For a moment, I thought that Gloria had that dream because the spirits revived her mother while Gloria was in her womb, so that she was magical somehow.
But then there was Seneca. I feel like Seneca is the King's son, and that his and Gloria's fates are tied somehow. It certainly feels like there would be some sort of symmetry
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
@icmnfrsh I like your ideas . I will remind you though, that the king cannot have another heir after the battle with the band of natives, so that may interrupt your ideas?
As for Gloria, you aren't far off from the truth, and you'll see more of that in the next chapter.
It was early when Liam knocked on Gloria’s door. Anwyn’s water had broken, and it would be a little while before the baby was born, but if they were going to leave, it had to be now.
“But shouldn’t I be here for the baby? Mamma was there when uncle Joseph was born.” Gloria asked.
“Mamma didn’t have anywhere else to go when your uncle was born, you do. We need you to get checked out by the priestesses, you know that. Come on, you’ll be home for dinner and you’ll get to meet the new baby then. But we should go now.” he herded her out the door.
“Mamma didn’t seem like she felt good.” Gloria worried as they walked out to the boat.
“Having a baby doesn’t feel good, but it’s worth it in the end because you have a baby.. Your mom will be fine.” he assured.
They walked up the path to the greenhouse and Gloria remembered what it had looked like in her dream. The one before her now was old and rusted, the one she had envisioned was gleaming and teamed with possibility.
They went to the side and entered the portal taking them below. It was a small place, but it suited what the priestesses needed. The layout didn’t make much sense, but it wasn’t worth complaining about. She had been restored once here, when she hadn’t even been born yet, and the priestess were just as friendly to her as her family, if a bit secretive.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Liam asked, peering his head in further. Everstar came around the corner, and she smiled, a rare thing for her face to do.
“Ah, hello! How can I help the family of Medora?” she asked.
Liam smiled even though the name Medora bothered him. Yes, Anwyn had changed her life when she came here, but she hadn’t changed her name. That didn’t stop Everstar though, and she still called her Medora all these years after they arrived here.
“Gloria is having some odd things happen. She says she ‘magics’ things, and I think that you guys should check her out. I know that when Anwyn and her were restored, Midshore said that Gloria was- was special. I wonder if this is something related to it.” Liam brushed over what the spirits had actually said, and Everstar noticed, but she didn’t correct him. She could respect his wishes for his child to live a normal life, at least for now. He wouldn’t be able to stop destiny forever.
“Oh, that certainly is different. I’ll get Midshore and we’ll see what we can do, but it could take some time. Is there a time when you want her home by?”
“Perhaps six in the evening? And I would like one of you to return home with me, Anwyn is expecting the child and a midwife would be a great assistance.” Liam’s heart was worried. He knew that his wife and his daughter were in good hands, and that it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a child to be born, and Gloria was fine, but compounded they were sickening.
“Yes, I’ll get Midshore. We’ll do a quick assessment of Gloria, and we’ll see who is best to stay here with her.” Everstar turned her back and went back into the apartment. She returned a moment later with her wife in tow.
“Good morning, I hear that Gloria may have a special gift. I’m just going to sense your presence and we’ll see what's going on, ok?” She closed her eyes and her face relaxed, and the father and daughter looked like they didn’t know what to do with their hands while dancing. Should they be focusing on something, stay still?
Midshore’s brow finally crinkled and she opened her eyes. “I believe that I will stay here with Gloria, Everstar will be more than capable to help your wife.” she turned to Gloria. “We’re going to go into the ceremony room, will you come with me?”
“Sure,” Gloria said and with a final look over her shoulder to her father she went further into the apartment and closed the door behind her.
“She’ll be fine, we’ll get her sorted out. She’s a bit young to be showing spell casting ability, but it’s not unheard of. You don’t need to worry, from what I’ve experienced and heard from others, it can be awkward and clumsy at first, but it’s like learning to walk. Soon you’re much better at it, you just fall a bit first.”
“She deserves a normal life. She doesn't need to be special, she can be ordinary. I know I can’t stop her from being special, but I wish she didn’t have this path already laid out for her.” he paused, and Everstar went to move him out to the portal, but he resumed. “When Anwyn and I did all that we did, we were doing it because we wanted to, it was our choice, not our destiny. I don’t know that I’ve ever met these spirits you talk about, but I’m angry that they have already decided Gloria’s fate.” he looked anguished.
Everstar looked at him, pity on her face. “You haven’t seen them, but they’ve watched you for a very long time. Destiny and fate are quieter than you may think, and the path for Gloria isn’t paved, it’s more of a deer path in the woods, there are plenty of ways to divert and make her own path, but who’s to say that the path she makes for herself won’t lead back to the path she left? While we know that she is special, nothing is certain.” everstar tried to assure, though she wasn’t sure that she was succeeding.
Liam nodded, pulling himself out of his sadness and wiping his face clean of it’s worry. It wasn’t easy, she knew that, but he was strong enough, he could pull himself together.
~*~
Midshore looked at the child, not sure where to begin. She hadn’t mentored a spellcaster before, this was new to her. Where should she begin?
“How about you tell me what you’ve done so far?” she asked.
“I summoned a quill from across a room and made a pair of shoes disappear and reappear.” Gloria said plainly without any inflection.
“And how did you do that?” Midshore asked.
“At first, I just wanted the quill, I didn't think about getting it through magic, it just appeared. With the shoes I wanted to get back at my uncle and my mind wandered and thought of his shoes, and then they were gone. I was able to focus to bring them back, but that took a bit more effort.” she explained.
“I see.” Midshore was baffled. The few people she knew that were spellcasters started with physical happenings, like making things float with some concentration, or being able to have more strength when pushing or pulling an object. According to Gloria, she had started with just summoning an object, not even having to move it to have it. That was abnormal.
“I see.” Midshore repeated. “And have you tested this ability on anything? Have you seen how far you can push it?”
“No.” Gloria shifted her weight. “I’ve been too scared to try it, I don’t want to ‘magic’ anything away that I can’t get back.”
“I understand.” Midshore smiled. “We’re going to practice on some rocks. Hold tight while I get some.”
She was gone for a few minutes in one of the adjacent rooms, and Gloria looked around. The room always fascinated her, with it’s glowing bluegreen elements. The walls glittered at different angles and the tiling on the floor was runes in glowing blue. Blue was the color of the spirits, what Midshore and Everstar used as a guide and tap for their power. Not all of the spellcasters on the islands used spirits, but they also weren’t as strong as Midshore. While the others had their freedom from the will of the beyond, Midshore had a will pointing her in a destined direction.
She returned with a few different colored and sized rocks. “Ok, I’d like you to focus on the purple one, and put it in your hand without moving from where you are now.”
“Ok,” Gloria looked at the object for a moment, taking in its size and becoming familiar with it, and then she closed her eyes and it was suddenly beside her, as solid as it had been at the other side of the room.
“That was very good!” commended Midshore. “Now, can you move the large blue one, but do as you did with Ben’s shoes. Where does it go when you teleport it? Try and focus on that.”
Gloria eyed her sceptically, then focused on the large rock, and thought to make it go away. To make it leave this space, just disappear. After a moment, it did. In the blink of an eye, it was gone.
Gloria focused again, and she tried to feel for where it may have gone, but she didn’t know where that was. It was simply gone, possibly somewhere else, but she didn’t know where.
“And make it come back?” Midshore prompted.
Gloria looked at the spot where it had been, and then focused slightly to the right, and thought about the shape of the object, and not quite as quickly as before, it reappeared. It took a few seconds this time to solidify, and it shimmered around the edges as it did so, until it was fully materialized.
“Wow, that’s astounding.” Midshore ogled as she did it. Gloria suddenly felt very tired, and she felt she had to sit down.
“Are we done? Can I go home?” she asked. She felt emotionally tired, like she had to cry, scream, or hide from everything. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt this way, but it was overwhelming.
“Are you alright?” Midshore asked, concern replacing her wonderment
“I’m not feeling good.” she looked like she was being a bit green around the gills, and Midshore went to get an elixir that would help her with the nausea.
“Here, drink this. You should feel better. I think we should spend some time trying to meditate,” she suggested.
“Meditation? That sounds boring.” Gloria said between sips.
“There are lots of things you can learn while meditating, and it will be easier to access your spirit while we do. I’ll be able to sense your ability while we share the moment, and perhaps I can see the depth of your ability. Think of it like calming the water so that you may see the bottom of a deep river.”
“I guess…” she shrugged and waited for Midshore to get some stools.
“Alright, take a seat, try and clear your mind, and think of nothing. Just,” she breathed in and then exhaled. “Nothing.”
It’s not easy for a eight year old girl to sit still and think of nothing, so she put her hands in her lap and tried to close her eyes like Midshore was. The apartment under the greenhouse always smelled like earth, like things were growing. There was no noise, and Gloria sat very still in case the old stool she sat on creaked.
If she listened very carefully, she could hear Midshore’s breathing. As she became calmer and more relaxed, her thoughts went to the dream she had the night before and the boy she had barely seen. The sky changing color, the odd things on the shelves, the world that she felt pulled to explore but hadn’t had the chance.
“What is this dream that you think of?” Midshore’s gentle voice reverberated in her mind.
“I had a funny dream last night, that’s all.” Gloria assumed that her conscious thoughts would be heard if her wanderings about a dream had been.
“May I see?” Midshore pushed aside the barrier between her mind and Gloria’s with ease and stepped into her dream.
Gloria pushed her out and broke the link. “What are you doing?” she asked, standing from the stool and backing away.
