Author Topic: End of the Line Dynasty (4x4)  (Read 179096 times)

Offline hazelnut

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty
« Reply #330 on: March 29, 2014, 10:20:20 AM »
A  Real Pirate

Leo had always been aware that he’d have to produce an heir sometime but it had been easy to put it off.  He was too busy with his skills and career.  Besides, flirting with potential clients was an important part of his strategy; part of making each one feel special (and therefore more willing to pay his exorbitant fees – and often a hefty bonus on top).  If he was known to be married, that little ploy was going to lose a lot of its effectiveness.  None of the townswomen seemed particularly interesting anyway.  What had happened to Barnacle Bay’s pirates?  The old families were gone and the town was full of interchangeable, bland nobodies.
 
His visits to the cemeteries had suggested the solution: he could marry a ghost, as so many of his ancestors had done.  It hadn’t always worked out well for them and might not for him – but at least his child would have an interesting mother.  By talking to his spectral friends, he’d discovered a number of women who’d met untimely ends.  He hadn’t managed to meet all of them in ghostly form but he’d helped himself to their tombstones anyway.  All he needed to do now was to revive them and choose one.  He’d been hoping for a call from the science lab but it never came.  He knew that genies could also restore the dead to life – but his family hadn’t been able to summon genies since the Hidden Springs days.  On the other hand, nobody had even tried recently, so maybe he should give it a go.  He bought a dusty old lamp but somehow never quite got around to rubbing it.  There was plenty of time yet – and maybe he’d meet a living woman who appealed to him and save all the bother.

Then his parents died and he suddenly became aware that time was running out.  Accepting that job at the business office had completed his requirements.  It was time to get on with the next phase of his life.  He rubbed the lamp.



Whoa!  He hadn’t expected it to be so… explosive.  At this rate, he’d soon be surrounded by a crowd of curious onlookers.  Maybe he’d better go somewhere quieter before he tried any serious wishing.  He sent the newly-emerged genie straight back into her lamp and drove home.

So, who should he revive first? He sorted through the tombstones.  Ah yes!  Victoria Skullfinder: he liked her name: she sounded like a real pirate.  He put down her grave.



Then he rubbed the lamp (a little less enthusiastically this time), introduced himself to the genie and apologised for the abrupt way he’d treated her outside Doo Peas.



Then he asked for her help.  She clapped her hands, rose into the air and glowed…



…and there was Victoria’s ghost, out of her tombstone in the middle of the day.  As the genie drifted back to the ground, Victoria solidified.  She was alive again.



She didn’t look much like a pirate, although he probably shouldn’t have said so.

“Why can’t ghosts keep up with fashion?  If you’d spent a couple of centuries in a corset and six petticoats, you’d want a change, I can tell you.”

She didn’t act like a pirate either.  How could she not like his rebelliousness?



But then it turned out that she was as evil as he was - and a genius to boot.  This was much more promising.  They discussed nefarious plots and evil schemes until Leo was reasonably convinced that she was the woman for him.  He asked her to move in and then tried something more romantic.



It turned out that she liked to flirt – and thought he was good at kissing, for a beginner.  She seemed more than willing to help him practice, too.   It was definitely worth taking this further.  The bistro was still open, so he invited her out for dinner…



…and then asked her to go steady.

The next morning, Victoria updated her image again.  Taking inspiration from Leo’s outfits, she chose something piratical but practical for daytime.  She’d noticed Leo’s eyes light up at the mention of corsets.  Honestly, men!  Still, it was useful to know.  She'd keep that weapon in reserve.  Once she was happy with her new clothing choices, she asked Leo to show her around the island.



“This beach used to be my favourite place.  It’s hardly changed – unlike most of the island.  I can’t believe the Goldbeards gave the town an art gallery.  Stealing art was more their style.”

Leo had avoided Crowe’s Nest Campgrounds in their tour.  He’d been wondering why she’d been buried there but it had seemed a little indelicate to visit the place where her grave had been  Now, though, in this peaceful place where she seemed so relaxed, he asked her how she’d come to be buried in a park rather than the cemetery.

