer, Party Animal, Irresistable
Pisces
LTW: Leader of the Free World
Career: Politics
Supermax: Nectar Making
Building: Sahara Corporate Headquarters
Property: Paint a Desert Art Gallery
LTRs: Legendary Host, No Jealousy, Fertility Treatment
Black Ops: The Business of Documentation, You Really Mean "Yes", Commissioned Street Art, As a Leader Should (In China); In the News Tonight; Foreign Affairs
Museum: Toddler portrait, sculpture, photo; Child portrait, sculpture, photo; Teen portrait, sculpture, photo; YA portrait, sculpture, photo; Adult portrait, sculpture, photo; Elder portrait, sculpture, photo
Best Friends: Darrick Shaw, Abrielle King, Darleen Matlapin, Mariana Matlapin, Ezekiel Reid, Hanson Gilbert


Generation 5: Emily Medley
Eccentric, Excitable, Good Sense of Humor, Handy, Easily Impressed
Taurus
LTW: Become an Astronaut
Career: Military
Supermax: Inventing
Building: Area 52 Test Labs
Property: Sport Fishing
LTRs: Efficient Inventor, Hover Bed
Black Ops:
Museum: Toddler portrait, sculpture, photo; Child portrait, sculpture, photo; Teen portrait, sculpture, photo; YA portrait, sculpture, photo; Adult portrait, sculpture, photo; Elder portrait, sculpture, photo
Best Friends:


Generation 6: Dominic Medley
Couch Potato, Good
Libra
LTW:
Career:
Supermax:
Building:
Property:
LTRs:
Black Ops:
Museum: Toddler portrait, sculpture, photo; Child portrait, sculpture, photo; Teen portrait, sculpture, photo; YA portrait, sculpture, photo; Adult portrait, sculpture, photo; Elder portrait, sculpture, photo
Best Friends:

[Lasnien]

A voice cried out in the darkness, “Mi! Take the babies and run! You've gotta get out while you still can!”

My eyes opened, and I saw a man. He looked like a pale, blonde version of myself, and it felt like I should know him. Behind him stood a Chinese woman, her black hair cut short and curled. Through the bars (Bars? Why am I behind bars?) I could see a room with grey striped wallpaper, and there was orange light flickering through the doorway. The man walked over to me and leaned over to pick me up (Must be a crib.); he crooned soothing nonsense in my ear as he rested me comfortably on his hip. The Chinese woman held a small crying bundle close while she wrapped a long scarf around herself to hold it in place.

“You know what to do, Mi,” the man's voice rumbled beside me. “You're not of the bloodline, so you should be able to escape. Gram got away the first time, so hopefully she can too.” The man held me tighter for a few seconds, then kissed my brow. “Grow up safe, my darling Isabella. When the time comes, you'll know what to do.”

I woke with a start, still trembling from the fear that always grips me when I have that particular nightmare. Nothing about it has ever varied, and I've always wondered whether it's truly just a dream or perhaps an early memory.

My name is Isabella. I was adopted as a toddler by an older couple who had never been able to have a child of their own. Mom and Dad told me as soon as I was able to understand that I wasn't their biological child, though it was pretty obvious from my appearance that I couldn't belong to them. Mom looks a bit like a porcelain doll with her pink-pale skin and gorgeous red ringlets, and Dad has the sandy hair and perpetual tan of a beach bum. I, on the other hand, have skin the color of milk chocolate with jet black hair.

There is one thing I've gotten from my parents: they taught me witchcraft from a young age, believing that having something that important in common with them would help me feel more like I belonged.

I've had a happy childhood here. When I begged for a puppy, they obliged and insisted that I be the one to care for her, especially after the newness of Lola had worn off. They shipped me off to Dribbledine Academy when I believed with all my heart that I wanted to be a sports superstar, then convinced me to stick it out when I called home, crying that all the sports were just too darn hard. “Nothing worth doing is going to be easy, sweetheart,” my mother told me. “If you just quit now, when it starts getting a little difficult, how will you learn to handle yourself when life gets really hard?” So, I stuck it out and graduated last week. This is where things started to go haywire.

As the taxi pulled up in front of my parents' house, I could see them on the front porch talking with someone I didn't know. From the street, all I could tell was that she had short black hair and her clothes had a foreign cut. As I got closer, I thought she looked Chinese. Time seemed to stand still as she slowly turned towards me. My breath caught in my throat when I saw the recognition in her eyes, and then she spoke: “Ah, here she is now. We would like to speak to her alone, if we could.”

My throat began working again, and my eyes locked on hers as I croaked out, “Mi?”

I thought I saw the hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth as she replied, “Yes, you.” She looked to my parents, and it felt as if my eyes were dragged along with hers. My parents were beyond pale, hands clasping each other's as if that was all that held them in place. “May we? No harm will come to her, we promise.” My father nodded his head once, sharply, then turned and led Mom back into the house. When the door clicked shut, she spoke without turning to look at me, “No one has called us Mi in a very long time, child. Where did you hear that?”

She turned to look at me when I didn't answer after a moment. Her face was softer now, and I could see the beginnings of tears at the corners of her eyes. “It's a dream I've had since I was small. You were in it, and a man that looks a lot like me. It... it's not really a dream, is it?”

Her head shook slowly as she took a step towards me. “No, child. We have nightmares of that night, too. Our proper name is Mihuo Zhi Medley, and we were something of an aunt to you when you were a baby. Not related by blood, perhaps, but the bonds of love tied us to your family.” She smiled brightly for a moment. “Your father taught us to talk, in fact.”

Something about her speech tugged at the edges of my mind. “Why do you keep saying 'we?' Is there someone else here?”

“Just me, myself and I, little one. We have always spoken this way, and there are always those who call us insane for it. And perhaps you will think us insane when we finish speaking here. There is a very long story you must hear, and then you must make a difficult decision regarding the rest of your life, and the lives of your descendants.”

We sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch, and Mihuo told me about the Immortal Dynasty that my great-great-great-grandmother had started so long ago, how my great-grandmother had escaped from Appaloosa Plains when everything went so very wrong. She told me about my more immediate family in Starlight Shores, and how a wandering gypsy caravan had ruined everything there. I was only a toddler, and there was some kind of loophole in the contract that allows the youngest member of the bloodline to escape in the case of catastrophic failure. Unlike Fiona, though, I couldn't make the run myself. I needed someone to help me, and that someone had been Mihuo.

When she finished speaking, we both sat and rocked for some time, giving me some much-needed room to think. “So, what does all this really mean? Is there something I need to do?”

Mihuo dropped her gaze to her lap, then answered, “In theory, it means that you have a limited time until the Grim Reaper comes to seize you to join the rest of your doomed bloodline. Once a contract has been started, all descendants must work to complete it until the line is ended or the contract is finished. In practice, it means that you must leave here, buy an empty lot in a town your family has never been to before, and complete a set of challenges before you die. You will then be immortal so long as you continue to eat the food of the gods. Your descendants must also complete these requirements until eight immortals live in the same house. Only then will the curse on your blood be lifted. The contract states that any failed immortals will be trapped in the Netherworld for eternity, though Fiona seemed convinced that there was a way around this part. Perhaps you will find something in her notes that will point you in the right direction.”

I stared off into the distance for several moments, then sighed, “I thought you said there was a decision to make. It doesn't sound like there's much of a choice here.”

“You've always got a choice, child. You can choose to die young and doom your entire family to an eternity in the Netherworld, or you can choose to continue this dynasty and perhaps save the souls of your ancestors from oblivion. It's not a good choice, perhaps, but the choice is there.”

“Let me just say goodbye to my folks, then. Where, exactly, are we going?”

Mihuo looked uncomfortable. “ 'We' aren't going anywhere. You may go anywhere you wish besides Appaloosa Plains and Starlight Shores. And here, of course. We will be returning to our family in Shang Simla. We're not allowed to help you any more than this, we're afraid. And, sadly, neither is the watcher called 'Raven.' She used the last of her leeway in getting you safely away from Starlight Shores.”

I entered my childhood home for the last time and told my parents what little I could of the circumstances. I knew in my heart that the things Mihuo had told me were the truth, but my parents would never let me go if they knew just how little I knew about what was happening. There were hugs and tears, and eventually Dad called a taxi for me.

While I waited for my cab, the four of us stood silently on the front porch. Dad held Mom, who tried unsuccessfully to stem the flow of tears, and Mihuo stood behind me as I stared toward the street. The cab arrived, and I hugged Mom and Dad one last time. I left without saying goodbye, because I couldn't trust my voice. The cabbie loaded my lone suitcase into the trunk while I harnessed Lola into the back seat (all I was allowed to bring with me, per the dynasty contract), and when we were settled in the car, he asked me where I was headed.

“Lucky Palms,” I said.

[Lasnien]

The long ride to Lucky Palms was spent in reading through Fiona's notes on the dynasty contract. Evidently, she was close to a breakthrough on how to free those trapped by the contract from the Netherworld, but her research was interrupted. The last page of her journal mentions using ambrosia to restore physical form to those who have passed, but there is still no mention of how to retrieve the soul of one who has already passed beyond the veil. I drifted off to sleep with the last line of Fiona's journal echoing in my head. Written on a page by itself, it said, “I don't think science alone can handle this problem; magic may also be needed.”

I woke early in the morning, just as the sun's rays began peeking over the horizon. The cabbie grinned at me and asked if I had slept well. I paused. No nightmares? I smiled shakily and answered him in the affirmative before asking how much further it was to Lucky Palms. “We've just arrived, miss. Are you sure this is your stop? Not much here that I can see.”

I got out of the cab, letting Lola out behind me, then looked around and sighed. “Yes, this is it. Here's your payment, and thanks for driving me all the way here.” The cabbie tipped an imaginary hat toward me, then drove off toward town, presumably to find someplace to sleep before heading back. I set Lola off to search for minerals and headed into town myself. May as well start working on these requirements now.


My first stop was the consignment store, where I met Darren Dreamer. I'd heard his name before; he's a fairly famous artist, and he'd surely make a fine husband for my purposes. When I heard that he already had a girlfriend, however, I decided to look elsewhere. I won't break apart a happy relationship when this will almost certainly be a marriage of convenience.


I wandered around town for the better part of the day before I met a young lady by the name of Piper Sparks outside the local school. She's a bit inappropriate, but her artistic talent couldn't be denied. We spoke for several hours, and I learned much about her: poor relationship with her father, dead mother, boyfriend much younger than herself. I made a promise to myself to visit her home another day, when her father was around. Perhaps this was the marriage of convenience I was seeking.


Late the next evening, after a long day of tending my newly planted garden, I “invited” myself over to the Sparks house. Walker had just arrived home, and so I set about getting to know him. I realized quickly that I'm closer to Piper in age than Walker, but age doesn't have much to do with this. We talked late into the night, and it was early morning before I flew home on my broom to collapse into bed.


The next day, I waited impatiently for Walker's shift at the hospital to end and invited him over as soon as I could. I hoped my charisma was up to the task as I made a bold suggestion to this man I'd known less than a week. I asked him to move in with me. Piper too, naturally.


He took my brazen proposal better than I'd ever expected. Not only did he and his teenage daughter agree to move into my modest home, but he became downright flirty. This would be easier than I thought.


I took a chance that he'd be as impulsive as I was beginning to suspect, and made one more crazy proposal.


We had a private ceremony right there on my sandy lot, and despite my best attempts to remain neutral, I felt a goofy grin spread across my face as he held up a ring to place on my finger.


I haven't told them, yet, about my objective here. I was happy to see Piper gravitate almost immediately to the easels I had set up in the family room instead of a more traditional sitting area.


What surprised me was the speed with which Walker took to sculpting. It seems he'd always wanted to learn, but never had the time with his obsession with work. I encouraged his interest and gently pushed him toward more complicated – and permanent – media to sculpt with.


It was only days after moving in that Piper and Walker had their birthdays. Piper woke early and had her cake before the school bus arrived, letting her have what would have been her last day there off instead. Predictably, she spent the day painting and learning photography by listening to tabcasts.


Walker waited until his birthday happened naturally, accepting his grey hair and stooped back with his usual “good grace” - I suppose he's got reason to be grumpy now.


We took a cab to Piper's graduation, which was held the next day – Saturday – at City Hall. She graduated with honor and was voted Most Artistic by her classmates.