“I wanted to see what you dreamt of. That is all.” she opened her eyes.
“Is nothing private? Can I not keep my own mind? To have you see my ability is fine, but don’t step into my mind like that!” Gloria urged.
“I am sorry.” she looked sorry for disturbing her. “You should know that I was able to see your ability, but I wondered if you had been visited by the spirits that guide Everstar and myself. You have no magic in your family line, and yet I sense a wellspring in you. I can only guess that the spirits blessed you when you were restored before your birth. Your potential is vast, and I cannot see the edge of it.”
Gloria looked amazed by what she was saying. “Seriously?”
~*~
Midshore teleported Gloria home promptly at six in the evening, and she walked up the steps with her. “Are you excited to meet your new brother or sister?” she smiled.
“I hope so. Babies are weird. Cute, but weird.”
They opened the front door and Everstar was standing outside the parents’ room, a smile on her face. She opened the door and Gloria went rushing in, happy to see her parents after the grueling day of practice and to meet her new sibling. Anwyn stood beside the cradle, and introduced her newest child to her oldest one. “Gloria, meet Robin, your baby brother.”
Liam exited the room to talk to Midshore about what had happened with Gloria.
“It’s deep, I think she’s only touched the surface. It’s not easy for her to access now, that will get easier with practice and age, but there’s something else.” she looked to make sure the door to the bedroom was closed. “I saw her dream from last night, and I saw a boy there.”
“Well, that’s no big deal, there are lots of boys in books and on the Islands. Why is that out of the ordinary?” Liam asked.
“It must have been a very strong and lucid dream for me to be able to enter it. She could see and remember his face, but the boy does not live on the Islands, I would have recognized him. I thought, perhaps, he could be a spirit visiting her, but he had color and form, not the shape of an apparition. And spirits don’t visit in sleep, only in meditation. I don’t know who the boy is, but if he can visit her in her dreams, he could be dangerous. I don’t need to remind you that there are entities outside of the islands that wanted Gloria for the throne.” Midshore explained gravely.
Liam blinked and paced away from her, thinking. “Yes, thank you. But we can’t keep her from dreaming, the girl has to sleep.”
“I felt that for now, while her power is still limited, it is stronger with the full moon. I propose that on nights of a full moon, she stay with Everstar and I to practice her abilities. It would be a more productive use of the limited time than sleeping besides.”
Liam looked at her with skepticism. “I’ll have to talk to Anwyn, but that doesn’t sound out of the question.”
I decided to name the littlest Reed Robin because one evening while I was talking to my family about baby names and if I would ever name a child after someone famous or inspiring, I thought of Robin, after Robin Williams. It works well for both a boy or a girl, but I'm one of those people who already has a name picked out for their first daughter. It's Genevieve, after my grandma, if I ever have kids (Fingers crossed).
Currently, to keep my game moving, I have aging on for a little bit of time, and thusly Robin has already aged into a toddler! He's so cute! and I checked to see what he looks like later in life and he looks like a good adult too! Gosh I got lucky.
Gloria looked amazed by what she was saying. “Seriously?”
That sounds about right for an 8-year-old
And aww, Robin is cute! Babies are cute.
I also have a shortlist of names for if I ever have kids. It hasn't shifted very much over the years, so I guess my preferences for names are pretty stable.
And this reminds me of my Sims Medieval playthrough. I'd gotten it a few weeks ago and I'm hooked! My King had a boy, so I tried a few times to see if he can have a princess, but in the end he had 4 sons. Likewise, my blacksmith had 3 daughters. Meanwhile, Anywyn and Liam already have one of each.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
@icmnfrsh I always wanted to get Sims Medieval, but never could rationalize it. I had a ton of sims 3 stuff on my computer already, and while medival stuff seemed cool, I wasn't really willing to buy it.
4 sons? Golly! Three daughters! That's a lot of kids. I find in the sims 4 that if you have a birthday for one of the kiddies your sims have a higher chance of rolling the whim to try for a baby. I used to just want to have bunch of kids, but now I try and limit that, especially if I'm playing a story and then I have to have a reason (or make a reason) for the character to exist. But if both of my sims want it? I'll let them try. Make them happy . That's how Robin was made.
I just spent the last two hours trying to build the greenhouse that comes with Realm of Magic, and OOF! I am not a builder, but I can copy shapes. I started by building around the greenhouse, then I had to figure out which windows to use, how to get the roof to look vaguely right, it was a mess. Now comes the fun part of decorating, I look forward to doing that tomorrow!
Ooh. It's a shame the ROM greenhouse isn't a real building. It would've been nice to enter it.
And yeah, I never really got the spinoffs because I just stuck with the main titles, but I was missing out all this time. People were posting TSM screenshots on reddit, and the sims there look amazing, so I got it. The life sim aspect is very diminished, but it's a very fun RPG game. Plus they don't have "modern science", so any woohoo between a hetero couple can result in a pregnancy.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
I have been taking a break from the Sims and decided to check the forums today. I am all caught up and Wow... This story I love it.
That song was perfect I could seriously see Liam and Anwyn reuniting to it. And glad that Romeo was able to find someone or at least hope that the two of them are still together.
Very interesting this new boy. At first I was thinking the Evil Dauchess son but he would pro ably be a lot older than Gloria now. Definitely excited to see how he and Gloria tie together.
The new boy will be a large part of the story, and I sincerely can't wait to write it, but right now I have so much set up writing to do! In order for what I want to happen to make sense I have to make it make sense... It's frustrating. But It's going to be awesome! So awesome!
Also, the way that I think of it, the duchess's son was about two years old when we first saw him, so that would put him at only about 3 years older than Gloria. If he's going to be a character in the future
Chapter 31
“I see you’re dressed casually.” Midshore commented.
“I’m spending the night here, I’m going to be comfortable.” Gloria replied, pushing past her to the guest room they had constructed. It was across from the nursery, but the baby usually slept through the night, and if he didn’t they could influence him to. Full moons were too few to waste trying to soothe a baby.
“Then perhaps your form will be better.” Everstar teased as she came out of the nursery. “I’m not as good as Midshore, but even I can beat you at a duel.”
“You’re years ahead of me!” Gloria raised her eyebrow. “But if you want to pass on meditation practice, be my guest.”
“We can’t have you be unbalanced, that would make it too easy.” Everstar threw back, a smile on her face. It was always good to see Gloria, and their time was usually enjoyable. As Gloria had grown, she had come into her womanhood well and treated the priestesses as if they were her friends, not just teachers. The banter they shared had become as playful and competitive as their training sessions.
Midshore followed Gloria into the guest room and leaned against the door frame, but soon quickly changed her relaxed posture to one of concern. “What’s up with your hands?” she asked.
“Oh, I was going to talk to ask you about that. They’re changing color? I thought that it was like your markings, the colorful ones? But mine aren’t forming into patterns…” Gloria looked at her hands as well.
“Our markings are self made, made from a special plant that grows here in the ceremony room, and they glow once we have earned them with our power. They are a gift from the spirits, and they don’t grow on their own. Does it hurt? Do you feel anything?” She asked.
“No.” Gloria said simply. “It’s just a color, like I dyed my hands. It’s the weirdest thing.”
“Well, as long as you feel alright, we won’t let it worry us. But let me know if you feel like your power is becoming too much. It could be a sign of a build up. You’ve been doing your practices daily?”
“Of course. I feel cooped up if I don’t.”
“Good. Well, we’re going to be up in the greenhouse. when you’re ready, come join us.” Midshore exited the room, and Gloria set her pack near the foot of the bed. She wouldn’t get much sleep tonight, the priestesses made sure to keep her very active, but she may get a nap in, or atleast have a place to change clothes if she needed to.
On the surface, the greenhouse had been recovered, and it now stood shining in the setting sun’s rays. When Anwyn and Liam had told Romeo about Gloria being a spellcaster and that she was going to have to spend more time with the sisters (AKA priestesses. I want to say sisters because their ‘spirits’ are kinda like a religion, thus it will be their religion. They are one in the same in this case) he put it into his mind that he and Liam were going to remake the greenhouse so that it wasn’t a total ruin.
The sun was setting as they rolled out their mats for stretches. After a few years of practicing, they all agreed that it was better if they stretched their muscles before focusing on their training. Sitting on a stool for a chunk of time made for stiff legs and a tired back, and the stretching acted as a gateway into becoming relaxed for the meditation.
“Have you been practicing your stretches?” Midshore asked Gloria.
Gloria was in the middle of failing one of her poses. “I have schoolwork you know. Just because my mom is the teacher doesn’t mean that she goes soft on me.”
“Did you do your schoolwork?” asked Everstar.
“I have stretches to do, you know!” laughed Gloria. “Yes, I did my homework, but thanks for asking.”
They all rose from their stretches after a short while, and gathered around the bubbling orb in the middle of the greenhouse. Midshore easily levitated, Everstar took a bit more time to get off the ground, and Gloria hadn’t never felt any lighter while meditating, but she hoped that she’d be able to show her friends one day how cool she actually was.
Meditating was like stretching a different muscle. Gloria was so used to moving her body, and while she was supposed to practice meditating everyday, she often forgot to or found a different way to spend her time. Midshore described meditating as being able to reach out and feel the different things moving without having to touch them. She could feel a butterfly land on a rock, or a wound that another person possessed. She claimed that before Gloria’s parents and family had come to the islands, she could feel her mother’s grief all the way from the mainland. If Gloria could tap into her power, it was possible she could have the same ability, or more.
