The Morven Family Dynasty - Chapter 46 (4 March 2017)

[FrancescaFiori]

Oh, Gerald. I can't get enough of you. I was chuckling through this whole chapter. I like how managing his human resources is becoming his biggest challenge to world domination. Henry is so sweet and wide-eyed and unflappable. They are a wonderful duo. Excited to see who comes into the family next!

I loved Norman being scary for all the wrong reasons as a sea monster, and Antwan the "young stallion." Too funny!

[Whirligig]

Trying to ignore the devastating US election results (I mean, I knew America was crazy, but I didn't think y'all were this bad...) and focus on my sims. I'm not sure if it's working.

How wonderful that both Gerard and Henry inherited the violet eyes! It's great watching the two brothers getting along so well.

Congrats to Rose for completing that pesky five-parties requirement! Colette makes a lovely woodland fairy, while Rose makes an adorable pink fairy.
Is Rose expecting?
Haha, Antwan the young stallion. Way to have a positive self-image, Antwan! lol

What a wonderful story this is!

Rose is expecting, yes. I didn't get a shot of the confetti (I think Rose was at home while I was with Colette and Iris and the kids at the park when it happened - I got back to the main lot and she had the eating for two moodlet). I think I mentioned it earlier, but may have forgotten.

I think the fairy costume is my favourite of the costumes. One of my favourites.

I rather like Antwan, though he doesn't do much for the story. He's kind of a filler-pollinator, so that I can make sure the kids have friend options who are younger than they are, too. In my mind he sounds like a proper british chap, for whatever reason.

Also, thanks for letting me know about the duplicate photos. Must've been distracted while i was going through and grabbing the codes from imgur. All fixed!

Oh, Gerald. I can't get enough of you. I was chuckling through this whole chapter. I like how managing his human resources is becoming his biggest challenge to world domination. Henry is so sweet and wide-eyed and unflappable. They are a wonderful duo. Excited to see who comes into the family next!

I loved Norman being scary for all the wrong reasons as a sea monster, and Antwan the "young stallion." Too funny!

Lol, well managing the human resources is my biggest challenge at the moment, so that may be transferring. I think he was expecting Henry to just follow him blindly, which Henry's not about to do, but that's not to say Henry isn't supportive either.

Norman is definitely growing on me.

[Whirligig]

Chapter 21 - Dear Norman



The morning after the parties began ordinarily enough. It was Sunday, and so the whole family was on board (or, as on board as possible) to help the boys with their aspirations. Norman settled in to read to Henry, while Iris mentored Gerald through his homework. And Rose had discovered a new found appreciation, perhaps due to her pregnancy, for strawberries.



Antwan snuck away to the chess table so he could get to work 'befriending' Elsa Bjergsen.



Before leading her downstairs to his room so they could engage in…other activities.



And Colette slipped away to her room. She had received a message from an old friend, and decided that there was indeed unfinished business she needed to attend to.

To my dearest son Norman.

I am sorry. I am sorry that I wasn't who I was meant to be. I am sorry that I didn't offer you every one of the best opportunities you could have had. I am sorry that, in the end, it was you who worked hard to bring us out of poverty, out of limbo, and into a Watched house. I want you to know that I am eternally appreciative of everything you've done for us. You've worked so hard, and I am so, so proud of you.



Give my love to your children. Your sons are delightful, if a bit strong willed.



Keep Gerald on a short leash, but don't tie him down forever.



As for your third child, do give them all my love. Tell them that they are special and they are loved and that Grandma Colette will be looking out for them. I am deeply sorry that we never got to meet in the flesh, but I hope my spirit will be around for him or her.



I am grateful, Norman, to have been given the chance to write this letter. I got to know my time was coming, and I got to spend it with you and your new family - a family that I have grown to love as well. Thank Iris and Rose for all that they've done for you and for both of us. Tell them I am sorry if I ever seemed ungrateful for their help.

As for the real reason I am writing this letter, I did want you to know a bit of who I am and why I am the way I am.



Teasdale was not a bad place to grow up. It was a small town beyond the borders of the known sim world, and as such, the opportunities available there were limited. But certain sims could get out if they met certain criteria. Never being much of a Brainiac, I worked as hard as I could to maximise the fitness skill, and was able to move both of to the known world by becoming a personal trainer.



This was not without its challenges of course. Before you were born, when I was just getting started as a personal trainer, there was an incident at work.

An older woman came to me, wanting to be as strong and fit as she had been when she was young. She wanted me to help her feel young again.



I wanted her to stop. It looked like she needed to stop.

But she wouldn't stop. So I kept pushing her.



And Norman, I pushed her too hard.



I guess I hadn't fully grasped how sick she was.



After the incident, I felt awful, completely awful.

Initially I tried to turn myself in to the police. I was sure that what had happened had been my fault. But investigations showed the woman was dying anyways - perhaps she had hoped to speed up the process.