“Because I died there and no-one bothered to move my grave.  It wasn’t always a park.  Back in my day it was Crowe’s Nest – and you wouldn’t want to spend any more time there than you had to.  Jack Crowe had a heart as black as his name.  His base was in a little place called Bridge Port, two days’ sail down the coast – but he was trying to get established here as well.  With the Beardies at each other’s throats…”
“The Beardies?”
“The Goldbeards and Inkbeards.  They were the two most powerful pirate clans.  Crowe reckoned if he could stir up more trouble between them, maybe he could get them to wipe each other out.  Certainly they’d be too busy feuding to notice that he was getting all of the smaller pirate families to join him and gradually taking over the island.”
“So what happened – to you, I mean?”
“Crowe thought I was spying on him – which I was – and beat me up.  That’s the last I remember, which is probably just as well.  He liked setting fire to his enemies.”
“That’s awful!  Uh, you know you’re safe now…?”



“Well, being dead’s safe, in its way.  But yes, Jack Crowe is long gone.  I heard that the Beardies worked out what he was doing and gave him a taste of his own medicine – burnt his Nest to the ground.”
“Good riddance!”
“So, Leo, are there any pirates left at all – apart from you?”
“I’m not one, really.  I’m an architect.  My grandmother was a Beardy - a Goldbeard, in fact, and I’d like to be a pirate, too… but the opportunities seem to have gone.  Everyone’s respectable now.  I do my best to undermine their safe little society but I’m on my own there.”
“Not any more.”  And she kissed him again.



As they sat watching the stars that evening, he told her about his family, about needing to produce an heir soon – and about his wish to keep the pirate genes going.

“I have a bargain for you.  Take me to that restaurant again and I’m in.”

And later…



Leo could have sworn he heard distant chimes.



On the other hand, no harm in making sure, especially with Vic wearing that corset.



It soon became clear that the next generation of Golds was indeed on the way.



As they left the hospital with their new daughter, escorted by Tim, who had driven them there (Leo wasn’t leaving another labouring woman in charge of a car), Leo clapped his hands in glee.  His Abigail would be a proper little pirate.




Next chapter



Summary – Generation 11

Heir: Lionel/Leo
Traits: evil, artistic, rebellious, kleptomaniac, avant garde, great kisser (rebel influence)
Lifetime wish: Street Credible
Unique maxed career: Architectural Designer
Two unique best friends: Donald Burt, Nora Coley
Three unique skill challenges: Master Muralist, Always Wanted, Precision Sprayer
Four unique opportunities:  Commissioned Street Art, Deliver a Painting to China, A Small Painting, Business Model
Buildings bought this generation:  Landgraab Industries Science Facility
Newly-upgraded properties:  none
Vacations used: 2 out of 4

Despite finishing his lifetime wish and skill challenges very quickly, Leo was the slowest heir so far to complete the requirements.  It took him a while to max his career through renovations (I didn’t want him to use the drawing board much because sketches count as paintings in the skill journal and he couldn't risk getting any painting challenges) but, as usual, the opportunities were the real problem.  I was hoping for Oh My Ghost! but, despite seeing both of his parents and a few townies die, it didn’t fire for him.  I’d also have liked another painting opportunity, ideally to deliver a painting to France, so that India could start on her final set of tombs.  In the end, he had to use a celebrity opp.  I’d been trying to save them for future heirs who may need them more but Leo really was running out of time: Abigail was born on the day before his elder birthday.

…And we have another greenishboo.  Since Victoria has very pale green skin, I was expecting Abi’s skin colour to be either a bright green à la Dora or somewhere at the pink end of the rainbow slider.  As it is, she seems to have inherited both the slider and her position along it from Leo.