She just had to quiet her mind and let her surroundings speak to her. To feel the balance. To sense the edges of the butterfly’s wings, not to see them. She just had to stop telling herself that it was pointless.
But it did feel pointless. She could already conjure things with little effort, why did she have to meditate? Maybe Midshore and Everstar needed the time in order to access their energy, but Gloria already had the power at her fingertips, which were turning a bronze color…
“You need to meditate so that you center yourself. If you don’t take time to calm down, you can be divided and distracted.” Midshore thought to her. Gloria was no longer surprised by this; when Midshore focused hard enough, she could read Gloria like a book.
Gloria internally rolled her eyes and tried to relax. She focused on the bubbling noise coming from the stone orb, thinking of them rather than her own thoughts. She thought of the shape of the orb, of the feeling of the wind going by outside. How the leaves moved and bumped against one another. The feeling of the village on the nearby island…
She felt a figure. It startled her, she hadn’t felt a single force before, besides the other spellcasters on the Islands. She knew all of them, but this figure was new, approaching from the water, and it glimmered like the sea in the sun. What was it? A new refugee? A new spellcaster? Did Midshore and Everstar feel it too?
Gloria opened an eye and looked at the two women. They didn’t seem to recognize the addition, so Gloria closed her eyes, now unable to concentrate, and she waited for them to be done.
“And out…” Midshore said as she exhaled, landing safely on the ground. “Alright, let’s get some sparring out of the way, do some moving!” She seemed excited. As proper and dignified as the two women seemed, they had some rather flirtatious duels that made Gloria laugh.
She took her position across from Everstar, and surfaced her power. It was ready with very little effort, and she smiled with the thought of the fun she’d have tonight with her increased ability while the moon shone fully in the sky.
~*~
Liam woke with a start, sweating profusely. His breathing was rough in his chest and his heart felt as if it were a rabbit running from a dog.
Anwyn looked up at him, still mostly asleep. “What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?” she asked softly, not expecting a serious answer.
“I was there. I was there again and that pig was- he-” He didn’t want to tell Anwyn about how the king had damaged him, the tools he had used. “I was there!”
Anwyn sat up in bed. “You’re not there now. It wasn’t really. You’re home.” she assured.
“But it was real! It was real for months and months and now it won’t leave me! I left it, but I wonder if I’m still locked in that pit and this is the dream! It felt so real, Anwyn.”
She rubbed his back, but she didn’t know how to comfort him in the way he needed.
“My own mind is against me, how can I live in peace if this is the life I am left with?” he put his face in his hands.
“That was fifteen years ago, Liam. There is every chance that the king is dead and you’re worried about a ghost. He can’t hurt anyone from beyond the grave.” she comforted.
“But what if he isn’t? He would be old, around 60 by now, yes, but he was obsessed with you and the child. He can’t have any more children, who’s to say he won’t spend every effort to find the one that he lost? Or the man who let them get away? I spent four years running from him, he never stopped hunting me down. What if he finds us?”
“The king thinks that Gloria and I are dead, why would he come looking for two long gone women?” she asked, trying to bring some logic to his wild mind.
“I don’t think he’d come.” he said and Anwyn smiled. “I think that someone else will come in his place.”
The smile slid from her face. “Why would you think that?” she asked evenly.
“My dream- he was talking about getting revenge soon. But that ‘he’ would be sent along. I don’t know who ‘he’ is! The bloody king didn’t say! Or I couldn’t hear.” he went pale as he remembered the pain of his dream.
“Liam. My love. We are safe here. We are all safe here. You don’t need to worry. Come on, let me hold you so you know we’re real, and warm, and safe.”
Well isn't that a bad omen? let's talk about some good stuff! I kinda just spent some time playing this save file as a normal game of sims *gasp* and so here are some things that I took pictures of.
Romance Festival:
Look who showed up for the festival, dressed in not Medieval clothes! Guys, you're not supposed to be seen together!
Find someone who looks at you the way Anwyn looks at Liam.
And kisses you like Anwyn's mom and dad. In public, at a festival, while you're both under the influence of a flirty drink.
How the time flies!:
Little Gloria reading while Robin sleeps. It's hard to get the ages right while doing a story like this. Because Robin hasn't been a toddler long enough, but Gloria is certainly growing up? IDK.
Mara (In the blue-green dress) and Mable (brown braid) Grew up into teens and invited the Reeds to come to their birthday party, and because Gloria is actually older than them I had her grow up with he same cake.
Goodbye, little Gloria!
You need a new outfit, that's for sure, honey.
On the Home Front:
Midshore and Everstar had a baby!
Anwyn and Liam are still very much in love.
Gloria grew up and had black eyes? like for vampires or Aliens? I'm sure it's because of her spellcaster ability, but I didn't keep them around.
Gloria and her mom get along quite well. I kinda imagine it's kinda like the relationship I have with my own mom. We can argue, but we love each other to bits!
Here's a sweet picture of Anwyn and Robin:
And Gloria and Robin
On the islands there's an "extra food" event that happens and your neighbors come over and hang out and bring you food. Well, Anwyn's family are in the same comunity, along with Midshore and Everstar, so they all come over from time to time! It's nice to think that the family is looking out for them.
And I took the opportunity to take some more updated pictures to fill their home with.
“Mom, Robin is eating on the couch again!” Gloria hollered as she picked up the toddler from the cream colored cushion and put him in his high chair. “Could you please tell him not to do that?”
“Why don’t you?” Anwyn asked as she came out of the bathroom. “You have the situation under control, you don’t need to complain.”
“How did he even get the food off of the counter? He’s too short.” Gloria said, confused.
“You used to grab food off of the counter all the time, it happens. Kids get an idea in their head and they- reach- for it.” she smiled at her little pun.
“Ok, are you ready to go? We’re going to be late for school. You always say that the boss should lead by example, so we can’t be late. Come on.” Gloria urged.
“Hold on, where’s your father? We can’t leave Robin alone.” Anwyn asked as she grabbed a premade lunch.
“He’s outside checking the fishing traps. He’ll be in any minute now.” Gloria informed, anxious to get to school.
“Very well.” Anwyn grabbed up the papers she had graded the night before, and headed out to the beach where the boat was bobbing. “Bye, honey. See you this evening.” She kissed Liam goodbye and climbed onto the boat. Gloria followed her and they sailed over to the big island.
It was a short walk up the beach to the school. Gloria used to run up the hill to see if her friends had arrived yet, but now she chose to just walk and wait to see them. Besides, she was still tired from her night of no sleep with the sisters a few nights ago, and it was hard getting back to normal.
“Oh, I should tell you, we’re getting a new student today. Try and make him feel welcome, he’s a new refugee. We know how hard it can be to be new here, it’s a culture shock. Jeez, just showing my legs took forever to get used to. But for you, you wear things that show your whole figure, I’d have died of embarrassment if we were back on the mainland.” Anwyn said.
“Mom, it’s perfectly fine. I’m not showing anything that only my husband would see, and half the population has the same anatomy I do.” Gloria teased.
“Yes, yes. At least I’m not your grandmother, she’s very old fashioned. Or Sophia, she’s very modest!” they laughed.
They made their way to the glorified gazebo and saw that quite a few of the students were already there, talking in groups and gossiping, sending glances over their shoulders and between each other's heads.
The new student was easy to spot. His bright blonde hair was luminescent in the sun and his large frame took up the space of two children. He was no child, heck, from his size he barely looked like he should be a student, but who were Gloria and Anwyn to judge? There were a few adults who had been learning from their children over the past few years how to read, maybe he just barely fit the age group and couldn’t read?
He turned around to face them and his front was even more beautiful than his back. He was if his frame wasn’t proof that he wasn’t a child, the subtle stubble on his face gave it away. He had bright blue eyes that looked like windows to the sky behind him that opened wide when he saw Anwyn and Gloria.
“Good morning, Mrs…-” he waited for Anwyn to introduce herself.
“Mrs. Reed, though it can be hard to get the students to call me that. If you hear ‘Auntie Anwyn’ or anything like that, that’s me as well.” she smiled. “I hear your name is Blake? How much education do you have?”
“I’m rather solid in my learnings, though I don’t know how rigorous you are with your schooling here. I could be vastly behind all of these bright minds!” he laughed, nervous. He spoke very well for a refugee. The people who fled to the Islands were usually simple people who grew up speaking the same way their simple parents had and had grown lazy in their annunciation over the years. Blake spoke with clear 🐸🐸🐸🐸 and gravity that would come with a well to do family.
“If I have your accent correct, you’re from the mainland?” Anwyn asked.
“I am. It’s a long story.” he said, hoping to divert the conversation. “When does class start?”
Anwyn smiled, acknowledging that his origins could very well be a sensitive topic. “As soon as I call everyone to attention. You can sit next to-”
“Next to me!” jumped in Mara. “I have an empty spot next to me.”
“I sit next to you!” objected Mable.
“What? Since when?” she played. “I haven’t met this girl before in my life.”
“You can sit next to Benjamin, He’s over by there across the room.” Anwyn interjected.
Mara rolled her eyes and took her seat behind Gloria, and Mable slid in next to her. Each of them had a hard time paying attention to the lesson and kept sneaking glances across the room at the new student.
“Where has he been hiding my whole life?” Mara asked quietly to that only mable and Gloria could hear.
“May I remind you that we have shared a life, he’s been out of mine just as long as he’s been out of yours.” Mable bounced back.