She was pleased to finally be done with high school, though she has to wait another week or so for her boyfriend, Sahan Diwan, to graduate. Until then, there's a ban on romance between the two of them.


I convinced Walker to retire from his job, now that he's an elder. It's not as if the income is necessary; I only work because it's required by the contract. All of our (admittedly large) wealth comes from cutting gems and smelting metals, both those found by Lola and those I transmute with my magic. The elixir shop down the road pays quite well for some of the rarer items.


All in all, it's been a busy first week in Lucky Palms.

[Lasnien]

My second week in Lucky Palms has been a little quiet, compared to last week. We adopted a puppy at Piper's request. His name's Menace, and it's well-earned. Such a noisy, destructive puppy! Was Lola ever this bad?


I'm coming along nicely with my requirements, I think. I've planted enough different types of plants to complete one of my challenges, and I got a big promotion after I made a discovery at work that my boss called a “fundamental, Earth and Sun shattering” breakthrough. It involved Fiona's research into the spirits of the deceased and ways to bring them back into the realm of the living. Piper painted my portrait, and Walker has discovered the secret of never-melting ice sculptures. I decided to erm... reward him for his dedication.


I woke up in the middle of the night nauseous. That could only mean one of two things: dinner had gone off, or...


I'm expecting my heir. I've got mixed feelings on this. On one hand, it's necessary, of course. On the other, it sometimes feels as if there's a knife twisting in my heart when I see the joy and excitement in Walker's eyes. I've done him a disservice with this, I think. I care for him, after a manner, but I've refused to truly open my heart to this man, who will die early and leave me alone for most of an eternity. How did my ancestors do it?


Piper's sweety, Sahan, graduated from school near the end of the week, so she invited him around for a visit. He's a little on the childish side, but he seems to be a witch, like me.


I'm not the only one who started feeling a little queasy this week. I guess Piper and Sahan weren't just talking in her bedroom while he was visiting.

[EtnaFan666]

This is a very interesting story. I am too poor to afford the various downloadable towns like Lunar Lakes, Lucky Palms or Sunlit Tides(and after bugs with Hidden Springs and Barnacle Bay, I am wary of using these towns) but you did a great job on them. I'm currently doing an unofficial I.D. with the Working Friends living with my founder - Ayesha's given him a son whose imaginary friend will be his daughter-in-law. (Sadly, she hates art. )

Keep it up. I am expecting nice things. 

[Lasnien]

For all the things that didn't happen last week, this week has been twice as busy. Nooboos and birthdays and weddings, oh my! I'll talk a bit about the first this installment and get around to the rest another time. There's just too much for one entry, I'm afraid.

First things first, though. Menace is now a fully grown dog, though he still looks tiny next to my Lola. He's still noisy, but we've been working on his destructive tendencies.


Before I knew it, I went into labor. Walker was less than helpful with his histrionics, and Piper was no better. I removed myself to the nursery so I could give birth to my child in peace and (relative) quiet.


It's a girl! I've named her Hyacinth, and she's excitable and good. Her favorite color is violet (though, how anyone can tell such a thing at this age is completely bizarre).


Walker is smitten with his newest daughter, despite his hope for a boy. Since he's home nearly all the time, I frequently find him in the nursery gazing at her tiny face or tickling her tiny toes. My heart breaks a bit knowing that at his age, he's not likely to see her start school, let alone all the things a parent hopes to see.


Piper's labor was only a couple days behind mine, and I'll admit that I was just as hysterical about it as she and Walker were about mine. What is it about childbirth that brings out the crazy in a person?


She had the daughter she was hoping for, and she's named Sandra. She's a neurotic artist with a favorite color of blue, though I believe Piper intends to dress her in stereotypical pink girly-girl outfits, at least until the little one's big enough to complain about it.


Hyacinth's birthday rolled around, and we had a small family gathering to blow out her candles. Don't mind the dirty counter; such things tend to get overlooked in a house with two infants.


She looks very much like I did at her age. I was hoping that she'd take after her father at least a little, though it may be gentler on my sanity not to have a constant reminder of my mistakes watching me for the rest of eternity.



Walker, having experience with all the things necessary for raising a child already, immediately took charge of her “training.” First up was the potty...


...then came walking.


It wasn't all work and no play, though. He spent time with her playing with the peg box, hoping that the early logic skills she would build with it would make her predisposed to follow him into the medical field.


Despite myself, I often find myself just holding Hyacinth and smiling for no reason. I don't know what it is about this tiny life that makes me so happy, but I hope that it never stops.


Sandra's birthday was a matter of days after Hyacinth's, and we had another small gathering to celebrate. The man in this shot is Sandra's father, Sahan, after a bit of a makeover, but we'll get to that next time.


Sandra is, perhaps, a better blend of her parents. As expected, Piper dressed her in all pink.


Hyacinth jumps from one extreme to the other at times. One moment, it's all logic and science, as much as a toddler can understand such things. The next, she's concocting a fantastical story about the yeti toy she found in her toybox as a magical fairy princess trapped in the body of a monster.


The girls spend quite a lot of their time in front of the dollhouse playing.


I overheard a snippet of conversation (if one could call it such) between Walker and Hyacinth as he started to teach her to talk. I certainly didn't expect to hear my toddler daughter say this: “Daddy wuv Mommy?” And Walker replied, “Yes, baby. Very much.”

[Louise56]

Both nooboos are so cute. I hope Walter live long enough to see his little girl go to school.
Great story.

[Lasnien]

So, what else happened this week? For one thing, Darren Dreamer has succumbed to lycanthropy. There is quite a rash of supernatural beings invading, it seems.


With the birth of her child, Piper requested permission to move Sahan into the house with us. There is limited space, but I see no problem with letting them be together. Someone in this house should have a normal, healthy relationship.


Piper was ecstatic as Sahan slipped a ring onto her finger in a private ceremony.


Sahan was no less excited to be joining our family.


Much of my maternity leave was spent in the garden, working on those blasted requirements. I've finished my “Perfect Garden” and reached the pinnacle of gardening skills. I've even completed two of three challenges associated with gardening. This extended vacation has put the brakes on my job advancement, but that should be a temporary setback.


Piper and I weren't the only ones that gave birth this week. Lola had an adorable little puppy with Menace that we've named Petunia.


Those two are just adorable snuggling in the big bed.


As for birthdays, mine was the last one of the week. I invited over most of my coworkers - as well as Sahan's parents – after work to have our first real party in the house. Sahan's parents, by the way, are a vampire and a werewolf. How their son managed to be a witch is beyond me.


Candles blown out, and here come the wrinkles. The first thing I wanted to do afterward is perhaps the cruelest wish I've ever had...


I don't know what possessed me to bring up the topic with my toddler daughter, unless it was some sort of madness. The adoration in her eyes as I mentioned Walker – and the fact that he's 88 already – firmly pushed any thought of divorce from my mind. Let the man live the rest of his days secure in his sense of family.


I'll just work off my mid-life frustration somewhere away from home.

[Lasnien]

The last two weeks have flown by in a flurry of activity, leaving me little time to chronicle what's happened. It all started on the Monday after my birthday. I knew it would be happening soon; I just didn't realize how soon.


My husband of only three weeks begged for more time – time to watch his daughter and granddaughter grow up. The reaper had no pity for him, and there would be no exceptions. When time is up, that's all there is.


Piper mourned the relationship she never quite repaired with her father. And me? I think my tears were at least partly relief that I would no longer need to pretend that all is well.


Walker Sparks Medley – beloved father and grandfather, dear husband. You will be missed.


Just when everyone was winding down from their mourning periods, it was time for Hyacinth's birthday. My little girl is growing up.


She's got an interesting sense of style, no?


The first thing she asked for was a telescope so she could gaze at the stars.


The very same day saw two more birthdays later that evening. Petunia has grown into a fully grown dog.


And Lola became an elder.


Before the week was out, Sandra's birthday also rolled around. Sahan took the initiative of helping her blow out her candles.


Sandra likes to play dress-up. It suits her artistic sensibilities.


The final birthday of the week was Piper's. Like me, she seemed to have a bit of a mid-life crisis, though if she's thought about divorce, she's kept those thoughts to herself.

[Lasnien]

Week five saw Sahan catch his very first death fish. Now it's only a matter of someone learning to prepare Ambrosia. I'll have to tell the others about the Dynasty requirements soon, I think. I don't have the time myself to learn the cooking skills required.


Childhood flew by quickly for my little Hyacinth. She didn't quire make it onto the honor roll, which disappointed her a bit.


Her preferred style of clothing has mellowed a bit, if not the colors.


She spent some time out in town meeting people during the day, and ran into a man named Cornelius Vandeen. She seems to value his friendship, but I wonder what she may be thinking in befriending a man so much older than herself. I've heard rumors of his partying ways since the day I moved into town, it seems.


Sandra's birthday came soon after Hyacinth's, as always.


Her wardrobe is a very practical style, I think. Comfortable enough for lounging, with no extra fabric to drag through her painting supplies.


Sahan bought us a food replicator, which I immediately began to upgrade with a wave of my wand. Who needs to tinker away with tools and risk a shock?


And, finally, Sahan had his birthday, joining the ranks of adults in the household. Lucky man managed to avoid the mid-life crisis that has only just released its grip on Piper.


Tomorrow is prom night for the girls. I wonder what sorts of trouble they'll get into...

[Lasnien]

Author's Note: Apologies for the late update. Between the release of Seasons and all the new shinies associated with that and first trimester pregnancy fatigue, my Dynasty playtime fell to the wayside. I'm attempting to get back into the simming groove and hoping that my file didn't get too buggy in the upgrade. Everyone in the household seems to have gained a day, but their aging is progressing as normal now.

We now return you to your scheduled update, already in progress.

The girls had their prom, though neither one had much to say about what went on there, afterwards. Sandra won Prom Queen, and both seemed to be floating on air when they got home. I stood in the hallway and shamelessly eavesdropped on the giggly conversation in Hyacinth's bedroom. I heard her mention a “Shawn” and then she sighed about how gorgeous she is. This... this isn't good.


I let myself into my daughter's room after Sandra went to bed and told Hyacinth that there is no way she can continue seeing this girl. I didn't give up my life and adoptive parents so that my daughter could wreck everything that the previous five generations of Medleys had worked for!


Hyacinth narrowed her eyes at me and demanded an explanation. I hung my head in resignation as I recounted the history of our family. When I told her that any direct descendants of a failed dynasty will pay the same price as those that agreed to the original contract, my daughter paled.


“So, you're saying that because of you I can't have the girl I want? Because of you I have to find a man to give me a child, a man I may never even love? Is that what you did, Mom?” She must have seen the sorrow in my eyes then, because she seemed to deflate a bit. She agreed to continue the dynasty, but my dear daughter demanded that we not keep such a secret from her child. Better to be raised with the knowledge of the expectations placed on them than find out at the height of teenage hormones that the person one has fallen for is an inappropriate match.


The next morning, Hyacinth invited Shawn over. She's older than I expected, and for a moment I feared that Hyacinth wouldn't be able to break it off.


As their conversation continued, I realized my fear was ungrounded. Once Hyacinth has made up her mind, nothing will deter her from finishing what she's started.


She begged Shawn to stay calm and told her she hoped they could still be friends.


Alas, the fickleness of a young woman's affection. I hope that my little girl's heart will mend quickly.


On Thursday, we had an unwelcome, but expected visitor. Lola was 46 days old, a respectable age for any dog. I'll miss her terribly.


The next day marked my last as an adult. Elderhood awaited just around the corner.


How I'll miss clothing that fits me properly and isn't hideous.


Menace also had his birthday. Seems only days ago he was a rambunctious puppy chewing on everything in the house.


We decided to celebrate my birthday and Leisure Day at the new festival in town. I won my first hot dog eating contest, much to my surprise.


The girls played a little soccer, with Hyacinth winning handily.


Later, I won a game of horseshoes against Sahan. (When did he get so attractive? And why would I think such a thing about my stepson-in-law?)


Meanwhile, Piper and the girls had a water balloon fight. Despite the odds stacked against her, Hyacinth won with a score of 100-30.

[azokka361]

Can't wait for the next update! Let's hope Hyacinth doesn't get into any "trouble" . . .

[Lasnien]

It's been a busy week in the Medley household, and a big one. I got my last promotion at work, leaving me ready for ambrosia.


