Author Topic: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)  (Read 56679 times)

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 44 (1 March 2017)
« Reply #195 on: March 03, 2017, 05:46:30 AM »
Chapter 45 - Better Late than Never



Evil Gerald Morven may have been, but there was a line when it came to his family.

As he watched his mother sobbing on what was meant to be one of the proudest days in her eternal life, he couldn't stand aside any longer.

That line had been crossed.



"I've got a bone to pick with you, Mr. Reaper," said Gerald, his voice trembling with sadness and anger.

"I am not capable of choosing the time or the place, young Morven," said Grim.

But Gerald wasn't listening. "You've got some nerve showing up here, today of all days, to reap the soul of my father!" he continued.

"It was his time," came the reply.

"That's bull. You're just here to ** me off. You're probably working with whoever wanted to keep me out of the Secret Agent career, aren't you?" Gerald accused.

"I know nothing of the…" Grim tried.



"Lucky for me," Gerald continued, "I need to get some mean interactions under my belt for my next promotion, and I've chosen my victim."

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Grim warned. "You'll be seeing rather a lot of me over the years, you know. Your grandmother has made peace with that."

"And what about Grandma Colette? I see her around sometimes, Grim, and she's just as sad in death as she was in life. You don't end suffering, old fiend. You prolong it. We're all immortal in the end, aren't we? Aren't we?" Gerald was yelling now.



"I wouldn't put it that…" Grim tried to answer, remaining remarkably calm under the circumstances.

"Of course you wouldn't!" Gerald shouted, "because it's stupid, isn't it? It's all stupid. You're stupid, the rules are stupid, this dynasty is stupid, and if the rules can't be changed, then what's the point in continuing? In the name of the Watcher's God, who actually benefits from all of this?"

"Surely you don't expect me to have an answer?" Grim asked.



"Aaaaaaargh!" Gerald shouted, attacking his target.

"So we're going there, are we?" Grim muttered. When was the last time he'd gotten into a fistfight with a mortal? He wondered. Gerald wasn't immortal yet.



"I can't look," muttered Rose. It was all getting to be too much for her.



"You may have won that fight, Gerald Morven," Grim muttered, his head spinning, "but if you think that's enough to keep me from returning for your loved ones when their times come, you are mistaken. Time marches on, unhindered, except for those who cheat it."

"It's not cheating," Gerald muttered, "if it's in the rules."

"Awww yeah," Edith cheered.



"My big brother just whooped death's butt!"

Rose, meanwhile, just wanted to hide.

Unfortunately for her, while the rest of the family dispersed, she and Iris had a small matter of unfinished business to attend to.



"Do I have to eat it?" Rose asked.

"I'm afraid so," Iris replied.

"I have no appetite. Especially not for this stuff," Rose muttered.

"Go on," Iris urged her, "you've earned it."

"I don't feel like I have. It just feels wrong, Mom." She sighed. "Does the emptiness ever go away?"

"It will grow dull in time," Iris answered, "but no, it doesn't ever completely go away."

Rose sighed sadly. "The immortal's curse, hey?"

---



As is usual after the death of a loved one, the family passes the next few days in a bit of a slump. They cry it out.



They give themselves pep talks.



They tried to engage as much as possible in the pastimes that brought them clarity of mind.



Or the pastimes that brought them peace,



They buried themselves in their work;



mourning their loss by finding love and fulfillment elsewhere.



("Farewell My Love" was Rose's first ever Sad Book. And it was, of course, a Bestseller. Now that we don't need any more.)



But when they needed to talk to someone about the unfamiliar emotions they were experiencing, the sadness hotline was there, and thankfully there were people out there who really did care. Even about the likes of Gerald Morven.



Not being as close to Norman as his mother-in-law, his wife, or his children, Harley bounced back quicker than everyone else. Which of course meant attempting to get everyone else back on track. Now that a spot had opened up in the house, she was eager for it to be filled.