“I’ve been alive longer than both of you, don’t forget.” Gloria said under her breath so that Anwyn didn’t hear while she narrated.
“And we know that Benjamin isn’t gay, right? He’s been alive even longer.” Mable asked.
“You’ve seen the way he fawns over Rachel, he’s not gay.” Mara observed.
“Heck, I would fawn over Rachel if I liked girls, she’s perfect.” Mable said. Too bad Rachel wasn’t at school today, she didn’t get to claim dibs on the new guy.
“-Without the fellowship to escort Frodo to Mordor, he would have never completed his task.” Anwyn finished. “Girls, do you have any information about the Journey of the Ring to share with the class?” she asked the trio.
They all looked at her with wide eyes and closed mouths, suddenly very quiet.
“Mrs. Reed, didn’t Aragon save the day finally when he led the army to Sauron’s gates? Wouldn’t he be the true hero?” Blake’s voice came from across the space.
“I see you’ve heard of the story then! Yes, Aragorn did save the day, but so did Mr. Baggins. One would not have been successful without the other, and that also leads me, a bit prematurely, to the fact that not all stories have one hero. There could be several, reliant on each other to pull their own weight to save the day.”
Anwyn looked at the clock. “Oh my, look at the time! Older kids, you can take your lunches, I'm going to have a bit of check-in time with the littler kids. Be back in 40 minutes!”
There was a murmur as the teenagers stood from their seats and headed out into the sunshine. Mara made a quick path to the new boy, and Mable followed quickly behind her, not wanting to let her sister have an advantage over her.
Gloria rolled her eyes and followed. She knew how this would turn out; Mara would be forward with her flirting, the boy would be impressed with her confidence and flirt back a bit, but then she would pass on him after a date or two saying that he wasn’t her type. At this point, she’d gone on so many dates with guys that they couldn’t figure out what her type was.
After Mara was done with a guy, Mable would make her move, try and pick them up off the ground after Mara had dropped them. She was the balm to Mara’s burn, and the guy would talk to her about his feelings and even eat out with her once or twice, but then he would recover and come to the conclusion that he was hanging out with Mable so that he could be closer to Mara.
And Gloria was just the best friend that came in contact with them when it was a group outing, or at school. She would smile, encourage, but she knew how it was going to end.
Ben had brought Blake over to one of the tables to eat their lunch, and by the time Gloria got there he was crowded by Mara and Mable. Gloria took a seat across from Blake, spending more attention on her meal than him.
“You knew a lot about the Journey of the Ring, how much schooling do you have?” Mara asked.
“I’ve spent quite a lot of time reading in my life, and remembering the plot of such a well talked about book is easy. I enjoy literature.” he said. “My parents weren’t around very often, so I read most of the books in the library at home.”
“You read most of a library?” gasped Mable. “How many books were there?”
Blake looked around for a reference. “I believe that from that post-” he pointed to one of the corners of the school, “- to that post would be about it. Ten feet? From floor to ceiling?”
“That’s amazing!” Mable beamed. Mara was already losing interest; she wasn’t into the brainy types.
“But man, you couldn’t have spent all of your time inside, your arms are huge! What sort of workout do you do?” Ben asked.
“Mostly sparring, sword fighting. It’s good exercise without worrying about it being repetitive.” he said openly.
“Well, you won’t need much of that here on the Islands. There are no battles to be fought.” Gloria added.
“There were battles where I came from.”
Most of the table went quiet except for Mara, who didn’t know how to keep her mouth shut.
“Oh, that’s right! You’re from the mainland! What’s been going on there? Our parents came from there. How screwed up is it?” she asked and the rest of the table glared at her. “What?”
“It’s rough. The soldiers patrol the cities but it isn’t always enough to keep the raiders from-” he went even paler.
“Mara, you know that we don’t ask refugees about what happened before they got here. It’s a life they leave behind.” Gloria turned back to Blake. “If you want to put your life behind you, you can. There’s even a ceremony you can go through where you change your name and vow to live a better life. It's like rebirth.”
“That sounds like entirely too much attention to put on me.” he smiled and picked up his sandwich.
“How old are ya, buddy?” Benjamin asked.
“I’m 17 and a half.” The table shifted away from him a bit. “What, aren’t you all that age?”
“Benjamin is the oldest one here, he’s 16, Gloria is next at 15 and a half, and Mara and I are 14.” Mable admitted.
“Oh. I thought for sure you guys were a bit older.
“Well, there aren’t a ton of kids on the Islands, so we all have to get along.” Mara rolled her eyes.
~*~
Class ended for the day after a few more hours had passed. Anwyn and Gloria were some of the last to leave, with a few students hanging around.
Blake looked slightly panicked.
“What’s the matter, Blake?” Anwyn asked on her way out.
“I- I’m staying with the Poms until I can apply for my own place, but I forgot how to get there,” he confessed.
“Oh, they’re just on down the hill a bit. We’ll walk you home.” Gloria offered.
Blake looked relieved and he grabbed his things and they made their way across town, chatting as they went.
“Have you read the Hariet Potting books? I found them thrilling!” Gloria asked.
“I have! If I were sorted I would have to say I would be in the Crawlin house. I’m not evil, but I am ambitious.” he said.
“Really? So far I would have said that you were an Eaglefoot. You seem so smart.” Gloria said.
“Gloria sorts herself into Gryphingate. She’s always conquering new tasks.” Anwyn said, a slight tease in her voice.
“Mom, it’s not weird to sort yourself! Most people who read the books do!” She shot backwards.
“I didn’t say that it was weird, did I?”
~*~
The sun was dipping lower than it normally did by the time they got back home that day.
Liam looked like he was a nervous wreck but was trying to hide it. “Hello, my loves! How were your days?”
Anwyn gave him a big hug.”What’s the matter, Liam? Why are you worried?” she whispered into his ear.
“I don’t want to talk about it now, maybe later.” he answered. “I hope you’re hungry, I made spaghetti for dinner!”
“Yay!” Gloria rushed into the house, and Anwyn held Liam’s hands.
“What’s the matter?”
Liam looked away, and he felt as if he were about to pull the plug on a tub of water, not wanting to let out all of his emotions. “You were late and I didn’t know where you were. What if you were taken? What if the king took you away?”
“Liam, you had one dream. We haven’t seen the king in over fourteen years. Why are you thinking about this? We’re safe.”
He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Liam, there’s no man that the king is sending. Let the dream go.”
“I wish it would leave.” he said quietly.
Anwyn looked at him with concern. “Are you still having the dreams? I thought they had gone away.”
“They’re unpredictable, but they come maybe once every three nights. This isn’t just a dream, it feels real. Something is coming, Anwyn. What about the prophecy? There will come a ruler, that’s the king! He is coming!” he hissed quietly.
“Liam, I think we should talk to the sisters about something to help you sleep. We aren’t in danger. And the ruler could be any sort of ruler. There are other rulers in other kingdoms, it could easily be one of them.”
“And one of them would show an interest in Gloria? Why?” Liam asked.
Gloria peaked her head around the kitchen door. “I think the sauce is burning!” she shouted.
“Then stir it!” Liam hollered, and started to walk back to the house. “Anwyn, we need to be more careful.”
“We need to find some way to prove to you that we’re ok. We’re ok.” she repeated.
"He turned around to face them and his front was even more beautiful than his back."
That's one way to put it
Too bad Rachel wasn’t at school today, she didn’t get to claim dibs on the new guy. They're all just marking their territory now
It seems like The Lord of the Rings already exists in their medieval universe.
"...[T]hat also leads me, a bit prematurely, to the fact that not all stories have one hero. There could be several, reliant on each other to pull their own weight to save the day.”
I sense some foreshadowing here
...[H]e would recover and come to the conclusion that he was hanging out with Mable so that he could be closer to Mara.
That's sad
According to the Pottingmore website, I'm in the Badgerblow house.
So is Blake going to be the 2nd person in the prophecy? Is there more to him than meets the eye? Hmm... And there's still Seneca.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
I had fun making up lessons for Anwyn to teach, and I know the story of Lord of the Rings pretty well, and Harry Potter is also a big favorite of mine, so I thought it would be fun to add them in
We will see much more of Blake and Seneca. On desktop version you can see I changed my signature picture to fit the new generation. It's also in my first post of the thread under the history of signature pictures spoiler.
I'm having more fun writing Mara and Mable than I thought I would. I kinda think of Mara as the Tanya from Mamma Mia character, flirty but high standards and Mable just kinda tries to keep up.
Maria's face reminds me of a real life actress, but I can't pin it down...
I had fun making up lessons for Anwyn to teach, and I know the story of Lord of the Rings pretty well, and Harry Potter is also a big favorite of mine, so I thought it would be fun to add them in
We will see much more of Blake and Seneca. On desktop version you can see I changed my signature picture to fit the new generation. It's also in my first post of the thread under the history of signature pictures spoiler.
I'm having more fun writing Mara and Mable than I thought I would. I kinda think of Mara as the Tanya from Mamma Mia character, flirty but high standards and Mable just kinda tries to keep up.
Maria's face reminds me of a real life actress, but I can't pin it down...
Yeah, I noticed your new signature! I guess this is Phase 2 of the story then.
And it's good to keep interesting side characters, such as Gloria's relatives. Although I just noticed that Romeo sort of went out of focus. I suppose his role in the plot has been fulfilled and he's off happy somewhere.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
It's good news! I get to return to work! I work part time so you guys don't have to worry about me not writing. But now I will feel more purpose and not feel like staring at blank walls! My job had closed because of the virus, but now we're doing curbside pickup. I'm so happy to be getting out of the house.
