This update is more about one of the requirements for the challenge I created. I spent a week developing toddler potty training skills, so I didn't spend enough time raising money for developing the estate. It turns out that skills from Logical Tasks aren't the best way to make money quickly.
For Reference: Logical Tasks would be anything that gets a skill boost from the focused moodlet while creative tasks get a boost from the inspired moodlet. That means, for the Part 2 of the Blue Tail Arc, I had to make money from the Career, Gaming Tournaments, Handiness, Rocket Science, and etc. Eventually, I figured out how to sell discoveries as a Marine Biologist and make tons of money that way. But, I still did everything within 28 sim days.
This lot is shared to the Gallery, but it is incomplete. I'm sharing the most developed parts of the lot.
The Lot is worth 200,000 Simoleons and only uses items from the Base Game, Island Living, and Jungle Adventure.
Maria Eldora's Bedroom
The Living Room
Calden Azure's Bedroom
The Study
Lir and Krista Kailani's Bedroom
The Storage Room
The Kitchen
Zalen's Nursery
The Backyard BBQ Pit
Alania Look Outside
Night
Day
Extras
Dylan and Zeph Splashing Around
Dylan and Zeph in their Traditional Merman Attire
I moved their merman attire to their swimwear. Because they almost only use that outfit category, they'll conform to their traditional attire as Mermen Princes.
Dylan Zalrian
Zephyr Zalrian
This won't stop Zeph from choosing his own outfits though. How does he manage to pull off his own outfits and look good doing it. It's a mystery of the Sim Universe.
But, this wasn't the first time that Zeph chose an outfit for himself that didn't exist as a possible outfit. He has a very polished style.
On the other fin, Dylan can't really pull this off if he isn't acting as an Entertainer despite being a Marine Biologist.
Entertainer Dylan
I don't know what Dylan decided to wear, but he decided to leave immediately. I guess he realized his mistake a little too late.
I discovered that the Survey interaction is a good way to make money, and it reveals invasive species in Sulani that can be sprayed.
Islander Townies have Interesting Festival Outfits
For a while, I stopped seeing merfolk drift underwater while they sleep. I'm extremely happy to see this back. I want to see my merfolk do more underwater. Aside from sleeping, the only other thing I can see them do underwater involves surveying ocean wildlife. The game has been struggling with this interaction because merfolk don't snorkel. At least, they don't normally have a snorkel interaction.
Abalone is now Lir's Azure Dolphin
Lir telling Dylan a Story
"And that's how a merman became a vampire! He's now cursed to live in the shadows."
Dylan Fishing
I imagine that Dylan is removing invasive species fishing.
Dylan Nearly Killed Lir with a Funny Story
The Merfolk ability to sleep in water saved Lir's Life. He would have gone belly up in the water, and merfolk deaths in the water are extremely glitched. The death animation looks like the Drowning Animation in their merform. Arihi had to recycle Calum's Urn when that happened to him. Don't tell Calum that he's a Gallery copy.
Lir greeted Dylan with a splash.
Dylan: "Do you know why children have a Fruit Bear phase? I heard a song to go with the story, but I can tell it to you without the music."
Lir: "I'm listening."
Dylan: "The Fruit Bears from outer space were throwing a party in a Doll House."
Dylan: "Soon, there was a huge explosion!"
Dylan: "Robots from another Galaxy showed up to join the party!"
Dylan: "And that's why children have the Fruit Bear phase."
Now, I'll be taking a break from Lir's Story to develop the skills of several toddlers. I won't spend a full 28 sim days on each household unless I need to. However, I will be developing:
The babies from my Island Alien Household.
Kai Kealoha from the Kealoha Household.
Alex and Alen Kailani
and finally, I'll age up Jade and Juniper Zalrian before starting Jack's Rotation.
I'm thinking of doing a Year Long playthrough of the Zalrian Household and ending it with Jade and Juniper aging up. I'll share the posts here to keep the thread active. This post will be the break between stories.
This is the home of my primary sims. The Elementals that act as Pillars of the Worlds reside here.
Calum and Arihi's Lore
Calum is a natural born Merman and descendant of the Sapphire Queen even though he doesn't have a Blue Tail. Because he doesn't have a blue tail, he's not a true heir to the Sapphire Tail Royal Family. He carries the gene for the Blue Tail though.
Arihi is the Elemental Matriarch that became a half-mermaid so she could join Calum in the sea. She's the highest authority among the Elementals in the Mortal Worlds. Because Calum is a descendent of the Sapphire Queen, Arihi and Calum's Twin Sons inherited their Blue Tails. Dylan and Zephyr have Blue Tails because of the combination of an Elemental Mother and Merman Father.
Dylan and Zephyr's Lore
Dylan is the Water Elemental and Spirit of the Sea. Dylan is the spirit that reigns over the seas that connect the worlds. He can sense everything within the water and the seas, and every world is touched by water. Because the seas, rivers, and lakes connect the worlds, Dylan is the Pillar that Binds the Worlds Together. He can sense when a world reconnects with the others. He can also sense disturbances that threaten to separate a world from the others.
Dylan's name means Son of the Wave. He's a merman and an elemental, but his merman identity is his stronger identity.
Zephyr is the Air Elemental and Spirit of the Sky. Zephyr is the spirit that reigns over the skies above the worlds. He can see everything that resides below the sky. Only storms from a world severed from the others can block his sight. Zephyr watches over the worlds. Because Zephyr watches over the worlds, he's the Pillar that Protects the Worlds. His sight makes him a source of knowledge. He can see through deception, including Alien Disguises.
Zephyr's name means Western Wind. He's a merman and an elemental, but his merman identity is his stronger identity.
Dylan and Zephyr are identical twin mermen with an extremely strong twin bond. Dylan is the Creative one, and Zephyr is the Genius one.
Ember's Lore
Ember is the Fire Elemental and Spirit of the Volcano. Ember is the spirit that reigns over the hearth, the home, and heart of the worlds. She is connected to paranormal activity that can plague a home. Ember is the Pillar of Spirits, a bridge between the Netherworld and Mortal World.
Ember's name means Dying Coals, and she was born during one of the coldest winters. She's a spellcaster and an elemental, but her spellcaster identity is her stronger identity. Ember is often involved in home related activities like cooking and paranormal investigation. Her aspiration is to open a successful restaurant.
Jade and Juniper's Lore
Jade is an Earth Elemental and the Spirit of the Land. Jade is strongly connected to the Moon and draws power from it. She reigns over the night and death. Jade is the Pillar of the World's End.
Jade's name comes from the Jade Stone. Jade represents one half of the Journey Humans call Life. She's a vampire and an elemental, but her vampiric identity is her stronger identity.
Juniper is an Earth Elemental and the Spirit of Plants. Juniper is strongly connected to the Sun and draws power from it. He reigns over the day and the Vitality of Life. Juniper is the Pillar of the World's Beginning.
Juniper's name comes from the Juniper Tree. Juniper represents one half of the Journey Humans call Life. He's a merman and an elemental, but his merman identity is his stronger identity.
Jade and Juniper are fraternal twins. Juniper often bails Jade out of Life-Threatening situations. Jade is a thrill seeker that takes risks in the sun and other dangerous activities.
Each Room in Zalia Shores represents the Elementals and their Elements.
Calum and Arihi's Rooms
Dylan and Zephyr's Rooms
Ember's Rooms
Jade and Juniper's Rooms
The Kitchen and Dining Room
The Shrine to the Elementals
The Outside
The Nautilus Look
Cecelia and Sefina's Lore
Cecelia and Sefina are the wives of Dylan and Zephyr. Cecelia was cursed to a mortal life and chose to leave Sulani so that Dylan wouldn't live to see her die. Before she left, Dylan and Cecelia had a night of passion that resulted in Cecelia becoming pregnant with twins. Upon Zephyr's request, Sefina left Sulani with Cecelia to look after the former mermaid. Cecelia wanted to protect her sons from the Darkfins that hunted her husband and his brother. Dylan wanted Cecelia to stay, but Cecelia was determined to leave. Dylan and Zephyr often visit their wives and never miss a chance to spend time with them. Dylan didn't like Cecelia's Living conditions so he referred Gui to Cecelia so that she could improve her living conditions.
The house is small because it's the start of a new Legacy. Most of the rooms are in one room.
While his Daughter and Nephew learned and grew quickly at home, Gui helped to support his family by completing a few gigs.
Gui's first client was a wealthy family Sulani. Because his Brother-in-law was a merman, he was aware of their existence. The Zalrians, a Family of Elementals, were aware of this. As the Sapphire Princes, Dylan and Zephyr represented their people in their traditional attire, if not a more casual variation. They greeted Gui and went over the things they were hoping for with the remodel. The Zalia Shores helped to focus the balance between the Elementals, so there were important elements that needed to be maintained in each room.
Dylan: "And that's what I'm hoping for when you decorate me and my brother's rooms. It's important that the Elements of Water and Air are in balance."
Gui: "I can definitely make that work!"
Dylan: "That's great to hear!"
Zephyr: "Here, take a look at this. I have a few ideas. Starting with the rocket ship."
Gui looked at the plans: "So, you're planning to get rid of the Rocket?"
Zephyr: "It causes too much pollution and clouds up the sky."
Gui: "If I sell it, I should be able to fund more renovations."
Zephyr: "That's exactly what I was thinking. However, the most important thing is renovating the Earth Elemental Rooms."
Juniper: "Personally, I'm hoping for a few more plants."
Gui asked Dylan: "So what's your favorite decor?"
Dylan paused to think.
Dylan: "I definitely prefer island decor. It makes me feel more at home."
Juniper rolled his shoulders back and tilted his head: "I think the tropical plants are great additions to any home. I think we need a few more around the house."
Gui asked Zephyr: "So, what are your favorite hobbies, like rock climbing or other activities?"
Zephyr stopped and thought for a moment.
Zephyr: "We're planning a trip to the world of Mt. Komorebi. It would be awesome if we had some sports gear for skiing."
Gui: "Noted."
Zephyr: "It's going to be a birthday trip for Jade and Juniper. The whole family will be there, so we all need a pair of skis."
After returning home from his gig, Gui got abducted by Sixams. The returned him to Newcrest after he landed rather roughly on the ground.
The next day, Gui got a recommendation from the Zalrians. From what Gui could gather, Dylan's wife, Cecelia, left to Newcrest to raise their twin sons away from the sea. Dylan wanted to help make their living conditions better, so he gave Cecelia a large sum of money to renovate their home.
Cecelia: "I've really fallen in love with gardening, and it would be great if we had a small garden."
Gui: "That sounds easy enough."
Gui noticed that their home was very small, so it didn't take long to make a few changes. He had plenty of time to show off their new home.
While Wade wandered around the yard, Cecelia was overjoyed by the garden!
Sefina was helping to look after Cecelia for Dylan and Zephyr, and she appreciated the garden more than any of them knew. Their home was off the grid, and it didn't have an unlimited supply of food. Cecelia was a former mermaid, and they wanted to stay off the radar to avoid a conflict with another Darkfin.
While everyone checked out the new house, Barnabus and Wade were chatting up a storm. The twins didn't know how to speak, so their conversation was in a language only they understood.
Wade: "Babba Babba. (Aren't dinosaurs awesome! I love the T. Rex.)"
Sefina: "We actually have a toy box now!"
Cecelia: "Stepping on those toys was like stepping on a barnacle!"
Cecelia: "I think we could get a few more toys now. I hear that Kemps will be reopening the stores again!"
Sefina: "Girl, we need to save as much money as we can. The toy chest is full of all the toys we could need!"
Cecelia admired the new fridge while Sefina hugged Gui.
The Twins were caught up in the mood too.
The young women were ecstatic with the new decor and having everything they need to meet their basic needs.
Here are a couple teasers for my next update. I apologize for the irregular updates, I've had a lot going on. Specifically, midterms, major papers, and etc. Life has been fun.
Extras:
Helios's expression while his wife gets abducted is priceless. He's half alien, so it's not like he doesn't know anything about abductions. he's probably the one that used the telescope.
Zeph decided that this was a better outfit for the Night Club than the one I gave him.
Toddlers have a cute animation inside their play tent when they go to sleep!
I caught Dylan and Zeph fishing together. It's rare to see them in one place together because one usually leaves the lot when the other arrives. I think it has something to do with them looking the same and the game trying to "help" me tell the difference. I swear, they thought about leaving.
When Eos and Pixel aged up, the Techrons moved them into the living room they refurnished into a nursery. As toddlers, they couldn't do much, so the parents spent some time teaching them things like good manners and their basic needs. The early days of toddlerhood were fun for Eos, who was eager to learn and grew faster than his cousin.
"And that's why you never say Barnacle." Iona said.
Eos "Babbla!"
Iona didn't know if he understood anything she said.
Iona. "And, in spite of what you might see in human movies, merfolk know what forks are used for. We call them tiny tridents and they are decorations for our homes."
Eos smiled and nodded.
Eos: "Babbla babba. (I'm pretty sure I saw Uncle Nui putting the decorations in his mouth with a strange substance he called hungry)"
Iona: "Very good. Remember that Tiny Tridents are decorations and never put them in your mouth."
Eos: "Babba. (I'm not sure I should believe you)"
After the lesson, Eos was feeling hangry, and his parents as well as his aunt and uncles couldn't figure out who would feed him. In his rage, he smashed the doll house.
Eos: "Babboar. (Roar, I'm a sea monster! Fear my tiny tridents for I need hungry!)"
Eos: "Babble. (Poor dolls they didn't have any hungry to survive my tiny tridents.)"
Iona expressed her disappointment in Eos for acting out.
After finally giving him food, Iona read him to sleep. Pixel was already fast asleep in the bed next to his. Pixel dreamt about ghosts while Iona read Eos a story about the Hearts of the Sea, the Abalone King, and the wicked Darkfins that deceive and shatter trust.
"To this day, humans believe the Hearts of the Sea are Buried Treasure."
After Eos fell asleep, Iona repaired the doll house. The magic Hammer seemed to reverse the damage instead of cause it.
After Eos woke up, he used his diaper in his sleep. Iona cleaned him up after changing his diaper. For Eos, the tub was a bunch splishy splashy fun.
After giving him a bath, Iona tried to teach Eos his first words.
Iona: "And that's what a finball is."