I wanted to make it up to her, I really did. I tried finding her family - next, I spoke to the police about finding her next of kin, but all we found was that there wasn't any. Her husband had died long ago, and they'd never had children. Her husband's sister was also dead, but she'd had a daughter - the niece of the woman who died. I tried getting in touch with her in Woolstone, but she never did get back to me.



This poor woman, Edith Carver had been her name, had died under my supervision. I hadn't been able to save her. She'd had no close friends, no family to speak of, no one to care that she was even gone. I became obsessed with her, and she became my worst nightmare.



You know your father hasn’t been terribly involved in your life - and was, in fact, barely mentioned. He was a one night stand not long after the incident occurred. Unhappily married with children, he was, just looking for some release with no strings attached. He didn't offer to use protection, and I didn't ask him to. I guess I didn't want him to. I didn't know if I would ever find a man to love me endlessly and unconditionally, but I didn't want to be alone forever.



I wanted a child. So what if it made me a single mother - at least I would be a mother. At least I would have you. I know I didn't give you every possible opportunity - I couldn't. But know this, Norman: I loved you unconditionally.

I never did see him again.



Life is such a precious gift, Norman. Treasure yours with all your strength. Treasure your family close.



While I disagreed at some levels with the requirements of this Dynasty of theirs, I did always appreciate their friendship and their support for you, and their support of our children.



I love you with all my heart, and I will see you in spirit soon.

Your mother,

Colette.



"I mean, of course Colette, I'd be happy to pass this letter onto Norman after your death. Anything to make it easier for both of you, really. But I'd like to think with level 10 fitness, haven't you got a few more days left?" Iris asked when Colette approached her about showing Norman her letter.

"Maybe," Colette mused, "but I've just got this…sense, I suppose, that I need to have everything in order now." She paused. "Besides, this letter contains information I should have told Norman long ago."

Iris nodded, solemnly.



"Unless there's still some of that angelfish omelette to spare?" Colette prodded.

"I'm sorry," Iris shook her head, "but the rules are the rules."

"Hmm," murmured Colette, "figures."



Colette made her way downstairs to the main bathroom. She tried not to feel jaded, but she couldn't help it sometimes. Life was such a sacred thing that not even the reaper could control, and yet, because of this watcher and because of this, this agreement, this challenge, these people thought they could manipulate it.

But at this point, there was nothing more to be done. Shaking her hands dry, Colette turned around to step into the shower.



And it just so happened that that was when she began to see the light.

[oshizu]

What a moving, dignified ending you provided to the life of Colette.
It showed us her softer, gentler side--one not so tainted with bitterness--that we'd not seen much of before.

Rest in peace, Colette. May you find peace in your final repose and know that you will be missed.

[Joria]

Oh, so sad!  RIP Colette.  I really loved the letter and you giving us her back story.  Made her more real and a much better person.

[Whirligig]

What a moving, dignified ending you provided to the life of Colette.
It showed us her softer, gentler side--one not so tainted with bitterness--that we'd not seen much of before.

Rest in peace, Colette. May you find peace in your final repose and know that you will be missed.

Hopefully it provided a decent enough explanation of where she'd come from and why she was the way she was. Guilt, jealousy...it all has to come from somewhere.

Oh, so sad!  RIP Colette.  I really loved the letter and you giving us her back story.  Made her more real and a much better person.

Thanks! I enjoyed coming up with it and writing it out. I hope it maybe gave some insight into who she was and where she came from.

[Whirligig]

Chapter 22 - Edith



Iris heard the cry first.



She rushed in, and could barely believe what she was seeing.

Of course Colette had predicted her own death. It had been the day she'd been dreading and anticipating for most of her life. She would be well tuned in to when her time would come.

Still, Iris was wracked with guilt, and shame, and sadness. She was losing a very good friend, after all, and that certainly counted for something.



Norman, too, sensed the commotion, arriving moments after the grim reaper himself. After quickly assessing the situation, he locked the door shut. Rose was resting, the boys were playing outside, Antwan was…otherwise occupied. None of them needed to see this.

His mother had wished to not die alone. And so he and Iris were by her side, but there was no reason for the rest of his family to suffer.



But as grim collected Colette's soul in his bony fist, Norman's heart threatened to break in two.



"Will she finally be at peace now?" Iris deigned to ask.

"It's difficult to say," the Grim Reaper replied. "Some sims take death better than others. And you know Colette was never one to take death very well. The brief peace with herself she felt before her time arrived was some final consolation. But it may have been short-lived."



"Well that's hardly reassuring," Iris replied.

The reaper scoffed. "I'm not in the business of providing reassurance," he said. "I am just here to collect their souls."

"We will see her again, won't we?" Iris asked.

He nodded. "Most likely."