When I asked Sahan to make me a plate of ambrosia (and store it in the replicators for future use), he simply raised an eyebrow at me and went about cooking. No questions asked. I don't know if Hyacinth has told anyone else about the dynasty or not, but I did notice that Sahan didn't so much as taste the batter while he was cooking.


The first bite was... underwhelming. I expected something different, though I don't know what I was expecting, exactly.


And I'm immortal. Not that I feel any different. Now everything's on Hyacinth.


Speaking of Hyacinth, she's reached the pinnacle of her logic skill and discovered all the potions there are to discover.


After midnight, she blew out her candles, keeping us all awake so that she could join the rank of adults as soon as she was allowed.


She, of course, made it a point to immediately find a wardrobe and hairstyle more suited to her personality.


Despite my daughter's reluctance to marry – or even choose a man to move in, really – she went ahead and picked out a wedding dress for her formal attire. Perhaps she's forgiven me my deception, after all...


...Or maybe, she's rebelling. If her crush on young Shawn was inappropriate for the situation, Ariel Hudson is perhaps even more shocking. Not only is he a fairy and old enough to be her father...


...He does, in fact, have a daughter that's older than her. She apparently asked him to break off the relationship he had with the mother of his child. Did I mention that Ariel is also her boss at the hospital?


A slightly more appropriate target for her affection, if only by a hair, is Richard Irwin. He's also old enough to be her father and a fairy, but at least she doesn't seem to have asked him to end any relationships.


Hyacinth invited Ariel over after work one night, ostensibly to ask him for a promotion at work. I heard her mention something about showing him one of the stars she discovered as a teenager.


I don't know what she thinks she's doing, but I'll let her be for now. I'm not eager for a repeat of the post-prom row.


Sandra also had her birthday, though she had it early enough in the day that most of us didn't even make it into the kitchen before she blew out the candles.


She's decided that she hates the outdoors, and it shows a bit in her choice of clothing. A wetsuit? Really?


Finally, one more shot of my daughter's overly-complicated love life. She arrived here to have a date with Richard, and who should show up but Ariel? She claims the pain on Richard's face is because he recently lost a lover, though I have to wonder.

[Rhoxi]

What a fun story you've got going on here! Just got up to date on everything. Congrats on your Immortal!

[TheTripWasInfraGreen]

(When did he get so attractive? And why would I think such a thing about my stepson-in-law?)

Because he's absurdly handsome, that's why.

I really like this dynasty, and darn it, Lucky Palms looks so enticing.

[Lasnien]

Thanks for the encouragement, Rhoxi and Trip! I'm definitely enjoying this style more than my poor attempt at the watcher/sim dialogue in my last try. I'm just not funny enough to pull that style off, I think.

The girls had their graduation ceremony on Sunday. Sandra won Valedictorian by a hair, and she was voted Most Artistic by her classmates. Hyacinth was voted Most Likely to Take Over the World, though I can't imagine why.


Later that night, she went on a date with Ariel. She certainly seems pleased with herself, my daughter.


Piper had her final birthday standing in front of the easel, as usual. Sometimes, it seems like she's spent her entire adult life in front of that easel.


It occurs to me that I didn't mention a new addition to the family last week. Sahan adopted a dog named Captain, who seems to have taken quite the liking to our not-so-little Petunia. The result is Saren.


Hyacinth invited her old friend, Lionel Lancaster, over for a visit, though it seems he spent more time chatting with Sandra than anything else.


...And Hyacinth isn't the only one with less-than-appropriate suitors. What am I going to do with these girls?


Let's hope she's got some plan going on that she hasn't let me in on.


Aha, potent cure elixirs. How could I have forgotten Sahan's alchemical stockpile? One moment, he's got wings, the next, he's as human as Piper.


And just in time. Seems Hyacinth has chosen her mate, after all. He's still her boss, which I find interesting.


Petunia's getting a little grey around the muzzle these days. It doesn't feel like it's been that long since she was a puppy, but there it is.


Ariel had his birthday the night after he moved into the household. He's having a bit of a mid-life crisis, which isn't surprising, given his recent life changes. One might suspect he was already in the midst of one when he made the choice to live here instead of with his long-term girlfriend and their daughter.


Friday marked the last day we had Menace with us. We'll miss the little scamp.


Hyacinth threw a gift-giving party, both to help cement her friendships with many of her coworkers and to finish up an opportunity she picked up from work. One of the lab-workers has been feeling lonely and wanted to party, I guess.


Hyacinth's not the only one making use of the old stockpile of potent cures. Either Hyacinth has made sure Sandra knows that certain supernatural beings cannot be in the household with us, or Sandra decided she didn't like how furry poor Lionel is.


She took Lionel outside, I guessed to ask him to move in, though I saw him leave in the early hours of the morning. Did anyone else hear chimes?

[TheTripWasInfraGreen]

I swear, the developers must have been thinking of us when they decided that we can cure supernaturals from outside the house. Oh, and congrats to everyone on their romance.

[Dextra2]

I swear, the developers must have been thinking of us when they decided that we can cure supernaturals from outside the house

They were also thinking of us when we got potant frindship elixers, skilling drink, and witches.

[Lasnien]

I swear, the developers must have been thinking of us when they decided that we can cure supernaturals from outside the house.

Oh, indeed! I'm thoroughly enjoying being able to include so many original townies in the family. If you click around on the family tree for this family, you'll see just how connected everyone is. It seems like I've now got access to half of Lucky Palms through the family tree, since the Lancasters are *ahem* prolific, let's say. I think I'll be able to get one more generation (at least) of townie spouses before I have to marry my spare line back into the main bloodline.

Well, it seems like this week has been nothing but non-stop birthdays. Those chimes I heard? Well, looks like Sandra's going to be a mommy soon... which means we'll need a visit from Grim before Hyacinth can have her heir.


Sahan and Piper have been drifting apart lately, due mostly to their seeming obsession with painting and sculpting. They took a little time to bond over their little Captain (who I finally remembered to get a picture of).


First birthday of the week was Sahan joining the ranks of elders in the household.


The long hair and suit look still works for him, I think.


Next up was Saren, who got an interesting mix of his parents' markings. He's a handsome dog.


Not to be left out, Sandra discovered that it was time for another birthday, though it isn't hers.


Meet Scarlet Diwan. She's an eccentric slob with a fondness for the color seafoam.


Hyacinth has quickly caught up to Ariel in job position, though he's still nominally her boss. Despite her teenage protests, she seems to really care for Ariel. I often spy them whispering to each other and smiling. Spring is in the air, after all!


For our last birthday of the week, Sandra helped little Scarlet blow out the candles on her cake.


She got her paternal grandmother, Lina Lancaster's hair color, but those violet eyes are a mystery. This little girl's got a perpetual smile on her face.


And here are the outfits that Sandra dresses the little doll in. Unlike her own mother, Sandra went with colors that Scarlet actually likes.


Scarlet seems perplexed with her mother's preoccupation with art in general and photography in particular. I don't think Sandra's even ever picked up a camera.


Hyacinth and Ariel sneaked out to visit the spring festival after work (“sneaked out” - as if they were teenagers and not grown adults!). I found a slip of paper while tidying up that they must've gotten from the Love Tester machine in the park. It read: “Uncontrollable: Such Raw Energy – You Remind Love Inspector Of A Beautiful, Uninhibited Night That Love Inspector Shared With Claw Machine.” Someone's got a sense of humor, I see.


They stayed out late into the night, and when they got home, I could swear I saw a sparkle in Hyacinth's eye as she watched Ariel go on ahead of her to their bedroom.  Tomorrow's Love Day, and I have to wonder what, if anything, she's got planned.

[Lasnien]

After Hyacinth's sneaking around last weekend, I decided to follow her and her beau when they slunk out of the house early in the morning on Love Day. Call me a meddling old woman. Rather than try to paraphrase, I'll just let their own words stand as is.

“It's beautiful, Hyacinth, but what are we doing out here so early? There's practically still frost on the ground!”
“You know what day it is, don't you Ari?” Hyacinth sidles closer to Ariel, drawing a small object from her jacket pocket.
“Sunday?” Ari snickers as Hyacinth whacks him on the shoulder. He turns around with a tiny smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth. “Love Day? I'll admit, I'd hoped our celebrations would take place somewhere indoors... preferably with a bed.”


Hyacinth drops to one knee. “How's this, instead? Marry me.”
“I... you mean it? Really?”
“Of course, I mean it, Ari. Right here, right now! I even brought along my dress for the occasion.” She nods to a bag she'd surreptitiously stowed in the back seat of his dear Sloppy Jalopy.
“Well, alright then! Let's do this!”


“Hyacinth Medley, I thought I knew what love was before I met you. The day you applied for that job at the hospital, I learned that what I had was a tepid friendship held in stasis for the benefit of my daughter. I'd do anything for you. Give up the long life granted to the fae, leave my home, and yes, marry you. May our eventual child be as beautiful as you are.”


“Ariel Hudson, you may not know this, but there was a time when I was younger that I was convinced I'd never love a man the way I loved my high school sweetheart. I railed and ranted at Mom, and I moaned that life is so unfair. Why should I be forced into this situation when everyone around me gets to have a normal life? But then, I grew up, and I met you. As long as you live, you'll be the only one for me, and long after you've moved on, you'll live on in my heart and the heart of the child we'll have together.”


It is my great pleasure to present Mr. and Mrs. Medley. You may kiss the bride. As if they needed my permission.


Everything was in a holding pattern most of the rest of the week. We were all just waiting for the next visit from the reaper to make space in the house for another nooboo. Meanwhile, little Scarlet had her birthday on Friday.


She's... well, she's a bit of a slob now, and her eccentric style is kind of cute, really.


That afternoon saw the visit we were all expectantly dreading. My first friend in this desert town, Piper Sparks Diwan, had her appointment with the grim reaper on her ninety-first day.


She looked almost peaceful as old man death came for her, though she wasn't too proud to beg for a few more days. I spared her the indignity of capturing that moment on film.


Hyacinth heard the news as she left work for the day, which tempered her joy at finally becoming a world-renowned surgeon.


Despite our grieving household, we all agreed it would be best to continue with the plans for Hyacinth's adult birthday party. Hyacinth invited many of the old family friends around, including Scarlet's paternal grandfather, Jaycen Hendrix, standing next to Ariel.


After the cake was eaten and many of the guests were on their way out, Hyacinth pulled Ariel aside for a more private celebration of her birthday and promotion.


The stereotypical nausea shot (which I'm sure she'd be livid if she knew I'd taken it).


And, looks like our third generation is, in fact, on the way!

[TheTripWasInfraGreen]

Scarlet's adorable!

It's hard to see original housemates go. RIP Piper.

[Lasnien]

Thanks, Trip! Just wait till you see her as a teen. I'm loving how the townie genetics are playing so nicely with her.

It's funny, sometimes, how all the birthdays in the household seem to come in clusters. Sandra became an adult this week (complete with her very own mid-life crisis).


Captain is looking a little grey around the muzzle now.


No matter how many times this happens, I can't seem to make myself be calm for the birth of a new child.


Even Ariel – a doctor, for crying out loud! - freaked out while Hyacinth was in labor.


In the end, it was all worth it. Meet Garret Medley, the athletic and disciplined little boy both were hoping to have.


Piper may no longer be among the living, but that doesn't mean she doesn't visit. She delightfully destroyed the antique dollhouse we bought when Hyacinth and Sandra were small, while Scarlet slept on peacefully in the same room.


Garret's infancy passed relatively quickly, as it always seems to do, and we held an early morning birthday party for the little tyke.


Oh, dear. Ariel's eyes, and my long-departed Walker's hair. I think he'll be a heartbreaker, for sure.


Hyacinth took some time from trying to teach logic to anyone that'd hold still and imparted some skills to darling Garret instead.


Sahan was involved in one of his favorite activities – playing with the toys in Scarlet's room – when it happened.


He went along amicably enough with the grim one. I think he was eager to reunite with Piper. I... I'm not sure how I'll handle this for eternity. I haven't the heart to deny love and family to those I've inadvertently snared into this cursed house, but watching those that I've known and loved forever pass on to the Netherworld... Perhaps I can understand better how Jessica and Fiona must have felt.


One last cluster of birthdays for the week. First was Ariel, joining me in elderhood.