Eos: "Rain? Babbla (Finball seems like a lot of splashy fun!)."
Eos: "Blue Birds in rain? (So they whistle when the other merfolk kick a foul ball?)"
Pixel cried because her dads left her in the highchair.
Nui tried to hold back his tears. Being an Alien, he had an empathic connection with his daughter that caused him to feel what he perceived as sadness. He tried to give Pixel attention, but Pixel glared at him, failing to communicate telepathically.
Pixel's thoughts: "Why is he the one that's sad? He wasn't ignored and left in a highchair with nowhere to go."
Pixel's thoughts: "But I love this game!"
While Eos was left alone again, he decided to sleep in his play tent.
Eos and Pixel's parents didn't seem to watch them all the time, and when they left the toddlers to their own devices, they took care of their own needs to the best of their own abilities. They put themselves to sleep and played with the tech pads. They only needed their parents for hungry, dirty, and their non-existent attention.
Eos, however, did get a lot of attention from his parents when it came to his lessons. Iona insisted that his foundation for learning wasn't based in technology. Nui and Gui were fine to let Pixel do her own thing. Being a wild toddler, it was hard to get her to sit still for flash cards.
Eos's thoughts: "The right answer can't possibly be right in front of me, right?"
Eos: "Question!"
Not long after, the helicopter parents arrived.
Pixel failed to speak telepathically. "Eos might be hungry, but he has a parent tending to him. You can go back to sleep now."
After Eos ate and was put to bed, Gui read Pixel to sleep before getting ready to leave for his gig at Zalia Shores."
When Gui returned home, he helped his sister-in-law clean up the bathroom after the toilet exploded. Kalama was a goof ball and ended up using the toilet she pranked again.
When it came to feeding the tots, Gui just picked up the mess Eos made when Pixel made a mess. Iona left in a hurry.
Kalama thought: "I'm too tired for this."
Gui: "She left me. She LEFT ME."
Not long after picking up Pixel's mess, Eos made another mess.
Eos sat patiently as Gui Lectured Pixel instead of him.
Gui attempted to teach Pixel how to talk. "Rough house. Can you say it? Rough. House."
Pixel: "Potty! (Eos used his diaper)."
Nui could smell it and took care of it for Gui. Pixel was surprisingly observant.
Gui: "Say after me. Rough. House."
Pixel: "T. Rex! (He'll get tired of trying to teach me to talk and teach me how to dance soon if I just keep saying nonsense.)"
As Nui walked out of the room, Eos had one thought. "Trash."
Nui brakes the fourth wall: "They're all yours."
Metior Ice: "Don't you think you should do more parenting instead of leaving everything to me! At least let Eos out of the High Chair."
Metior Ice: "And Kalama is feeding her niece bugs, aka, outpost popcorn..."
After his gig at Nautilus Look, Gui tried to teach Pixel manners.
Gui said telepathically: "And that's why we eat with forks instead of laser guns."
Gui was tired and gave Nui another chance to teach pixel how to talk.
Pixel: "When do I start learning to drive a spaceship?"
Nui was too tired, and he could of sworn that Pixel was speaking clearly now.
Pixel corrected herself: "Babble. (I really want to fly a spaceship.)."
Pixel: "Let me fly the spaceship or I use my diaper."
Nui said: "She's hooked on learning to talk."
Pixel's thought: "No seriously, I'll use my diaper at this rate. I have to potty."
Pixel: "I've learned more from the tech pad then my dads."
Eos: "Their parenting is a true piece of work. A rather sloppy piece of art."
Pixel: "They're drama llamas that leave us to the watcher to be cared for!"
Eos: "I know, right."
While the wild toddler continued to sit in her highchair. Eos decided to ask Gui for flashcard lessons before he could let her out.
Pixel: "Seriously."
Gui: "How did you get out of your highchair?"
Pixel: "I teleported."
Gui: "Really?"
Pixel: "No, one of the helicopter parents interrupted you when they cued up the action to let me out, so you decided to show Eos Flashcards in front of me."
Gui: "I don't understand."
Pixel: "Try not to think about it too hard. Consider it musical magic."
The following day, Kalama went to the humor and hijinks festival. Once again, Zeph was wearing his own outfit.
Kalama performed one of her comedy routines for the Comedians.
Kalama: "We all know those tiny tots with their puppy dog eyes and overwhelming cuteness."
Kalama: "And as parents, we fall for their cuteness, but here's the thing."
Kalama: "They look sweet, but they are actually quite smart. They have their parents wrapped around their tiny tot fingers!"
Kalama: "That's why we pray to the watcher that we survive the nooboos that will be coming to a neighborhood near you!"
Back at home, the toddlers were busy with their lessons as usual. Their highchairs were replaced with ottomans the tots could sit on. Nui claimed to have a nightmare that involved pixel speaking clearly and musical magic. The Musical Highchairs had to go.
Gui put a stove in the nursery that would let him cook for the tots so they could help themselves to food when they got hungry.
When Nui got home from work, he checked on Pixel.
Pixel: "What did the sea say to the beach?"
Nui: "What?"
Pixel: "Nothing, it just waved."
When the tots were settled in bed, Helios had a proposition for Iona.
Helios: "These last few weeks have been a struggle. Want to go on a Date?"
Iona: "Sure, why not?"
Iona's stroy was a tragic one. She lost one of her closest friends to a Darkfin that drowned her friend in a fit of Jealousy. The Darkfin was an ex-boyfriend, and her friend was a young human man. She thought she would never be in another relationship until she met Helios. Helios was literally from another world, but he still made Iona feel like she belonged. He made plenty of time to show his affection and reassured her with his Charmer's Lullaby, something he learned had traditional importance between merfolk partners. Over time, Helios softened Iona's heart, and they had a traditional merfolk wedding. Being a merman was new to Helios, but the Alien Merman loved Iona. She loved him in return. Not long after their wedding, Eos was born. Both knew that they struggled as parents, but they were learning together.
Toward the middle of the week, Spooksfest arrived. The Techrons and Eons removed their disguises and showed off their alien forms. Helios, who no longer had the same Alien abilities, dressed in a costume.
In spite of the party, Eos was still eager to learn. Even if he sometimes misbehaved, most of his struggles came from his parents struggling to help him. The five different adults often interrupted each other when one of them tried to help him.
Eos didn't know why it was so hard for one or two adults to help him. Still, Gui was often home because he took time away from his gigs to help look after Eos and Pixel. Eos always asked him for Flashcard Lessons.
And while Gui was distracted, Pixel was a free spirit.
In the spirit of Spooksfest, Dylan and Zeph invited the Eons and Techrons to a night out. They dressed in traditional merfolk attire. No one would suspect that Aliens and Merfolk were gathering during a night that everyone wore costumes.
After the party, Iona was abducted by Aliens before going for a jog around the neighborhood.
There were times that Helios wanted to read to his son and niece, but the technology often got in the way of traditional parenting. Helios wanted to understand magic with science. He loved technology, but now, he wondered if it was better to let things be the way they were. He would outlive his siblings and their children and their children's children. However, he would always have Iona and Eos in his life. Maybe, merfolk had traditional values because they would live forever together.
Helios was torn between two worlds. He was an Alien from Sixam, but he was also a merman now. His abilities were changed with the transformation, but he never forgot the secret handshake between Sixams.
Eventually, their birthday came and went. The Eons and Techrons hired Ember, Dylan, and Zeph to help with the party. Ember was the Caterer, Dylan performed for everyone, and Zeph tended the bar.
This isn't exactly a story update, but it was fun chaos!
Extra: Elemental Chaos in Sulani
First, I discovered that Knox died. Not sure how because his ghost doesn't have any special effect I can discern.
Now, for the real fun! Zeph called the first thunderstorm.
And together, the twins called down the fire.
After playing the Song of Sophistication, Dylan played the Etude of Egress. The mortals would not hide inside the bar!
Strangely, Makoa didn't seem affected by the songs.
Some townie's panicked when lighting struck the ground right next to them. The storm affected the entire island, the entire neighborhood. Lightning struck everywhere on the lot and beyond.
While Dylan prepared another Piper Song, Zeph was trying to persuade a townie to streak in the storm. The townie wouldn't do it.
Zeph: "I had no idea that streaking in a thunderstorm was a bad idea?" (He totally knew what he was trying to do.)
So, the townie became their target for Zeph's Drowning Experiment. The Hypothesis: Can townie's drown with neighborhood stories active? As a genius, it was only natural to experiment. Dylan sang Agean's Question, and the Experiment was about to begin.
Dylan also had his own target for the Siren's Call.
Zeph: "Don't play with junk food."
(The Siren's Call depletes all of a sims needs and refills all the needs of a mermaid or merman. This means that everything from Bladder Failure to Starvation to Energy Failure while swimming can happen. And yet, unplayed sims can swim to the shore without drowning with energy, hunger, and bladder at a critical low.)
Like a more powerful marine vampire, Dylan drained the townie of everything and replenished all his needs.
Next, Zeph called the other human to the sea. Like the thunderstorm that rages across them island, the irresistible call to the sea could be heard across the island. It took the human a bit to swim to their doom.
The Siren's Call was fun for the twins but miserable for their prey.
Dylan's Prey was smart and swam away. Zeph's Prey stayed to chat with the mermen. Apparently, nearly drowning was kinda neat.
When the storm started to clear, Zeph's prey saw hope for survival. Zeph kept him in the water with his own Agean's Question. Hours ticked by, and the human that had ALL his needs depleted would not drown.
Eventually, Zeph's Prey did try to leave, but that's when Zeph sang his Siren's Call. His prey wouldn't escape.
For good measure, after resurfacing, Zeph summoned a giant squid from the deep.
Zeph: "I bet you thought this was game. There is no reset button."
Zeph continued to sing Siren' Lullabies and kept the townie in the water for almost the entire day. Dylan called another thunderstorm. The townie still wouldn't drown.
Eventually, Zeph got bored with his prey and let him escape.
Zeph's Prey: "Crikey, I just nearly died because of a merman!"
During the thunderstorm, it was family day. Duane Kealoha thought it would be a good idea to swing. A little storm chaser in the making.
Metior Ice: "Uh, there's not exactly sun for tanning... How can you be relaxing on Beach Towels?"
Metior Ice: "This isn't exactly the time or place for homework Tane."
And then, the first sim got struck by lightning miles from the sand bar.
After some mermadic chaos, the twins performed the Ghastly ritual and took their elemental forms.
Zeph tried to scare a townie, but the townie ended up having fun as he flew threw her.
As the twins grew closer to reverting back to their merman disguises, they took their human form while in a ghostly state. Dylan called another thunderstorm.
While the humans survived, the furniture was not as lucky.
Mount Mua Pel'Am erupted, and the lot grew crowded with molten boulders.
Unafraid of the elements, Dylan and Zeph made a sandcastle in the thunderstorm.
For Zeph, the Rain and Lightning was good fun!
And then, after going for a swim, he got struck by lightning.
And, another human got struck...
Bartender's thoughts: "Why am I working while Elementals are letting loose their power over nature?"
The lightning did leave some precious metals and crystals behind.
Eruptions created fissures in the shore and more smoldering rocks steamed in the rain.
And, that's when the Watcher removed the roof. I made sure to keep some of the roof above the bartender. They are doing their job and didn't need to get a harder time because of it.
Dylan and Zeph were casually chatting when the lightning struck the wall stereo.
At this point, the lot was starting to glitch, and the Bartender walked into the corner of the wall until they passed through it.
And finally, the other Elementals came to join in the fun!
Juniper announced his arrival by summoning fire from the sky!
And then, he got struck by lightning...
Metior Ice: "Jade, what did you do while I wasn't looking?!"
(Fun Fact: Vampires can be outside during the day if it's raining.)
Ember lit the furniture on fire. She's such a pyro maniac.
And, this is where I take a break. I'll make the other half of the Chaos in Sulani Update later.
The Humor and Hijinks Festival was in town, so the Elementals gave Sulani a break to create a bit of Chaos at the San Myshuno festival. Zephyr called a thunderstorm, and the change in the weather instantly thawed all the snow.
Ember was uncomfortable in the rain, so she lit a bonfire for warmth.
The festival was fun, but little happened aside from a few mysterious fires. The comedians won the Festival Contest!
Near the end of the festival, Jade learned how to make humans hallucinate and talk to "imaginary" friends.
Upon returning to Sulani, the humans tried to replace the things destroyed by lightning, so Ember fixed that.
Zeph being the good merman that he is decided to put out the fire. The table remained charred.
It didn't take long for Zeph to get struck by lightning. No good deed goes unpunished.
But, Ember got struck too...
Ember responded by lighting humans on fire. She unlocked the power to cast spells from a greater distance and remain unknown to her victims.
Random Townie that would not be persuaded to streak in a thunderstorm: "Beware the sea! Their are fish, larger than a human, dragging the poor unfortunate souls beneath the waves!"
Ember thought: "That would be my twin older brothers for you."
Ember proceeded to light more humans on fire! Burn, BURN all the townies!
One townie must have been extremely unlucky because lightning struck him shortly after being lit on fire.
Dylan and Zeph were luring humans into the sea to "play." At this point, they were both struck by lighting.
When their toys tried to escape, they called creatures from the deep to delay their escape.
They survived, but they never got far.
During the thunderstorm, humans gathered for the Flowers and Music Festival. Jade crashed the party by Manipulating all their minds. It was daytime, but the thunder and rain protected her and allowed her to freely use her vampiric magic.
Lyric's thought: "Maybe I should play the guitar and pretend to be hallucinating?"
The humans that hallucinated were easy targets for the lightning.
Eventually, the elementals grew tired and went home. The mermen in the family slept together in the pool. Jade went to her coffin, and Ember slept in her bed.
The Poltergeist showed up, and Ember tried to freeze her. Naturally, the spell backfired on the Fire Elemental.
But, Jade was growing more powerful and dealt with her. While the Poltergeist was distracted, Dylan summoned Bone Helda to deal with her. Bone Helda did nothing...
The Zalrians have their own fashion sense!
For reasons that I can't explain, my Zalrian Household tends to wear their own outfits. Aside from Zephyr often appearing in different outfits, Ember and Calum also wear their own outfits.