Iris sighed. "Well then. We'll look forward to her visit."



"I will, however, give you a small piece of advice, Iris," the reaper continued.

"Oh?"

"Check your age bar."



Tragic irony reared its ugly head yet again. Though not yet bubbling, Iris' age bar had been dangerously close to its end, and so she decided that she would rather be safe than sorry, and she procured another plate of Ambrosia that Sergio had prepared for her.

She was really starting to hate the taste of it.

"What's that, Nana?" asked Henry, bouncing up to the bar next to her with a plate of cheesy eyeballs. "Can I try some?"

Iris felt her chest tighten. This was precisely why she had stopped at Rose.



She would have to bury him one day, just as she had just buried Colette. She sighed sadly.



"It's called Ambrosia, dearie. Nana has to eat it every so often, but it doesn't taste very nice, and it's not very good for growing boys," she said, calmly.

"Mom says neither are cheesy eyeballs," Henry replied.

Iris smiled. "Well, you're mother is probably right."

Iris paused.

"Has your daddy told you what happened to Grandma Colette?" she asked.

Henry nodded.



"He let me an' Gerald go out to the garden at the front of the house, where he says Grandma was buried, jus' like Mom's Daddy and Uncle Sergio. He told us she's not gone forever, just gone to be a ghost, an' sometimes she might visit us. But she prolly won't be able to help look after the garden or help us catchin' angelfish or anything anymore."

"And how does that make you feel, Henry?" Iris asked.



Henry shrugged, staring intently at the eyeball in his hand. "A bit sad, I guess. I mean, I'm gonna miss Grandma Colette and really liked having her around to play with us an' stuff. Are you gonna go away like her, Nana?"

Iris tried not to choke on her Ambrosia. "No, Henry. I'll never leave you like Grandma Colette had to."

"Good," nodded Henry.



"Also Gerald was pretty upset," Henry continued. "He said Grandma Colette was meant to help him take over the world, but now she wasn't here an' couldn't do that. He went upstairs and started kicking at the dolls' house, like Antwan sometimes does."

"Everyone has different ways of being sad, Henry," Iris explained. "But I should probably try to fix the dolls' house for you, shouldn't I?"



"It isn't fair, Bleary," Gerald was saying to the tired old teddy bear.

"If I'm going to take over the world, I gotta be immortal. Mother says I can be immortal, but not everyone can - just Nana and her. That's why Grandma Colette died. 'Cause she wasn't allowed to be immortal, even though she kinda wanted to be.

And Henry's not allowed to be immortal, same as Dad and Antwan and the new baby and any of my friends. She says I gotta have a kid eventually, and my first kid'll be immortal, but that's it.

It stinks! It stinks, it stinks, it stinks!" Gerald finished yelling, and Bleary almost looked sad. Like maybe Gerald's yelling had hurt his feelings.



He went in to hug the bear. "I'm sorry Bleary," he said, "I didn't mean to yell at you. I really want to yell at the Grim Reaper, or at the Watcher, or at Nana for making the rules, but Nana and Mother don't like them either.

"What's that, Bleary? Oh, but taking over the world will mean that other sims will have to die? Well, I suppose so, but I just don't want those sims to be my minions…more specifically, my grandmothers. I want them to be other, less important sims," Gerald explained. He grinned, evilly.



"Thanks for the talk, Bleary," he said. "I think I'm going to go draw a picture of the monster I'm going to create who's going to help me achieve world domination."



"How are you going, Norman?" Iris asked, wandering into the living room. It was late that same evening, and she had just sent the boys upstairs to bed. Norman had been writing - a tragedy about a duck who lost its mother, from what Iris could gather.

When he looked up, Iris could tell that he'd been crying. He didn't say anything.

"Oh, my poor boy," she said, sadly, "come here."



She wrapped Norman in a hug. A friendly, mother-in-law hug, but just the sort of hug Norman needed.

"Uh, thanks, Iris," he managed a weak smile.

"There was also something your mother wanted me to pass along to you," Iris said, "after her…well. You know."

She made her way over to the computer and pulled up the file, exactly where Colette had told her it would be. She pulled out the desk chair and motioned for Norman to have a seat.



And then Iris quietly slipped out of the living room, leaving Norman to read his mother's letter.



Later that night (or, perhaps more accurately, in the wee hours of the next morning) Rose had been awakened by a rather frantic Henry, who proclaimed there was a monster under his bed.

"See, Henry. I'm using this special spray on and around the bed, so that you shouldn't be bothered by any more monsters tonight. Okay?" said Rose, stretching.

She was tired, but truth be told, she hadn't been sleeping well herself, so for once it hadn't been a bother when her son came in to tell her about the scary monster under the bed.



"Thanks Mom," said Henry with a sigh. It was the first night without Grandma Colette, and he hadn't been sleeping very well. "Sorry I woke you up."