He decided to go ahead and retire from his position at the hospital so he could spend as much time as possible with Garret.


Finally, Scarlet became a teen, after one last ride on the spring rider.


Such a gorgeous girl!


Ariel spent some of his newfound free time teaching little Garret to talk... about sports, of course.


And Hyacinth finally achieved the rank of Grand Master in the local chess circuit, against Ariel's ex, Kinslee Hudson. She has only a few hours of skill tutoring and quite a lot of time left in tutoring children between her and finishing her skill requirements. After that, it's a waiting game.

[TheTripWasInfraGreen]

Garret is SO DARN CUTE.

Forgive my all-caps, but might be in the running for cutest immortal. The red hair just completes it.

[Rhoxi]

Hyacinth's wedding was quite sweet. Man, I've never seen a ghost destroy something like that! Does Piper have any mean traits?

Welcome, generation three! Garret is going to be quite the cutie.

[Lasnien]

I agree completely on Garret's cuteness, though I'm a bit biased as their watcher. He's just aged to teen in my game, and let me just say, "Yum!" You can check the family tree linked in the first post if you want a sneak peek.

As for Piper's destructive tendencies, the only "bad" trait she has is inappropriate. That shot may have been taken on Spooky Day, which seems to make pretty much everyone destructive, at least in this household. I can't remember how many times I've had to cancel the "Kick Gnome" interaction...

[Lasnien]

Ariel certainly has a great deal of free time now that he's not working anymore. I caught him sitting in the entryway carving a pumpkin for Spooky Day, and he said that it's for Garret.


Speaking of Garret, someone's got a bit of an attitude when it comes time to go back inside for a nap.


Another week, another visit from Old Man Death. I'm really beginning to dislike him. (Is Death male? Perhaps I should do some research...)


Hyacinth has taught skills to others enough to finally be considered a Skill Professor by the rules laid forth in the Dynasty Contract. Just a few more hours of tutoring children and she'll be all set on the skill front.


Just in time, it seems. Garret aged into a child in the middle of winter, with several snow days between him and a good grade.


A quick trip to the vanity may be in order for our targeted immortal-to-be.


Mussed hair and a sporty theme to his clothing. I think our adventurous little man may be looking at a future as a sports star.


Scarlet had her prom, and like her mother before her, won Prom Queen. She also came home with a little crush.


I don't think anyone told Scarlet to break up with Juanita. From what I understand, Scarlet was simply chattering on about the household rules – never leaving once joined, having a purpose – and Juanita took it... badly.


Hyacinth spent many afternoons – and a few of her days off – tutoring Garret so he would keep up with his grades. All this snow has made it difficult for the bus to make its rounds. The upshot is that Hyacinth has completed all of the skill challenges laid before her! I believe she's got all the friends she needs, as well, so now we wait for her birthday and museum pieces to be completed.


Garret knows enough about the requirements expected of him that he should be thinking of his designated skill and profession, yet he still spends much of his time playing make-believe games. Most of them have a common theme: adventure, travel, escape.


With all of the losses we've seen lately, Scarlet's been on the lookout for another dog to add to our household. Meet Ginger.


And, because it doesn't seem like a normal week when there's only been one birthday, Saren has had his final birthday as well.

[Lasnien]

I think we could call this week “Visitor Week” at the Medley household. Sandra had an unexpected run-in with a... charming green fellow named Cexavu Vajjevoo late one night. As she was the only one awake, nobody's really sure what went on there.


The next visitor was expected, but not exactly welcome. Captain went with the grim reaper at the age of 46, a respectable age for any dog.


We also had this little gal standing in front of the door for the better part of one night. She really seemed eager to visit, but that could just be because there's no way to reach my garden without going through the house.


Ginger and Saren evidently have a closer relationship than any of us knew, and little Tiger Lily here is the result.


Hyacinth has picked up a new hobby since she finished all her work in logic. She said we might as well have a backup plan in place for a time when we haven't the room for non-immortals to take care of all the museum pieces anymore. Her logic is impeccable (of course!), so I've also picked up painting in my free time.


As is quite common when there are youngsters in the house, there were several birthdays this week, starting with little Garret.


Not that he's so “little” anymore! He's been displaying a level of bravery that I haven't seen in this household since myself – not to toot my own horn or anything.


Garret immediately made a beeline for Scarlet to chatter on about some school gossip, and I could swear I saw little hearts flutter around them as they whispered to each other.


It's just a shame that her birthday was the next day. I would've liked to see where this puppy love might have gone... though, perhaps it's for the best. They're still a bit closely related for comfort.


The last unexpected visitor for the week was this unlucky, cowardly burglar. How does anyone with that sort of disposition manage to actually work up the nerve to attempt a robbery, especially on a house like this?


I showed her the error of her ways and sent her packing before she even made it in the front door to trip the burglar alarm. Sometimes I wonder why we even pay for the silly alarm system.


Scarlet's birthday fell on a Friday, and she surprisingly waited till after school to have her cake... perhaps to extend the time she'd have as Garret's age-mate. Who knows?


Lovely girl, though her eccentric wardrobe is still a bit jarring sometimes.


Once upon a time, shortly after Hyacinth married Ariel, the two lovebirds made a quick trip to China to finish one of her opportunities. Ari picked up some martial arts equipment while in the market, and it looks like their son has finally dragged it out of storage for some practice. I'll admit, I'm starting to wonder just what the boy's up to in terms of his dynasty requirements.


Last birthday of the week is Hyacinth's elder. She invited nearly everyone she knows in order to solidify her best friends requirements. From this angle, I can identify Richard Irwin, Naomi Nita, Yolanda Shaw, Addison Ross, and Jaycen Hendrix. I'm not sure who that is standing in front of Ari. It's surprising to see so many of the people who were already in town when I moved in still puttering about and looking so young. I'm heartily thankful for the stash of potent cure elixirs that Sahan made oh so long ago, as it leaves many of these people as potential spouses for my descendants, despite their age.


One last shot of my daughter before she joined me in the wrinkled old lady club. I think that's Rocco Lancaster behind her laughing. Ironic, considering he was born only a matter of days after I got into Lucky Palms.


And finally, my daughter is an elder. Tomorrow, she'll double check her friends and pose for her portrait and sculpture. Then, ambrosia.

[Rhoxi]

An unlucky cowardly burglar. Heh, fat chance! Also, that is some nice elder-wear. I like her formal dress.

[TheTripWasInfraGreen]

You have a way with stylish sims. Garret, Scarlet, and Hyacinth look superb.

Yeah, the whole second-cousins thing with Garret and Scarlet feels a bit too close, especially since they grew up together. I hope they both find someone nice.

[Lasnien]

Thanks for the compliments on the wardrobes. I don't usually think I'm particularly creative with my recolors. I've got a little question for you, the readers, that I'll put at the end of my post so I don't postpone the update any further. Also, 1000 views! Hooray! Thanks for reading!

The ice was sculpted, the photograph taken, and a masterpiece worthy of the museum was finished. It was time for my daughter to join me in immortality. The realization that this plate would take her another step from her beloved Ariel made her choke a bit, but she's a Medley, and she knows what's at stake.


As the ambrosia took effect on her, preserving her youth, I felt my mind slip away for a moment. I drifted down a hallway lined with paintings and photographs and felt the chill from never-melting icy likenesses of people I'd never met. Some were familiar, and others may as well have been strangers, but I knew that all had one thing in common: blood. These were the failed immortals. A misty form stepped from one of the ice sculptures and drifted down before me. I recognized this man; he was my father. He smiled at me sadly and said, “My darling Izzie, how far you've come. And yet, so far still to go...”

I shook my head, and the vision passed. Hyacinth was washing her empty plate, so I knew only a moment had passed. What was the significance? I must research.


Scarlet's been inviting over pretty much every young man she's met lately – at least the ones she's not closely related to. This fellow's Donnovan Steel, and he's certainly handsome, with the exception of the girlfriend he's already got in the military.


Sandra's elder birthday came around as so many of her other birthdays did – at the easel. I wish we'd taken more time to properly celebrate her birthdays, as well as the birthdays of the other mortals roped into the household, but we are generally a little distracted around here.


She looks so much like her father with that strong chin.


Hers was, of course, not the only birthday of the week. Little puppy Tiger Lily grew into a mature – if still small – dog.


I think she's the last dog we'll keep, though. The house is getting full, and it's sometimes difficult to get past the entry without tripping over dogs. Not to mention the wet dog smell every time it rains.


Ariel spent an evening teaching Garret how to drive, and when they were ready to come home, Ariel took a bit too long getting back to the car, leading the local law enforcement to believe that Garret was sneaking out past curfew. Garret found himself unceremoniously dumped into the squad car and carted home.


Scarlet refused to listen to his explanation and grounded him as soon as he walked in the door. Garret huffed angrily and stomped into his bedroom.


The next morning, he begged Ariel to unground him. After all, he'd done his homework and chores! Plus, prom was coming up. Ariel simply nodded, and Garret shot through the door to catch his bus.


Donnovan Steel wasn't the only man that Scarlet's had around the house lately. Cornelius Vandeen, target of rumors and speculation since I moved into town all those weeks ago (and newly cured werewolf) also spent a great deal of time in our household. It seems that Scarlet has made her choice.


Though it may have been a foolish choice on her part. Lycanthropy has a way of stalling the aging of its victims, but once cured, they almost immediately age many weeks in a matter of hours. But, young love is blind, and she asked him to move in anyway.


He's got such lovely eyes; I wonder why he always kept them hidden behind those sunglasses.


Cornelius had a little secret, though. He'd been living with Ms. Yolanda Shaw for some time, and in the interest of securing his new, fabulously wealthy lifestyle, he invited her over and ended their relationship immediately. I wonder what other secrets this long-lived wolfman may have.


Garret's prom was that evening, and while he was voted Prom King, unlike the girls, he didn't find any new crushes while dancing the night away. It's just as well. Chances are good that he'll wind up marrying one of the many supernatural young ladies that have been in this town as long as I have, if not longer. At this point, it almost seems as if this whole immortality thing is something of a waste of time. Why go through all the trouble if you could just, say, become a vampire or werewolf?


Ariel was spending the day at the spa, as most of us do once a week or so, when he had the sudden realization that he was 93. Wouldn't it be just like the grim reaper to find a man of his age when he's out of the house?


Of course, the reaper loves his irony – and timing – and dropped in for a visit, almost as if summoned. Ariel took his appearance with the good grace of a man who knows his time is up.


Almost immediately, Hyacinth started getting calls begging for dates with the newly-widowed hotshot doctor. She told them all that her heart was broken and she'd never consider spending time with anyone so inconsiderate as to try to woo her so soon after her husband's death.


Of course, as is so frequently the case, death serves as a reminder of life, and there was one couple in the house determined to celebrate that life with all they had.


And just like that, we're expecting a full house once more.


So, here's my conundrum. In-game, I'm at the beginning of week 16, and sweet little Garret is a young adult. I'm trying to find him a suitable bride from among the original townies still alive and in a life stage that'd be appropriate for bringing about the next generation. Currently, I have 6-7 young ladies in the running (one is marginal since she's an Adult werewolf). What I'm wondering is whether to go with the not-conventionally-pretty girl with a hidden trait, the Adult vampire he's actually throwing wishes for (she's now aged herself out of the running), or one of the girls with hair and eye colors that aren't currently already in the family (4 of the 7 girls have black hair, which is fine, but I've already got two immortals with black hair and more that'll be coming in from the spare line when they eventually merge). If you've got an opinion you'd like to share, let me know, and if you want to see the girls, I can post a link to a collage with most of them in it to avoid littering my thread with potential spoilers.

[TheTripWasInfraGreen]

When I have a choice of spouses, I just let my heir decide for themselves. Kind of a shame that the one lady that Garrett threw wishes for is an elder, but maybe he'll warm up to someone else.

[smartburn]

If he doesn't warm up to someone else, I'd lean towards the unconventional lady with the hidden trait, assuming "unconventional" doesn't mean she's a female Arlo Bunch or anything like that.

[Rhoxi]

Cornelius really is a gorgeous elder. What great eyes!

I'm a fan of potential spouse line-ups, myself! They're always a lot of fun, just to get people guessing about who it'll be. Really though, you just gotta go with whatever seems the most fun to you. Breeding for hidden traits or physical characteristics are both good options.