Zalen also has an unusual fashion sense. Mermen are traditionally shirtless in almost all depictions of them. That's why they are often shirtless when wearing their merman attire. Zalen seems to be confusing human and merfolk attire here.
Zeph is a workaholic. He didn't even change out of his wetsuit before going to the bar, not that he would even be wearing a wetsuit in the water. It's mostly for show while working with humans.
The Sulani Aliens in Sulani
Kalama, Nui, and Gui went to the bar for Alien Night. They still regularly visit their island home away from home.
Nui and Gui were on a date while Kalama was checking out the place for a gig.
Introducing Makoa's triplet sons: Kai, Lano, and Tero. Makoa is from the sea and married the human Lilliana. Makoa has been raising the trips in the sea, and he's happy to have sons that he can pump up. After Makoa married Lilliana, the triplets and him have moved on land and are adapting to life among humans.
Kai is an aspiring Crafter. Kai is charismatic and bold.
Lano is an aspiring Painter. Lano is a comedian and mischievous.
Tero is an aspiring Musician. Tero is the mature one and responsible.
Lano: "You have to see that funny cat video!"
Tero: "I never understood the appeal for humans."
Lano: "It's still funny! They even set the video to music!"
Tero: "That's actually pretty neat."
Makoa: "Enough about human cat videos. Are you merboys ready for a game of Finball!'
Kai: "Now that dad is busy. Have you guys seen that crazy big fish by the sunken wreck?"
Tero: "We aren't going to dive underwater. Watcher knows that there isn't anything to see underwater. We should probably get some rest before leaving for school."
Kai: "You're always such a buzz kill, but okay. Dad and Lilliana haven't built our rooms, so we'll be sleeping in the sea."
Lano: "I prefer to stay close to our home anyways."
Early the next morning, the trips did their homework together.
Tero: "I heard a new song today. The island radio station is awesome! We don't have radios under the sea. Dad got me some ear buds so I can listen to every station across all the worlds!"
Lano: "Great, he's discovered more music to rave about. Soon, we'll be joining a crab rave under the sea too!"
Kai: "I just got a text. Who's Sebastion?"
Tero: "You're just a jealous drama llama."
Tero: "I think I'm going to enjoy listening to human music."
Lano: "Almost done with my homework. What about you Kai?"
Kai: "Almost finished too."
Lano: "Lilliana, I'm almost done. Why are you helping me with my homework now?"
Lilliana enjoyed the family time and decided to sit down with her son Duane and step-son Tero. Tero finished his homework last.
Lano: "We did it. We finished our homework before him!"
Kai: "You know it!"
Tero: "It wasn't a race."
While Kai and Lano were close friends, Makoa was Tero's role model. Tero was excited to finally have his own instrument! There weren't enough instruments in the sea to play.
Nani was sad after a potty accident. Lilliana tried to comfort her, but Nani wouldn't have it. Apparently, Lilliana did such a bad job potty training that Nani was emotionally scarred with a hurt sentiment.
Lilliana decided to make Nani some scrambled eggs to make up for whatever she did. Unfortunately, she was still learning to cook.
Lilliana was also getting well into her pregnancy.
Nani: "Babble (This tastes like your saltwater tears! Did you think this would make things better.)"
Lilliana tried to comfort Nani again after the watcher made her stop making chilly.
Nani: "I love your saltwater tears if it gives me food like this!"
After comforting Nani, Lilliana taught Nani her basic needs. Nani enjoyed learning with flash cards.
Nani: "Bed! (So that's where I sleep!)"
Nani: "Babble. (But why do I sleep next to where I go potty).
When Tero came home from school, he practiced the guitar. He was determined to get better at playing this human instrument.
Lano had a mood swing, so he went for a jog. Jogging with legs made him a little more frustrated? Why couldn't he just swim through his emotions?"
Since no one was paying attention, Duane made a colorful mess.
When Makoa came over...
Makoa: "Why?"
Duane: "Because it was fun!"
Makoa: "Well, now you can have fun cleaning up your mess."
Kai was working on a school project that involved inner workings of electricity and developing handiness. Lano was developing his painting skill with his easel. The two brothers chatted while they worked.
Kai: "Did you hear about the mermaids that moved in next door?"
Lano: "No, I didn't."
Kai: "Maybe we should welcome them to the Islands?"
Kai: "I heard that they are quite the catch. I was thinking of asking one of them out on a date."
Tero came over to help his brother. "What are you two planning this tide?"
Kai: "There are three mermaids, so I think we should all try our luck."
Tero: "That's not a bad idea. I'm in."
Lano: "I'm in."
Tero: "But first, we need to finish this project."
While the trips left for school and prepared for their attempts at winning the hearts of three mermaids, Lilliana read Nani to sleep.
Nani gave her mom the stink eye and thought: "I still feel hurt. I don't want... you... reading me... I'm so tired..."
Nani thought: "That's ridiculous. Rex Trek never went into space..."
Nani thought: "I'm actually going to sleep, so shameless."
Kai, and the oldest triplet, made the first move. He went for a swim with Sera and got to know her. To Kai, Sera was a beautiful mermaid and he learned that she loved dogs.
Feeling confident, Kai showed off his muscles. Sera was impressed.
After a bit of flirting, Kai had his first kiss with Sera.
Early the next day, Lyra was born. Because she was a half-blood mermaid, she aged up quickly.
Lyra met a cute boy next door, but she was taking things slower than her older brothers.
She complimented his appearance and Zalen showed off his outfit with pride.
Lyra: "Are you... Are you, with someone?"
Zalen: "No."
Lyra: "Would you want... Would you want to swim with me some day?"
Zalen: "I'd love to!"
Tero came home with a mood swing. He was too stressed to play with his emotions.
Fortunately, he could listen to his ear buds in the sea. He took refuge in his music.
Lano, the middle triplet, introduced himself to another one of the three mermaids, Maia.
Lano: "How are you this fine day?"
Maia chuckled. Lano exaggerated his formal introduction.
To his relief, she caught onto his sense of humor.
Lano asked Maia onto a date and they went to the Triton Beach Karaoke bar, a regular hangout for merfolk.
While on his date with Maia, Arihi Zalrian came over to interrupt their date. Lano kept the date interesting by telling a funny story.
"And that's when the Underwater Unicorns of the Sea met the Magical Liopleurodon."
"Charlie, the Narwhal, couldn't commit to the Liopleurodon. He couldn't commit to anything!"
"That was until he learned the value of conservation and worked with the Liopleurodon to clean up the sea."
Arihi, who was a loner and didn't really want to socialize, left. Lano took this moment to discuss the Meaning of Death. A morbid topic to discuss, but Life was overrated anyways.
Lano: "Do humans really die, or are they just ghosts in a physical form?"
Maia: "They are ghosts in physical form of course."
Lano: "I thought so too!"
After discussing the Meaning of Death, Lano made a move. The merboy extended his arm over Maia's shoulders.
The move was a success!
Of course, he couldn't pull her close forever. So, the young merman pulled his arm away.
The couple took their date into the sea, and Lano playfully splashed Maia.
And, she splashed him back.
With the date going so well, Lano made a bold pick-up line.
On a small island, the couple had their first kiss.
The kiss went well, so the couple kissed in the water.
With the date near its end, Lano talked about the world beneath the waves. Underwater mountains and volcanoes, kelp forests, the desert like open ocean, tropical coral reefs, sea caves, sea grass meadows, and so much more. It was his inspiration for art.
The following day, Harvest arrived. The Kealoha's tried to appease the gnomes. Lyra got zapped pleading for forgiveness.
It was exciting!
Kai then proceeded to plead for forgiveness with his brothers lining up to help if they need to.
Fortunately, the Gnome accepted the plea from Kai.
By the end of the week, Tero, the youngest triplet, tried his luck with Jasmin, the third mermaid.
Tero: "Will you be the Colada in my Pina Colada?"
Surprisingly that worked, and Tero took Jasmin on a date. Tero didn't have Kai's Flirty Confidence and Lano's Humor, so he took the date slow and steady. It ended in success and his first kiss.
After his first kiss, Tero did get a bit flirty.
When he struck a pose, Jasmin complimented his appearance which only boosted his confidence.
And, finally, the high maintenance toddler aged up! Maybe she'll get over feeling hurt after some bad potty training advice.
The day was overcast, and Dylan waded into the sea. As one of the Saphire Princes and the Spirit of the Sea, it was his responsibility to look after the sea and ensure it remained in its pristine state. Mua Pel'Am was sacred to all merfolk, and it was even more important that he carried out his responsibilities for the sake of all merfolk.
Rather than walking, Dylan preferred to swim. In his element, he could feel the power of the sea flow through him.
His first task was to survey the sea floor. It was an easy task for someone that could breathe underwater. Him and his shimmering blue tail disappeared beneath the waves as he dove underwater.
When he surfaced, the skies cleared and the sun shined down on the islands. The dive was a success, and the underwater realm was at peace.
Next, he swam to the shallower reefs to survey them. His powerful tail allowed him to leap out of the water. For humans, a mist would hide his true form, and no matter how hard they might try, they would never be able to see his true form clearly unless they were awoken to the existence of merfolk.
As his tail slipped underwater, they might think they saw an unusually large fish or a dolphin.
Dylan often wondered why more merfolk couldn't swim underwater around the reefs. It's not like snorkeling was the only form of swimming. Of course, he would never be caught using a snorkel, a very taboo subject among merfolk. Still, whenever he did survey the reefs, he enjoyed kicking his fluke slowly as he swam around the coral and fish.
As a merman, he didn't need to surface. He could just swim slowly around the coral. Using his arms and hands, he could control his movement in the water.
"So many amazing seashells" Dylan thought. "I wish I could collect a few."
While Dylan surveyed the sea, Zeph shot a nature documentary that featured the marine birds that flew in the sky.
It didn't take long for Zeph to catch up with his twin, and Dylan called over an Albino Dolphin when they gathered around the buoy.
"What do you think about the sea around the Island?" Dylan asked his new dolphin friend.
"The waters are warm, the sun is shining, and the sea is clean. I love it." The Albino Dolphin answered.
Dylan grinned. "That's what I want to hear. Me and Zeph are working hard to keep it that way."
"At least, we're trying. Dylan needs to be more careful. He got himself cursed by a darkfin and risked the sea," Zeph said.
"It was an accident, and I won't eat mermadic kelp from strangers again."
As the sun set, the twins went to the shore.
"There are changes happening in Henford-on-Bagley. I might have to manipulate time again. The Pink Tail Prince is going to need help soon. There's a storm coming."
"And I thought we were just starting to have some fun." Dylan replied. "Well, if that's what it takes to help him out. Let's just enjoy our time while we have it."
"I'll be bending the fabric of time to make sure things work out. I can't imagine will have to worry about how we spend our time. But, yes, we'll have plenty of time to have a bit of fun before then."
"Must be nice to be the Spirit of the Sky. Wish I could control the time," Dylan said.
"As the Spirit of the Sea, you can resurrect the dead as merfolk... That has to be way better than what I can do. All I'm doing is manipulating time by manipulating the seasons..."
Dylan got lost in his brother's lecture and blanked out for a moment. Dylan was a Creative Genius, not the same kind of Genius his brother was.
"And that's how changing the season with a weather machine influences time." Zeph finished.
Extra:
Here's Mortimer Goth's Replacement when it comes to beach strolls with a book. lol
Juniper was falling behind on his studies at Kanaloha High, the high school for merfolk. After work, Zephyr tutored his little brother and helped him finish homework. While Juniper worked on his homework, Dylan jazzed up the place.
Zeph: "And that's why you avoid giant squids in the deep sea."
Juniper: "I see now."
Zeph: "Excellent, I see you have the basics of exploring sunken wrecks down."
Juniper: "That's one of the easier topics."
As the night set in, the Twins and Juniper slept in the sea. For Calum, old habits die hard. He stayed close to his sons and watched over them while they slept. He caught up with his brother while he was playing the guardian.
Kemps: "I've heard rumors about merfolk in other worlds. Maybe the lost princes are still out there."
Calum: "We've kept it a secret from the twins, but they found out anyways. The Darkfins have returned in spite of their banishment. it worries me."
Kemps: "It's something to be worried about. Who knows what they'll do next."
The next day, the twins returned to their hobbies. Even if Dylan and Zeph wanted to avoid fame, they were immortal mermen with extra ordinary talents. As mermen, they were gifted with handsome looks too. Eventually, the humans would take notice of them regardless of what they did.
Zeph's Gift of Knowledge made him sought after for authenticating artifacts.
Dylan's Gift of Creativity made him a talented Musician that could draw crowds with the melodies he played on any instrument. His voice was equally captivating, but that's typical of all mermen and mermaids.
Sometimes, Juniper felt like he was in the shadow of his brothers. He came home with a mood swing. For whatever reason, he was upset.
Juniper might've been a bit dramatic about it.
He didn't have the confidence to work through his emotions on an instrument, so he went for a jog around the island. He wondered why he couldn't swim around the island to clear his mind, but as an earth elemental, it felt good to be on solid ground. It was hard at times. Juniper was a young merman, and yet, he was also an Earth Elemental that was deeply connected to plants. He had green eyes instead of the same sea-green as other merfolk. He was different.
But, Juniper loved plants, and he tended to the Garden around Zalia Shores. He found some magic beans in seed packs, and eventually, he completed his collection.
With the nurturing care of an elemental, the seeds immediately grew into a large magic tree.
Juniper was discovering that being different was okay. His brothers had their gifts, but his gift was his green thumb.
When Juniper explored the hidden realm within the magic tree, his brothers were drawn to it too. Who wouldn't notice a tree spontaneously springing up from the earth? But, they had other things they wanted to chat about.
The space within the tree was filled with flora instead of darkness, and inside this mysterious garden, Juniper found the Forbidden Fruit of the Plant Sims.
Juniper was proud of his discovery and took an obligatory selfie.
He also planted the Forbidden Fruit and added it to his botanical collection. As a merman, he was immune to its magical affects when eaten.
He gave the Forbidden Fruit the Gift of Sulani and left it to grow.
Extras:
Arihi was late to work, so she ended up changing into her work clothes before leaving the water. Calum is a diver, so he didn't have work until later.
I loved the Flavor text on the Magic Bean Tree Portal!
Later that evening, the twins went to the local merfolk hangout to sing some Karaoke. There, Dylan told an epic pirate tale after singing.