Rose sighed. "That's okay, Henry," she said. "I know you're missing Grandma Colette. I miss her, too."



In fact, Rose was worried about her boys. She tossed and turned about it all night, and even into the next morning. She sat down to write, but couldn't concentrate.

It seemed to her like they all seemed to be taking Colette's death rather poorly. So Rose herself hadn't gotten on all that well with her mother-in-law, but maybe she'd underestimated just how much Colette had contributed to her family.



But time marches on, and the circle of life keeps turning.



Well-versed by now in giving birth at home on her own, Rose made her way to the nursery without too much fuss and bother.



So the day after Colette died, Rose welcomed her third child, a daughter, into the world. Much her relief, as well as that of the Watcher, she was just one beautiful baby girl.

And at Norman's request, Rose named her Edith Colette Morven.

[oshizu]

Awww, what a perfect name for the newborn daughter of Rose and Norman!

Colette had seemed to exist previously in her a self-center world, where she bemoaned her fate and the deficiencies in her life.
I loved how this chapter showed us how much, in fact, she'd made her ways in the the hearts of everyone in the household, even DIL, Rose.
I'm glad for Norman that he could read that final letter from his mother.

A great two updates, Whirligig! And now you've set us up to anticipate what Colette will be like when she returns as a ghost...

[Joria]

What a sweet chapter.  It's rather heartbreaking to see the boys' reactions to the death.  Even evil little Gerald had his moment, and breaking the dolls house is exactly what some kids would do when that upset.  You just want to hug them both.  Welcome to the world little Edith Colette.

[Whirligig]

Awww, what a perfect name for the newborn daughter of Rose and Norman!

Colette had seemed to exist previously in her a self-center world, where she bemoaned her fate and the deficiencies in her life.
I loved how this chapter showed us how much, in fact, she'd made her ways in the the hearts of everyone in the household, even DIL, Rose.
I'm glad for Norman that he could read that final letter from his mother.

A great two updates, Whirligig! And now you've set us up to anticipate what Colette will be like when she returns as a ghost...

Thanks so much, oshizu! My aim is to demonstrate a little bit of personality for each of the characters involved. I'm glad that was accomplished with Colette.

What a sweet chapter.  It's rather heartbreaking to see the boys' reactions to the death.  Even evil little Gerald had his moment, and breaking the dolls house is exactly what some kids would do when that upset.  You just want to hug them both.  Welcome to the world little Edith Colette.

They definitely felt her absence. I did too, tbh. I guess Iris' sadness about Ambrosia being only offered to a few is echoed from myself. Even annoying sims like Colette.



Warning for the incoming chapter:
Me when I start to write sims stories: I'm just going to record what happens, and maybe try to write it well, but no introducing complicated plots and storylines and so forth.

Me 2 generations in: Oh, and maybe the real reason for that is, and so then I should be able to tell this story, oh, I'm going to need to set up a dummy hood for that. Is there any way to pause time/trigger emotions in this game so I can get their facial expressions right? I wonder if a pose like this exists...darn, I'm doing exactly what I said I wouldn't do, aren't I?

[Whirligig]

Chapter 23 - Failure?

Perhaps Antwan was the only sim in the household who was largely unaffected by Colette's death.



"Now then Olivia, my dear girl, it isn't so much a matter of my seeing you 'exclusively' as it were. It's more a matter of my seeing you as the beautiful young woman that you are."

"Are you going to get me pregnant, like Sergio did?" asked Olivia.

"Well, as you may have figured by now, my dear, this is a dynasty house, and that isn't entirely off the cards, of course. The two of us are bound to the duty of ensuring that the world will carry on long after we ourselves are gone. It is not a duty I take lightly, you know."



Apparently, it was not a duty Olivia took lightly, either.



Nor was it a duty taken lightly by Brittany Rosa.



How to take over the world.
By Gerald Morven.

Things have been progressing perhaps a bit slowly. I have completed one aspiration, but there's still a small handful of tasks that remain to be completed for my remaining aspirations.



Such as 'befriending' adults. Antwan is the old man who lives with us. He has a room in the basement and he sometimes gardens or fishes. He gardens a lot more now that Grandma Colette has died. I still miss her sometimes.

Other than that, he doesn't seem to do much. Except he always has women over and always seems to be hanging out with them in the sauna or in the hot tub. His utility still seems low to me at present, but I was able to befriend him for the social butterfly aspiration, so there's that.



Mother, as you may already know, has produced another sim. She is a 'sister' and her name is 'Edith'. I'm still trying to decide what I want to do with her. Nana says I don't get to decide - she gets to decide for herself what she wants to do. That sounds silly to me.



Henry, after all, is happy to do what I want him to do, which is make friends with other sims who may be of use to me, so that I don't have to. That's what he wants, that's what I want, so everyone is happy. Right?[/i]



"So that was school," Gerald explained. Henry, who had aged up on Friday, hadn't been to school yet. And while Gerald returned home from school feeling tense, as usual, Henry was left in a great mood.