[Lasnien]

When I have a choice of spouses, I just let my heir decide for themselves. Kind of a shame that the one lady that Garrett threw wishes for is an elder, but maybe he'll warm up to someone else.

I prefer to let them choose, as well, and the attraction system helps with that some... but, he's wound up attracted to I think 3 of them, plus a few choices that wouldn't work or are a bit icky to think about.

If he doesn't warm up to someone else, I'd lean towards the unconventional lady with the hidden trait, assuming "unconventional" doesn't mean she's a female Arlo Bunch or anything like that.

Not quite on par with the Bunches, but her nose is a bit on the tiny side. I think the rest of it could be minimized by judicious use of haircut and makeup.

Cornelius really is a gorgeous elder. What great eyes!

I'm a fan of potential spouse line-ups, myself! They're always a lot of fun, just to get people guessing about who it'll be. Really though, you just gotta go with whatever seems the most fun to you. Breeding for hidden traits or physical characteristics are both good options.

I'll include the lineup with the next chapter, since it fits in well there anyway. It'll be posted as soon as I finish the write-up, and I think it'll be the longest chapter I've posted yet. I should have it up by this evening.

[Lasnien]

Garret's become quite the socialite lately. Sandra was invited to a party at the Tanner's home, and she stayed long enough to be polite, but Garret stayed nearly until his curfew chatting with Yuna. Her siblings, Ethan and Raquel, and her father have long since succumbed to old age, but Yuna and her mother are still hanging around, thanks to the blessing of the fae and the blood of the vampire.


Meanwhile, back at home, Scarlet and Cornelius were having quite the crisis. One would think that nobody here has ever seen a birth before.


Meet Sara. Isn't she adorable?


After Sara was ensconced in her crib, Cornelius had a sudden wish... and apparently, so did Scarlet!


We invited over what seemed like all of the folks who lived here when I first moved in for a quick wedding that evening.


Those two were in such a rush, that not everyone managed to find a seat before they'd said their “I do's.”


Not all of the guests were as pleased with the marriage as the happy newlyweds though. Cornelius failed to mention that he may not have fully broken off a romance with young Cricket Irwin. She let him know in no uncertain terms that she was finished with him for good (interrupting every attempt to cut the wedding cake for hours).


By midweek, we were gearing up for a birthday extravaganza, with both Garret and Sara set to hit their next respective birthdays by the end of the week. Someone else had another plan, though. Goodbye, Saren. We'll miss you.


Early morning birthdays are pretty much the rule around here, especially when it comes to children and teens, and Garret was no exception.


After Garret's turn at the cake, Scarlet dashed back into the nursery to let Sara have a turn before Hyacinth had to rush off to the hospital. Note poor Garret's terrible luck with his hair and wardrobe.


He made a beeline for the vanity as soon as his cake was finished to find himself something more suitable. He's grown into a fine young man, if I do say so myself.


Sara also toddled off to the vanity, with some help from Scarlet, of course. Such a pretty little thing with her mother's eyes and her father's hair.


After the birthdays, I rounded up Hyacinth and Garret, and we made a family trip to China for 9 days. I asked Garret to keep a journal of his activities, since Hyacinth and I did little more than lounge around base camp the entire time.

“So, a journal, huh? Is this how you've been keeping records of the family and town all this time, Gran? Well, here goes. I spent pretty much the first week just running jobs off the adventure board, most of them involving some amount of tomb raiding. Here's the entry switch to the first tomb I went to.”


“Most of these tombs haven't been maintained in centuries, so there's been a lot of rubble to clear out of the way. Excavation is serious business.”


“Oh, plumbob! Not the hair again! sigh Some of the 'adventures' I had were geared more toward learning more of the art of Sim Fu. I certainly didn't mind getting some practice in against a much more well-trained opponent. I've been hearing rumors that there's some kind of tournament going on, and I wish I had the experience and time to participate in that. I suppose there's always next time.”


“In the Temple of Heaven, I found the most remarkable talking axe. I'll have to get you to look into its possible sentience, Gran, and see if that helps you with the ghost problem you've been looking into.”


“After a grueling eight days of diving in wells, dodging traps, and digging up treasures, I finally reached the coveted Level 3 Visa in China. I celebrated by buying the family a little vacation home near the market.”


“And what do I find when I finally make my way down there? Is this what you and Mom have been doing this entire time?! Wow.”

Ahem, well, yes. Something he didn't mention is that many of the locals are now calling him a “timber terminator,” presumably because of many hours spent in front of a board breaker while he wasn't busy wandering through the tombs of China.


We arrived home to the sight of Sandra teaching little Sara to talk. She must've heard about Garret's latest martial arts exploits, because she was mentioning that Cousin Garret could find gems in space rocks.


Garret attended another party at the Tanner household, where he met this lovely young thing. Her name's Pansy Northrop, and I've somehow managed never to run into her, despite her being in town longer than me. She lives with Ezekiel Reid, whom I have met, and she's dating Donnovan Steel.


Garret decided to throw a costume party on the night before Spooky Day – which just happened to be a full moon. Good for ambiance, terrible for taking pictures.


During the party, Ginger had her final birthday out in the backyard.


I'm not entirely sure how they ended up like this, but Clark Bellamore and Addison Ross danced this way for quite some time near the end of the party. Incidentally, Addison is actually a doctor, so this costume is less of a costume and more of a work uniform.


And, finally, a collection of most of the eligible bachelorettes in Lucky Palms. Not pictured is Yolanda Shaw, who was an adult at the time of the costume party, but aged into an elder before the next week ended. Also not pictured is Kinslee Hudson, who has been ruled out due to being the mother of Garret's half-sister, Carie. Cricket is stuck in the Adult stage, and Emi is a Young Adult (yes, the daughter is older than the mother). Yuna is immune to fire.

[azokka361]

Hmm . . . I vote for Pansy or Abrielle, though Emi looks like she would be very pretty in human state. Just an observation.

[Rhoxi]

Wow, Pansy really is striking with the red hair and blue eyes! She's certainly got my vote. Although I suppose having a sim that was immune to fire might be sort of fun . . . Does it mean that they'll catch fire but just not die? Cause that could be pretty funny.

Also, adorable nooboo and beautiful wedding! Poor Cricket. I like that she really felt the need to tell him it was over. Sort of like, "No duh honey, take the hint!"

[Dextra2]

I vote for Pansy or Yuna. They're both very pretty and Yuna being immune to fire could be helpful.

[Lasnien]

Yuna and Abrielle were my first two choices, picked before Garret ever aged to YA. I didn't even know Pansy existed until that second party at the Tanner house, and she completely threw a monkey wrench into all my plans. There was attraction, but she had a boyfriend and the only wishes Garret threw for her were "Convince Pansy to kiss another sim" or "Convince Pansy to dance with another sim." Oh, dear! I hadn't seriously considered Emi as a prospect, though she does have fun traits and she's quite pretty judging by her entry on the wiki. I don't think there's any attraction, though.

Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for the input on Garret's little conundrum! Bit of a short chapter coming up, but that's only because the next one took me so long to play. 

It's been a quiet week in Lucky Palms. Garret spent the week dating his romantic prospects and working on promotions at his sketchy job. Can you believe it? A Medley resorting to common criminal activity? What is the world coming to? Anyway, he decided to meet up with one of his accomplices after work one day, and when I heard about the attraction he felt, his mother and I had to step in and firmly overrule him. Imagine how awkward family dinners would be if poor Carie Hudson was both his half-sister and his step-daughter.


I don't know if his timing was off or most of the young ladies around here didn't like him (or perhaps they knew already where his heart belonged), but Garret had a string of awful dates with most of the women he was considering. The one exception was little Pansy Northrop. She's a bit older than I expected – she must've had a birthday soon after that costume party – but she certainly seems to make Garret happy.


Speaking of happy couples, Scarlet and Cornelius have been much happier together since he was made to see how hurtful his flirty ways could be. He refocused his efforts on cooking, but the damage between Scarlet and Sandra had already been done.


Sara had her birthday on Thursday, and Scarlet chose to enroll her in Dribbledine Sports Academy. Seems there was some sort of mixup, though, since the taxi never arrived to pick her up.


She chose her new wardrobe for school, even though the taxi never came. Instead, she enjoyed herself thoroughly by playing in the snow.


Garret and Pansy continued dating through the week. He decided it'd be best to let her keep her wings as long as possible, even if that meant she couldn't move in. There are stories of particularly long-lived sims in the world, and it'd be emotionally crippling to Garret if his lover grew too old to bear him an heir before there was room for another in the household.


Since everyone has started sleeping at more or less the same time recently, we've gotten more of Garret's peers creeping around the house late at night. One might expect them to know better, considering how badly they tend to get roughed up by a little old lady in her pajamas.


Last bit of news for the week: Scarlet has reached full adulthood. No mid-life crisis, no unseemly desires to move or end relationships. Just a quiet, peaceful birthday in the front hall.

[Rhoxi]

Half sister and step daughter, eh? Did your family tree get a bug? I know that happens some times, with traveling. In a previous dynasty attempt, after traveling Gen 2 and Gen 3 didn't realize they were related anymore. That was . . . weird. Like, hey, don't even think about flirting with your mother! Well, I hope Garret finds the right lady. (Go Pansy!)

[Lasnien]

Half sister and step daughter, eh? Did your family tree get a bug? I know that happens some times, with traveling. In a previous dynasty attempt, after traveling Gen 2 and Gen 3 didn't realize they were related anymore. That was . . . weird. Like, hey, don't even think about flirting with your mother! Well, I hope Garret finds the right lady. (Go Pansy!)

No, Carie is the baby that Kinslee and Ariel Hudson are expecting at the beginning of the game. That's Kinslee in the first shot, and according to the family tree, she's unrelated to Garret and therefore a valid romantic target. So, if Garret were to marry Kinslee, her daughter would become his step-daughter in addition to his half-sister. I almost want to try it in an alternate-universe file just to see what the family tree would do!

[Tilia]

Just discovered this one today!  Can't wait for more

[Lasnien]

We threw a gift-giving party on Sunday as a way of keeping up with the family friends (incidentally, also the longest-lived of Lucky Palms residents). It seems that even the grim reaper took the elderly stray cat dying near the house to be an invitation, and seeing that we're destined to spend the next five or so generations having regular visits from him, I decided it'd be best to show some respect. He even received some flowers from an anonymous gifter among our friends.


By Tuesday, Sara was finally picked up to attend her prestigious boarding school, after some rather frustrating clerical mixups with her paperwork. Too little, too late, I'm afraid. She only had one day at school before she was pulled back due to extenuating circumstances. Among them was the death of her father, Cornelius Vandeen, at the age of 93.


Nights at the Medley house have been getting too restless for my taste, with all the ghosts of past housemates, lovers, and pets wandering around, so I bought the graveyard and had a private mausoleum built to hold the remains of all of our loved ones. They have all of the freedom to roam allowed them by the rules of death – and even a professional bar – and we no longer need to worry about precious sleep time being interrupted by a wave of cold air brushing through us at the presence of a beloved friend. Ariel seems pleased with the new locale, though he still misses his darling Hyacinth.


In this house, the tragedy of death is usually counteracted by the joy of bringing in new life. Garret invited over his romantic partner, Pansy, after work the day after Cornelius joined the other household members in the mausoleum.


A shot of potent curing elixir, and Pansy became as human as... well, I suppose Sara is the only other non-witch in the family right now. Pansy was immediately welcomed into the family.


Garret had a more intimate welcoming party planned for his little fairy-girl...


Sara had her birthday party early in the morning while she was home from school. Considering how little time she spent there and the fact that we had to pay her tuition twice due to lost paperwork (not that the money matters to us; it's the principle!) I have to wonder at Scarlet's insistence on re-enrolling her in their high school.


That's beside the point. Little Sara isn't so little anymore, and her wardrobe certainly shows off her unique sense of style. If Cornelius were still around, I doubt he'd approve of what his little girl is wearing.


Pansy seemed convinced that she'd eaten some bad sushi or spoiled salad for dinner last night, but I know better.


I went with the young lovers on a short trip to France (what can I say, I'm a sucker for travelling), and while Garret spent a great deal of his time delving through the old Landgraab mansion and other ruins, he made sure to take some time out to spend with lovely Pansy. He asked her to meet him at the cafe one afternoon, ostensibly to get a quick bite to eat between excursions.