"During my last dive under the sea, I found an awesome pirate wreck on the seafloor!"
Lir gave his uncle a glance and thought. "Here we go again."
Dylan continued his story. "The pirates' skeletons were still wandering around the ship. Someone forgot to tell them that their boat sank."
Rylan thought. "I know that shipwreck. I haven't seen any undead pirates."
Dylan turned to Rylan. "I sense some doubt, but let me tell you, I swam up to them and asked them about what they were doing. They told me they were on look out duty."
Dylan went on. "The pirates only appear during high tide, and they help watch for Giant Squids, particularly the mighty kraken."
"No one has seen the Kraken that sank their boat, but the Kraken is a squid bigger than a giant squid. It's a colossal squid."
"I was about to swim away, when the undead pirate parrot cawed."
"The kraken wasn't far away, and the parrot was warning me. I bravely grabbed rusty scabbard and prepared to help defend the pirates against their ancient foe!"
"Then, a deep-sea volcano erupted and out came the mighty kraken! Eruptions underwater aren't like the eruptions on land. Lava flowed out and hardened as quickly as it flowed. The water heated up!"
"How did you endure the heat. There's no way..." Rylan said.
Dylan continued. "I used my Elemental Power to protect the boat and the crew. I channeled cooler ocean currents that flowed over the lava flows like an underwater wind!"
"After a great fight, we chased off the Kraken and the pirate crew was saved!"
Extras:
Dylan's mom gave him a phone call that I wasn't expecting considering that he lives at home with her. lol. Apparently, one of the townies died.
Dylan used his ability to calm emotions to help his mom work through the loss of a friend.
The Zalrian Family also did a beach clean up and that helped Jade work through her distant phase. Juniper helped a bullied sim.
Dylan and Zephyr's wives lived in separate households to protect them and Dylan's twin sons, Barnabus and Wade, from the Darkfins. Sarah Darkfin wove a curse on Cecelia that stole her immortality, her mermadic powers, and her mermaid form.
Despite the curse, Dylan's love for Cecelia was unwavering. He made sure to remind her that his Heart and Soul belonged to her by singing his beguiling Charmer's Lullaby and giving her his Merman's Kiss. Both mermadic abilities were reserved for the partners of any mermaid or merman.
A Merman's Kiss, or Mermaid's Kiss, held the power to give humans the ability to breathe underwater. So long as Cecelia was under its influence, she could be in the sea with Dylan without any fear of drowning.
It wasn't long before Zephyr got a call from Sefina to go on another date. Similar to how Dylan was devoted to Cecelia, Zephyr was devoted to Sefina. He wasn't afraid to show his affection for her.
Zephyr and Sefina had some fun in the snow before Dylan and Cecelia crashed their date.
Zephyr retaliated by starting a snowball fight by throwing a snowball at Cecelia.
Dylan joined the fight, but it turned into a fight between the Twins vs their wives. Dylan and Zeph teamed up and the snowball fight began to heat up.
Cecelia: "Did you just throw a snowball at me?!"
Dylan wasn't done though. He threw a snowball at his brother. "Bet you didn't see that coming. I'm a snowball throwing double agent!"
For Dylan, he had a good laugh, but the Twins ended up joining forces.
Reached up to throw a snowball at Cecelia. "Don't you dare!"
Dylan's snowball ended up falling to his feet instead of hitting Cecelia.
Zephyr wanted to make up for his brother by asking Sefina if she wanted to go on another date. She said yes.
Zephyr took Sefina back to Sulani where they had some fun in the water. Zeph splashed Sefina and she splashed him back.
Zeph: "Sorry about my brother. He can be quite an airhead sometimes."
Sefina: "It's no trouble. I had a lot of fun."
Caught up in the moment, Zeph gave Sefina his Merman's Kiss.
On the Docks, Zeph felt confident and moved in for a suave kiss.
The two love fish ended their date sitting on a love seat at the beach. Zeph made a move and looked deeply into Sefina's eyes.
It was the merman's hope that they would have more time together. Zeph though that Sefina might join him in the sea, but he kept his thoughts to himself for now.
For now, the couple sang some karaoke. Sefina wasn't very good, but compared to the voice of a merman, few were much better.
Ember unintentionally created a connection between the Spirit Realm and Zalia Shores when she gained her spellcaster powers.
Despite her natural talent for being a medium, the Twins often had to work together to keep the Spiritual Serenity in check. Performing Seances was taxing for Dylan and Zeph and required all of their focus. Consequently, they couldn't maintain their human disguise during the Seances, and they reverted to their true, undisguised forms.
The process was a little unnerving for Zephyr, and it had him shook. Dylan, the Spirit of the Sea, could bring the dead back as merfolk and took to the process naturally.
The Seances sapped the twins energy, but they managed to take their human form long enough to get to some patio recliners and nap. With so much energy exhausted, they slept in their natural forms. Legs and looking like a human was over-rated anyways.
While the twins regained their energy, Zalia Shores had an uninvited guest. This poltergeist was Ember's Rival, and she never hesitated to "practice" her magic on her.
As a Fire Elemental, Ember's first and favorite spell was Inferniate. She was becoming quite the pyromaniac every day. With magic, she could fix whatever she burned.
Dylan slipped into his Elemental Form while he slept and helped to chase off the Poltergeist. In his Elemental Form, Dylan floated, so he didn't have to change into his human disguise.
Dylan spooked the spook, but he wasn't going to stop there. More than being an Elemental, he was a merman first, and he had his mermadic power to help him fight the ghost.
Dylan wove magic into his Agean's Question, and the poltergeist was paralyzed with tension.
Dylan called a thunderstorm. Normally, he would leave manipulating the weather to his twin, the Spirit of the Sky, but should he need to, he had sway over the weather too.
The Poltergeist was having enough of this nuisance, but Dylan wasn't done. He summoned his elemental powers, channeling the elemental fires of Mua Pel'Am in his hands.
The Islands Answered Dylans call for power, and the Poltergeist was struck where she stood by Lightning. After being burned in death and struck by the forces of nature, the connection to the Spirit Realm and Zalia Shores was severed. The ghost was done haunting this place.
Extra:
I ended up killing Dylan and Zeph's Grandmother, the Saphire Queen. Mermadic Powers are helpful in many ways, but if you want to get a ghost from Death by Electrocution, the process is quite simple.
First: Place Stereos on the lot. Place them outside and call a rainstorm. The rainstorm will instantly break all electronics outside. Make sure the lot is cursed for maximum risk.
Second: Make sure the Mermaid or Merman has low Handiness and have them repair the broken electronics. After a few attempts, the mermaid or merman should get a nice jolt before the deadly jolt. Make the dazed mermaid or merman make a few more repairs for success.
The Grim Reaper should appear if everything is done successfully.
Grim: "I thought she already died thanks to the Darkfins. Oh, this isn't part of the story."
Grim: "I guess I'll listen to the repaired stereo and dance on her grave."
Metior: "Oh, there's Juniper's potential Girlfriend taking a selfie with grim Dancing on his grandmother's grave. Better not tell him."
Dylan: "So, Metior has this genius idea. Apparently, we aren't allowed to leave the water, and we're supposed to go from rags to riches too."
Zephyr: "I don't really see the challenge there."
Dylan: "Well, if we go on land, we lose all our simoleans."
Zephyr: "Bring it on!"
Dylan: "C'mon, I know there are shipwrecks underwater. Can you please fetch me something?"
Saphren: "I don't know. It's been how many years since we last chatted?"
Dylan: "It's not like I can actually dive underwater myself, well, Metior can't follow me when I dive underwater."
Saphren: "So, you blame it on the watcher. Fair enough."
Saphren: "I give, I'll be right back with something."
Dylan: "Thank you, my friend."
Dylan: "Well, it wasn't what I was expecting, but thank you for retrieving a Piranha for me."
Dylan: "But next time, could you get me something that won't bite my fins."
Saphren: "Sure thing buddy."
Dylan: "I'll hold you to that."
Dylan: "I mean, it's not like there aren't more things in the sea. There's coral..."
Saphren: "And creatures with squid legs diving in the sea..."
Dylan: "You mean humans. Yeah, there are humans in the sea too."
Dylan: "But most humans ride on boats or stay on the shores of the islands."
Saphren: "It's better to be a dolphin, just saying."
Dylan: "I don't disagree. Swimming in the sea is better than wandering around on land."
Saphren: "Well, I have dolphin things to do, so see ya later.
Early the next day, the twins swam to deeper water and dove into the depths to look for sunken treasure. They couldn't rely on their dolphin familiars for all their income. The dive was fairy repetitive with a lot of pulled fin muscles. When they needed to take a break, Zephyr called his Dolphin Familiar, Saphran.
Saphran: "Look at my majestic profile!"
Zephyr: "Thank you for gracing us with your presence. Can you fetch me something from the deep?"
Saphran: "I know the perfect thing."
And so, Saphran dove for a treasure from the deep.
Saphran: "Some human left this digi-sketch pad in the sea when a giant boat sank. I was thinking you could sketch my majestic profile with it!"
Zephyr: "While that's a nice idea, I'd rather eat a pufferfish. Thank you anyways."
Saphran: "It was worth asking."
Zephyr: "Now that you mention it, do you think you can tell me if there's anything else in that giant shipwreck?"
Saphran: "Very funny. The only useful thing down there was something to capture my Magnificence."
Zephyr: "It was worth asking."
Zephyr: "I do have another thing to ask."
Saphran: "I'm listening."
Zephyr: "Do you think you can do a flip for me? I'm horrible at jumping out of the water. Me and my brother would love to see such an impressive trick."
Saphran: "I'd love to show you a thing or two!"
Zephyr: "Awesome!"
And so Saphran showed the twins how to jump out of the water.
Zephyr: "I couldn't do better myself."
Saphran: "Of course you couldn't. You're all left fins."
Zephyr: "Hey, at least I can dive deeper and stay underwater as long as I want to. You have to stay close to the surface."
Saphran: "Minor details."
After a long couple of days, the twins slept near a shallow reef that offered some shelter from the rough tides.
The next day, Dylan was asked on a date by Cecelia. While there was a penalty for going on land, that didn't stop Dylan. Dylan spent so much time swimming, that he almost forgot how to walk. He spent most of the date sitting down. After spending days without shifting into his human form, every step felt like daggers in his feet. A small price to pay to spend time with the love of his life on land for a moment.
Dylan: "I'm glad I get to spend some time with you."
Cecelia: "I'm glad you could be here."
Dylan: "How about a massage?"
Cecelia: "I'd love one."
While Cecelia's Guard was down, Dylan tickled her mercilessly.
It took some effort to get down the stairs again, but Dylan did his best to stay by Cecelia's side. Cecelia took to living among humans quickly, and Dylan, a merman that was spending his days in the sea, just couldn't endure the pain of being on his feet. He knew old tales about the Little Mermaid and how she felt on land when she made a deal with a sea witch to be human. Experiencing the pain was something different, but he never felt discomfort on land when he spent more time in his human form. Maybe, it was just something humans were used to. Dylan didn't naturally have legs after all. Magic gave him a human form.
Cecelia: "You look great by the way?"
Dylan: "Thank you."
Cecelia blew Dylan a kiss and thought, "I have this merman hook, line, and sinker."
After the date, Dylan returned to the sea with his heart fluttering like flying fish.
He dove down into the depths in search of more treasures. It was his hope to build a home that his wife and sons could live in with him when the Darkfins were dealt with.
Eventually, Dylan and Zeph began taking turns with the dives, and they never dove alone. Occasionally, other merfolk met them in deeper water and dove with them.
Occasionally, Dolphins showed up and played with them too.
Dylan called Saphren again.
Dylan: "How are things in the sea?"
Saphren: "Everything has been fintastic! I've been playing in the surf lately. It's a rush!"
Dylan: "I bet. I had a date with my wife. Being in a human form after so much time in the sea, it felt different. It caught me by surprise."
Saphren: "I hear that once a merman or mermaid spends too much time in their natural form, the magic to take human form hurts for a while. I hope you were alright."
Dylan: "It was nothing I couldn't handle."
Dylan: "I'll always be more at home in the water, swimming with my family. By the way, what's it like swimming with your pod?"
Saphren: "The Azure Dolphins are like the other dolphins, we swim through the deep, play, and hunt schools of fish. But, we always respond to the calls from our merfolk partners."
Dylan: "Thank you for that. You guys always splash in when we need you."
Saphren: "It's an honor to be an Azure Dolphin. We are born the moment a mermaid or merman is born, and we are raised by our parents to help them when they grow into their fins."
Eventually Zephyr caught up to his twin after Saphren left.
Zephyr: "I heard you went on land to go on a date with Cecelia. Are you alright?"
Dylan: "I'm fine. It was a bit painful, but we had a good time together."
Zephyr: "We've spent so much time in the sea. You shouldn't push yourself too much on land."
Dylan: "Zeph, I'm fine. I'm really starting to miss the music on land though. I can't play any instruments or sing in the water."
Zephyr: "We're almost there. Just hold on a little longer. Soon, we'll be stretching our squid legs again."
That night, Cecelia went to the sea to meet with Dylan. Dylan was ecstatic to see her. To ensure she wouldn't drown and could spend time with him, he gave her his merman's kiss.
Dylan: "How are Barnabus and Wade doing? I think about them every tide."
Cecelia: "They are doing well. I don't think they inherited mermadic powers. They are ordinary human boys."
Dylan: "The power is dormant. I'm sure of it. One day, we'll have to tell them about their heritage."
Cecelia: "One day. I'm still worried about the Darkfins. For now, we should keep their mermadic heritage a secret. I know it's hard to not be there while they grow up."
Dylan: "It's okay. I understand. I do. I don't want a darkfin to know about them, to go anywhere near them."
Dylan: "You should head back to them. I'll always be here. I don't want both of us to miss out on them growing up."
While Dylan got some rest, Zephyr took over searching for more sunken treasure to sell in the merfolk markets under the sea.
Dylan received another call from Cecelia asking to go on a date. Dylan was happy to meet up with her. The Grim Reaper sent Dylan many messages about humans he knew dying. It was the price of immortality. He would live on while the humans he encountered grow old and die.
Cecelia was struggling with her emotions. She wasn't able to distract herself with the wonders of the sea. Dylan didn't think of himself as cold, but he really didn't feel sad about the loss. He was washed over with positive feelings the sea gave him.