"That was so cool!" Henry exclaimed. "The teacher is awesome, and all the girls from your club are in our class.

"You actually enjoyed that?" asked Gerald, incredulously.

Henry nodded.



"Okay, so new plan," said Gerald, gears turning in his brain. "You're in charge of friends. Make friends with everyone, especially girls. Antwan says being friends with girls is important, but I can't be bothered with anyone. But you stay my BFF and my Partner in Crime, so that your friends will want to help both of us. Understood?"

"Sure, but I don't have to make my friends do anything bad, right? I mean, I still want them to like me."

"Oh yes," Gerald said, enthusiastically, "I'm sure your friends will love you!"



Norman was recovering from his mother's death as best he could, by trying to do her, and the rest of his family, proud. He had finally reached the point where he could choose to become a journalist properly, which meant no more writing books. Instead, he had to interview people and write articles. This seemed simple enough.



Rose was, at long last, finished having children. She would be actively avoiding getting pregnant again, and decided to get to work on losing the weight she'd put on from three near-consecutive pregnancies where she'd benefitted from her mother's cooking.



She also had to get to work on her third skill, having maxed logic not long ago. She still had to write books for work and needed one more bestseller for her aspiration (before she would then have to focus on writing Books of Life for everyone, and Bestsellers for the museum), but she had decided her third skill would be the fishing skill, and she would work towards collecting points for the angling ace aspiration, as well. Maybe she would even complete it, so if anything went wrong on her quest for a big happy family, her ambrosia wouldn't be at risk.



In the whirlwind of Colette's death, and everyone working hard on aspirations and goals, Norman's birthday had completely slipped both his mind and the watcher's. He was up late, trying to stargaze to get inspired so he could (maybe) write another bestseller for his Novelist aspiration, when the hands of time forced him to embrace adulthood with a face-full of pine needles.



"I'm sorry, Norman," I said, "I really didn't mean to miss your birthday."

"Awww, don't worry about it, Watcher," Norman replied. "There were lots of parties just a few days earlier, so it's fine."

I smiled. He really was a great sport in all of this. Maybe I haven't been giving him enough credit.



Iris continued to be the rock for the family, fixing things that broke, rallying the family together when they needed strength to keep going, those sorts of things.
 


As far as she was concerned, her grandsons had dealt with their grandmother's death as many children would, had swiftly recovered, and were now flourishing. Furthermore, she finally had a granddaughter to dote on and spoil, as well! She hoped her granddaughter would be as partial to the colour pink as she and Rose had been.



Iris had noticed a change in the atmosphere of the house, recently. It wasn't just that the Watcher had finally cleaned up all the tacky Hallowe'en and Day of the Dead decorations, but the house seemed a bit brighter and airier, with faster internet and much, much more homey. She seemed to be picking up the gourmet cooking skill at record pace.



"Hey, watcher, where have you been? I feel like I've been trapped in time or something."

I scratch my neck nervously. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that," I said. "Played ahead again, had to leave you all here until I catch up. I did dabble in some parallel universes for a bit, that was good fun. I think Rose gave birth to Henry thrice and Edith twice in the last few weeks while I was collecting screenshots from backup games and dummy worlds. In fact, I think one of those worlds has two Henrys, since you can't delete a baby from a family in CAS after you've saved it to your library."



"Um, what?" Iris asked, confused.

"Oh, nevermind. Long story short, 10 minutes in your world has been nearly 2 weeks in mine," I tried to explain, "and since then a lot has happened. Mostly irrelevant to you, but one thing did change."

"Oh, what's that?" asked Iris.

"The rules."



"This meeting of the goofballs in now in order!" Iris called, having gathered Antwan, Rose, Gerald and Norman in the kitchen. Henry was left upstairs to play with the science lab, but as future heir, it was felt that Gerald needed to be in on this conversation.

"What's all the commotion, Mom?" asked Rose, annoyed that her routine had been disrupted by a 'proper' household meeting.

"I have had an important conversation with the Watcher, and it seems the rules which we are meant to follow in building our dynasty has changed. Most specifically, the rules with regards to our use of the goofballs club, as well as with regards to a new thing called 'lot traits'."



"I don't believe I understand, Iris my dear. Would you perhaps be so kind as to explain yourself further?" asked Antwan.

Iris sighed. "Look, I'm not sure that I understand it one hundred per cent myself. It's all part of the convoluted reason we're all here in the first place where basically Gerald, Rose and myself have to accomplish certain tasks, but those tasks can't be made too easy. With our incredibly powerful club, we are finding these things easy, and that's a problem. The lot traits - you know, the faster internet, the more comfortable environment, the convival atmosphere that we have - would also make this too easy. Our ability to utilise these powers has been curtailed, which means that the goofballs club will be forced to be disbanded."