Offline Rhoxi

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: A Real Pirate (26 March)
« Reply #331 on: March 29, 2014, 02:24:56 PM »

Okay, I probably should've seen the ghost as a wife thing coming. I tend to forget that genies can resurrect, since I always have used witches for that particular task. Ms. Skullfinder is an appropriate  and suitably-piratey spouse for Leo. And look, another greenboo! You just can't get away from them, can you?  ;)



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Offline hazelnut

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: A Real Pirate (26 March)
« Reply #332 on: March 29, 2014, 03:30:28 PM »
Okay, I probably should've seen the ghost as a wife thing coming. I tend to forget that genies can resurrect, since I always have used witches for that particular task. Ms. Skullfinder is an appropriate  and suitably-piratey spouse for Leo. And look, another greenboo! You just can't get away from them, can you?  ;)

I really can't ;).

Offline Trip

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: A Real Pirate (26 March)
« Reply #333 on: March 29, 2014, 03:42:33 PM »
Haven't commented in a while, but hurray for generation 12 and the new couple's matching pirate outfits.
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Offline Shewolf13

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: A Real Pirate (26 March)
« Reply #334 on: March 29, 2014, 05:33:05 PM »
Love the matching pirate mates!  Can't wait to see Abigail older!

Offline hazelnut

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty
« Reply #335 on: March 30, 2014, 12:04:27 PM »
Haven't commented in a while, but hurray for generation 12 and the new couple's matching pirate outfits.
Love the matching pirate mates!  Can't wait to see Abigail older!

I love the pirate outfits but haven't had a chance to use them in a game until now, so I'm making the most of it :).



Night at the Museum

“Odessa, I’m worried about Leo and Victoria.  They don't seem to spend much time together any more.  Sometimes I wonder whether they even like each other.”
“All that sneaking up and scaring the other one?  I think that’s just their way of showing affection.”



“Like stealing sweets from Abi?”
“Yes.  They’re not the world’s most conventional parents, are they?  But maybe they just need some time together, away from dynasty duties.  Time to be a couple instead of parents.  You keep saying we should go to France sometime soon.  Why don’t we take them along?  Abi’s pretty independent these days.  Simon and Tim are more than capable of taking care of her.”



And so it was a party of four who arrived in Champs les Sims the following morning.  Leaving Leo and Victoria to settle in and meet their fellow guests, India checked the noticeboard.  Would it be like Egypt, full of opportunities for eager explorers, or largely empty like the one in Shang Simla?

Before she’d even finished checking for adventures, her phone rang.  News had already got around that the famous sportswoman India Gold would be visiting.  Would she support the local fitness campaign by jogging around town? It might not involve any tombs but it looked like an easy way to pick up some visa points.  She changed into her running kit and set out on a circuit of the town.

The other three had all decided that they’d like to visit a real French café, so India met them in the marketplace for lunch.  Afterwards, she visited the relic shop.



She was an expert on Chinese and Egyptian relics by now: how did French ones differ?  The shopkeeper didn’t seem too keen on her hanging around, examining his wares without making any purchases, so she ended up buying a number of assorted vases, statues and broken bits and pieces and taking them out into the sunlit square for a closer look.  As she’d suspected, most of them were considerably older than he’d thought, and apart from a couple of modern fakes, they were worth more than the selling price.  She went back into the shop, gave the relic vendor a lengthy lesson on archaeology and art history, and sold them all back to him at a fat profit.  Then she and Odessa set off to raid some tombs.

Carlotta and Adam had explored the museum basement and had made a start on the Celtic burial mound outside town.  India and Odessa made short work of completing both, circumventing the boulders as they had in China.



India took on a few quests, mostly of the mundane variety, and obtained her level 1 visa.  Then (finally!) she was sent on a series of real adventures, to explore the shuttered and heavily booby-trapped Château du Landgraab.  It wasn’t as easy as she’d expected – that Admiral Landgraab must have been a real nutcase – and she gave the other holidaymakers a few shocks by materialising at base camp in singed underwear.



Still, she and Odessa gradually worked their way through the place, deactivating the traps and rediscovering the long-lost glories of the château.  In recognition of her efforts, she got a second stamp in her passport.