Cecelia: "It's not fair. Why do humans have to die?"
Cecelia: "Mortality, why does it have to exist?!"
Dylan used his spiritual powers and soothed Cecelia's emotions. Feelings of calm and the oceanic splendor washed over Cecelia from Dylan.
With a few deep breaths, Cecelia started to feel better.
Dylan trembled on his legs, but he focused on helping his wife. He sang an Inspiring Berceuse that overpowered Cecelia's sorrow and lifted her spirits.
But for Dylan, every moment was worth it. He could endure the pain of being in human form. Eventually, after some time spent in this unnatural form, it would go away.
Cecelia knew Dylan was struggling, so the couple sat down. Dylan blew her a kiss.
The next day, the twins finally raised enough money and adjusted to their human forms again. It was just in time for the romance festival. Zephyr took Sefina to the festival to drink Sakura Tea. Zephyr never said anything, but he loved the festivals in different worlds. He always showed up to the Humor and Hijinks Festival, Island Festivals, and the other Celebrations humans had.
The Festival Music helped to set the mood, and Zephyr played the romantic. Zeph and Sefina were enamored. Even after spending some time on land, Zeph still needed time to adjust to his human form and chose to sit with Sefina.
Halfway through the festival, Dylan showed up. This time, he was much more comfortable using his legs. He called Cecelia to hang out. After spending hours with Cecelia and just before he left to go home, Dylan gave Cecelia a passionate kiss.
Note:
This actually caught me by surprise, and I feel like it's worth noting that Dylan was supposed to go home. However, he autonomously went to Cecelia as a detour before going home. I did not que this interaction.
Extra:
"Did you hear about Erik winning the Starlight Accolades again! He got married to Kayleigh, got an A+ in college, and he pretty much handled all the appliance repairs in the dorm!"
"Even more impressive, his watcher had their 48th anniversary with their partner!"
This isn't exactly a part of my story, but it's still super fun when it happens. Dylan and Zephyr have the Storm Chaser Trait, and they are immune to Death by Lightning. Instead of dying from Multiple Lightning Strikes, they get a really cool ability that has unlimited use for 12 sim hours. Honestly, I wish it would last longer or there was a way to tap into more weather-related abilities. Merfolk have the power to change the weather at will, and I'd love to be able to do a lot more with that.
Anyways, Zephyr was struck twice this time.
So, I made lightning strike the beach. lol. I love this ability!
Powering up for another lightning strike!
Love this screenshot!
While Zeph brought the Lightning, Dylan made it rain fire!
It wasn't long before the power wore off and it was time to start the challenge. Zeph loves his weather machines. lol
This isn't a part of the story and more of me playing around with the fame gameplay and testing builds, but it was still fun gameplay. I ended up cheating Dylan and Zeph through the World Famous Celebrity Aspiration. I already did it fairly once, so I really didn't want to do it again. There are one or two parts of that aspiration that are more tedious than fun.
Sefina asked Zeph onto dates often, and I found that being a celebrity made the date intrusions more intrusive.
Zeph and Sefina were having a good time when I saw sims appear in the conversation.
I looked outside in the blizzard and saw this. I was and wasn't surprised to see this. Zeph was only a notable newcomer too.
But, there was literally a blizzard... Why? And during a date too.
And so things got too awkward for romance.
Zeph tried to make the date worthwhile with stories about robot invasions, but being a geek could only be so charming.
For a moment, I thought the fans would leave them alone, but I was mistaken. Zeph really did try hard during the date. Sefina did love his geek nature. Zeph was her geek after all.
I had Zeph stop his date to sing Agean's Question to Sergio. I was hoping that would be enough to make him leave, but I guess the celebrity sighting overpowered the tense moodlet. I also think he didn't want to go out into the blizzard. Zeph was trapped in a small room with a bunch of fans intruding on his date.
A Vampire Townie showed up and had a few choice words when I finally got to leave the date. I kinda like her.
Dylan played wing-merman and helped his brother recover. First, he removed the sub-par DJ. I'm very impressed with the range of a Siren's Call. Sims across the map get lured into the sea. But, most merfolk abilities can impact entire neighborhoods and worlds.
Fun Fact: if a mermaid or merman calls a thunderstorm. Every single neighborhood in a world is subject to that thunderstorm. Leaving the lot to go to a different neighborhood won't change the weather.
Dylan was a much better DJ anyways, and he can manipulate the emotions of sims on the Dance Floor. Dylan has so many different ways to change a sims mood, but that's the power of art.
Note: If you look, Cecelia showed up too. Dylan didn't invite her to hang out, but she showed up anyways.
Dylan on the phone: "Operator, my brother is love struck. He's still lost in the party."
Unfortunately, being a Marine Biologist doesn't yield any fame, but I did learn that shooting a nature documentary brings in Royalties. I had Dylan take pictures of Mua Pel'Am and I didn't get any pictures that could be sold or shared for fame.
This wouldn't be a bad profile picture for Zeph. He's looking good and knows it too.
Of course, if any sim can sing as well as the twins, they would build fame quickly. Dylan and Zeph gained a lot of their fame from Karaoke Performances.
Eventually, I went back to the Sand Bar and realized that the roof was still in bad shape after my attempt at getting my twins struck by lighting twice. I redid the bar and put in a stage for performing. I had Dylan and Zeph dress in their merman attire, with a shirt and shoes. They would be drawing attention to themselves after all.
The Bar also has a small area that should make it function as a lounge too. I might change the lot type so Talent Shows can take place in Sulani.
This is when Dylan caught Cecelia Cheating with another merman. It was minor Flirting, and the moodlet was overpowered by tons of positive moodlets. Needless to say, Dylan was upset at first, but he was quickly unaffected by her flirting.
I think the game got upset that I ignored the drama it so conveniently put in front of me because Dylan was struck by lightning....
Zeph was taking a break from performing, and he changed into his merman attire for cold weather. He had a moment with Sefina.
Here's a look at the stage for performing. And yes, Sims can actually perform with a Guitar or Violin. With enough Simoleons, performers can be hired.
I also had Dylan and Zeph perform at the Flea Market. After I made my post about where my Twins like to hang out, I remembered that Zeph actually enjoys the City and Island Festivals. He's a regular at these events.
I made another Karaoke Bar/ Bowling Ally in San Myshuno and the twins went there to perform. I had Dylan and Zeph get excited to see each other there. It was really hilarious to be honest. They were both ecstatic to see each other because they were both celebrities. Dylan and Zeph spend so much time together that they actually get powerful moodlets from being near each other. With sentiment system, they often get the stronger moodlets that last for days.
In my game right now, Dylan is feeling protective of Zeph with the Adoring Sentiment and Zeph is getting playful with a Good Times Sentiment. This is actually pretty normal with the twins. They are that close.
And, that's when they swapped outfits because of the fame perks.
Zeph dressed like Dylan does in his Everyday Merman Attire.
Dylan dressed like Zeph does in his Everyday Merman Attire.
I ended up changing them back into their Merman Attire for Cold weather with shirt and shoes. They weren't in Sulani and had to at least blend in with humans somewhat. They ended up posing for the Paparazzi Together. After seeing what would happen with different perks and quirks, I had the twins step out of the spotlight so they could build their fame naturally. They have unstoppable fame, so it's only a matter of time before they become world famous celebrities.
The children always inherit the Father's Tail with very few exceptions.
For Gay Couples, the one that carries the child doesn't pass on the tail color. Mermen and Mermaids can carry children in gay relationships.
Elemental Bloolines can influence a different tail color.
For Example, Dylan and Zephyr inherited their grandmother's blue tail color because they are Water and Air Elementals.
Ember was born a spellcaster in spite of merfolk Parents because she's a Fire Elemental.
Juniper inherited his father's greenish tail because he's an Earth Elemental of Plants.
Jade was born a Vampire despite merfolk parents because she's an Earth Elemental of the Land.
Elemental Occults Rule
Due to the nature of certain Occults and their abilities, I came up with a few rules for which type of occult the Water, Air, Fire, Earth, and Shadow Elementas can become. I split Earth Elementals into two variations, Land Elementals and Plant Elementals.
Water and Air Elementals can only become Merfolk
Earth Elementals of Plants can be only be Merfolk or Plant sims
Earth Elementals of the Land and Shadow Elementals can only become Vampires or Werewolves
Fire Elementals can only become Spellcasters
The Sapphire Royal Family's Laws of Succesion
Kemps is the Sapphire King because he is the oldest son of the Sapphire Queen. This makes Calum the First Prince, and next in line for the royal title. Reef, the adopted son of the Sapphire Queen, is a Lord and Keeper of Merfolk History.
It was believed that the Blue Tail was lost because Kemps and Calum inherited their father's tail, a typical result of merfolk genetics.
With the Bloodline believed to be broken, Kemps inherited the title of Sapphire King and Calum inherited the title First Sapphire Prince.
After Calum fell in love with an Elemental and had children, the Blue Tail resurfaced in the Bloodline. Dylan and Zephyr became the joint heirs and the Second Crown Princes because they inherited their Grandmother's Blue Tail. Age gave Kemps Seniority and that's why Dylan and Zephyr never inherited the title of Sapphire King.
Barnaby and Wade are destined to be drawn to the sea because their Father is an Elemental of Water and the Spirit of the Sea. They are fated to become mermen when their bloodline awakens, but any descendants of theirs will not share the same fate if they are born before their bloodline awakens. Barnaby and Wade will inherit Dylan's Tail.
The order of succesion for the title of Sapphire King is as follows:
Kemps: Current Sapphire King
Calum
Dylan and Zeph: Joint Second Princes
Barnabus
Wade
This makes the first born twin of the Twin Legacy the Heir and the Second Born twin a spare.
Barnaby and Wade's Toddler Days
Raising a pair of twins can be stressful, however, Sefina promised Zephyr that she would help look after his brother's family. While Cecelia learned to live life as a human and went to work in a human career, Sefina took time to help care for the twins. As was intentional, the Twins didn't know they were royals or had a connection to the sea. They didn't know that Elementals, Merfolk, Vampires, and Aliens existed. They didn't know about the Darkfins hunting the Royal Bloodline they were apart of. They were blissfully oblivious to the dangers of the magic realm even though they lived in one of the few magical worlds. Barnabus was the older twin and Wade was the younger twin. The difference in age was seconds to minutes.
While Wade played with the blocks, Sefina focused her attention on Barnabus. Barnabus, or Barnaby as his mother lovingly called him, was a wild toddler and needed the extra attention. Wade was Angelic and never misbehaved.
Sefina: "And that's why we set the table with silverware in that order."
Barnaby smiled and nodded. Sefina wondered if anything got through to the hyper child.
Wade thought: "These blocks are fun. I wonder if I'd be able to play catch. What is catch?"
Instead of Sefina trying to teach a young toddler that couldn't speak table manners, she though it would be more helpful to teach him how to speak. Before leaving the Business Career to become a Gardener and work outside like she always wanted to, she ate a lot of Pizza at Foxbury. This brought back memories of when she first met Zeph.
She didn't know about merfolk, but as if under a spell, she fell for Zeph quickly. While Dylan set the mood, she had her first kiss with Zephyr.
And that's when she found out what Zephyr was soon after. She saw his shimmering blue tail when he lept out of the water to splash her, and oddly, she wasn't totally startled by the absence of legs. Zephyr at the time wasn't confomring to merfolk traditions and wore a fish net top. Apparently, young mermen were rebelious to tradition too during their University Years. Later, Zeph went shirtless, even in his human form, distanced himself from humans, wore more gold and silver trinkets, and left the netting behind when he had to represent the Merfolk of Sulani as a prince. The fish net was human junk that wasn't suitable for a prince, so Zephyr was told.
The night was still magical for Sefina.
Sefina: "And that's what pizza is."
Barnaby: "Babble. (So that's what Rex Treks eats?)".
While Sefina taught Barnaby how to talk, Wade taught himself how to speak by talking to the plants outside.
Wade: "Babble. (What does sunshine taste like?)."
Later in the afternoon, Sefina got a call from Zeph.
Naturally, Sefina didn't want to leave the twins home alone, so she brought them with her. Cecelia was home at the time, so she joined Sefina at the City Festival. Wade learned to speak and his first words was a Joke he learned there.
Wade: "Why did the Jack spring from his box?"
Cecelia: "Why?"
Wade: "Because he's a Jack-in-the-box."
Barnaby thought the festival was the perfect time to take his clothes off.
As he wandered around naked, Cecelia caught up with him.
Cecelia: "Are you serious? Please don't take your clothes off in public."
Barnaby thought: "I want to bob to music now."
Before Cecelia could follow Barnaby, Wade aproached her.
Wade: "Story please!"
Cecelia: "Sure, let me get your brother and we'll head home for a story."
Even though their father, uncle, grandparents were at the festival, the twins never had a chance to get to know them. Still, Dylan and Zeph were always keeping watch over them at a distance. It was hard. Dylan, Zeph, Calum, and Arihi wanted to be a part of their lives, but they also had to keep their distance for their protection. It was Cecelia's wish that they didn't know about the magic realm yet. At home, Barnaby wandered into the bathroom and started splashing in the toilet.
Cecelia had to stop reading Wade to sleep to discpline his brother. She went for a softer approach and hugged it out.
The afternoon rainstorm hit, and Cecelia held the umbrella over herself and the twins. Barnaby were unaffected by the rain, and Wade gave his brother a hug.
Wade: "You need to listen to mommy. She's trying to help you."
Barnaby: "Babble. (Why aren't you talking normal anymore. Those words are Quackers.)"
Then Barnaby started to speak. He didn't even second guess himself.
Barnaby: "My favorite color is Orange!"
Barnaby: "But I also like the color red."
Barnaby: "Red is actually a pretty cool color."
Wade: "I like green and brown, but red is a cool color."
The next morning, Barnaby snuck into the cabninets and grabbed some baking ingredients for an art project. He saw his mom painting a lot, and he thought art was fun.
Cecelia: "Are you serious? We just got this new patio and a slide for you and your brother."
Cecelia: "Please don't make messes."
After cleaning up the mess and when Sefina came home, Dylan asked Cecelia if she wanted to go on a date.