"You can't adopt, Harley, you know that," I told her gently.

"I can look though, can't I?" Harley muttered. "You know, I'm about to become an adult. You forgot, didn't you? Didn't think of it. Sure, Iris waited to have Rose until she was my age, but then Rose wasn't a child as long as my child will be a child. And Joaquin still died when Rose was a teen."

"Toddlers are new to me. I'm sorry. But you are right, and I should have taken that into consideration," I try to apologise. "But it wasn't an easy decision for me, you know that?"

"But it was your decision." Harley said, accusatorily. "You just let Iris think it was hers. Let Norman think he was the one who made her change her mind."



"Look at her," Harley continued, pointing at one of the pictures of the smiling children. "Already a child. No toddler stage - I could bring her home tomorrow and still see her young adult birthday, couldn't I?"

"Maybe you could," I replied, "But she wouldn't be yours. And more importantly, she wouldn't be Gerald's. And you know the rules."

"The rules can be changed," Harley said, airily. "I'm going to figure out how to change them."

"I really don't think they can."

"You chose Chimo. You chose me. You're really the one making the decisions - I'm not stupid. I bet you've got the name and traits and aspirations and skills and personality of my child all figured out in your excel spreadsheets already, haven't you?" Harley asked. "I'm not even pregnant yet. But tell me, am I having a boy, or a girl?"



I wasn't sure I liked how much fourth-wall breaking was happening in this conversation, even for this story, so I may have refused to answer straight away. 

Harley sighed. She closed out of the Simnardos adoptions web-page and diligently began hacking the Lothario Trust - her daily career requirement, of course.

"My point is," she murmured, "you're controlling a lot here. And if you wanted to break the rules, you could. I think if you wanted to change the rules, you could do that, too. But if not, I'll figure out a way myself."



"She's right, you know," said Iris. "Well, partially. Most of that made her sound completely nutters, but she's right about having a child. Chimo's still got a week of childhood left. Now, granted, Norman had him at the end of adulthood rather than at the start, but it's still different to when I was having kids."

"There's just been so much sadness in the house as of late, since Norman…" my voice trails off.

"Nevertheless, time marches on," said Iris firmly.

I do take note that she's holding a saw.



As if she was making a point, when I start sending Harley out to the flirty garden, she twirls into an adult. I knew her birthday was soon, but it had seemed between the Ambrosia and Norman and everyone just moping around, I had forgotten completely.

I'm sorry, Harley, really I am. I'll get Gerald and we'll get started on this, won't we?



Maybe you can both change into something nice, put on some nice music…



I know we're all still in shock about Norman, but there really is no more time to waste.



And so, better late than never, generation four is on its way.
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Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 45 (3 March 2017)
« Reply #196 on: March 03, 2017, 12:52:10 PM »
Yay! Generation four! Nice tease about the gender. You do have it figured out, don't you? You and your mysterious excel spreadsheets.

Loved Gerald's fight with Grim. "We're all immortal, aren't we?" Nice one, Gerald! He's really very astute when he wants to be.

Speaking of Gerald, that shot of him on the sadness hotline! Hey, Gerald. 'Sup? You been working out? You and your tiny shorts? I see you.

Happy birthday, Harley! Your patience has been rewarded and now it's baby time! Woo!



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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 45 (3 March 2017)
« Reply #197 on: March 03, 2017, 01:32:00 PM »
I love it that the Sadness Hotline is always there -- even for Gerald Morven. Looking forward to Generation 4!
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Offline oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 45 (3 March 2017)
« Reply #198 on: March 03, 2017, 03:51:46 PM »
Gerald looks really great in his career suit and hat! (And yes, Francesca, in his sleepwear, too...)

Whoa, Harley is so on to you, Watcher! But how exciting that she is expecting now!
It will be great to see Gerald and Harley transitioning together into their new roles as parents!