There was just one area in the centre of the house that she couldn’t seem to access.  Or, at least, not until, using her Eye of Horus to get out of a tight corner, she found herself in an unfamiliar corridor.  Odessa was nowhere around – the Eye must have malfunctioned slightly.



It was a happy accident.  She quickly realised that she must be somewhere just beyond the locked door she'd noticed, leading from the secondary staircase.  Once she’d made her way into a wider room, Odessa joined her and they were able to explore the remainder of the château.

*   *   *   *   *

Meanwhile, back at base camp, Leo and Victoria’s romantic break wasn’t going well.  There were just too many people around.  Leo spent most of his time discussing trends in French interior décor with other artistically-inclined guests, while Victoria read and played chess.  They spent their nights together but didn’t feel inclined to do more than sleep.



Once the château was mostly opened up, India invited them over.

“Leo, you’ll love this place.  Classic French opulence – and the beds are much better than at base camp.”

They spent a day there.  India was right – the furniture was comfortable and the wallpaper gave Leo some ideas for some of his snobbier clients’ houses.  But then Vic managed to blunder into a trap that was still functioning and announced that she wasn’t staying in this freaky old house a moment longer.  Back to base camp, then.

On the way back, Leo saw a sign to the Gallerie d’Art.

“Vic, d’you fancy visiting that place?  India says it’s a museum as well as an art gallery.  Lots of stuff from all around the world, not just France.”

It was well worth the trip.  The exhibits were fascinating and they somehow lost the whole day just wandering around and gazing at relics.  Then Vic had an idea.  Why not stay the night?



It appealed to his rebellious nature.  A night together among vaguely spooky old relics?  And with no other tourists around?



“Hey, wasn’t there a bed back in the Chinese section?”



There was – an elaborate four-poster.  Unfortunately, it was pushed right up against the wall, so that only one person could get in.  So much for his plans.  Still, just sleeping here would be cocking a snook at the French authorities.  He nobly offered Victoria the bed while he curled up on a priceless lacquered sofa.





A few hours and a backache later, that didn’t seem like such a great idea.  Then he remembered that India had given him her tent.  She and Odessa didn’t need it at the château.  He set it up in the grounds, then woke Vic – with a kiss rather than his megaphone, for once.  They spent the rest of the night and half the morning testing India’s tent to destruction.





“Leo, you crazy pirate, I love you.”



“Did you mean that?  You love me?  I thought we were just together because of Abigail.”
“No.  It was easy to feel like that at home but I realised last night that it’s not true any more.”
“And... for me it was when you walked into that electricity trap.  I thought I’d lost you.



“Victoria Skullfinder, will you marry me?”







They agreed that they didn’t want a big fancy wedding with all the attendant publicity.  It would be a lot easier to escape the reporters here than at home.  The following afternoon, they found the perfect spot.









Just as they finished exchanging rings, a French reporter caught up with them.



“Sorry, dearie.  Trop tard.”

And they ran off, laughing.



As with Lucy and Elias, Leo was initially unable to propose to Victoria.  Thanks to lvrugger for pointing out that travelling was the solution.  Oddly, after they returned home, Abi still had the surname Skullfinder even though her parents were both now Golds.  Leo visited the town hall again and changed it.

France turned out to be somewhere between China and Egypt in terms of adventures.  India was only able to explore the first section of the Nectary cellars and, without Pangu’s Axe, she couldn’t get into Tuatha’s Garden.  Accidentally getting into the basement of the château almost made up for that, though  ;).

Offline Shewolf13

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: Night at the Museum (30 March)
« Reply #336 on: March 30, 2014, 12:55:45 PM »
Oooo!  That was awesome!  I love Leo and Victoria!  That last part, with the French reporter, had me giggling for a good ten minutes hehehe



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Offline hazelnut

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty
« Reply #337 on: April 02, 2014, 04:53:27 PM »
Oooo!  That was awesome!  I love Leo and Victoria!  That last part, with the French reporter, had me giggling for a good ten minutes hehehe

They're fun to write  ;).