The family members exchanged uncertain glances.



"But that means promotions…" said Rose.

"Yes," said Iris, "though we can earn that back quickly enough."

"And the fast internet we've had for the last two days?" murmured Norman.

"Goes," said Iris.

"This stinks!" frowned Gerald.

"I'm sorry, honey, but the rules are the rules," replied Iris, as gently as she could.



"Screw the rules!" shouted Gerald. "I'm going to take over the world, and then there won't be any more rules!"

Rose looked at her son, shocked.

"Gerald, sweetie," she said, "you can't just…"

"Yes. I. CAN!" Gerald shouted.



Angrily, he got up from the bar and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving the grown-ups exchanging very awkward glances.



"I say!" exclaimed Antwan, who was obviously either trying not to laugh, or trying to lighten the mood - Rose couldn't tell which. "I thought I was the hot-headed sim around here."

Iris, too, seemed to be trying to stifle a smirk.

"Oh, goodness," murmured Rose, wishing the floor would swallow her. "I'm going to have to talk to him, aren't I?"

Norman just nodded.

"How long has he been on this whole 'taking over the world' thing?" she asked.

Iris coughed. Antwan just looked at her. Norman tried to place his hand on her shoulder, but she shook him off.



Rose was ashamed. She had been so focussed on her own goals, her own projects - writing bestsellers, maxing logic, being pregnant and having children, working out, now fishing…

She hadn't noticed that the child who was meant to take over the Dynasty was plotting to run the whole thing into the ground.

Maybe she would succeed as an immortal, but as a mother? Had she failed?

[FrancescaFiori]

Oh, poor Gerald. Hamstrung by the rules. Don't worry, buddy. I'm pretty sure there's no power in the universe that can stop your iron will from prevailing! Oh, and good luck, Rose. As a mother, I do not envy the conversation you are about to have with your son.

Missed a couple of days and wanted to also say how much I enjoyed the Colette backstory. An interesting lady, to be sure. I'll miss her!

[oshizu]

I thoroughly enjoyed your little conversation with yourself about how you would tell the Morven Dynasty's story.
You are really raising the bar on storytelling, you know! Lol.

I like Antwan's lofty vision of his "dynasty mission."  And how smart to make the lot traits/club perks decision part of the plot development!
Norman is really trooper! His mother dies and his birthday is forget, yet he remains so positive! Congrats on his recent promotion, too!

Ahhh, Gerald! Three fantastic shots of angry Gerald! Seems like Rose was the last to catch on to Gerald's evil plans.
I look forward to reading about the heart-to-heart between Rose and Gerald.

[Whirligig]

Oh, poor Gerald. Hamstrung by the rules. Don't worry, buddy. I'm pretty sure there's no power in the universe that can stop your iron will from prevailing! Oh, and good luck, Rose. As a mother, I do not envy the conversation you are about to have with your son.

Missed a couple of days and wanted to also say how much I enjoyed the Colette backstory. An interesting lady, to be sure. I'll miss her!

Thanks for the compliments, I do appreciate them. Yeah, Gerald's still a force to be reckoned with for sure, but Rose definitely isn't giving herself enough credit here. She's busy, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a super strong relationship with all her kids.

And thanks for the comments about Colette's backstory, too. I wanted to come up with some reason for her misery, and so I hope that what I came up with...worked?

I thoroughly enjoyed your little conversation with yourself about how you would tell the Morven Dynasty's story.
You are really raising the bar on storytelling, you know! Lol.

I like Antwan's lofty vision of his "dynasty mission."  And how smart to make the lot traits/club perks decision part of the plot development!
Norman is really trooper! His mother dies and his birthday is forget, yet he remains so positive! Congrats on his recent promotion, too!

Ahhh, Gerald! Three fantastic shots of angry Gerald! Seems like Rose was the last to catch on to Gerald's evil plans.
I look forward to reading about the heart-to-heart between Rose and Gerald.

I didn't exactly set out to 'raise the bar on storytelling' - I just can't help it! I wish I could just play the game and tell what happened as you do, but sims and their lives keep giving me ideas.

As for the rule change, I wanted to address it with a meeting where Iris talks about the changes, but it wasn't until I was actually writing that scene out that I realised this would make Gerald pretty upset. You know how writers sometimes say 'the characters write the story'? That doesn't often happen to me, but it was the case with this. Rose's response also came about in a similar manner.

Norman's starting to remind me of the little engine that could. He's a bit dim, but he has a positive outlook. It's been aaages since I've played the journalist career, and I'd forgotten how annoying the writing articles task is, but in the end we'll get there.