The couple went to the Dance Floor and danced together. Cecelia blew Dylan a kiss. Since they were in a Magic World, Dylan wore traditional merman attire. He had his image as a merman prince to maintain. He still had a responsibility to represent Sulani Merfolk.
Like his brother, Dylan wasn't using his human form as much, and the magic to shapeshift came at a price. It hurt to stand, like daggers in his feet. Eventually, he had to sit down during the date. He was trying to get used to being in his human form again, and he thought he was past the discomfort. The pain would go away if he spent enough time shapeshifted.
Cecelia, having been a mermaid herself, understood that it took a lot of effort for Dylan to be on land. She didn't mind sitting down with him.
Cecelia whispered in Dylan's ear: "I'm glad you could be here."
Dylan: "Of course, I would endure a thousand daggers in my feet anytime if it means I get to spend one night with you."
Dylan placed a hand on Cecelia's and Cecelia grabbed his hand.
Dylan: "You and the twins mean the world to me, and I look forward to spending every moment I can with you and them."
Dylan clasped his other hand around Cecelia's. "I will always be here for you and them."
Cecelia: "I know you will be."
Dylan and Cecelia snuggled close to each other. It was hard for both of them. Dylan was bound to the sea, and Sarah Darkfin took Cecelia mermadic magic. Though Sarah was defeated in the Ruins of a Selvadorada Temple, her curse still kept Dylan and Cecelia apart after death. It was only a matter of time before Barnabus and Wade's bloodline would awaken. Cecelia would die a mortal death, and Dylan would have to help his sons after she was gone.
Cecelia kissed Dylan on the head. "I'll always love you."
Before Dylan could reply, Cecelia mercilessly tickled him. "And that's payback for our last date."
The merman couldn't take it. "I give. I give."
When Cecelia was done, Dylan whispered in her ear. "Let's sing some karaoke. I think I have the energy to stand again."
The couple went down stairs and sang a karaoke duet before Dylan returned to the sea.
The date was just what Cecelia needed to keep going. It helped her have a bit of fun and socialization before looking after the twins again. She taught Barnaby shapes while Wade learned shapes on his own.
Cecelia: "Look, you can make a castle with the blocks if you stack the smaller blocks on the bigger blocks."
It started to occur to Baranbus that healthy foods were better than junk food. He didn't know how shapes factored into it, but he was learning.
Sefina checked on Wade.
Wade: "Bath time please!"
Cecelia stepped in to endure the toddler soaking while Sefina used the bathroom counter to make a fruit salad. When you lived off the grid and grew your own food, you made do with whatever you had. Cecelia and Sefina had lots of fruits they grew in their garden.
The twins didn't know why it became dark sometimes, and Cecelia and Sefina always kept the tears and fears away by spending quality time with them. The house was getting bigger and used more power than it produced. Soon, they would need more wind turbines. After all, the Spirit of the Sky looked after them. They had the sky and the wind on their side.
Sefina told a bold story to help pass the time. "And that's how Rex Treks brings us the wind. With every roar, we get a gust of wind that helps to keep the lights on.
Suddenly, thunder crashed and the rain outside turned into a thunderstorm. Wind rushed over the roof and the wind turbines picked up speed.
Cecelia comforted Wade with a hug. "It's okay. It's just Rex Treks's Roar, and someone very special to Sefina helping us."
The power came back on, but Cecelia and Sefina had to go to work. The twins were taken to daycare even though they weren't happy. Cecelia and Sefina did find a daycare that would take good care of the boys.
Later that night, strange lights began glowing outside. They hypniotically called to Sefina. In much the same way that the Cecelia and Sefina kept the twins true identities a secret, Gui never told them that he was an Alien when he renovated their home. Unfortuantely, associating with Aliens put Sefina and Cecelia on their radar. And, magic was a curiosity for aliens that specialized in science.
The abduction from Aliens was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before the Aliens would prove friendly or not.
While Sefina was abducted, Ember came over to check on her sisters in law. The sky was unforgiving and she was struck by lightning outisde their doors. For Ember, it was a harmless zap that sent a clear message. It wasn't time for Ember to meet her nephews.
Shortly after, Sefina was returned to her home. The Aliens didn't get much from abducting her. She was the most human out of everyone she knew.
Still, Sefina was worried about the Aliens. They were dangerously close to one of the Worlds' Pillars, the Spirit of the Sky and her husband.
Despite everything that happened outside, the twins were still protected from the truth. Barnaby made silly faces with his brother and took a liking to comedy.
Much like their Father and Uncle, Barnaby and Wade were very close and spent a lot of time together. They didn't know a lot of people and their world was still very small. Barnaby was the one that pushed the boundaries of their world and looked for adventure outside. Wade stayed in his pajamas most of the time. He liked the outdoors but he didn't try to leave the safe comfort of their nursery as often.
Eventually, the twins outgrew the high chairs. It reached a point where they ate in bed or on the floor. It was difficult to have them do much else. When the wind slowed, the power went out, and this became normal for the twins. The light from windows helped to keep the dark away.
At least until the summer thunderstorms blacked out the sky, but this was also a relief. The thunderstorms brought the wind and the power eventually turned back on.
As the week grew closer to an end, the boys were clearly growing fast. Barnaby loved to rough house with Cecelia and he was still young enough for Cecelia to enjoy it too.
The Alien Activity didn't escape Zephyr's notice, and he showed up the next day to check on his wife, Sister in Law, and Nephews. Much like his brother, this was going out of his way. It didn't look like it, but it was hard on him to take human form.
Sefina: "You don't think we have anything to worry about."
Zeph: "As long as they don't make a habit of showing up. I think you and the twins will be fine. I'll watch over you guys, and if they return, I'll see what I can do to keep you guys safe."
After checking on Sefina, Zeph went for a quick jog around the house. Every step hurt, but he wanted to check out the area just in case.
Back at the house, Barnaby pushed Wade away. Wade lovedgiving hugs, but Barnaby felt like he was getting too big for them. This was a surprise for Wade.
Since the twins didn't want to socialize today, they decided to watch Sefina repair the toilet.
Friday arrived faste than expected and the local bars had a speical to show appreciation to their patrons. Cecelia and Sefina had a date night with their Husbands in Sulani. They huddled around the warm embers of the Beach Bonfire before getting something to eat. As Mermen, Dylan and Zeph were sustained by the sea and never needed to eat, but their wives were different. The next day was Baranby and Wade's Birthday. There wasn't a lot they could do to celebrate while trying to stay on the down low. So, a family gathering was out of the question.
Extras
Cecelia and Sefina had interesting nightmares. lol
Dylan was struck by Lighting when he came to visit. I think Dylan and Zeph would have been more involved with the toddlers if the game had the option for the twins to interact with them. Unfortunately, I couldn't even introduce Baranabus and Wade to Dylan and Zeph until they aged up. It's not like Dylan and Zeph didn't try to be there. They did visit fairly often and did their best to be as involved as possible.
A preview of Barnabus and Wade. Their Childhood will start with the next update. I wonder where Barnabus is learning about Vampires?
After their double date, Sefina went to the backyard and began planting some larger crops. The assortment of potential meals was lacking given their simple living.
Early in the morning and while Cecelia worked on her newest painting, Wade decided that it was the perfect time to work on his artistic skills.
Wade was an angelic toddler, so Cecelia was very forgiving considering this was his first mess he made.
Wade was more than happy to clean up his mess, and he understood that what he did was wrong.
He even decided to help tend to the flowers.
After the twins left for school, Dylan called Cecelia and asked her out on another date. When they started to get romantic, an old woman with a bag that must have had bricks in it approached Cecelia. The couple climbed to the top of the skyscraper, so Dylan was worn out. He couldn't get to his feet. While the woman wacked Cecelia, Dylan had some choice words. Cecelia used herself as a shield as she took the hits.
After the woman left, Dylan thanked Cecelia with a kiss in the water before leaving. The date went alright, and the old woman couldn't ruin it entirely.
When the twins returned home, they started working on their homework. They were becoming very in sync like their Father and Uncle.
When they finished their homework, Wade approached his brother with a huge grin. "The sky is getting cloudy. It won't get dark tonight."
Barnaby: "You're becoming quite the storm chaser. What's up with that?"
Wade: "I don't find thunderstorms scary. I don't know why, but I enjoy the sound of thunder and heavy rain."
Barnaby: "Last night, I saw a bat flying through the shadows. Before I could blink, I saw it transform into a Vampire."
Wade: "That's impossible. Vampires aren't real."
Barnaby: "I'm telling the truth, I swear."
Wade: "Are you sure you aren't seeing things."
Barnaby: "Haven't you noticed anything strange about the neighborhood. Like, people dressed funny and random strangers approaching the door."
Wade: "Not really."
While the twins were chatting about Vampires and other strange things they started to notice, Damion, the Elemental of Shadows and a former Merman, stood next to an urn. A young man sped through the shadows to be by his side. Damion caressed his cheek and lifted his chin.
Damion: "I love you so much. I will always love you. When I'm done collecting a few wonderful things, we'll take a vacation to Sulani. Just the two of us. I'll be redeemed, and I will finally see the light again. We will have a wonderful time together."
Damion held onto some of his mermadic heritage, espcially in his dark form. However, he had no intention of regaining his mermadic powers. He fully embraced the darkness, but that didn't mean he didn't want to enjoy the light. Sulani was brightest world out of all the worlds. He knew that, if he claimed the souls of the most evil and vile merfolk, the island spirits would forgive his transgressions against the Elementals. He wasn't going to change his evil nature, but he also didn't want to lurk in shadows forever. Claiming Evil Souls was its own dark fun.
When Caleb left, Damion approached an Urn. Sarah Darkdin's soul was trying to escape to the Netherworld, and Damion wouldn't let his first prize escape.
Damion: "You aren't going anywhere. I invoke the contract and pull your spirit back from the edge of the Netherworld. Sarah Darkfin, I summon your soul that belongs to me."
Damion changed into his Dark Form and sat next to the Evil Mermaid's Soul. "Did you really think I would let you pass on to the Netherworld? You belong to me for eternity, and I will make sure to put what's mine to good use."
Sarah: "Your contract was a scam. How could it still be valid?"
Damion: "Oh, there's no braking what you agreed to. I held up my end of the Bargin. You had many chances and failed repeatedly. To be fair, I would have been happy with the souls of the three mermen you failed to capture, but you failed."
Before Sarah spoke, Damion interupted. "Everyone knows that Dylan and Zephyr are more than just mermen. Even if I wanted their souls, there's no way I would be so foolish as to anger the Mother Elemental, Arihi. Did you really think you would get away with such a crime against the Worlds if you succeeded?"
Damion made one last command before Sarah could argue. "You will serve me by keeping this filthy place clean. If I took care of Vlad sooner, maybe I would have had more time to clean myself. Now, get too work."
Sarah tried to resist, but there was no refusing the command. Her soul belonged to Damion. She no longer had free will.
When she finished cleaning every speck of dust and every dirty dish, she went to her Urn and Mourned her Failure.
"I was so close. I had that little merman in my grasp. I had the first blue tail prince under a curse. What went wrong? How could I fail?"
She looked back and relished every small victory, but she still missed the most important reason why she failed.
By threatning his fathers, she abducted the Little Merman. She even spun a spell over him so he wouldn't escape her clutches.
But Lir's dad's had his back and saved him.
She decieved Juniper and cursed Dylan.
Dylan would have been doomed to burn in the sun, but he had his twin brother and Lir to help him.
When Sarah tried to go for Zephyr's soul. Zephyr had his Twin and Lir to help him. Every time she hurt someone, more people banded together to stop her.
Her only true victory was the Curse she placed on Cecelia.
In the end, she was lured deep into a temple and recklessly triggered traps as she followed her prey. Even if Damion didn't give her a Cardiac Explosion, she would have died from poison.
While Sarah mourned, she was interrupted by Damion. "So I have some news for you. I'll be renuiting you with one of your siblings soon."
Sarah couldn't even find the strength to argue. it was useless.
Damion: "It'll be great to have some extra help around here don't you think."
Eventually, the seething rage within Sarah boiled over. She wasn't just doomed to an afterlife of servitude, she was cursed with eternal rage. She couldn't stop her.
"I'll turn things around. I'll escape your clutches, and when I do..."
Before Sarah could finish, Damion grabbed her spectral throat and flew up in the air. "And you'll do what exactly. Don't forget your place."
Damion tossed Sarah to the side and sent her to work around the house. He left for the wastelands of Oasis Springs to start collecting his next soul.
Damion approached a blonde mermaid and sat down next to her. "So I hear you miss your dear sister. What if I told you I could bring her back? I'm sure grimmy told you about her tragic passing in the Selvadorada Temple."
Damion: "She was a truly genius thief. It's such a shame."
Flaira: "I don't even know what she was doing taking risk in a place like that. She didn't make those mistakes, you know."
Damion: "Death doesn't have to be an end, but to bring her back, I'll need something."
Damion: "You see, to bring a soul back, I'll need another soul. Not any soul will do. I need the soul of a merman in particular."
Flaira: "Who's soul do you need?"
Damion: "A merman with a beautiful pink tail will suffice for the exchange. After all, your sister had a pink tail too."
Damion: "There is a catch however. For the exchange to work, I need you to agree to a small contract. The, I'll give you the location of the merman you need to capture for me."
Damion paused. "My terms are very simple. You get me the soul of this merman, and I give you his location. You'll have three months to do it. If you can't bring me his soul, I'll take yours."
Flaira: "I'll do it. I'll catch this merman for you. I hate this wretched heat anyways. I could use a break."
Damion: "I completely understand, and it's a deal. You'll find the merman you're looking for in Henford-on-Bagley. Just get me his soul, that's all I need for the exchange."
While Damion set in motion the hunt for the Bandearg Prince, Zephyr and Sefina had a date in the World of Mt. Komorebi.
Zephyr sat next to Sefina. Once again, the trek on land was uncomfortable for Zephyr, but it was getting easier to be on land again.
Zephyr: "I bet you didn't expect me to find such a nice place for a date."
Sefina: "It's a beautiful trail."
Zephyr: "Soon, I'll be able to walk with you along this trail. I'm finally starting to get used to my human form again.
Zephyr hugged Sefina: "I love you so much."
Sefina: "Back at you."
Zephyr: "I hope we can continue to have these moments together forever."