A Proper Upbringing

As Odessa had observed, Leo and Victoria had an… unusual parenting style.



They claimed they were teaching Abigail important lessons about life: hang on to what you’ve got or someone else will take it.  Finders keepers.  Property is theft – or something like that.  It was important that she grew up with the right values: theirs, naturally.  Really though, it was all about the fun, as usual.  And Leo did have a sweet tooth.



Then Abi had a cake – but didn’t get to eat that either.



Perhaps that was why she grew into such a solemn toddler.



She got more attention from her parents now: cuddles, games, even some teaching of skills…





…although Odessa still got stuck with most of it, while Abi’s mummy and daddy went back to their old ways.





It seemed to be making an impression on Abigail.  Her first word was “feef”.



With her toddler skills duly learned, Abi had another cake – and this time, she was even allowed to eat a slice.



Her parents were sad to lose their lollipop donor but, to compensate, she was now big enough to wear a proper pirate outfit instead of a little sailor dress.

They might have bought the outfit but Abigail accessorised it to suit herself.  They were beginning to discover that she had her own way of doing things.



Now that the relic collection was as complete as it was going to be, India and Odessa had stopped eating ambrosia.



Odessa had made some for Leo, so that he could see his little girl grow up, and Simon would have another serving or two.  He needed to keep clearing up after his mother, who had apparently decided that one collection at least was going to be as good as she could possibly make it.



Odessa spent most of her time fishing.  It wasn’t necessary any more but fishing reminded her of Moe and she’d come to enjoy it for its own sake.

Abi was equally solitary. It was obvious that she’d inherited her father’s and grandmother’s talent.  Since the first time she’d picked up a paintbrush, nothing else mattered.  She went to school because the family insisted, rolling out of bed at the last minute and flinging on whichever clothes were handy.  In the afternoons, she’d do her homework the moment she was through the door and then rush off to the studio, painting and humming along to the stereo until bedtime.



Which was how she came to celebrate her next birthday on her own.



This time she wasn’t going to wear a pirate’s outfit.  She’d dress to suit herself.



The following day, there were two long-delayed birthdays: first Odessa…





…and then India.





Odessa insisted that they should both have makeovers.  Just because they were old, there was no reason to look it.  India humoured her friend, selecting a new wardrobe in pinks and violets that were only a little more muted than before and having pinky-mauve highlights put in her hair.  Of course, as soon as they arrived home, the new clothes were dumped in the wardrobe, the faithful old gi was back on and she was outside breaking space rocks again.



After all, just because she was old, there was no reason to act like it.

Offline Rikki8528

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: A Proper Upbringing (2 April)
« Reply #338 on: April 03, 2014, 03:00:08 AM »
Abi looks rather unusual, but I like it.

Offline Rhoxi

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: A Proper Upbringing (2 April)
« Reply #339 on: April 03, 2014, 05:46:39 PM »

Wow, she does look dreadfully serious. I hope you gave her the no sense of humor trait to match.  ;)

Offline hazelnut

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty
« Reply #340 on: April 04, 2014, 11:55:21 AM »
Abi looks rather unusual, but I like it.

She’s a bit odd-looking, especially as a teenager, but it’s nice to be starting the last town with someone who’s so far from being a clone-face.  I thought at first she mostly took after her mother but her jawline is all Leo and her eye shape is more his than Victoria’s.

Wow, she does look dreadfully serious. I hope you gave her the no sense of humor trait to match.  ;)

I didn’t have enough traits to play with!  In fact, she spontaneously tells quite a lot of jokes – just with a deadpan style, obviously  ;).



I Protest!