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 45 (3 March 2017)
« Reply #199 on: March 03, 2017, 10:31:53 PM »
@FrancescaFiori If Harley had to wait, so do you! ;) But yes, while I allowed it to be random for the first few generations, I'm probably going to use carrots/strawberries from here on in. I'd like to keep it nicely balanced.

Well, when I get around to it, fitness will be his third skill. He has to win in those fights, right?

@MarianT It's great, isn't it? I was just glad to get the last emotional whim for him. I was thinking I'd have to go out of my way to make something happen. :P

@oshizu The outfits are definitely better in this career, hey?

I think Harley's been onto me since day one. I'm kind of borrowing from Francesca in that insane sims have a certain...connection with the Watcher. But all my sims can talk to me, so Harley's connection is a bit more...insightful?

I don't usually double-update. And while this isn't a double update in my time zone, it will be for some of you. However, I'm about to leave for the Sydney Mardi Gras parade so I won't be able to post later. :) I'll be on a float with my Dad, his partner, and my sister that celebrates families coming in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. My sister and I are both in our final year of University, so we'll be wearing graduation gowns. On a float in pouring rain. Surrounded by gorgeous gay men wearing no clothing. It's going to be so much fun!

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 45 (3 March 2017)
« Reply #200 on: March 03, 2017, 10:48:16 PM »
Chapter 46 - Glamping



"I was worried, after all that, that it wouldn't happen. I was starting to think it would never happen. But it did, first go. Congratulations, Gerald, you're going to be a father!"

Gerald wasn't quite as excited about this as his wife was. He knew it was necessary, of course - he was just grateful he didn't have to carry the child.

"That's great news, Harley!" he replied, with as much enthusiasm as could be expected. "I know just how to celebrate, too!"

"We could go to one of those new Restaurants in town?" Harley suggested.



"A restaurant? Don't be silly, Harley. There's no such thing. We're going camping!" said Gerald. "We've all been so mopey lately, since Dad…anyways, a real getaway will do us good."

"Camping? But that's not one of the new packs?" Harley asked. "We've always had access to that one."

Her husband seemingly ignored this remark. "Yes, is this Granite Falls bookings? Yes, this is Gerald Morven. I would like to hire the Lakeside Retreat for one night, please."



"Ugh, camping," groaned Iris. This was definitely not her idea of a good time.

"I dunno, Mom," said Rose. "This hardly counts as camping. I don't even think 'glamping' begins to cover it."

"How am I going to get breakthroughs here?" asked Edith.

"Oh come on you two, have a bit of optimism," said Henry, addressing his sister and his grandmother. "This will be fun!"



"Well, the kitchen isn't bad," said Iris, after she'd whipped up some franks and beans for everyone.

"Again, Mom, this hardly counts as camping," Rose replied.

"We're only here because Gerald needs the woodworking schematic," Harley muttered.

"See," said Gerald, ignoring her. "This is just what we need! A nice, family getaway before the baby arrives."

Rose suddenly perked up. "Baby?" she asked.

"Baby?" Chimo echoed, cutely.

Edith groaned.



After a good night's sleep, everyone sets out the next morning to enjoy a little bit of what Granite Falls has to offer.

Rose was still feeling down about losing her soulmate, but the fresh air, it seemed, did wonders for her.



Gerald, of course, did the thing he came here to do, and examined the camping mascot thoroughly.



After a while, he was rather confident he would be able to sculpt one, or ten, of them.



And so he headed back to camp to spend the rest of the day playing horseshoes.



Iris spent the better part of the morning trying to pretend she was anywhere but here.



Perhaps the two sims who get the most out of their Saturday in the woods were Chimo and Henry.

Chimo decided to get a good start on the family's collections. He didn't find anything particularly rare, but he caught some bees without getting stung, and some ladybugs.



He went looking for frogs.



He also met a bear. He didn't like the bear very much, though.

"If you try to attack me," he said, "my brother Gerald will beat you up! Just like he beat up death!"