Pansy should've known something was up; Garret's nearly addicted to his moodlet manager while he's on trips and rarely takes the time to visit the lavatory, even, let alone sit down and eat! I believe she was pleased with the way the date turned out, anyway!


We all returned home after a few short days in France. Garret didn't quite get enough of a visa to buy a vacation home, but there's always next time. It wasn't long before Pansy realized what was really behind her upset stomach. She and Garret decided that they didn't want to wait until after the baby comes before they get married, so the date was set: Friday afternoon, we'd have our first true Medley wedding party.


After work (for those of us that work days, anyway) everyone put on their best clothes for a fancy wedding bash. The guests started arriving, and then it happened. Sandra was like a daughter to me, and we'd only grown closer in the long days of elderhood. It hardly seems like 98 days have passed since the first time I held her in my arms.


The reaper made his visit quick this time and didn't stick around to cast a pall over what was supposed to be among the happiest days in this house. Sandra wished for just a few more hours, so she could see the wedding, at least; Grim, as usual, was not convinced.


The bride and groom quickly made their way out to the wedding arch, hoping to salvage what festive spirit they could after the unexpected guest. A few of the invited guests left early, put off by the intrusive – if only temporary – presence of death. Everyone else gathered round to watch the couple exchange their rings.


A kiss to seal the deal. My little grandson has finally married, and it won't be long before he has a child of his own.


Saturday rolled around, and there was a sense of anticipation in the air. We all knew it was coming; pregnancy does have something of a schedule after all. But, we forgot one small detail. Dear little Tiger Lily, the last of our family dogs, had her final birthday. The line that started with my lovely Lola has officially ended here.


At the same time, in the living room, Pansy finally went into labor. For the first time, it looks like someone is actually not panicking at the sight of something she herself has already been through!


May I present to you Finn Medley. He's taken after his grandmother with his good tendencies, and he's friendly with everyone – even his mother, who has professed that she really just doesn't like children.


And with this entry, the story has made it farther than either of my previous attempts! Hooray! Thanks to all of you for reading and commenting!

[Rhoxi]

Well, I guess Cornelius would like Sara's last clothing option: the outerwear! Welcome little Finn! Getting to generation four is quite an accomplishment. Just think: half of all the immortals have now been born.

Also, death opening a present at your gift giving party is just too awesome! No, Grim! Dead cats are NOT an invitation.

[Lasnien]

Another week, another visit from the grim one. It'll be something of a relief to no longer worry about short-lived pets bringing him round for such regular visits, though I'll miss the companionship.


Finn had his birthday, and despite her professed dislike of children, Pansy insisted on bringing him to the cake.


Garret's hair and eyes, with Pansy's lips and face. Hard to say whose nose he's got, but I'll venture a guess on Garret's – it's the same nose that Hyacinth and I both have, as well.


The doting new parents made sure that little Finn learned everything he needs to know as a toddler – walking...


Using the potty...


And talking. Garret seemed to be trying to nudge Finn to a more respectable career than the one he chose for himself, but Finn doesn't look convinced.


The full moon brings out all of the odd visitors, it seems. Stray animals, zombies, and even an alien abduction. Hope there are no... inconvenient consequences to yet another visit from Cexavu Vajjevoo.


Garret decided that with Finn finished with his toddler skills, it was time for him to return to China to participate in the Sim Fu grand championships. What he didn't realize is just how old his competitors would be.


Seems like there's a bit of an oddity with the aging in China. Nearly everyone in the country was elderly!


Garret spent his nights in meditation until he was considered a master of meditation by the gurus of sim fu.


And, finally, he reached the pinnacle of martial arts ability. Combined with his mastery of athletics, Garret completed his lifetime wish of achieving physical perfection.


One last sparring match – where he had to track his opponent to the marketplace – and Garret was named Grand Master of the tournament.


He celebrated by exploring more tombs, including the infamous Dragon Cave, where he vanquished the mummy of China's most infamous warlord: Dong Huo!


Throughout his entire vacation, Garret's mind kept returning to one thing: his son, Finn. Finn, on the other hand, was doing as any toddler with no more learning responsibilities does best.


Garret's birthday fell on the Friday after he got home from China. Cake – check. Sparkles – check. Mid-life crisis – check. Lovely.

[Rhoxi]

Hardly seems fair to beat up a bunch of elders! Haha! I guess the tournament had some pretty slim competition. Looks like Garret's getting most of his tasks done nice and quick.

[Lasnien]

Okay, good news and bad news. Good news: I've got this chapter of buffer that I can post. Bad news: I'm having to reinstall the game, and the download is going slowly. Once I've finally got everything up and running (tomorrow, hopefully) I'll check to make sure the files are still working properly, and then probably take a break till the University Life stuff is all checked out by the challenge team. Here's hoping my files didn't take a nosedive with all the computer junk. Fingers crossed!

Theme for the week: birthdays. Pansy had her elder birthday early in the week, just after a shower.


Finn aged into childhood with help from his “child-disliking” mother. She occasionally does shoo him from the room, but I've not witnessed anything more extreme from her.


Finn's gotten a little snobby as he gets older, but it's nice to see how well Garret and Pansy have blended into his facial features. I think he'll make a lovely teen.


Garret makes sure to give Finn the affection he's not really getting from Pansy.


Sara graduated from Dribbledine and came home late on Thursday. Despite her athleticism and adventurous spirit, she's decided to go into the culinary field like her late father. Her wardrobe's toned down a little from her teen rebellion style.


Even after all the sparring he did in China, Garret's still got a way to go before he'll be considered a Sim Fu King, so he's trained both Scarlet and Sara in martial arts to act as his sparring partners. I think he's going easy on them, though, since he seems to let them win quite frequently.


The burglars still haven't taken the hint that they shouldn't be around here. Now there are two old ladies here that will kick them to the curb before they even make it to the front door.


And, because this has been an uneventful week, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the house as it stands now. The wall at the back of the property acts as a memorial for the mortals that have lived in the house. The pet photos have since been moved into the family mausoleum at the graveyard.


The first floor has bedrooms for the immortal-to-be currently actively working on requirements, in this case, Garret. The adjacent nursery serves both the immortals-to-be and those mortals born into the house. The other two bedrooms are for children and teens or the younger set of live-in mortals. The art room was supposed to be a garage, but we decided a dedicated studio space would be more useful considering many of us simply use brooms or vacuums for our transportation.


The second floor houses mostly elders, along with the workout equipment – which will be moved downstairs at some point in the future.


The basement holds the laundry room along with nectar machines and an alchemy lab, both currently locked away awaiting a future immortal to pick up those particular skillsets.

[Rhoxi]

Aw, a snobby kid. Is it weird that I enjoy that trait in the sims? They always crack me up. Here's to hoping your dynasty file is safe!

[Lasnien]

Been a while, eh? Happily, my reinstall didn't cost me anything but my saved hair colors (which I'm sure I could find if I bothered to try) and I haven't found anything strange connected to installing University Life, either. I hope you'll pardon the delay; I find myself with less and less time to sim as my due date draws nearer, and I just really need that buffer before I can get back to writing, I find.

Now that Sara's a young adult, she's been exploring her options regarding potential mates. He won't get to move in, but there's a chance that Sara will wind up having a child for Finn's child to one day marry. Should it be odd for us to plan out the lives of children who are still weeks from being born? At any rate, we did the Medley family usual of inviting over most of the age-appropriate candidates for a party so Sara could see if any sparks flew. This is Joseph Gilbert (I think; it may be his brother, Hanson). No significant attraction here.


Ezekiel Reid is another story, however. I checked out the window to spot this cozy little tableau.


Scarlet had her final birthday after the party guests left for the evening. Why do I insist on forming such close relationships with the mortals in this household when I know it's only a matter of time before Grim comes for them? I think I may have a solution worked out, but it cannot be tested until the eighth of my line reaches immortality.


Enough of my maudlin mood swings. Finn had his birthday party before school on his birthday. It seems like we haven't had a truly scholarly child in the family since Hyacinth was young. Alas.


One set of sparkles later, and Finn was ready to take himself off to the vanity to correct the horrible trick played on him by his new clothes.


I thought Finn's hair was the same color as Garret's, but it seems to be a shade or two darker. He certainly takes after Pansy, though.


The next night marked the last night for little Tiger Lily. She was with us for 49 days.


Sara stopped the grim one for a chat before he could return to the netherworld after Tiger Lily. I don't know what was said, but Sara looked a little pale afterward.


Finn's prom rolled around on a snowy Friday evening. He won Prom King, of course, but found himself rejected by his crush no fewer than three times and got into four fights. Poor kid.


I think Sara's found her choice in mate in Clark Bellamore, here. We'll just let his vampirism slide for the time being; no need shortening his life before it's needed, after all.


Garret finally reached the level of Master Thief in his seedy line of work. He proved himself by stealing this lovely statue of a golden fox. Now, it's only a waiting game – less than a week till his elder birthday.


Finn invited his crush over on Saturday to have a little chat with the boy who snubbed him. There was quite a bit of shouting and pointing fingers...


...and anger from both sides.


In the end, Finn felt that he'd “won” I suppose. Our snobby little boy doesn't appreciate being on the receiving end of a snub, after all.

[Lasnien]

Once again, long delay between updates. Sorry about that. I blame University in part... I should know better than to do a two-week term - I tend to lose interest when away from the main family for such a long stretch of time. My thanks to anyone still following this story, and without further ado, here's week twenty-one!

Finn chose nectar-making as his chosen skill, finally making use of those old machines Garret brought back from France. When it became apparent that he was learning everything much faster than he should have been, we both agreed that he should take a break until he's old enough to begin receiving opportunities from the people around town. Plus, I've read that it's best to complete some of the challenges associated with nectar-making all at once without traveling to other places; Finn intends to actually attend university, unlike the rest of the family.


I don't recall a week where there hasn't been at least one death in this household, and this week's no exception. One of the local strays had his meeting with the grim one on our front lawn.


...And the stray dog wasn't the only one. Pansy Northrop Medley faded away at the age of 91.


She begged for one more day, so that Garret's memory of their anniversary wouldn't be tainted by the reaper's presence. As we all know, the grim one brooks no argument. When time is up, time is up.


We were all a touch relieved to have the mundane threat of yet another thief attempting to penetrate the admittedly unimpressive security system in the house. Who needs a proper security system when we have the Grand Master of the Shang Simla martial arts tournament and one of Lucky Palms' oldest and most terrifying old ladies in the house?


Garrett decided that without his lovely Pansy to stand by his side, he'd rather celebrate his final birthday early in the morning, surrounded by friends and family.


One set of sparkles later, and Garret was ready to pose for his last museum pieces, after a trip to the wardrobe, of course.


He's no longer the fresh-faced heartthrob he was as a young man, but my grandson is still as handsome to me as ever. And, if my theories are feasible, it may be a temporary state of affairs anyway.


By dusk, all of Garrett's museum pieces were finished, and he had his first taste of ambrosia while sitting across from his mother, my daughter. It was a somber event, reminding my descendants of those we must leave behind in this insane contract.


I knew the moment he finished his plate, since I felt the increasingly familiar out-of-body experience of drifting down a hallway lined with museum-quality paintings and sculptures. I saw the form of my father floating towards me, and beside him was another form. She introduced herself as Jennifer, and I recognized that she must be my grandmother. The two apparitions turned and spoke to each other in hushed voices, and I could just make out something about, “five to go,” as I faded back into consciousness.


Finn's been taking the time to search out more of the local ladies in town. Darleen Matlapin is, surprisingly enough, still around thanks to her vampiric blood. I certainly hope that Finn is happy with his choice of mate, despite having little choice in this quickly-stagnating town.

[Trip]

RIP Pansy, but congrats to Garrett! He's still a handsome old man.

Yeah, the two-week terms at University are taxing for me to play too, so I know how you feel.

[Rhoxi]

I was just checking through my bookmarks and found this! I agree about University. Two sim weeks felt like too long away from my main family when I sent a couple of sims there. Nice to see there are still some unique faces to chose from in town; Supernatural has been most helpful about that!