Zephyr started to think about a special proposal. Humans could become merfolk, half-merfolk. It would be enough to grant immortality, maybe Sefina would be willing to give up being human.
As the week progressed, the next day came quickly. The twins came home from school and began playing "Don't Wake the Llama."
The game was one of Barnaby and Wade's few forms of entertainment. Night came even quicker, and Barnaby woke up after discovering a monster under his bed. He tried to reason with it.
Unfortuantely, the monster wouldn't see reason, and the twins began to panic.
Eventually, Sefina was able to put them back to bed. Cecelia was sleeping after a long day of work. Both Sefina and Cecelia were starting to get exhausted.
The next day, after the twins came home from school, Sefina and Cecelia were at work. While they were home alone, they went to the nearby park to play on a pirate ship jungle gym.
Barnaby was starting to have dreams of the sea, and the dreams influenced their game. The twins were pirates sailing the seas. They protected their ship from the Evil Sirens of the Sea, the Darkfins.
Eventually, a guest arrived at the house. The twins weren't surprised. Sefina told them that their Uncle would show up to keep an eye on them while she was gone. They made sure to be back in time for his arrival.
Barnaby gave Zeph a big hug when the twins invited him in.
Zeph was finally comfortable in his human form again: "I have a great idea. Why don't we go to the Sea Nymph Water Park. Your dad will meet us there. I know you haven't had a lot of time with him, so we were thinking it might be time for that to change."
When the two sets of twins arrived at the water park, they began sliding on the water slip-n-slide.
Eventually, the younger twins grew hungry as it grew late. Dylan and Zeph brought them home. Dylan told Barnaby a story about the wonders of thes sea. Zeph chatted with Wade.
Wade gave Zeph a hug as Dylan finished his story.
When Zeph entered the house, he was caught by surprise when Sefina gave him a passionate kiss.
Note: This is 100% autonomous behavior. I didn't make Sefina do this and I couldn't completely control everything Dylan and Zeph did.
While Cecelia painted, Dylan decided to help take out the trash.
The Family sat at the table together. Barnaby told Dylan about how much he loved ants and wanted to have an Ant Farm. Sefina talked about the sunny weather with Zeph.
When Wade got out of bed, he and his brother ambushed Dylan with a crazy question.
Barnaby: "Can I have a new toy?"
Dylan couldn't say no and caved.
Barnaby was excited.
Wade: "This has been the best day ever!"
It was Saturday, and the Older Twin's Wives had work. Dylan and Zeph came over to help watch the younger twins.
Zeph struggled with the Child's game, but Dylan proved to be a natural.
Despite their differences, Dylan and Zeph spent so much time together that they often mirrored each other. They had the same thinking faces at the same time through out the game.
When Zeph succeeded at the game, he was excited, but for an Undefeated Grand Chess Master, he struggled often.
Barnaby took this time to ask Dylan about Vampires.
Barnaby: "Dad, what do you know about Vampires?"
Dylan hesitated before answering. "I know they aren't all bad, but you shouldn't go looking for them."
Barnaby thought the answer was strange. Could they actually be real?
Barnaby: "So vampires are real?!"
Dylan: "A lot of magical things are real. We just hide our true identity from humans."
Barnaby called Wade over. "Wade you have to hear what dad is saying."
Wade sat with his brother and father. Dylan told them a little bit about the magic realm. He never told them that they were apart of it, but he truthfully answered all of their questions. The younger twins seemed to grow more curious about the mysterious magic realm, and they seemed to be taking notice of the denizens of that realm. Dylan thought it might be close to time for them to learn more.
When Sefina came home, she gave Zeph a hug and thanked the older twins for watching the younger ones.
Extra:
Thanks to the incident where Cecelia started to flirt with another Merman. I've begun to have Nalani appear on lots. You see, the Merman that Cecelia flirted with was Nalani's husband. This isn't a part of the story because it's such a random thing. Cecelia doesn't even have a romance bar with the merman she flirted with. The Romantic Relationship does not exist. Still, I think she's trying to get Dylan and Zeph to cheat. Dylan and Zeph won't even look her way. They only have eyes for their wives.
I'm still haven't left the first page (I really admire how you can write long AND good stories, I have been binge reading through it for a few hours and I'm still halfway-ish through it), but I can already tell this is a great story, definitely taking some notes for my future works lol
I'm still haven't left the first page (I really admire how you can write long AND good stories, I have been binge reading through it for a few hours and I'm still halfway-ish through it), but I can already tell this is a great story, definitely taking some notes for my future works lol
@Boyollo I’ve been periodically trying to add spoilers to my older posts, and it makes me happy to hear, that in spite of my post length, I’ve maintained quality storytelling.
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to condense everything into something easier to manage immediately, but I’m trying.
I’ve done a lot of research on merfolk lore, fairytales, and mythology.
[Merfolk, or a version of merfolk, can be found around the world. The most complete sources of lore that I’ve found come from Greek Mythology, Polynesian Mythology, Fairytales around Europe, particularly Scandinavian Countries, Germany, and Austria, and African Mythology that found its way to the Caribbean and Brazil.
Believe it or not, the traditional Mermen and Mermaids are also considered one of many types of Fairies in some stories. If you read how they are described, they are obviously a Merman or Mermaid, but the term Fairy is also associated with them. Scandinavian Stories have the most depictions of Mermen out of any source that I’ve found.
Trying searching (Many of these are actually Mermen but some are Mermaids. Horses have a strong connection to the sea and water in mythology. Names sometimes come from the words for “Water Horse”:
1. Fossgrim
2. Nix
3. Nixie
4. Nokke or Noken
5. Naack
6. Nokk
5. Neck
5. Merrow
6. Havmand or Havmann
7. Havfrue
8. Mami Wata
9. Blue Man
10. Vetehinen
Some stories worth looking into:
1. The Musician Merman
2. “The Merman With the Seven Sons” and “Agnete and the Merman”
3. The Merman in Lake Fagertarn, Sweden
One of my favorite links and the references they have to support what they are saying.
After spending more time with the younger twins, Dylan and Zeph felt it was time to introduce them to the Realm of Magic and their culture. Before leaving for Sulani, the younger twins got their mermadic attire that they would wear while on vacation. The mermadic attire had some important functions for merfolk. For royal merfolk, the fishnet was considered unsuitable because it was made from human junk left in the sea. That didn't mean mermen didn't wear the fishnet.
Upon arriving at Ohani Villa, the first thing Barnaby did was raid the kitchen and make a mess in his Uncle and Aunt's room.
Sefina: "Seriously, why would you do this?"
Barnaby: "I don't know. It seemed like fun."
Sefina: "By now, you should know that making messes isn't right. Now, you need to start your vacation cleaning."
Barnaby: "I don't mind. I'll clean this mess right up."
And so, Barnaby cleaned his mess up.
After Barnaby finished cleaning, the family left for Nereus Lagoon. A local beach that featured Karaoke and a number of water activities. A perfect place for merfolk and water elementals. Dylan and Cecelia enjoyed singing a duet while the younger twins did tricks on the water slide.
While Dylan's family was having fun, Zeph kissed Sefina in the water. The young merman was enamoured with Sefina, and Sefina felt the same way. Sefina loved the outdoors and was a Child of the Ocean. Sefina was drawn to the sea, and even though she was born a human, she naturally got along with merfolk, dolphins, and any other denzin of the sea.
After a long day of fun,the family gathered for dinner. Dylan and Zeph could eat human food even if they never needed to, but their wives and Dylan's sons needed to eat. It was something to get used to. Much like how Dylan and Zeph became best friends and super siblings from a young age, Barnaby and Wade were becoming an inseperable duo.
Cecelia: "This is everything I've always wanted. I never imagined that we would be spending time as a family so soon. I... I was worried about introducing the twins to their heritage so soon, but everything seems to be working out for the best."
Dylan: "I think the twins are ready to learn about their heritage. Tomorrow, I'm going to show them my true form."
Cecelia: "They'll be young mermen before I know it. I think it's a good idea that they know what they are."
The twins were curious about their parent's conversation, but they didn't pay it much mind.
Cecelia put the merboys to bed before going to sleep.
Before going to bed, Dylan had a crazy idea. "You should offer Sefina some mermadic kelp. She could join us in the sea."
Zeph rubbed his temples. 'Was it really that simple? Sefina loved the sea, but would she be willing to give being human to be with Zeph in the sea?'
When Zeph joined Sefina in a human bed, he dreamt of humanities mortality, the inevitble death from old age that waits for anyone that survives to their elder years.
Dylan slept soundly next to Cecelia. Most merfolk didn't use human beds. Their scales would dry out over night and it was just more comfortable to not exert energy to maintain a human form while asleep. For Dylan, it was worth it because Cecelia no longer had her eternal youth.
The Ancient Bloodline that coursed through the veins of the twins was beginning to awaken. They came from a lineage of Elementals and Merfolk. The time they spent in Sulani sped up the awakening. Before long, they would grow into their true form and gain their full power as mermen.
The next day, Dylan went into the water with Barnaby and lept out of the water. For the first time, Barnaby saw what his father truly was, shimemring blue tail and all. His head raced with questions.
'How was he on land when he didn't naturally have legs?'
'Why did he keep it a secret?'
'Would he get a tail too?!'
'Are there other magical people in the Worlds?'
Before he could ask his question, Dylan dove under the water and flicked a light spray of sea water at his son with his fluke. Barnaby laughed at the playful gesture. Knowing that merfolk were real was awesome!
Barnabus often suspected that the people that wandered the streets at night weren't human. He had a question for his father.
"Are vampires real?"
Dylan's playful demeonor turned serious. "Vampires are real, but they aren't all friendly. There's one vampire you should never look for. He's the Shadow Elemental and preys on people's inner darkness. You should never make a deal with him. It will never end well."
Dylan paused and remembered his own time under a curse.
"Merfolk that let their inner darkness consume them can become Vampires of Shadow that prey on others. It's important to swim in the light and treat others right."
Dylan looked at Barnaby in the eyes. He didn't want to scare him, but he wanted him to know the truth.
"Barnaby, you are a merling, a young merman that hasn't grown into his power. You don't have a tail yet, but your current form is only temporary. Eventually, you will gain your true form, a tail, and a great deal of power. That power comes with a great deal of responsibility."
Dylan's demeanor changed back to playful. "But let me tell you, the freedom that comes with swimming in the sea, the dolphin friends you'll make, and all the merfolk you've yet to meet will be great! It's not something to fear. Merfolk and Water Elementals should never fear change because change is in out nature. We change our form to walk on land, change the way others feel, and change the weather."
Dylan: "And as far as Vampires are concerened, one of your aunts is a vampire and an Earth Elemental of the Land. She's actually pretty cool, and I think you would get along with her. Just remember what I said, not all vampires are friendly. The merfolk consumed by their darkness become vampires for a reason. It is a curse to lose your tail and your mermadic powers."
Dylan: "It's important to embrace who and what you are."
Wade slept in, so Dylan showed Wade his tail later in the day. Wade had many of the same questions his brother had, and Dylan gave very similar answers. Dylan wanted to make sure both twins understood the importance of using their powers responsbily and the dangers of misusing their powers. He also explained to them why merfolk wore the clothes they wore and the dangers that lurked in the sea.
Wade, however, did ask a few questions that were different from his brother's. And again, Dylan took a more serious apporach to answer his questions.
Wade: "If merfolk that misuse their power become vampires, how are they different from vampires like our aunt."
Dylan: "The biggest difference is what they feed on. Merfolk consumed by their inner darkness need to feed on the suffering of others. They inflict pain to satisfy a hole inside them. It's a very ugly cycle."
As the day went on, Dylan and the twins went on land. He knew from experience that Elementals had power at an incredibly young age. He wanted to show the twins the power they had.
Dylan turned to Wade and back to Barnaby. "All Elementals, be they Water, Air, Fire, or Earth have a connection to the Heart of Sulani, Mount Pel'Am. Mount Pel'Am touches all the Elements. We can call on it to summon lava bombs anywhere."
Dylan turned to Wade. "These powers can become dangerous. The lava bombs can start fires and humans can burn themselves if they touch them while they are hot."
Dylan: "This is one power that must be used responsibly. But, I believe you are ready to learn."
Dylan channeled the Heart of Sulani into the palm of his hands. Fire ignited as he gathered more power.
Barnaby: "That's so cool!"
Showing restraint, Dylan closed his palms before fire rained down on the island.
Dylan: "Now you two can try."
The younger twins began looking deep within for their own power. Soon, fire ignited in their hands. They couldn't sustain the fire and eventually it extinguished.
Dylan: "Give it more practice and you'll be able to control this power."
During the middle of their vacation, the merfolk family enjoyed the sun and explored the island. The older twins diliginitly showed the twins the joys of singing and music that came naturally to all merfolk. The younger twins honed their motor skills and achieved their aspiration to become physically gifted.
As their vacation came closer to an end, Zeph invited Sefina to Wayfinder's Atoll and slow danced with her.
The sky was clear, and the moon shined on the sea. Zeph expertly navigated the human dancing techniques, but Sefina took the lead.
Zeph felt it was time to make the proposal his brother mentioned earlier in the week. Maybe it would be this simple.
Zeph: "Sefina, I want you to have this. I don't want you to feel pressured, but if you take one bite out of this magic kelp, you'll gain mermadic powers and eternal youth. The choice is yours and I'll support whatever you choose."
The next day , the younger twins explored more of the islands and snorkled in the lagoon. The merlings were close to growing into their true form.
As the sun set, Sefina waded into the sea and thought about the offer Zeph gave her. All she had to do was bite into the magic kelp he gave her and her life would change forever.
As much as Sefina loved Zeph, she didn't want to change because of him or anyone. If she was going to become a mermaid, it had to be because she wanted it. After staring at the kelp a long while, she realized that it might be a dream come true. She loved the sea. She loved Zeph. Would could be better than being with someone she loved and in a place she loved forever. Sefina took a bite and shrieked as she changed into a mermaid.
Zeph heard her and ran to her. He was worried something terrible might have happened. 'Could a Darkfin be targeting the love of his life?'
