The gray skin and the blonde hair make for a very interesting combination. My GOSH is Sam just adorable, though.
He's definitely a striking little thing. I agree on his adorableness, especially since I've seen him throughout all stages of his life and can confirm that he never stopped being cute.
I love it! He's adorable! He looks just like his grandfather. I see we'll be adding Harwood and Julienne's genes soon as well. Good, good. I love Twinbrook, so reading your stories is extra fun to see the combination of all my favourite townies' genes!
I love how he has Goodwin's big eyes. I can see why you're obsessed with him!
Yep, I'm not being subtle at all with my plans for Rebecca, am I? Harwood's genes really worked out well for her, and that's reason enough for her to join the family. The huge age gap be darned!
Samhain is so cute!!!! How could he be anything else?
True that.
Saimhain is adorable! He is unique like Screwtape when he at the same age like him.
What his name meaning anyway? Or... Any reference for that? I would love to hear more depth on Saimhain
Well, Sheila. Hang in there okay!
Haha, how funny when I looking at Sinbad there. Hi, there! Hope that you will not get caught with stomachache thing
Great update, Trip! I just can't wait to see more
I love the uniqueness of all of my toddlers.
Samhain was an ancient Gaelic festival that marked the end of the harvest. It eventually evolved into what we know as Halloween. And it sounded cool.
Oooh, I just snuck a look at the family tree and I'm really excited to see how this all plays out! You certainly have been busy with those townies.
Oh, Screwtape. This may sound silly, but after the previous chapter I was half-expecting him to clone himself. I still wouldn't object to that because hey, more Screwtape!
Ah yes, I decided that if I needed to compensate for a broken story progression, I should take it ten steps beyond anything I've tried before. There is no such thing as too many original townie children, after all.
That would have been an interesting idea, though Sheila would still have to find a different babydaddy. I never wrote this rule down, but I have a very strict "No inbreeding" rule, and clones still count as relatives by my rules. And having two Screwtapes around might create a vortex of boringness that I'm not willing to risk.
---
When a ghost walked into the diner after one of Screwtape's shifts, it was unfortunate that his lack of humor meant a missed opportunity for a joke.
His real hobby outside of cooking was still street art. In spite of all the pleading from Vega, he stuck with it. He even said that it was legal because he owned the diner.
“Screwtape Fisheye Ironstar!” yelled out a voice, accompanied by police sirens. “We know that you own the place. It's still illegal.”
“I am fully aware of the law, officer, but my artistic expression relies on using public property.” He didn't have to go to jail, but the 1,000 simoleon fine still hurt him.
He was forced to stay at home with his art. It wasn't like Vega cared about the lawn anyways.
But that was the only negative thing. Even his relationship with Clarissa grew stronger after a rough start. He didn't say a word about the dealings at university, but he quickly vowed to be a better husband. Clarissa was still a good person, and he knew all too well that she wouldn't be around forever.
Samhain didn't care. He was too busy being adorable for the whole household. Clarissa grew to love him; there was no denying that he was her son based off that nose alone.
Even more importantly, Sheila's woes finally left her. Her laughter seemed more sincere when she tickled Samhain after his nap. There was something left; a very important question, but she could wait. The best part was already there.
So what would become of Sinbad?
His pout grew stronger. He spent all his time with Zo and the kids; she had another set of twins. He had to rely on Zo for companionship; no one else accepted him. Oliver was appalled with his dirtbag ways, and balked at the thought of him seeing Jade any more. Lolly wanted to just be friends, and not even that. Sofia refused to speak with him. Vega refused to take him to Egypt to find even more irresponsible woohoo.
“Hey handsome, thanks for the good time this morning,” said Zo, her little Lavar in her arms. “Do you mind taking care of the kids tonight? Screwtape gave me a long shift. Maybe you should talk to him about that.”
Poor Sinbad, he got himself into the slimy world of illegitimate children, casual romance, and monstrous child support payments. And why? He could blame it only on Vega. He was her marionette, and she encouraged him on. More women, more woohoo, more children.
If people called him rotten, it was because they never knew Vega.
That afternoon, he felt it all come to its merciful end.
It felt unreal at first; in spite of all his inner vitriol towards the life he was forced to live, it was something that seemed to integral to his being to end. And then it did. Sinbad Rotter was dying.
He died close to Lavar; his brow furrowed as he recalled his life with the Ironstars. The little tyke was unaware of anything that was happening, especially that he and the other Rotter children were all that Sinbad lived for in the end, the only thing he left behind that truly mattered in the mind of Vega.
“Just tell me why this all happened!” Sinbad's voice was wrought with desperation.
“Rotter, I've never been able to figure out that crazy lady myself.”
Sinbad never got his answer, at least not while still bound to earth. He was described as hateful, miserable, rotten, and difficult. Sinbad was fine with leaving behind that legacy, but the one paved with child support checks was one that filled him with malice he kept in his heart even after his dying breath.
---
Life had to go on. Samhain was about to grow up.
“Wow Angie, I never would have guessed,” said Clarissa.
“Yeah, but it's freakin' Julienne Knack!” Angelique said, a little muffled by another passionate kiss. Julienne wasn't willing to let Harwood's death twenty-odd years ago get in the way of a new flame. The girl had to flirt.
Screwtape held his son for the last time, filled with pride for his little boy.
“I would like to note that our birthday setup is fireproof and absolutely safe,” Screwtape yelled out to the crowd. They didn't really care; they were there only for a birthday.
Samhain tried his hardest with the candles, but his tiny lungs weren't quite ready for the task. Daddy was there to help, making his own wish.
Little did the guests know that it was a shared birthday. Sheila had a wish too, maybe close to what Screwtape had in mind. There was just one more thing she wanted, and the key to her last wish was right up the road.
Samhain spent the rest of the night playing video games for the first time; grandma Vega always did and they seemed so fun. Life went on as it always did, but Samhain was still naïve to the world, looking at it with good will in his wide grey eyes. He didn't know the Ironstar cycle yet.
When another life ended...
...Sheila woke up in the old Pidgin Mansion some days after her birthday, hoping that one began.
---
With Sinbad dead, it's time to count his children.
Did he have six, like Harwood? Nah. That's amateur stuff.
Did he have eight, like Justin from the Claviculas? Again, amateur.
Sinbad ended up with a grand total of
fifteen children from four different women. Two with Jade, one with Lolly, five with Sofia, and seven with Zo. To say that he did his job is an understatement.
Oh, and with Julienne and Angelique making out at the party, there's nothing wrong with that, though it was incredibly wrong at first glance. You see, one of Julienne's daughters looks like Angelique from the back because they both have blond hair in a bun, so I was wondering how broken the family tree was to make that happen until I noticed that it was actually Angelique.
However, the family tree of Sinbad and the Greenwoods truly broke around the time generation four was a child, so I saw one of Jade's kids with Sinbad flirting with one of Emerald's kids with another live-in.
That's unacceptable no matter how I look at it!