It's good news! I get to return to work! I work part time so you guys don't have to worry about me not writing. But now I will feel more purpose and not feel like staring at blank walls! My job had closed because of the virus, but now we're doing curbside pickup. I'm so happy to be getting out of the house.
That's great to hear! I have some online friends who also lost employment during the pandemic, which was tough on them, so it's good to see you have a source of income once more.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
So it's been a week, and I've been picking up writing here and there. It's hard adjusting getting back to work and then feeling really tired when I get home, but I suspect that should go away soon.
I've been filling my time with a lot of nonsense, like watching meaningless youtube videos (too many videos...) but I want to work on more projects like writing or the massive quilt I've been sewing. You know, actual goals.
As for the story, it continues to evolve in my mind, I just need to get through this arc of set up before I can get into the stuff I'm actually excited about.
I hope all of my readers are staying healthy. Don't lick dorknobs.
Comments
But then there was Seneca. I feel like Seneca is the King's son, and that his and Gloria's fates are tied somehow. It certainly feels like there would be some sort of symmetry
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
As for Gloria, you aren't far off from the truth, and you'll see more of that in the next chapter.
I feel like he has some relation to Gloria somehow
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Hmm...Seneca can't be a citizen of the island if Gloria doesn't recognize him. At least, the parts familiar to the Cupshires
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 30
It was early when Liam knocked on Gloria’s door. Anwyn’s water had broken, and it would be a little while before the baby was born, but if they were going to leave, it had to be now.
“But shouldn’t I be here for the baby? Mamma was there when uncle Joseph was born.” Gloria asked.
“Mamma didn’t have anywhere else to go when your uncle was born, you do. We need you to get checked out by the priestesses, you know that. Come on, you’ll be home for dinner and you’ll get to meet the new baby then. But we should go now.” he herded her out the door.
“Mamma didn’t seem like she felt good.” Gloria worried as they walked out to the boat.
“Having a baby doesn’t feel good, but it’s worth it in the end because you have a baby.. Your mom will be fine.” he assured.
They walked up the path to the greenhouse and Gloria remembered what it had looked like in her dream. The one before her now was old and rusted, the one she had envisioned was gleaming and teamed with possibility.
They went to the side and entered the portal taking them below. It was a small place, but it suited what the priestesses needed. The layout didn’t make much sense, but it wasn’t worth complaining about. She had been restored once here, when she hadn’t even been born yet, and the priestess were just as friendly to her as her family, if a bit secretive.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Liam asked, peering his head in further. Everstar came around the corner, and she smiled, a rare thing for her face to do.
“Ah, hello! How can I help the family of Medora?” she asked.
Liam smiled even though the name Medora bothered him. Yes, Anwyn had changed her life when she came here, but she hadn’t changed her name. That didn’t stop Everstar though, and she still called her Medora all these years after they arrived here.
“Gloria is having some odd things happen. She says she ‘magics’ things, and I think that you guys should check her out. I know that when Anwyn and her were restored, Midshore said that Gloria was- was special. I wonder if this is something related to it.” Liam brushed over what the spirits had actually said, and Everstar noticed, but she didn’t correct him. She could respect his wishes for his child to live a normal life, at least for now. He wouldn’t be able to stop destiny forever.
“Oh, that certainly is different. I’ll get Midshore and we’ll see what we can do, but it could take some time. Is there a time when you want her home by?”
“Perhaps six in the evening? And I would like one of you to return home with me, Anwyn is expecting the child and a midwife would be a great assistance.” Liam’s heart was worried. He knew that his wife and his daughter were in good hands, and that it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a child to be born, and Gloria was fine, but compounded they were sickening.
“Yes, I’ll get Midshore. We’ll do a quick assessment of Gloria, and we’ll see who is best to stay here with her.” Everstar turned her back and went back into the apartment. She returned a moment later with her wife in tow.
“Good morning, I hear that Gloria may have a special gift. I’m just going to sense your presence and we’ll see what's going on, ok?” She closed her eyes and her face relaxed, and the father and daughter looked like they didn’t know what to do with their hands while dancing. Should they be focusing on something, stay still?
Midshore’s brow finally crinkled and she opened her eyes. “I believe that I will stay here with Gloria, Everstar will be more than capable to help your wife.” she turned to Gloria. “We’re going to go into the ceremony room, will you come with me?”
“Sure,” Gloria said and with a final look over her shoulder to her father she went further into the apartment and closed the door behind her.
“She’ll be fine, we’ll get her sorted out. She’s a bit young to be showing spell casting ability, but it’s not unheard of. You don’t need to worry, from what I’ve experienced and heard from others, it can be awkward and clumsy at first, but it’s like learning to walk. Soon you’re much better at it, you just fall a bit first.”
“She deserves a normal life. She doesn't need to be special, she can be ordinary. I know I can’t stop her from being special, but I wish she didn’t have this path already laid out for her.” he paused, and Everstar went to move him out to the portal, but he resumed. “When Anwyn and I did all that we did, we were doing it because we wanted to, it was our choice, not our destiny. I don’t know that I’ve ever met these spirits you talk about, but I’m angry that they have already decided Gloria’s fate.” he looked anguished.
Everstar looked at him, pity on her face. “You haven’t seen them, but they’ve watched you for a very long time. Destiny and fate are quieter than you may think, and the path for Gloria isn’t paved, it’s more of a deer path in the woods, there are plenty of ways to divert and make her own path, but who’s to say that the path she makes for herself won’t lead back to the path she left? While we know that she is special, nothing is certain.” everstar tried to assure, though she wasn’t sure that she was succeeding.
Liam nodded, pulling himself out of his sadness and wiping his face clean of it’s worry. It wasn’t easy, she knew that, but he was strong enough, he could pull himself together.
~*~
Midshore looked at the child, not sure where to begin. She hadn’t mentored a spellcaster before, this was new to her. Where should she begin?
“How about you tell me what you’ve done so far?” she asked.
“I summoned a quill from across a room and made a pair of shoes disappear and reappear.” Gloria said plainly without any inflection.
“And how did you do that?” Midshore asked.
“At first, I just wanted the quill, I didn't think about getting it through magic, it just appeared. With the shoes I wanted to get back at my uncle and my mind wandered and thought of his shoes, and then they were gone. I was able to focus to bring them back, but that took a bit more effort.” she explained.
“I see.” Midshore was baffled. The few people she knew that were spellcasters started with physical happenings, like making things float with some concentration, or being able to have more strength when pushing or pulling an object. According to Gloria, she had started with just summoning an object, not even having to move it to have it. That was abnormal.
“I see.” Midshore repeated. “And have you tested this ability on anything? Have you seen how far you can push it?”
“No.” Gloria shifted her weight. “I’ve been too scared to try it, I don’t want to ‘magic’ anything away that I can’t get back.”
“I understand.” Midshore smiled. “We’re going to practice on some rocks. Hold tight while I get some.”
She was gone for a few minutes in one of the adjacent rooms, and Gloria looked around. The room always fascinated her, with it’s glowing bluegreen elements. The walls glittered at different angles and the tiling on the floor was runes in glowing blue. Blue was the color of the spirits, what Midshore and Everstar used as a guide and tap for their power. Not all of the spellcasters on the islands used spirits, but they also weren’t as strong as Midshore. While the others had their freedom from the will of the beyond, Midshore had a will pointing her in a destined direction.
She returned with a few different colored and sized rocks. “Ok, I’d like you to focus on the purple one, and put it in your hand without moving from where you are now.”
“Ok,” Gloria looked at the object for a moment, taking in its size and becoming familiar with it, and then she closed her eyes and it was suddenly beside her, as solid as it had been at the other side of the room.
“That was very good!” commended Midshore. “Now, can you move the large blue one, but do as you did with Ben’s shoes. Where does it go when you teleport it? Try and focus on that.”
Gloria eyed her sceptically, then focused on the large rock, and thought to make it go away. To make it leave this space, just disappear. After a moment, it did. In the blink of an eye, it was gone.
Gloria focused again, and she tried to feel for where it may have gone, but she didn’t know where that was. It was simply gone, possibly somewhere else, but she didn’t know where.
“And make it come back?” Midshore prompted.
Gloria looked at the spot where it had been, and then focused slightly to the right, and thought about the shape of the object, and not quite as quickly as before, it reappeared. It took a few seconds this time to solidify, and it shimmered around the edges as it did so, until it was fully materialized.
“Wow, that’s astounding.” Midshore ogled as she did it. Gloria suddenly felt very tired, and she felt she had to sit down.
“Are we done? Can I go home?” she asked. She felt emotionally tired, like she had to cry, scream, or hide from everything. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt this way, but it was overwhelming.
“Are you alright?” Midshore asked, concern replacing her wonderment
“I’m not feeling good.” she looked like she was being a bit green around the gills, and Midshore went to get an elixir that would help her with the nausea.
“Here, drink this. You should feel better. I think we should spend some time trying to meditate,” she suggested.
“Meditation? That sounds boring.” Gloria said between sips.
“There are lots of things you can learn while meditating, and it will be easier to access your spirit while we do. I’ll be able to sense your ability while we share the moment, and perhaps I can see the depth of your ability. Think of it like calming the water so that you may see the bottom of a deep river.”
“I guess…” she shrugged and waited for Midshore to get some stools.
“Alright, take a seat, try and clear your mind, and think of nothing. Just,” she breathed in and then exhaled. “Nothing.”