But his big brother, Henry, had no interest in beating the bear up. He just wanted to make friends.



In fact you could say that while Chimo was busy collecting, well, collectibles - Henry was running around the campground collecting acquaintances.



"Acquaintances."



By the end of the day, he'd actually managed to meet 10 sims he'd never met before, and he was ready to go home and slay the rest of the Friend of the World aspiration.



Which was just as well, because Iris had been more than ready to head home hours ago. Camping really wasn't her thing.



When they returned to Windenberg, it was back to work for just about everyone.

Chimo, with help from Rose, made quick work of the Whiz Kid aspiration requirements. Now all he needed was an 'A' in school, which he would hopefully earn next week.



On to rambunctious scamp! Ironically, this aspiration seems to involve more time sitting still at the computer than any of the others. But, it's quick and easy, so Chimo accomplishes this one easily as well.



Gerald also hunkered down to get to work on his own ambrosia requirements. Now that he had the woodworking schematic he needed, he hoped to make quick work of his museum items, and his handiness skill, before toddlerhood was upon them again.



Though it didn't seem it, Rose's provision of moral support was incredibly helpful.



"Evening, BMO," cried Edith cheerily, greeting her old friend in the basement.

Edith breathed a deep sigh of satisfied relief. The camping trip had been fun, but it was so good to be back in the lab.

Gerald had given her a list of things to make, most of which would assist him, it seemed, in his quest for world domination. She wondered how much she really wanted to help him, but she wouldn't ever be one to back down from a challenge, either. Most of it was pretty par-for-the-course.



A simray capable of mind control. A satellite dish to prevent further undesired abductions, and to paint the whole town red. A cloning device would be useful, and she also recalled a small handful of serums that Gerald had requested; need fixer, spark drive, ox strength. She'd added wormhole generator to the list herself, for she of course hoped to visit Sixam herself one day. Maybe when he was a bit older, she would take Chimo with her?

All of this would be relatively easy, and relatively harmless even in the hands of Gerald Morven. And Chimo was totally on board with helping her to collect all the ingredients she would need to craft most of these things.



It was the last item on the list that had Edith worried. He'd mentioned it before, but she hadn't really thought he was being serious about it. If she did invent one of those for him, an item of highly questionable legality, and very dangerous, the results could be devastating.

And yet, it lingered. Niggled away at the back of her mind. Could she do it? It would test her inventive and scientific capabilities to the limit - a challenge she would not readily turn down.



She pulled out her drawing board and began to draw.
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Offline oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)
« Reply #201 on: March 04, 2017, 12:40:34 AM »
Congrats to Harley and Gerald! Oh, oh, oh, another nooboo/toddler on the horizon!

The Granite Falls seemed pretty fun and productive for everyone except Iris.
Good thing she brought her meditation stool! I loved that Henry ran around and made all 10 acquaintances.
I'm looking forward to hearing about his progress with Friends of the World! He really does seem to be living the life: loving, socializing, not-working, hehe.

Watch out, Gerald's getting down to bizness! Churn out those camping mascots! He really has matured, it seems.
And what's this new mystery about what Edith has been tasked to invent?

Hey, and why are you even posting? Here, I thought you were off shaking your groove thing on a Mardi Gras float!

P.S. I'm so happy that you're back and continuing this great story!  ;D



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Offline FrancescaFiori

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)
« Reply #202 on: March 06, 2017, 12:36:30 PM »
Your Mardi Gras plans sounded amazing! I'm so jealous. I hope you had a fantastic time!

No such thing as restaurants, Gerald? LOL! That cracked me up.

Loved Chimo and Henry's simultaneous collecting. They are both quite adorable in their own ways.

You named your invention constructor BMO! That's so awesome! *jumps up and down* Now, what could you be making, Edith?

I'm wildly flattered that you might be borrowing the insane sim/Watcher connection thing from my story. Wildly! I mean, your story is obviously very much your own and you're doing your own unique thing with it, but my ego is very thoroughly stroked by the reference. :)

So excited for the nooboo! Hooray!

Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)
« Reply #203 on: March 07, 2017, 05:55:53 AM »
@oshizu Honestly, I am so glad you brought up doing friend of the world with him. After he did the introductions part, he practically auto-completed it to Milestone 4. Basically. I had to take him elsewhere so later when Gerald and Harley went on a date (will show up in story soon) he 'met someone new' in a third location. Now all he needs is to max Charisma, but I think he's at level 9 anyways, so it'll surely happen. I don't think his working on the aspiration will ever feature in the story again. He's also done Serial Romantic and Leader of the Pack so yes, lots and lots of Potions of Youth from him! I've shuffled my aspirations-for-heirs plans so that everyone can do Leader of the Pack at some point - it's another easy one!

After all the writing Rose did, the camping mascot feels almost too easy.

@FrancescaFiori Mardi Gras was awesome! It was my sixth time in the parade with my Dad, but the first time my sister came with us, so that was pretty special. :) Also it actually didn't rain too badly, so that was a plus!

Yes, I reference lots of fun cartoons in this. Steven Universe, MLP:FIM, now Adventure Time! BMO felt like the best name for an invention constructor.

And oh yes, the watcher connection thing is definitely inspired by your story, but I am glad you appreciate the different way I'm using the idea. Still, never would have happened without your Catherine/Thaddeus. :)

I'm very excited for the nooboo myself! Gen 4 is kind of halfway, right?


EDIT: Might take some time for me to post the next update. I usually write/work in OneNote and then paste the chapters here, but OneNote crashed and refused to open, then suggested I clear the cache to solve the problem. Which resulted in all of my chapters getting wiped from OneNote. Most of them are here anyways, I think I only had one and a partial chapter ready to post, but I am still very frustrated. :(
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Offline oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)
« Reply #204 on: March 07, 2017, 03:45:47 PM »
@Whirligig
I only started using OneNote at a friend's suggestion when I started my first RDC. I'm sorry and shocked about the loss of your many, many chapters!
Do you have new plans for saving your work? OneDrive? I've been resisting saving my text updates, but maybe it's time to consider options.

Offline wfgodot

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)
« Reply #205 on: March 07, 2017, 06:55:24 PM »
Ouch, I use Google Drive.  It saves every time you type, and its online.  So if your computer misbehaves you're still good!

I'm going to read this, too, just so you know.  I'll be back to comment when I'm caught up.
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Offline Whirligig

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)
« Reply #206 on: March 08, 2017, 03:29:17 AM »
Thanks @oshizu and @wfgodot . The notebook wasn't actually saved on my computer - it was saved on OneDrive, and I'm wondering if that was part of the problem? It looks like some of the chapters are still there - I'm guessing mainly the older ones. They just take their sweet time to load. The latest one is definitely gone, but I'm thinking I may keep the notebook on my hard drive for a while. I tried copying the notebook section to a new notebook on my hard drive but it's saying it hasn't synced yet. It's now had since I posted last night to sync so I don't really know what's going on. :-/

I use Google Drive as well, and it works a charm as long as I'm working in my browser, but when I try to use Google Drive with MS Word or Excel, well, Microsoft and Google don't exactly get along. OneNote is great for having sections so I can quickly flip back and forth between chapters, I just drag pictures in from file explorer, etc.

Also, wonderful to have you on board, wfgodot! :) Take your time, there's a lot of chapters...
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Offline oshizu

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)
« Reply #207 on: March 14, 2017, 07:09:17 PM »
@Whirligig

I am patiently awaiting an onslaught of Gerald/Harley's toddler spam...

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Re: The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)
« Reply #208 on: March 16, 2017, 05:06:45 AM »
I just spent the last week reading through all of your chapters, and I'm absolutely hooked. I love the way you add so much character and depth to your Sims. I care for them just like any characters I would read about. I can't wait to read more!