I gotta admit, those were totally staged in a dummy world. I cheated him into the angry mood and then just let him have a go at everyone. When he called his mother names, she then got the embarrassed moodlet which let me get those great shots of her, too. I'm pretty sure Iris had a sad moodlet lingering, too, possibly from mourning? She does the annoying mourning thing, too, but not as bad as Colette. You really have to play with their emotions if you want to get negative reactions - otherwise they just look stupidly happy all the time.

Heart to heart with Gerald incoming! After this, I promise I'm done playing with plots and stories for a while and I'll get back to some regular gameplay. Though that's mostly skilling and such, so possibly not that much more interesting.

[Whirligig]

Chapter 24 - Conversations with Rose



"I think you're overreacting, Rose," Iris was saying, "So his goals are a little bit different to ours, but you know as well as I do that eventually someone has to do deviance aspirations, right?"

"Becoming a public enemy is one thing. But Mom. He said he wanted to take over the world."



"He's still a child, Rose," said Iris, gently, "he's dreaming big. We all dream big when we're that age."

"When you were his age," Rose said, "you wanted to be a famous comedian, right? And I wanted to be a famous novelist, and have a big family with a house full of kids who would never be lonely. You've done yours and I'm working hard towards mine, because that's what dynasty sims do."



"Well, have a chat with him if you want to," said Iris, "but I still think you're making much ado about nothing."

"Mmmm," murmured Rose, "I hope so."



Later that afternoon, Rose hesitated outside of her son's bedroom door. It was Uncle Sergio's old room, and though they'd redecorated and it had been a long time since it had been his, it still reminded her of him just a little bit.

She knocked, tentatively. When there was no response, she gently pushed the door open.



"Hello sweetie," said Rose, gently.

Gerald was drawing - though Rose couldn't quite decipher what it was a picture of.

"What's that you're drawing, Gerald?" she asked.

"None of your business," mumbled Gerald.

Rose sighed, but tried to maintain the friendly façade. 



"Why don't you leave that for a minute, and come have a seat on the bed with me?" Rose asked, sweetly.

Edith started crying in the next room. Rose hesitated, but heard a muffled shout from Norman, assuring her that he would take care of it.

"Please?" Rose prompted.

Gerald put down his crayons and slowly got up to join her. She could tell he was still angry.



"So," said Rose, trying to encourage him to talk. "What's all this I hear about taking over the world?"

"It's what I'm gonna do," mumbled Gerald.

"Oh?" asked Rose. "And how are you going to do that? Do you have a plan?"

Gerald turned to her briefly. "Yes," he said, resolutely. 

"Which is?"

Gerald looked at his feet.

"I mean, you can't take over the world without a plan," Rose continued.

"I have a plan," Gerald repeated, though he seemed resolved not to share it with his mother.



Rose's head was spinning. She felt like she had blinked and suddenly her oldest child was a teenager in a child's body. She was sure there was at least another three or four days until his birthday. Not to be discouraged, she decided to try a slightly different tactic. "Are you going to try to be President?"

"No." said Gerald. "I'm not going to try to make people like me. I'm going to make people fear me, so they'll do what I say."

Rose frowned. "That sounds a bit like what bullies do," she said, "or monsters."

"So? Bullies get what they want. They get respect," Gerald continued.

"Do you feel like you don't get respect?" Rose asked.

"I'm a dynasty sim, Mother. I deserve respect. I'm immortal!"



Rose stiffened. "Not yet, you're not," she said, firmly. "Not yet. You've still got a lot of hard work ahead of you if you ever want to be Immortal. You have to earn the Ambrosia, same as Nana did. Same as I'm trying to do."

"Uuugh!" cried Gerald, frustrated, "but that's so stupid! Why do I have to do that?"

Rose shrugged. "Those are the rules."

"Screw the rules!" yelled Gerald. "I don't like them. They're stupid. This is why I want to take over the world - so I can change the stupid rules so that we don't have to work and so that Henry doesn't have to die and so that we can all just live forever!"



The pin dropped. The outburst hadn't been about the club - it had just been about the rules.

"Oh, sweetie," sighed Rose, tears welling in her eyes, "is that what this is about?"

Gerald let out a sob, and buried his face in his hands.

"You know," she said, "you're a lot more like your grandmothers than I thought."

"What do you mean?" asked Gerald, pushing away tears.



"Your Nana always saw the Ambrosia, and the immortality that came with it, as a curse. She would go on living while others would go on dying. Your Grandma saw it as selfish - meddling with the natural order in ways it shouldn't have been meddled with. She wanted the Ambrosia for herself, and was jealous that she couldn't have it. Just the opposite of Nana. But in the end, as much as she feared death, Grandma Colette knew it was how it had to be. She just resented your Nana for having it different.