It’s not easy for a eight year old girl to sit still and think of nothing, so she put her hands in her lap and tried to close her eyes like Midshore was. The apartment under the greenhouse always smelled like earth, like things were growing. There was no noise, and Gloria sat very still in case the old stool she sat on creaked.
If she listened very carefully, she could hear Midshore’s breathing. As she became calmer and more relaxed, her thoughts went to the dream she had the night before and the boy she had barely seen. The sky changing color, the odd things on the shelves, the world that she felt pulled to explore but hadn’t had the chance.
“What is this dream that you think of?” Midshore’s gentle voice reverberated in her mind.
“I had a funny dream last night, that’s all.” Gloria assumed that her conscious thoughts would be heard if her wanderings about a dream had been.
“May I see?” Midshore pushed aside the barrier between her mind and Gloria’s with ease and stepped into her dream.
Gloria pushed her out and broke the link. “What are you doing?” she asked, standing from the stool and backing away.
“I wanted to see what you dreamt of. That is all.” she opened her eyes.
“Is nothing private? Can I not keep my own mind? To have you see my ability is fine, but don’t step into my mind like that!” Gloria urged.
“I am sorry.” she looked sorry for disturbing her. “You should know that I was able to see your ability, but I wondered if you had been visited by the spirits that guide Everstar and myself. You have no magic in your family line, and yet I sense a wellspring in you. I can only guess that the spirits blessed you when you were restored before your birth. Your potential is vast, and I cannot see the edge of it.”
Gloria looked amazed by what she was saying. “Seriously?”
~*~
Midshore teleported Gloria home promptly at six in the evening, and she walked up the steps with her. “Are you excited to meet your new brother or sister?” she smiled.
“I hope so. Babies are weird. Cute, but weird.”
They opened the front door and Everstar was standing outside the parents’ room, a smile on her face. She opened the door and Gloria went rushing in, happy to see her parents after the grueling day of practice and to meet her new sibling. Anwyn stood beside the cradle, and introduced her newest child to her oldest one. “Gloria, meet Robin, your baby brother.”
Liam exited the room to talk to Midshore about what had happened with Gloria.
“It’s deep, I think she’s only touched the surface. It’s not easy for her to access now, that will get easier with practice and age, but there’s something else.” she looked to make sure the door to the bedroom was closed. “I saw her dream from last night, and I saw a boy there.”
“Well, that’s no big deal, there are lots of boys in books and on the Islands. Why is that out of the ordinary?” Liam asked.
“It must have been a very strong and lucid dream for me to be able to enter it. She could see and remember his face, but the boy does not live on the Islands, I would have recognized him. I thought, perhaps, he could be a spirit visiting her, but he had color and form, not the shape of an apparition. And spirits don’t visit in sleep, only in meditation. I don’t know who the boy is, but if he can visit her in her dreams, he could be dangerous. I don’t need to remind you that there are entities outside of the islands that wanted Gloria for the throne.” Midshore explained gravely.
Liam blinked and paced away from her, thinking. “Yes, thank you. But we can’t keep her from dreaming, the girl has to sleep.”
“I felt that for now, while her power is still limited, it is stronger with the full moon. I propose that on nights of a full moon, she stay with Everstar and I to practice her abilities. It would be a more productive use of the limited time than sleeping besides.”
Liam looked at her with skepticism. “I’ll have to talk to Anwyn, but that doesn’t sound out of the question.”
I decided to name the littlest Reed Robin because one evening while I was talking to my family about baby names and if I would ever name a child after someone famous or inspiring, I thought of Robin, after Robin Williams. It works well for both a boy or a girl, but I'm one of those people who already has a name picked out for their first daughter. It's Genevieve, after my grandma, if I ever have kids (Fingers crossed).
Currently, to keep my game moving, I have aging on for a little bit of time, and thusly Robin has already aged into a toddler! He's so cute! and I checked to see what he looks like later in life and he looks like a good adult too! Gosh I got lucky.
That sounds about right for an 8-year-old
And aww, Robin is cute! Babies are cute.
I also have a shortlist of names for if I ever have kids. It hasn't shifted very much over the years, so I guess my preferences for names are pretty stable.
And this reminds me of my Sims Medieval playthrough. I'd gotten it a few weeks ago and I'm hooked! My King had a boy, so I tried a few times to see if he can have a princess, but in the end he had 4 sons. Likewise, my blacksmith had 3 daughters. Meanwhile, Anywyn and Liam already have one of each.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
4 sons? Golly! Three daughters! That's a lot of kids. I find in the sims 4 that if you have a birthday for one of the kiddies your sims have a higher chance of rolling the whim to try for a baby. I used to just want to have bunch of kids, but now I try and limit that, especially if I'm playing a story and then I have to have a reason (or make a reason) for the character to exist. But if both of my sims want it? I'll let them try. Make them happy
And yeah, I never really got the spinoffs because I just stuck with the main titles, but I was missing out all this time. People were posting TSM screenshots on reddit, and the sims there look amazing, so I got it. The life sim aspect is very diminished, but it's a very fun RPG game. Plus they don't have "modern science", so any woohoo between a hetero couple can result in a pregnancy.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
That song was perfect I could seriously see Liam and Anwyn reuniting to it. And glad that Romeo was able to find someone or at least hope that the two of them are still together.
Very interesting this new boy. At first I was thinking the Evil Dauchess son but he would pro ably be a lot older than Gloria now. Definitely excited to see how he and Gloria tie together.
The new boy will be a large part of the story, and I sincerely can't wait to write it, but right now I have so much set up writing to do! In order for what I want to happen to make sense I have to make it make sense... It's frustrating. But It's going to be awesome! So awesome!
Also, the way that I think of it, the duchess's son was about two years old when we first saw him, so that would put him at only about 3 years older than Gloria. If he's going to be a character in the future
Chapter 31
“I see you’re dressed casually.” Midshore commented.
“I’m spending the night here, I’m going to be comfortable.” Gloria replied, pushing past her to the guest room they had constructed. It was across from the nursery, but the baby usually slept through the night, and if he didn’t they could influence him to. Full moons were too few to waste trying to soothe a baby.
“Then perhaps your form will be better.” Everstar teased as she came out of the nursery. “I’m not as good as Midshore, but even I can beat you at a duel.”
“You’re years ahead of me!” Gloria raised her eyebrow. “But if you want to pass on meditation practice, be my guest.”
“We can’t have you be unbalanced, that would make it too easy.” Everstar threw back, a smile on her face. It was always good to see Gloria, and their time was usually enjoyable. As Gloria had grown, she had come into her womanhood well and treated the priestesses as if they were her friends, not just teachers. The banter they shared had become as playful and competitive as their training sessions.
Midshore followed Gloria into the guest room and leaned against the door frame, but soon quickly changed her relaxed posture to one of concern. “What’s up with your hands?” she asked.
“Oh, I was going to talk to ask you about that. They’re changing color? I thought that it was like your markings, the colorful ones? But mine aren’t forming into patterns…” Gloria looked at her hands as well.
“Our markings are self made, made from a special plant that grows here in the ceremony room, and they glow once we have earned them with our power. They are a gift from the spirits, and they don’t grow on their own. Does it hurt? Do you feel anything?” She asked.
“No.” Gloria said simply. “It’s just a color, like I dyed my hands. It’s the weirdest thing.”
“Well, as long as you feel alright, we won’t let it worry us. But let me know if you feel like your power is becoming too much. It could be a sign of a build up. You’ve been doing your practices daily?”
“Of course. I feel cooped up if I don’t.”
“Good. Well, we’re going to be up in the greenhouse. when you’re ready, come join us.” Midshore exited the room, and Gloria set her pack near the foot of the bed. She wouldn’t get much sleep tonight, the priestesses made sure to keep her very active, but she may get a nap in, or atleast have a place to change clothes if she needed to.
On the surface, the greenhouse had been recovered, and it now stood shining in the setting sun’s rays. When Anwyn and Liam had told Romeo about Gloria being a spellcaster and that she was going to have to spend more time with the sisters (AKA priestesses. I want to say sisters because their ‘spirits’ are kinda like a religion, thus it will be their religion. They are one in the same in this case) he put it into his mind that he and Liam were going to remake the greenhouse so that it wasn’t a total ruin.
The sun was setting as they rolled out their mats for stretches. After a few years of practicing, they all agreed that it was better if they stretched their muscles before focusing on their training. Sitting on a stool for a chunk of time made for stiff legs and a tired back, and the stretching acted as a gateway into becoming relaxed for the meditation.
“Have you been practicing your stretches?” Midshore asked Gloria.
Gloria was in the middle of failing one of her poses. “I have schoolwork you know. Just because my mom is the teacher doesn’t mean that she goes soft on me.”
“Did you do your schoolwork?” asked Everstar.
“I have stretches to do, you know!” laughed Gloria. “Yes, I did my homework, but thanks for asking.”
They all rose from their stretches after a short while, and gathered around the bubbling orb in the middle of the greenhouse. Midshore easily levitated, Everstar took a bit more time to get off the ground, and Gloria hadn’t never felt any lighter while meditating, but she hoped that she’d be able to show her friends one day how cool she actually was.
Meditating was like stretching a different muscle. Gloria was so used to moving her body, and while she was supposed to practice meditating everyday, she often forgot to or found a different way to spend her time. Midshore described meditating as being able to reach out and feel the different things moving without having to touch them. She could feel a butterfly land on a rock, or a wound that another person possessed. She claimed that before Gloria’s parents and family had come to the islands, she could feel her mother’s grief all the way from the mainland. If Gloria could tap into her power, it was possible she could have the same ability, or more.