[Lasnien]

Whew! I can't seem to catch a break with this game sometimes. Repeated crashes at the beginning of week 23 led to me replaying the same day more times than I care to count. I'm just wondering where that blasted groundhog is!  I finally got past that (I suspect the culprit was me trying to place the group science project on my home lot; either the machine itself was causing a problem, or it was triggering the rain puddles/build mode issue) and now I'm far enough through week 23 that I feel comfortable posting again! Yay!

Finn likes to spend his free time at the new bowling alley, meeting people and working on his game. Here's hoping he doesn't throw any gutterballs while that poor cat is there.


He threw his own birthday party (our Finn's become something of a party animal lately) and invited over the most eligible bachelorettes in Lucky Palms. We need to see which ones strike his fancy. Nevermind that several of these ladies were – and are still, in some cases – interested in marrying Garret.


He definitely seems to be going for the preppy-collegiate look in his wardrobe these days. It fits with his desire to one day become Leader of the Free World, I suppose.


Finn quickly filled out his university aptitude exam before he headed back out to the party for some schmoozing.


First on his list of potential partners was Darleen Matlapin. Their signs are compatible, and there is definite attraction on his part...


And hers, as well. No partner that I've heard about, either. The only potential obstacle is that she's an adult vampire, which may or may not cause problems when he's ready for an heir.


Of course, there's dear Yuna Tanner as well. No partner here, either, but she's an adult fairy. I fear that Finn may need to look outside Lucky Palms if he's to find a suitable partner.


Not pictured in the list of potential mates for my great-grandson are Abrielle King and our very own Sara. Abrielle is another adult fairy, and I don't think there was any particular reason for Finn to choose or not choose her over anyone else. Sara, of course, is Finn's second cousin once removed. Legally speaking, they could marry, but I'd still feel more comfortable if perhaps their children were the ones to do so. Sara and Finn barely even speak to each other, and there's a significant age gap.

After the party, Finn packed up his suitcase and headed off to University for a double-length term. I'll let him take it from here.


“Finn Medley here, coming at you live from Sims U! I'll tell you what, these communications classes are certainly time-consuming. I hardly have any free time to myself!”


“Between lectures and class activities, I think I only managed to make it to three or four parties a week! What a slave driver that professor is!”


“Despite all the hardship, I did manage to find some time to play. My dorm-mate, Asala, here can vouch for that! *wink*”


“It was only a matter of time before the dean went ahead and gave me my own radio show. I mean, it's not like everyone in the department can just broadcast away whenever they want to!”


“My dorm-mates really went out of their way to make me feel at home. I mean, why else would old Norm here be beating up this robber? (Don't ask why he's living in the dorms with us... I don't think anyone really wants to know that answer.)”


“Finals rolled around and I made sure to suck up to the prof study extra hard the night before to lock in my spot on the Dean's List. What? Why doesn't anyone ever believe me?”


“As luck would have it, I had a rather shocking experience on my way to the last final of the term. Someone remind me to bring a weather controller next time I come here!”


“All told, I had a great time at Sims U, and I brought home an A on my coursework! I'm glad, though, that I've only got one term left before I get my degree. It's awfully tiring working on classes for such a long time! Back to you, Great-Gran.”


*sigh* Boys will be boys, I suppose. Meanwhile, little miss commitment issues over here has been doing some “studying” herself, it seems.


Garret let her know in no uncertain terms that he couldn't think of her like that – he very nearly wanted to date her mother, after all. Sara took it well; I think she may have just been looking for a reaction anyway.


Speaking of Scarlet...


We will miss you, darling girl. There are only five of us in the house now, and tomorrow is Sara's adult birthday. I believe the plan is for Finn to bring in his bride-to-be and Sara to choose a paramour so that the next generation will arrive.

[Trip]

RIP Scarlet.

Glad you (hopefully!) got over the crashing issues.

[Lasnien]

Sara's birthday was the day after Scarlet went with the grim one. Finn hosted her party and invited over both his own potential brides and Sara's suitors.


Unfortunately, Sara found herself in the grip of a mid-life crisis as the sparkles washed over her. How many times has this happened now?


Sara slipped off to find herself a suitable new outfit, one that she thought screamed, “I'm still young and hip!” more so than her usual daily wear.


Meanwhile...


Young Finn made his decision on which of the eligible young ladies of Lucky Palms would be the proverbial winner of his affection. What he failed to ask was the most important question, perhaps.


When...


is...


your...


birthday...


Yuna?


Two fertility treatments, a romantic massage, and a wish for a large family later, and the sad truth came out.


Yuna aged to elder before any chimes could be heard. She'll live out a happy life in our home, but I fear that she won't be joining the bloodline through any traditional means.


Finn doesn't seem to mind – he's not treating her any differently than before her birthday, despite the now-obvious gap in their ages. I wish... *sigh* I wish there was some way I could help them, but my sole scientific focus has been directed elsewhere.


If only there was another way.

[Rhoxi]

Oh goodness, that is unfortunate! Because at this point in a dynasty, what you really want is an extra spare clambering about the place. Well, at least there's another potential mother already in the house, or will Finn just have to wait a looooong time for a child?

[Lasnien]

Whoops! Sixty days since the last post in the thread, and over 90 since the last time I posted? Bad author! Okay, so I'm here, and I've got a chapter. I won't promise to update on anything resembling a regular basis (the real-life nooboo has completely turned my schedule upside-down, and he doesn't seem to appreciate my simming addiction habit), but I do hope to at least be able to play some now that things have settled.

Once again, thanks to anyone still reading this, and I appreciate your patience. And, with that said, on with the show!

Once it became clear that no nooboos were on the way, Finn decided that he would head back to university for his final term. One more week, and he had his diploma in his hands, complete with a 4.0 GPA.


After his week away from the drama of home, Finn found himself surprised by a sudden proposal from Sara. To say that I was surprised by her decision would be an understatement.


She dragged Finn into his bedroom before he could change his mind, and before long, the deed was done.


Afterwards, Finn was upset about his rash actions. What would Yuna think? Would she ever forgive his... indiscretion?


Sara ensured Finn that she would take any blame for the situation. After all, it's all for the family, right? Oh, how I wish none of this was forced on us, but the end is getting nearer every week.


Sara's pregnancy started to show during work, and she was sent home lest she get sick all over some poor customer.


Yuna's reaction was not quite as bad as Finn feared it would be, though she was certainly resentful of Sara's new position in the family hierarchy – as though Yuna would be “demoted” or some such just because she couldn't bear a child...


She even made sure to point out that Finn would never love Sara. Finn wisely decided to stay out of the ensuing argument over the meaning of “love.” Hyacinth, meanwhile, had something up her sleeve...


My daughter and I have spoken at length about the folks in town, and while many of the “original” residents are still living, our most recent experiences with curing them of their supernatural status have proven troubling, at best. Those few who have moved into town since I started this journey seem to be... off somehow, so the collective of immortals have decided that we'd try to discourage the young ones from choosing them as spouses. This leaves us with a dilemma: who would the remaining heirs be able to marry? With Sara expecting a little girl, Hyacinth dug into her stash of surreptitiously gathered DNA samples to find her a match.


Meet Darius Dreamer, clone of the late Darren Dreamer, who sadly passed hours after he was cured of his lycanthropic state.


A matter of hours (but, oddly, one day) later, Sara went into labor and sent me into yet another bout of hysterics. Somehow, I never seem to get used to childbirth, even after all these weeks.


Emily Medley has joined the household, giving us a full house once more.


Despite their differences, both Sara and Yuna adore the children and spend much of their time caring for them.


Finn finally decided to pop the question and make an honest woman of Yuna, as well as make things official.


Friday marked little Darius's first birthday, and Yuna did the honors of bringing him to the cake.


A few sparkles later, and we've got our little man. He's quite the image of Darren, and even shares traits with his progenitor – though how anyone could tell that a toddler is a great kisser is quite beyond me!


The next day, of course, was Emily's birthday, and her mother brought her to the cake.


Finn's face shape and hair color with Sara's features and eye color. I think she'll be a stunning girl, but I may be biased.


Before the day was over, Finn and Yuna decided that they didn't want to wait any longer and scrapped their wedding plans for a private ceremony in the foyer. It's good to see him so happy... I only hope it lasts.

[Trip]

Welcome back! And congrats on your real-life nooboo.

Even though Yuna is pretty much dead weight in the household, I can't help but feel sorry for her. I'm glad that Finn was able to keep their relationship, though.

Both of the toddlers are adorable, especially Emily. She definitely got the best from both parents.

[Rhoxi]

Good to hear from the Medley's again, and congrats on the nooboos both real and virtual. Emily and Darius are both such cuties. A great kissing toddler. Haha! Oh goodness.

[Lasnien]

Thanks, Trip and Rhoxi, for your endless support on this story. It's always good to hear from the people that read. And thanks for the congrats on the real-life nooboo. He's absolutely adorable, and I'm in no way biased about that. Nope. Nuh-uh.

Well, it's been a rather uneventful week here. Finn finished two more of his challenges in nectar-making, leaving only the one cryptically referred to as “Vizard of Vine” to be completed. No pictures of his work, though, since grape-stomping does tend to get repetitive after a while.

As for the rest of the household... there are toddlers around, so you know what that must mean...

Talking...



walking...



and potty.



Once the children had learned all they must, they were pretty much left to their own devices. They tended to gravitate toward the block table, where they'd chatter on about anything that caught their imaginations.


The week capped off with their birthdays: first Darius, whose birthday somehow managed to catch us unaware.


He's gravitating ever closer to the man he was cloned from, with an artistic streak beginning to show itself.


And then it was Emily's turn.


Quite the imagination on this one. Already announcing her aspiration to become an astronaut, perhaps.


At her (extremely persistent) insistence, Finn agreed to install an inventing table in the empty room next to his nectary equipment. I don't know what she's making in there – besides a racket!

[Rhoxi]

Aw, what cute kids! Although, I'm starting to lose track; is this gen 4?

[Trip]

I'm pretty sure that Emily is generation five.

Cute kids! Usually sims look cuter as toddlers than children, but Darrius and Emily seemed to grow into their looks even better as children. Good luck to Finn with Vizard of Vine.

[Lasnien]

Yep, Emily's generation 5. And I'm pretty sure that Finn's completed Vizard of Vine at this point, judging from the number of grapes that Isabella handed him and the fact that those are all gone, but I just really want to see it done in his journal. So, I'm being the evil watcher and making him harvest his own grapes all over again, just so he can squash them himself. What made me think that nectar-making was a good idea, again?

[Lasnien]

So, birthdays. Not much else of note happening in the Medley household these days. Finn keeps himself locked up in the basement with his nectar makers or schmoozes with the high-rollers in town for campaign donations. He's a full adult now, and of course he's in the midst of a mid-life crisis.


Darius and Emily are inseparable, as I'd hoped. We all take care not to treat them like siblings, though I still worry they may think it too odd to date when they're older. Time will tell.


Yuna passed away on Darius's birthday, at the age of 93. Despite her late addition to the household, she had several friends here who will miss her dearly.


She begged the grim one for just one more day – hours even – so she could see her step-daughter's birthday. As always, he refused.


While the rest of the family scattered to the far ends of the household to mourn in private (or perhaps just find their moodlet managers), Garret chose to hang back and ask the reaper how our loved ones in the nether are faring. I don't think he liked the answer.


Finn arrived home from work to find that his wife of only a few weeks had been taken from him. Strangely, I remembered that I had been married to Walker for a similarly short time, and I felt a pang of regret at the thought. It's been a lifetime since I last thought of him; what brings him to my mind now?


In all the commotion, Darius had his birthday with no celebration in front of his easel. Raging hormones, here we come.


I was never close to Darren Dreamer, but still I am struck by the similarities Darius shows. I suppose it's to be expected; he is a clone, after all.


Finally, Saturday came around, and this time it was to be a double birthday. Finn invited half the town over to celebrate his daughter's birthday as well as her mother's.


She's an eccentric girl, our Emily, no doubt about that. How she manages to sleep with those goggles still on her head baffles me.


Next came Sara, joining the ranks of elders in the household. Note that Darleen Matlapin and Jaycen Hendrix, here, still seem just as young as the day I moved into town. My creaky joints are jealous of their youth.


Another mortal elder, which means only a few weeks until we have another visit from the reaper. Sigh I must direct my thoughts elsewhere, lest I bury myself in maudlin memories.

[Trip]

RIP Yuna.

I love how Emily's purple eyes match the rest of her wardrobe! She and Darius are both lovely young sims.