"But you see it as a bit of both, don't you? It's a powerful thing, immortality, but also a sad thing when we aren't allowed to share it. I know it's tough, thinking that we may have to lose our family, but it's the way of things for Dynasty heirs. My Daddy died before I was even an adult, and he was only at our wedding as a ghost. It was sad and it hurt, but it couldn't be helped. And Grandma, and your Dad, and Henry and Edith and Antwan, all of them will have to leave us one day, too-"

"But why? Why can't I try to change that?" Gerald pressed.

Rose sighed. "Oh Gerald, honey, there's more at stake here than either of us know. All I know is that in a way, Nana is right. This is a curse, her curse, that she must live with. And the rest of us must help her - even the Watcher is here to help Nana live out her curse. Only when there are eight Immortal Morvens can the curse be lifted."



"That's stupid. Who put a curse on Nana? Some sort of evil witch?" asked Gerald.

"I don't think it was a…" Rose's voice trailed off.

The costume, she thought.

But that was silly. There were no witches - not anymore. Or, was it, not…yet?

No, she thought, don't be silly. It was all so confusing.

But it wasn't something she could unthink. All this time, her mother going on about the Curse of the Immortal…could it have been true? Just how much had her mother been keeping from them? Exactly what was at stake here?

"Gerald honey," she asked, trying to snap out of her questioning and back into reality, "I don't really think taking over the world is going to accomplish what you think it's going to accomplish." She started to get up. She really wanted to know what was going on around here.



"But why?"

"The rules are the rules, Gerald. And the Watcher may not be able to control everything, but she can and will make sure they are followed." Rose said. "This means the Goofballs club will be disbanded, the lot traits will be removed, only the designated immortals will be allowed to eat ambrosia, and any other life-extending tools, and you, Gerald Morven, will not be taking over the world. Just…become a mafia leader or something, okay?"



With that, Rose got up to find her mother, leaving Gerald alone with his thoughts.



"Why are we doing a Dynasty?" Rose asked.

Iris nearly fell out of her yoga position.

"Sorry?" she asked.

"Why are we doing a Dynasty?" Rose repeated.



"Well, it's a multi-generational challenge where one sim must complete a series of requirements in order to be allowed to…"

"I know what it is, mother. What I want to know is why? Why you? Why us?"

Iris took a seat on the bench, motioning for Rose to join. She breathed a heavy sigh. How could she explain?



"Were you cursed?" Rose asked.

Iris stiffened. She was getting defensive. It was enough of a giveaway for Rose.

"Why? Who? When?"

"I didn't even answer…"

"Yes you did. Now tell me. Why us?"

Iris paled. "I…can't," she said.



"What do you mean you can't?"

"I mean, Rose, I can't tell you. There's too much at stake."

"Like what?" Rose asked, pressing.

"You wouldn't understand…"

"Why are you avoiding this?" Rose continued. "What could possibly be so terrible that your children and grandchildren who are destined to follow this path behind you, beside you, for an eternity can't know what it is?"



"Rose!" shouted Iris, cutting her off, "that's enough!"

Rose flinched. Her mother hadn't ever spoken to her like that.

"Sometimes," Iris continued, "sometimes Watchers just decide to do challenges and they decide to use certain sims and there is no 'why' behind the whole ordeal, okay? Maybe we're just one of those families. No complicated backstory, no curses or alternate timelines or separate dimensions. No crazy scientists, no vampires, no witches, no magic or sci-fi or insanity, just a watcher and the sims she happened to choose to start a challenge. Why do you think that's not the case with us?"

"Are there witches involved?" Rose prompted.

"No!" yelled Iris, "no witches!"



Rose stood up. She'd heard that before.

"You're lying," she said. She wasn't making an accusation; she was stating a fact.

Iris knew it, too. She gave her daughter a pleading look. She didn't - couldn't deny it.

"Rose," she whispered. Her voice was soft, but desperate. Rose waited.

"I just…I need you to trust me. I'll tell you, tell all of you. One day, I promise. I don't want to keep it from you, I really don't, but I don't have a choice."

She placed her face in her hands.



Rose stood in the doorway, a million ideas running through her mind all at once. Somewhere in her memories, her father's words returned to her.

"Keep her out of trouble, and keep her spirits high. I know the two of you will be wonderful as long as you have one another's support."

Suddenly, she felt awful.



"Okay," she whispered. She wondered if her family was in danger.

"Okay," she murmured to herself. She wondered if she could keep all these promises.

"Okay," she told them both again.

Iris looked up at her hopefully.

Despite her better judgement. Despite her anger. Despite her mistrust, she would listen to her mother. She would trust her.



For the good of the Dynasty, she thought. She promised she would. For the good of the Dynasty.



"Can we just…pretend this whole conversation never happened?" asked Iris, standing up to embrace her daughter.

"Maybe," said Rose, "but you're going to have to let the rest of us in on what's happening someday, you know."

"I know," said Iris, "and when the time is right, I promise I will."

"Promise," echoed Rose, thoughtfully. It wasn't a question.