Like her parents, Abi thought society was all messed up.  There was certainly something very wrong with Barnacle Bay.  Almost everyone was ancient for a start.  She knew why her own house was full of old people but the whole town seemed to be the same.  Her friend Cheesy was the only other person in her class at school.  Cheesy’s real name was Brie, so the nickname was inevitable.  Well, apart from one of the teachers, who called her Bert, short for Camembert.  Only having two girls in the class was a little awkward when prom was announced.  Naturally, they voted for each other as Prom Queen.  Someone somewhere must have had a casting vote, because Abi ended up with the crown.  Maybe it was one of the other teens who mysteriously appeared from nowhere on prom night to make the place look suitably crowded and provide partners for the usual dances and fights.

The next day, it was just her and Cheesy again.  Something had to be done.



She stood outside the empty school and ranted about everything that was wrong with being a teenager in this place.  The lack of response was overwhelming.  All right then.  Time to take it up a notch.  She announced a protest: Founder’s Park at 6 p.m.



At first, she thought it was going to fall as flat as her impassioned speech earlier but gradually people drifted over and listened.  Some of them even joined in.  By the end of the evening, the protest was beginning to feel like a success.



Then the police turned up, pointed out that it was after curfew and drove her home in disgrace.  Her parents were proud.

The weekend was approaching, though.  After school on Friday, she announced a series of protests to start early the following morning and then spent several hours handing out leaflets and drumming up support around town.  Then she went home like a good little girl, did her homework and got an early night.  It was going to be a busy weekend.



Again, things started quietly.  Her call for action outside the town hall drew fewer supporters than the previous evening’s protest.  Maybe it was too early or perhaps people just liked parks better.  There was certainly more space there for setting up banners and soapboxes.  She tried a few other locations, just to see.  Yes, you definitely got more attention in a park.  As evening fell, she ran into her Uncle Tim, who’d moved out of the family home and was living near the centre of town.  She gave him a flyer and he promised to turn up for her protest the following day.



Sunday was wildly successful right from the beginning.  People no longer even seemed to care what she was protesting about.  They flocked to join in regardless.





A brief hunger strike after school the next day maximised her rebel influence, just in time.  As she was heading home, the sparkles hit.



Even before she’d climbed back into the car, her phone rang.  Would she like a job in art appraisal?  What, combine her love of painting with undermining the established order?  Of course she would.  It was her ideal job.

She went home to pick out her adult wardrobe.  Contact lenses instead of glasses, she thought, but what would be a suitably arty outfit?  Hmmm…



The job turned out to be everything she’d hoped.  She was promoted at the end of her first day and was given a high-tech art scanner.  She spent the evening wandering the house, scanning everything she could: paintings, plants, her father’s graffiti, Simon’s widgets, even a gnome or two.  This was going to be fun.



Abi might be throwing herself into adult life but her parents refused to grow up.

When Tim had moved out, he’d taken with him the car he’d inherited from his mother.  A few nights later, Leo stole it, just to keep in practice.



He returned it almost at once.  Tim was his brother, after all.



He and Victoria continued to enjoy each other’s company – and regularly scandalised the townsfolk.



Even old age wasn’t going to slow them down.





It was disappointing that they couldn’t find pirate clothes for oldies but they did their best.  At least their old hats still fitted.



And they still had each other.




Offline Rhoxi

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: I Protest! (4 April)
« Reply #341 on: April 04, 2014, 08:03:24 PM »

I love the little old lady in her nightgown and heels at the protest.  ;D A lady's gotta have good footwear, after all, even if all the rest goes downhill. Looks like you and Abi had a lot of fun with those protests.

Offline hazelnut

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty
« Reply #342 on: April 05, 2014, 10:30:27 AM »
I love the little old lady in her nightgown and heels at the protest.  ;D A lady's gotta have good footwear, after all, even if all the rest goes downhill.

I hadn't even noticed her shoes until you pointed them out  :D.  She was a very enthusiastic supporter.  There were quite a few more protests in the game than appear in the story and I think she was at all of them.

Looks like you and Abi had a lot of fun with those protests.

We did.  It's something I'd not played with until this dynasty.  I love all the ridiculous things Sims can protest about  :).



Haunted by Death

Abi had her adult birthday.