She just had to quiet her mind and let her surroundings speak to her. To feel the balance. To sense the edges of the butterfly’s wings, not to see them. She just had to stop telling herself that it was pointless.
But it did feel pointless. She could already conjure things with little effort, why did she have to meditate? Maybe Midshore and Everstar needed the time in order to access their energy, but Gloria already had the power at her fingertips, which were turning a bronze color…
“You need to meditate so that you center yourself. If you don’t take time to calm down, you can be divided and distracted.” Midshore thought to her. Gloria was no longer surprised by this; when Midshore focused hard enough, she could read Gloria like a book.
Gloria internally rolled her eyes and tried to relax. She focused on the bubbling noise coming from the stone orb, thinking of them rather than her own thoughts. She thought of the shape of the orb, of the feeling of the wind going by outside. How the leaves moved and bumped against one another. The feeling of the village on the nearby island…
She felt a figure. It startled her, she hadn’t felt a single force before, besides the other spellcasters on the Islands. She knew all of them, but this figure was new, approaching from the water, and it glimmered like the sea in the sun. What was it? A new refugee? A new spellcaster? Did Midshore and Everstar feel it too?
Gloria opened an eye and looked at the two women. They didn’t seem to recognize the addition, so Gloria closed her eyes, now unable to concentrate, and she waited for them to be done.
“And out…” Midshore said as she exhaled, landing safely on the ground. “Alright, let’s get some sparring out of the way, do some moving!” She seemed excited. As proper and dignified as the two women seemed, they had some rather flirtatious duels that made Gloria laugh.
She took her position across from Everstar, and surfaced her power. It was ready with very little effort, and she smiled with the thought of the fun she’d have tonight with her increased ability while the moon shone fully in the sky.
~*~
Liam woke with a start, sweating profusely. His breathing was rough in his chest and his heart felt as if it were a rabbit running from a dog.
Anwyn looked up at him, still mostly asleep. “What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?” she asked softly, not expecting a serious answer.
“I was there. I was there again and that pig was- he-” He didn’t want to tell Anwyn about how the king had damaged him, the tools he had used. “I was there!”
Anwyn sat up in bed. “You’re not there now. It wasn’t really. You’re home.” she assured.
“But it was real! It was real for months and months and now it won’t leave me! I left it, but I wonder if I’m still locked in that pit and this is the dream! It felt so real, Anwyn.”
She rubbed his back, but she didn’t know how to comfort him in the way he needed.
“My own mind is against me, how can I live in peace if this is the life I am left with?” he put his face in his hands.
“That was fifteen years ago, Liam. There is every chance that the king is dead and you’re worried about a ghost. He can’t hurt anyone from beyond the grave.” she comforted.
“But what if he isn’t? He would be old, around 60 by now, yes, but he was obsessed with you and the child. He can’t have any more children, who’s to say he won’t spend every effort to find the one that he lost? Or the man who let them get away? I spent four years running from him, he never stopped hunting me down. What if he finds us?”
“The king thinks that Gloria and I are dead, why would he come looking for two long gone women?” she asked, trying to bring some logic to his wild mind.
“I don’t think he’d come.” he said and Anwyn smiled. “I think that someone else will come in his place.”
The smile slid from her face. “Why would you think that?” she asked evenly.
“My dream- he was talking about getting revenge soon. But that ‘he’ would be sent along. I don’t know who ‘he’ is! The bloody king didn’t say! Or I couldn’t hear.” he went pale as he remembered the pain of his dream.
“Liam. My love. We are safe here. We are all safe here. You don’t need to worry. Come on, let me hold you so you know we’re real, and warm, and safe.”
Well isn't that a bad omen? let's talk about some good stuff! I kinda just spent some time playing this save file as a normal game of sims *gasp* and so here are some things that I took pictures of.
Romance Festival:
Look who showed up for the festival, dressed in not Medieval clothes! Guys, you're not supposed to be seen together!
Find someone who looks at you the way Anwyn looks at Liam.
And kisses you like Anwyn's mom and dad. In public, at a festival, while you're both under the influence of a flirty drink.
How the time flies!:
Little Gloria reading while Robin sleeps. It's hard to get the ages right while doing a story like this. Because Robin hasn't been a toddler long enough, but Gloria is certainly growing up? IDK.
Mara (In the blue-green dress) and Mable (brown braid) Grew up into teens and invited the Reeds to come to their birthday party, and because Gloria is actually older than them I had her grow up with he same cake.
Goodbye, little Gloria!
You need a new outfit, that's for sure, honey.
On the Home Front:
Midshore and Everstar had a baby!
Anwyn and Liam are still very much in love.
Gloria grew up and had black eyes? like for vampires or Aliens? I'm sure it's because of her spellcaster ability, but I didn't keep them around.
Gloria and her mom get along quite well. I kinda imagine it's kinda like the relationship I have with my own mom. We can argue, but we love each other to bits!
Here's a sweet picture of Anwyn and Robin:
And Gloria and Robin
On the islands there's an "extra food" event that happens and your neighbors come over and hang out and bring you food. Well, Anwyn's family are in the same comunity, along with Midshore and Everstar, so they all come over from time to time! It's nice to think that the family is looking out for them.
And I took the opportunity to take some more updated pictures to fill their home with.
Anwyn and Gloria:
Anwyn and her mom:
Gloria and her Grandmother:
And Gloria and Robin:
I like how there's a spellcaster grave in the background of this shot
I do remember that there was a prophecy about three people coming to the island. Liam was one of them. Seneca probably fits one of the descriptions.
The King was feeling saucy and wanted to find love at the festival.
Oh look. Gloria grew up into a fashion disaster.
It's great you have a good relationship with your mom.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 32
“Mom, Robin is eating on the couch again!” Gloria hollered as she picked up the toddler from the cream colored cushion and put him in his high chair. “Could you please tell him not to do that?”
“Why don’t you?” Anwyn asked as she came out of the bathroom. “You have the situation under control, you don’t need to complain.”
“How did he even get the food off of the counter? He’s too short.” Gloria said, confused.
“You used to grab food off of the counter all the time, it happens. Kids get an idea in their head and they- reach- for it.” she smiled at her little pun.
“Ok, are you ready to go? We’re going to be late for school. You always say that the boss should lead by example, so we can’t be late. Come on.” Gloria urged.
“Hold on, where’s your father? We can’t leave Robin alone.” Anwyn asked as she grabbed a premade lunch.
“He’s outside checking the fishing traps. He’ll be in any minute now.” Gloria informed, anxious to get to school.
“Very well.” Anwyn grabbed up the papers she had graded the night before, and headed out to the beach where the boat was bobbing. “Bye, honey. See you this evening.” She kissed Liam goodbye and climbed onto the boat. Gloria followed her and they sailed over to the big island.
It was a short walk up the beach to the school. Gloria used to run up the hill to see if her friends had arrived yet, but now she chose to just walk and wait to see them. Besides, she was still tired from her night of no sleep with the sisters a few nights ago, and it was hard getting back to normal.
“Oh, I should tell you, we’re getting a new student today. Try and make him feel welcome, he’s a new refugee. We know how hard it can be to be new here, it’s a culture shock. Jeez, just showing my legs took forever to get used to. But for you, you wear things that show your whole figure, I’d have died of embarrassment if we were back on the mainland.” Anwyn said.
“Mom, it’s perfectly fine. I’m not showing anything that only my husband would see, and half the population has the same anatomy I do.” Gloria teased.
“Yes, yes. At least I’m not your grandmother, she’s very old fashioned. Or Sophia, she’s very modest!” they laughed.
They made their way to the glorified gazebo and saw that quite a few of the students were already there, talking in groups and gossiping, sending glances over their shoulders and between each other's heads.
The new student was easy to spot. His bright blonde hair was luminescent in the sun and his large frame took up the space of two children. He was no child, heck, from his size he barely looked like he should be a student, but who were Gloria and Anwyn to judge? There were a few adults who had been learning from their children over the past few years how to read, maybe he just barely fit the age group and couldn’t read?
He turned around to face them and his front was even more beautiful than his back. He was if his frame wasn’t proof that he wasn’t a child, the subtle stubble on his face gave it away. He had bright blue eyes that looked like windows to the sky behind him that opened wide when he saw Anwyn and Gloria.
“Good morning, Mrs…-” he waited for Anwyn to introduce herself.
“Mrs. Reed, though it can be hard to get the students to call me that. If you hear ‘Auntie Anwyn’ or anything like that, that’s me as well.” she smiled. “I hear your name is Blake? How much education do you have?”
“I’m rather solid in my learnings, though I don’t know how rigorous you are with your schooling here. I could be vastly behind all of these bright minds!” he laughed, nervous. He spoke very well for a refugee. The people who fled to the Islands were usually simple people who grew up speaking the same way their simple parents had and had grown lazy in their annunciation over the years. Blake spoke with clear 🐸🐸🐸🐸 and gravity that would come with a well to do family.
“If I have your accent correct, you’re from the mainland?” Anwyn asked.
“I am. It’s a long story.” he said, hoping to divert the conversation. “When does class start?”
Anwyn smiled, acknowledging that his origins could very well be a sensitive topic. “As soon as I call everyone to attention. You can sit next to-”
“Next to me!” jumped in Mara. “I have an empty spot next to me.”
“I sit next to you!” objected Mable.
“What? Since when?” she played. “I haven’t met this girl before in my life.”