[Rhoxi]

Emily in particular looks awesome. Good luck to Finn on getting that nectar achievement to pop. His aging up face is just adorable.

[Lasnien]

*Tiptoes in and looks around hesitantly, brushing cobwebs from shoulders* So, yeah. Six months? Terribly sorry about that; awfully difficult to use a desktop PC with a toddler who shouldn’t be allowed to play in all the wires that form a rat’s nest beneath the desk. I now have access to a laptop capable of playing The Sims 3, and hopefully it won’t balk at the ever-growing file size of a dynasty save.

To be perfectly honest, I almost gave up on this file out of fear that it wouldn’t load on my laptop, but with Gen 4 so close to immortality and Gen 5 almost ready to bring in Gen 6, I couldn’t bear to start over.

Once again, thanks to everyone still interested in my rarely-updated story, and especially to Rhoxi and Trip for your comments. Without further ado…

Darius and Emily entered their teenage days just in time for the Love Day dance at the spring festival. Things started out rather platonic.


As the day wore on, the kids got more comfortable with each other, edging closer and closer.


Seems poor Darius needs a little more practice at this whole dancing thing. Despite these issues, they were named King and Queen of the Spring Dance.


I do hope you’ll forgive an old woman her meddling, but I’m so pleased with how things are turning out.


Dear Finn has won his final election and been named Leader of the Free World. The Medley family now has the foremost authorities in science, medicine, crime, and politics. Four more leaders to go…


The spring festival isn’t the only dance important to our youngest family members, of course. By the end of the night, I overheard that Darius and Emily were “SimBook official” whatever that means, and there was a new pair of crowns sitting on the counter the next morning.


The folks that keep track of such things never confirmed that Finn completed his Vizard of Vine challenge, so I planted several Avornolino grape vines for him to harvest the grapes himself. Despite picking plenty of the fruit and turning them into wine himself, he still hasn’t received acknowledgement from the powers-that-be. I hope this won’t affect our mission.


Meanwhile, Emily has continued with her inventions, leading to some heated moments, heh heh.


Week 27 held little of note, save a pair of birthdays. Garret did, however, somehow see his old imaginary friend from childhood for the first time in weeks. He didn’t seem pleased to see her.


Darius reached his young adulthood first.


I still find myself amazed by the technology that allowed us to make such an exact clone of the man I nearly chose as my own mate. How would things have changed had I done so? I can hardly imagine my family being anything other than it has been.


Emily’s birthday followed the next day, of course.


I do adore the dress she’s chosen for her formal wear, and her athletic outfit certainly seems to confirm my early suspicions regarding her profession of choice.


Perhaps we won’t have long to wait for the next generation of Medleys…


Newsworthy Notes:
Lionel Lancaster - paramour of dear little Sandra nearly twenty weeks ago - has finally succumbed to the ravages of time, preceded by his lover and daughter. He is survived (barely) by his granddaughter Sara and great-granddaughter Emily.
Sara has finally reached the top of the culinary ladder and immediately retired upon getting back home.

[Rhoxi]

Well, holy crap! Welcome back, again.  Glad to see they both grew up so lovely; they're gonna make one pretty nooboo.

[Trip]

I hope your laptop holds up. While I would understand if you had to abandon the dynasty, I'd be very sad.

They're both beautiful young adults. I forgot about Lionel, though. Poor, forgotten, outside-of-the-household babydaddy.

[Lasnien]

Thank you, thank you! I expect there are going to be lots of townie deaths upcoming due to less computing power on the laptop compared to my desktop, which makes me sad. Long chapter, lots going on, so here we go.

At the first of the week, it came as no surprise that Emily and Darius chose to make their relationship official.


Darius was eager to get married then and there, but Emily had a couple of things she wanted to take care of first.


First up was a solo trip to the family house in China to work on her inventing challenges. Nobody in town wants to hear all the explosions involved, so off she went to terrorize the poor Chinese folks.


I don’t know precisely how this ghost got there, but she was understandably upset by the roaring infernos that Emily’s detonations caused.


After a week or so away blowing up cheap washing machines and collecting the scrap, Emily returned home to attend her bachelorette party at the art gallery. There was much fizzy nectar sprayed all over the place, thankfully missing all of the artworks.


Sara gave the toast for her daughter, though I’m afraid she may have had too much nectar beforehand, directing it at the wall like that.


The next day dawned and saw the bachelorette party still raging on, with all the Medley women (myself included) due at work in a matter of hours. Judicious use of moodlet managers allowed us all to function through the workday while preparations were being made at home for our little girl’s wedding day. Emily pulled Finn and Sara aside for a little chat before the guests started arriving.


Emily and Darius took their place beneath the arch while the guests found their seats by the light of the full moon. Some of the guests (and Darius) were uneasy attending an outdoor wedding on zombie night, but we’ve never had one make it onto our fenced property.


Obligatory shot of the bride’s sappy wedding face…


...and Darius rushed immediately toward the cake, hoping to get it cut and get indoors as quickly as possible. But, where is Emily going?


Oh. Oscar (Arellano) Vasquez apparently forgot his plasma fruit and starved to death while Emi and Dar got married. There certainly seems to be a rash of deaths among the original residents of Lucky Palms. I think I need to look into possible causes for this phenomenon. Meanwhile, Darius cut the cake without Emily - or anyone else, for that matter.


When everyone had left (the mood thoroughly ruined by the grim one’s presence) Darius and Emily retired to the master suite to spend some time alone.


The next day dawned quiet, a nice change of pace after the excitement of party after party, and aside from a little nausea on Emily’s part it stayed that way until nearly midnight. Goodbye, sweet Sara. 91 days were too few.


A few hours later, Emily discovered a need for a new wardrobe, for a couple of days at least.


Finn, party animal that he is, threw himself a crazy bash for his elder birthday immediately after work. Somehow, he didn’t feel as if he was the sole focus of the room as he blew out his candles for the last time.


He felt an unfamiliar chill from behind him as the sparkles washed over him. In fact, the chill seemed to be coming from the direction of his old friend Dianna Grace.


Garret took offense to the reaper’s insistence on crashing his son’s birthday party and stealing a piece of cake while here.


Silly Finn closed his eyes while I was taking pictures of his new wardrobe and then refused to let me retake them. Whoever heard of a politician that didn’t love the camera?


Early Saturday, we heard shouting from the basement, where Emily had her inventing table, and we knew that it must be time to meet the sixth Medley to live here in Lucky Palms.


It is my great honor to introduce Dominic Medley! He’s a good couch potato with a preference for the color orange and a love for dark wave music and potato and truffle tortes.


Notable deaths: Oscar Arellano Vasquez at the wedding; Carie Hudson, daughter of Ariel Hudson Medley and Kinslee Hudson, Garret’s half-sister.

[Trip]

Welcome to Dominic! Do I sense a writer?

I also eagerly await seeing his future spouse, but I guess that's for a little later.

[Lasnien]

I'm having trouble deciding what to do about his spouse. I'm tempted to clone him up a townie like Darius, but then I'm afraid she'd live too long for Gen 7 to produce an heir. On the other hand, if none of the townie women are still available by the time he's old enough to reproduce (and Darius passes so there's room for an immediate child) I'll have to go to Egypt for a non-cloneface spouse. I'm so torn.

[Trip]

You could clone a spouse a little later in Dom's life. It would mean that he would have to wait until he's a lot older to have a child, but there would be a better chance of her still being young enough for a child. Egypt sounds like a good idea too, but if travel bugs out, you're out of luck.

[Lasnien]

I guess I'm just getting a little impatient and want to produce heirs as quickly as possible. I've been working on this family line since just after the release of Pets and I'd like to see it finished before Sims 4 distracts me away. I didn't even think about just waiting to produce Gen 7 until the mother was old enough to have little chance of hanging around too long.

Also, good guess based on just two traits!

[Lasnien]

So, instead of hoping for still-living spouse material or cloning my own, I've followed in Trip's footsteps and added a recently de-fairyed Hanson Gilbert to the family as a pollinator. Hooray! More text here than usual, in part because I've been doing other writing for another hobby of mine and have gotten wordier as a result. Enjoy!

Hyacinth and I finished the last of Finn’s museum pieces late on Saturday of Week 28, but he insisted on a good night’s sleep before all four of us would sit down to his first taste of ambrosia. We elders all woke early on Sunday morning, because the day had finally arrived. Immortal number four. Finn met me at the bottom of the stairs looking for encouragement. I assured him that this would, in fact, be the best meal of his life.


After everyone had a chance to get dressed, we all sat down to a table full of freshly replicated ambrosia. Garret, Hyacinth, and I all tucked in immediately, ready to get the taste of sweet fishiness done with as soon as possible. Finn hesitated as he heard his phone ring, knowing it was probably yet another admirer wanting a date with the leader of all Simnation.


The first bite seems to be a little different for each of us. To me, it was underwhelming; all that work, and all I had to look forward to was this every couple of weeks until the end. Finn, despite his expectation that something so rare and expensive must be good, described it as “disappointing.” Maybe the replicators are faulty. We’ve been using the silly things for a good twenty weeks now; maybe they need some maintenance?


Hyacinth proclaimed that she’d developed medicines that taste better than this crud. I couldn’t disagree. I finished my plate, then waited for Finn to finish his own. I both anticipated and dreaded this moment; I hate blacking out, but the perspective gained from seeing my - no, our - ancestors made it nearly worth it.


I saw the beginning of rainbow shimmering sweep over Finn before I was yanked forward by my navel. Once again, I was in the frigid museum, surrounded by portraits and statues. To my left, my father and grandmother sat playing chess, the chairs they sat upon visible through their ghostly forms. Jennifer looked up and smiled at me faintly, while Nicholas grinned widely and nodded toward a spot in front of me. I looked that way and saw a statue of a woman with long hair held back from her face by a headband. Slowly, the statue faded and morphed, leaving another ghostly form. Fiona smiled and shook her head slowly. “Halfway there, little girl.” She glanced over my shoulder and whispered, “We only have a moment, but I can answer one question.”
I jumped at the chance. “What was the discovery you thought you were close to?” Fiona chuckled before answering cryptically, still staring over my shoulder. “See the fortune-teller. Only he can say what the future holds. I’m afraid our time is done, my dear.” I glanced over my shoulder to see what she was staring at, only to see myself, still sitting at the table with my family. Hyacinth kneeled by my side, shaking my shoulder and apparently yelling at me.
Suddenly, I was slammed back into myself, ears throbbing at the shouting and back aching from the jostling. “Enough, Hyacinth! I’m fine.” My descendants clamored all at once, wondering what was happening. I simply shook my head and said, “I’ll tell you everything… at the spa. I need to get out of here!” So all of us immortals - and immortals-to-be, in Emily’s case - went to the spa, leaving Darius to care for little Dominic.


After our daytrip, we were all a little withdrawn, processing what I’d learned in our own ways. Garret was outside doing some stunt flying on his broom, Hyacinth was working on some reports from the hospital, and Emily was working out, getting herself in shape for her return to military life after maternity leave. Finn took the chance to spend some time alone with his tiny grandson, murmuring something to him that I didn’t quite catch.


Everything was quiet until Dom’s birthday. As is the custom with young ones, we had a small family party early in the morning. Darius “helped” him blow out his lone candle, and then it was time for sparkles.


And he has the same color hair as his mother and grandfather. How cute is that?


Dominic immediately gravitated to various orange pieces in the dresser. The color contrasts wonderfully with his eyes - Darius’ eyes. Just lovely!


Of course, having a toddler in the house means one thing: training time! Darius took over walking and talking, for the most part.


Somehow, I got stuck with the smelly job. I haven’t had a nooboo in how long, now? Why am I potty training?


Maybe because Emily’s still got herself sequestered in the basement, working on widget after widget. She’s finally moved on to big inventions, having made 250 widgets for one of her challenges.


Meanwhile, late Saturday night, we had an interesting visitor go into crisis right in our kitchen. Why is Hanson Gilbert’s fairy girlfriend having a baby in my house?

[Trip]

I always love seeing dynasties user my strategy. Awesome! I hope Hanson gives you the spouse Dom needs.

I'm okay with your new, wordy direction too.

[Nutella]

I'm moving this to the Stories Graveyard due to inactivity. Lasnien, you can revive this story by contacting a moderator.