Everything was going pretty well.  Her career progress had been a little slower than she’d hoped but she was most of the way there now – and the advanced art training she’d taken had done wonders for her painting.

But then, the following day, the bad times started.

India was first.  She was in the basement, admiring her Chinese relics, when she started to float.



The day after that, Odessa arrived home from the diner and went transparent in the porch.



She was content.  With India’s death, she’d lost the last of her old friends, and she’d been living on without Moe for what seemed like forever.



Then it was Simon’s turn.





Like Odessa, he was happy to go – which didn’t make it any easier for the three left behind.



Grim wasn’t limiting his attentions to the Gold family, either.  Abi’s retired boss died on the same day as Simon and was rapidly followed by her two closest friends among her colleagues.  Was she going to lose everyone she cared about?  Her parents were already into borrowed time.  Would Grim come for them next?



She found herself watching them constantly, looking for the first signs of sparkles.  They seemed oblivious, wrapped up in each other as usual and making the most of the time they had left.

In fact, the next death was another of her colleagues.  Uncle Tim had recently joined the art appraisal career and Abi had invited him round to the house to get to know him better.  They’d just become good friends when he was also taken from her.





Somehow, despite the constant mourning, Abi managed to keep working as usual and finally made it to master forger.



It had been a long time since she’d protested about anything.  She’d really have liked to rant about Grim having it in for her friends and family but she’d heard that could be a very bad idea.  Still, protesting about something would be a good way to let off steam.  She set up her banners and podium in Jollyboat Plaza and started haranguing the gathering crowd.





She moved from accusations to chants to impassioned speeches with practised ease and the crowd hung on her every word.





Meanwhile, back at the house, Grim was paying another visit – their longest-serving paparazza had run out of time.



The protesters hadn’t escaped his attention, though.  As Abi began to wind up to the big finish, a cook who’d joined in on his way home from the bistro burst into sparkles.





Somehow, Abi held it together.  She rounded up the audience again, picked up the threads of her speech and managed to bring it to a rousing conclusion.  As her supporters clustered around to congratulate her, she made a decision.

Let’s wrap this thing up now!

She still needed two best friends, replacements for the ones Grim had taken.  The people here all liked her.  Valarie from work was already a friend and – had she spotted a once-familiar face?  Yes, there she was, at the back.  Cheesy – but a Cheesy grown strangely old.  Was the Reaper after her too?

Well, you’re not getting her, Grim.  Or Mum and Dad.

She moved among her supporters, chatting, encouraging, joking, then drew Valarie and Brie into conversation.



Well, that was depressing.  So many deaths in just a few days.  RIP India, Odessa, Simon and Tim.  Losing India should have been a relief (no more worrying about accidentally completing collecting challenges) but was actually quite tough.  I’d grown more attached to her than to anyone since Sam and Sophia.  And in fact, once I’d got used to it, tomb-raiding with a pair of Sims had its advantages, particularly at Abu Simbel.  I may well choose to do it in future games.

Abi seems to have a hidden ‘unlucky’ trait.  Well, either that or it’s just the usual end-of-town glitchiness.  Despite basil-fuelled hard work, she narrowly missed two or three promotions.  Since her boss retired on her third day at work and was never replaced (although she had seven co-workers), she couldn’t do anything about it.  She also managed to drop her workaholic trait at some point.  I suspect it had been gone for quite a while by the time I noticed, because she was mostly trying to finish the painting challenges rather than working from home.

McHazy

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: Haunted by Death (5 April)
« Reply #343 on: April 05, 2014, 02:14:15 PM »
Wow, you've seen a lot of Grim lately! R.I.P. everyone.

Love that screenshot of Grim emerging from the floor boards, creeps me out!

Offline Shewolf13

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Re: End of the Line Dynasty: Haunted by Death (5 April)
« Reply #344 on: April 05, 2014, 02:33:33 PM »
Wow... that's a lot of visits from Grim XD Do you remember how many days were between that or where they all on the same day or close to it?

 

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