“You can sit next to Benjamin, He’s over by there across the room.” Anwyn interjected.
Mara rolled her eyes and took her seat behind Gloria, and Mable slid in next to her. Each of them had a hard time paying attention to the lesson and kept sneaking glances across the room at the new student.
“Where has he been hiding my whole life?” Mara asked quietly to that only mable and Gloria could hear.
“May I remind you that we have shared a life, he’s been out of mine just as long as he’s been out of yours.” Mable bounced back.
“I’ve been alive longer than both of you, don’t forget.” Gloria said under her breath so that Anwyn didn’t hear while she narrated.
“And we know that Benjamin isn’t gay, right? He’s been alive even longer.” Mable asked.
“You’ve seen the way he fawns over Rachel, he’s not gay.” Mara observed.
“Heck, I would fawn over Rachel if I liked girls, she’s perfect.” Mable said. Too bad Rachel wasn’t at school today, she didn’t get to claim dibs on the new guy.
“-Without the fellowship to escort Frodo to Mordor, he would have never completed his task.” Anwyn finished. “Girls, do you have any information about the Journey of the Ring to share with the class?” she asked the trio.
They all looked at her with wide eyes and closed mouths, suddenly very quiet.
“Mrs. Reed, didn’t Aragon save the day finally when he led the army to Sauron’s gates? Wouldn’t he be the true hero?” Blake’s voice came from across the space.
“I see you’ve heard of the story then! Yes, Aragorn did save the day, but so did Mr. Baggins. One would not have been successful without the other, and that also leads me, a bit prematurely, to the fact that not all stories have one hero. There could be several, reliant on each other to pull their own weight to save the day.”
Anwyn looked at the clock. “Oh my, look at the time! Older kids, you can take your lunches, I'm going to have a bit of check-in time with the littler kids. Be back in 40 minutes!”
There was a murmur as the teenagers stood from their seats and headed out into the sunshine. Mara made a quick path to the new boy, and Mable followed quickly behind her, not wanting to let her sister have an advantage over her.
Gloria rolled her eyes and followed. She knew how this would turn out; Mara would be forward with her flirting, the boy would be impressed with her confidence and flirt back a bit, but then she would pass on him after a date or two saying that he wasn’t her type. At this point, she’d gone on so many dates with guys that they couldn’t figure out what her type was.
After Mara was done with a guy, Mable would make her move, try and pick them up off the ground after Mara had dropped them. She was the balm to Mara’s burn, and the guy would talk to her about his feelings and even eat out with her once or twice, but then he would recover and come to the conclusion that he was hanging out with Mable so that he could be closer to Mara.
And Gloria was just the best friend that came in contact with them when it was a group outing, or at school. She would smile, encourage, but she knew how it was going to end.
Ben had brought Blake over to one of the tables to eat their lunch, and by the time Gloria got there he was crowded by Mara and Mable. Gloria took a seat across from Blake, spending more attention on her meal than him.
“You knew a lot about the Journey of the Ring, how much schooling do you have?” Mara asked.
“I’ve spent quite a lot of time reading in my life, and remembering the plot of such a well talked about book is easy. I enjoy literature.” he said. “My parents weren’t around very often, so I read most of the books in the library at home.”
“You read most of a library?” gasped Mable. “How many books were there?”
Blake looked around for a reference. “I believe that from that post-” he pointed to one of the corners of the school, “- to that post would be about it. Ten feet? From floor to ceiling?”
“That’s amazing!” Mable beamed. Mara was already losing interest; she wasn’t into the brainy types.
“But man, you couldn’t have spent all of your time inside, your arms are huge! What sort of workout do you do?” Ben asked.
“Mostly sparring, sword fighting. It’s good exercise without worrying about it being repetitive.” he said openly.
“Well, you won’t need much of that here on the Islands. There are no battles to be fought.” Gloria added.
“There were battles where I came from.”
Most of the table went quiet except for Mara, who didn’t know how to keep her mouth shut.
“Oh, that’s right! You’re from the mainland! What’s been going on there? Our parents came from there. How screwed up is it?” she asked and the rest of the table glared at her. “What?”
“It’s rough. The soldiers patrol the cities but it isn’t always enough to keep the raiders from-” he went even paler.
“Mara, you know that we don’t ask refugees about what happened before they got here. It’s a life they leave behind.” Gloria turned back to Blake. “If you want to put your life behind you, you can. There’s even a ceremony you can go through where you change your name and vow to live a better life. It's like rebirth.”
“That sounds like entirely too much attention to put on me.” he smiled and picked up his sandwich.
“How old are ya, buddy?” Benjamin asked.
“I’m 17 and a half.” The table shifted away from him a bit. “What, aren’t you all that age?”
“Benjamin is the oldest one here, he’s 16, Gloria is next at 15 and a half, and Mara and I are 14.” Mable admitted.
“Oh. I thought for sure you guys were a bit older.
“Well, there aren’t a ton of kids on the Islands, so we all have to get along.” Mara rolled her eyes.
~*~
Class ended for the day after a few more hours had passed. Anwyn and Gloria were some of the last to leave, with a few students hanging around.
Blake looked slightly panicked.
“What’s the matter, Blake?” Anwyn asked on her way out.
“I- I’m staying with the Poms until I can apply for my own place, but I forgot how to get there,” he confessed.
“Oh, they’re just on down the hill a bit. We’ll walk you home.” Gloria offered.
Blake looked relieved and he grabbed his things and they made their way across town, chatting as they went.
“Have you read the Hariet Potting books? I found them thrilling!” Gloria asked.
“I have! If I were sorted I would have to say I would be in the Crawlin house. I’m not evil, but I am ambitious.” he said.
“Really? So far I would have said that you were an Eaglefoot. You seem so smart.” Gloria said.
“Gloria sorts herself into Gryphingate. She’s always conquering new tasks.” Anwyn said, a slight tease in her voice.
“Mom, it’s not weird to sort yourself! Most people who read the books do!” She shot backwards.
“I didn’t say that it was weird, did I?”
~*~
The sun was dipping lower than it normally did by the time they got back home that day.
Liam looked like he was a nervous wreck but was trying to hide it. “Hello, my loves! How were your days?”
Anwyn gave him a big hug.”What’s the matter, Liam? Why are you worried?” she whispered into his ear.
“I don’t want to talk about it now, maybe later.” he answered. “I hope you’re hungry, I made spaghetti for dinner!”
“Yay!” Gloria rushed into the house, and Anwyn held Liam’s hands.
“What’s the matter?”
Liam looked away, and he felt as if he were about to pull the plug on a tub of water, not wanting to let out all of his emotions. “You were late and I didn’t know where you were. What if you were taken? What if the king took you away?”
“Liam, you had one dream. We haven’t seen the king in over fourteen years. Why are you thinking about this? We’re safe.”
He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Liam, there’s no man that the king is sending. Let the dream go.”
“I wish it would leave.” he said quietly.
Anwyn looked at him with concern. “Are you still having the dreams? I thought they had gone away.”
“They’re unpredictable, but they come maybe once every three nights. This isn’t just a dream, it feels real. Something is coming, Anwyn. What about the prophecy? There will come a ruler, that’s the king! He is coming!” he hissed quietly.
“Liam, I think we should talk to the sisters about something to help you sleep. We aren’t in danger. And the ruler could be any sort of ruler. There are other rulers in other kingdoms, it could easily be one of them.”
“And one of them would show an interest in Gloria? Why?” Liam asked.
Gloria peaked her head around the kitchen door. “I think the sauce is burning!” she shouted.
“Then stir it!” Liam hollered, and started to walk back to the house. “Anwyn, we need to be more careful.”
“We need to find some way to prove to you that we’re ok. We’re ok.” she repeated.
That's one way to put it
Too bad Rachel wasn’t at school today, she didn’t get to claim dibs on the new guy.
It seems like The Lord of the Rings already exists in their medieval universe.
"...[T]hat also leads me, a bit prematurely, to the fact that not all stories have one hero. There could be several, reliant on each other to pull their own weight to save the day.”
I sense some foreshadowing here
...[H]e would recover and come to the conclusion that he was hanging out with Mable so that he could be closer to Mara.
That's sad
According to the Pottingmore website, I'm in the Badgerblow house.
So is Blake going to be the 2nd person in the prophecy? Is there more to him than meets the eye? Hmm... And there's still Seneca.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
We will see much more of Blake and Seneca. On desktop version you can see I changed my signature picture to fit the new generation. It's also in my first post of the thread under the history of signature pictures spoiler.
I'm having more fun writing Mara and Mable than I thought I would. I kinda think of Mara as the Tanya from Mamma Mia character, flirty but high standards and Mable just kinda tries to keep up.
Maria's face reminds me of a real life actress, but I can't pin it down...
Yeah, I noticed your new signature! I guess this is Phase 2 of the story then.
And it's good to keep interesting side characters, such as Gloria's relatives. Although I just noticed that Romeo sort of went out of focus. I suppose his role in the plot has been fulfilled and he's off happy somewhere.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
That's great to hear! I have some online friends who also lost employment during the pandemic, which was tough on them, so it's good to see you have a source of income once more.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
I've been filling my time with a lot of nonsense, like watching meaningless youtube videos (too many videos...) but I want to work on more projects like writing or the massive quilt I've been sewing. You know, actual goals.
As for the story, it continues to evolve in my mind, I just need to get through this arc of set up before I can get into the stuff I'm actually excited about.
I hope all of my readers are staying healthy. Don't lick dorknobs.