Too Zeph's surprise, he was greeted by Sefina with a huge grin. Sefina's shirek was a shriek of laughter and joy. When Zeph swam to her, Sefina felt the mermadic power coursing through her veins and instinctively gave Zeph a Mermaid's Kiss, an ability merfolk reserved for their soulmates and a kiss Zeph often gave Sefina to keep her from drowning in the sea.
Sefina pulled Zeph close as he arched his back. Sefina's hand wrapped around the back of Zeph's head as she pulled him closer.
It was an intense moment for Zeph and Sefina before Sefina released the young merman from her embrace. Zeph smiled back at her. He was in love.
Not long after, another change happened. The younger twins changed and grew into their merman form. They were still in their human form and had yet to go for their first swim as mermen. Zeph and Sefina met up with Dylan at the Nightclub. Dylan played the DJ booth and the family had a small dance party to celebrate the changes in their lives.
Dylan's musical skill started to draw a crowd, and one of the people that showed up was Ember, his younger sister. Ember knew about the curse that plaugued Cecelia. As a spellcaster, she knew that spellcasters could end up cursed too. She did some digging and discovered a potion that could cure curses. She had a special gift she wanted to give Cecelia.
Cecelia smiled, almost crying when she saw what was inside the present.
Cecelia went downstairs and drank the potion. She felt a warm light flow through her and the spell Sarah wove with her Siren Song was undone.
Extra:
Wade became a captive audience as Ember talked about her favorite recipes with her Nephew. Wade thought her recipe was a good idea. He suggested she opened a restauraunt.
Hopefully, this update helps others follow my next update. It's sorta of a sumamry of earlier updates.
Previously: Summer Vaction in Sulani
The younger twins went on Summer Vacation in Sulani with the older twins, Cecelia, and Sefina. the younger twins were gradually introduced to merfolk culture starting with typical merfolk attire and introducing them to the wonders of the sea.
Dylan revealed his true form as well as the existence of merfolk to the twins. Consequently, the twins realized that vampires are real. Three types of Vampires exist: former merfolk corrupted by their inner darkness, some Earth Elementals of the Land, and natural vampires.
Before Sarah's Demise in the Selvadorada Temple, She tried to capture Lir, Dylan, and Zeph's souls. Lir was abducted with the intent to hand him over to Damion, Dylan was cursed with vampiric corruption, and she planned to get to Zeph with the Temple Traps. Dylan and Zeph have special tomes tethered to them that can give the wielder power over their souls. Calum keeps them protected in a shrine to the four elements. The tomes can also ressurect the Twins should anything happen to them.
Previously: The Shadow of Thieves
To convince Lir to follow her quitely, Sarah threatened his dads.
After finding his bedroom empty, Kylen and Aaron went to the World of San Myshuno.
Kylen and Aaron both knew that Lir was a one of eight merman princes descended from seven royal merfolk bloodlines. But, he was their son first and foremost. His disappearance worried them.
Kylen was a part of an Ancient Merfolk Bloodline and used his ability to commune with Island Spirits to find his son. While Aaron fought the evil siren, Kylen found his son in a locked room. Lir was put under a spell of deep sleep thanks to Sarah's Night's Requiem. Aaron retrieved the key and Kylen woke his son up.
Previously: The Seaweed is Always Greener
After he was kidnapped, Lir's Dads became incridebly strict about curfew. To keep Lir safe, they set the Curfew to an extremely early time. They were being unreasonable, but Lir didn't help the situation. He argued with his dads and resolved to swim away from home.
Eventually, a Dolphin friend of the little merman knocked some sense into him, and he went home to make things right.
Previously: The Legacy of the Sea and Sky
His dads were just worried for his safety and ended up forgiving Lir.
Previously: A Gift from a Fan
Dylan's musical talent started gaining him a great deal of fame. Sarah knew she was drawing to much attention herself, so she went to someone who could eliver her curse for her.
Juniper passed the gift on to his older brother, and Dylan ate the mermadic kelp without a second thought.
The Gift ened up Cursing Dylan with Vampiric Corruption.
Previously: Restoring the Spirit of the Sea
In the end, Lir saved Dylan by giving him a cure to his curse before Sarah could con him into a less than friendly exchange.
As the Spirit of the Sea, Dylan's corruption would have dire consequences to all the worlds and the waters that connect them.
Previously: A Growing Family
Sarah saw her failure and made one last attempt at ruining Dylan's life. He went to Cecelia's home in Sulani and placed a curse on her that made her a mortal human. If she couldn't have Dylan's Soul, she would make him watch the love of his life die of old age.
Previously: The Poor Unfortunate Soul
Dylan and Zeph used their power to take their Elemental Forms to trick Sarah into going deeper into the Temple. In their spectral form, Cecelia thought they died triggering a trap. Dylan could cry on demand and feint saddness at will. She had no idea they weren't really dead.
With Sarah deep in the Heart of the Temple and Poison coursing through her veins, the twins teleported out of the Temple and to safety.
That's when the Shadows caught up with her. A former merman that became corrupted by his own inner darkness emerged from a dark mist. He now fed on other's misery because Plasma could barely satisfy his thirst.
Damion changed into his Dark Form and made it clear that it was the end of the line for Sarah. Her heart couldn't take the rage of defeat and poison in her veins.
Previously: Sumemr Vaction in Sulani
Zeph made a proposal to Sefina, a chance for immortality and a life in the sea with him.
Ultimately, Sefina wanted to make this choice for herself and not because of anyone else. She chose to give up her life as a human and become a Half-Mermaid.
Note:
The big difference between half-merfolk and merfolk is their appearance. Merfolk that have always been merfolk or, in the case of Barnaby and Wade, have their bloodline awaken, will have different color hair and pointed ears in their mermaid or merman form. Mermaid's have scales that extend up their torso. All merfolk have sea green eyes. Half-Merfolk retain their original torso be it human or alien. Their eye color remains the same and their ears aren't pointy if they were orginally human.
Ember arrived just in time to give Cecelia a Potion of Curse Cleansing that would remove her curse. Ember was a foodie and natural cook. Her favorite magical art was potion brewing. When she heard of Cecelia's situation, she came as quickly as she could to help resolve the problem.
Comments
This update is more about one of the requirements for the challenge I created. I spent a week developing toddler potty training skills, so I didn't spend enough time raising money for developing the estate. It turns out that skills from Logical Tasks aren't the best way to make money quickly.
For Reference: Logical Tasks would be anything that gets a skill boost from the focused moodlet while creative tasks get a boost from the inspired moodlet. That means, for the Part 2 of the Blue Tail Arc, I had to make money from the Career, Gaming Tournaments, Handiness, Rocket Science, and etc. Eventually, I figured out how to sell discoveries as a Marine Biologist and make tons of money that way. But, I still did everything within 28 sim days.
This lot is shared to the Gallery, but it is incomplete. I'm sharing the most developed parts of the lot.
The Lot is worth 200,000 Simoleons and only uses items from the Base Game, Island Living, and Jungle Adventure.
The Living Room
Calden Azure's Bedroom
The Study
Lir and Krista Kailani's Bedroom
The Storage Room
The Kitchen
Zalen's Nursery
The Backyard BBQ Pit
Alania Look Outside
Day
Extras
Dylan and Zeph Splashing Around
Dylan and Zeph in their Traditional Merman Attire
Dylan Zalrian
Zephyr Zalrian
This won't stop Zeph from choosing his own outfits though. How does he manage to pull off his own outfits and look good doing it. It's a mystery of the Sim Universe.
But, this wasn't the first time that Zeph chose an outfit for himself that didn't exist as a possible outfit. He has a very polished style.
On the other fin, Dylan can't really pull this off if he isn't acting as an Entertainer despite being a Marine Biologist.
Entertainer Dylan
I don't know what Dylan decided to wear, but he decided to leave immediately. I guess he realized his mistake a little too late.
I discovered that the Survey interaction is a good way to make money, and it reveals invasive species in Sulani that can be sprayed.
Islander Townies have Interesting Festival Outfits
For a while, I stopped seeing merfolk drift underwater while they sleep. I'm extremely happy to see this back. I want to see my merfolk do more underwater. Aside from sleeping, the only other thing I can see them do underwater involves surveying ocean wildlife. The game has been struggling with this interaction because merfolk don't snorkel. At least, they don't normally have a snorkel interaction.
Abalone is now Lir's Azure Dolphin
Lir telling Dylan a Story
"And that's how a merman became a vampire! He's now cursed to live in the shadows."
Dylan Fishing
I imagine that Dylan is removing invasive species fishing.
Dylan Nearly Killed Lir with a Funny Story
Lir greeted Dylan with a splash.
Dylan: "Do you know why children have a Fruit Bear phase? I heard a song to go with the story, but I can tell it to you without the music."
Lir: "I'm listening."
Dylan: "The Fruit Bears from outer space were throwing a party in a Doll House."
Dylan: "Soon, there was a huge explosion!"
Dylan: "Robots from another Galaxy showed up to join the party!"
Dylan: "And that's why children have the Fruit Bear phase."
Now, I'll be taking a break from Lir's Story to develop the skills of several toddlers. I won't spend a full 28 sim days on each household unless I need to. However, I will be developing:
Zalia Shores
This is the home of my primary sims. The Elementals that act as Pillars of the Worlds reside here.
Calum and Arihi's Lore
Arihi is the Elemental Matriarch that became a half-mermaid so she could join Calum in the sea. She's the highest authority among the Elementals in the Mortal Worlds. Because Calum is a descendent of the Sapphire Queen, Arihi and Calum's Twin Sons inherited their Blue Tails. Dylan and Zephyr have Blue Tails because of the combination of an Elemental Mother and Merman Father.
Dylan and Zephyr's Lore
Dylan's name means Son of the Wave. He's a merman and an elemental, but his merman identity is his stronger identity.
Zephyr is the Air Elemental and Spirit of the Sky. Zephyr is the spirit that reigns over the skies above the worlds. He can see everything that resides below the sky. Only storms from a world severed from the others can block his sight. Zephyr watches over the worlds. Because Zephyr watches over the worlds, he's the Pillar that Protects the Worlds. His sight makes him a source of knowledge. He can see through deception, including Alien Disguises.
Zephyr's name means Western Wind. He's a merman and an elemental, but his merman identity is his stronger identity.
Dylan and Zephyr are identical twin mermen with an extremely strong twin bond. Dylan is the Creative one, and Zephyr is the Genius one.
Ember's Lore
Ember's name means Dying Coals, and she was born during one of the coldest winters. She's a spellcaster and an elemental, but her spellcaster identity is her stronger identity. Ember is often involved in home related activities like cooking and paranormal investigation. Her aspiration is to open a successful restaurant.
Jade and Juniper's Lore
Jade's name comes from the Jade Stone. Jade represents one half of the Journey Humans call Life. She's a vampire and an elemental, but her vampiric identity is her stronger identity.
Juniper is an Earth Elemental and the Spirit of Plants. Juniper is strongly connected to the Sun and draws power from it. He reigns over the day and the Vitality of Life. Juniper is the Pillar of the World's Beginning.
Juniper's name comes from the Juniper Tree. Juniper represents one half of the Journey Humans call Life. He's a merman and an elemental, but his merman identity is his stronger identity.
Jade and Juniper are fraternal twins. Juniper often bails Jade out of Life-Threatening situations. Jade is a thrill seeker that takes risks in the sun and other dangerous activities.
Each Room in Zalia Shores represents the Elementals and their Elements.
Calum and Arihi's Rooms
Dylan and Zephyr's Rooms
Ember's Rooms
Jade and Juniper's Rooms
The Kitchen and Dining Room
The Shrine to the Elementals
The Outside
The Nautilus Look
Cecelia and Sefina's Lore
The house is small because it's the start of a new Legacy. Most of the rooms are in one room.
While his Daughter and Nephew learned and grew quickly at home, Gui helped to support his family by completing a few gigs.
Gui's first client was a wealthy family Sulani. Because his Brother-in-law was a merman, he was aware of their existence. The Zalrians, a Family of Elementals, were aware of this. As the Sapphire Princes, Dylan and Zephyr represented their people in their traditional attire, if not a more casual variation. They greeted Gui and went over the things they were hoping for with the remodel. The Zalia Shores helped to focus the balance between the Elementals, so there were important elements that needed to be maintained in each room.
Dylan: "And that's what I'm hoping for when you decorate me and my brother's rooms. It's important that the Elements of Water and Air are in balance."
Dylan: "That's great to hear!"
Zephyr: "Here, take a look at this. I have a few ideas. Starting with the rocket ship."
Gui looked at the plans: "So, you're planning to get rid of the Rocket?"
Zephyr: "It causes too much pollution and clouds up the sky."
Gui: "If I sell it, I should be able to fund more renovations."
Zephyr: "That's exactly what I was thinking. However, the most important thing is renovating the Earth Elemental Rooms."
Juniper: "Personally, I'm hoping for a few more plants."
Gui asked Dylan: "So what's your favorite decor?"
Dylan paused to think.
Dylan: "I definitely prefer island decor. It makes me feel more at home."
Juniper rolled his shoulders back and tilted his head: "I think the tropical plants are great additions to any home. I think we need a few more around the house."
Gui asked Zephyr: "So, what are your favorite hobbies, like rock climbing or other activities?"
Zephyr stopped and thought for a moment.
Zephyr: "We're planning a trip to the world of Mt. Komorebi. It would be awesome if we had some sports gear for skiing."
Gui: "Noted."
Zephyr: "It's going to be a birthday trip for Jade and Juniper. The whole family will be there, so we all need a pair of skis."
After returning home from his gig, Gui got abducted by Sixams. The returned him to Newcrest after he landed rather roughly on the ground.
The next day, Gui got a recommendation from the Zalrians. From what Gui could gather, Dylan's wife, Cecelia, left to Newcrest to raise their twin sons away from the sea. Dylan wanted to help make their living conditions better, so he gave Cecelia a large sum of money to renovate their home.
Cecelia: "I've really fallen in love with gardening, and it would be great if we had a small garden."
Gui: "That sounds easy enough."
Gui noticed that their home was very small, so it didn't take long to make a few changes. He had plenty of time to show off their new home.
While Wade wandered around the yard, Cecelia was overjoyed by the garden!
Sefina was helping to look after Cecelia for Dylan and Zephyr, and she appreciated the garden more than any of them knew. Their home was off the grid, and it didn't have an unlimited supply of food. Cecelia was a former mermaid, and they wanted to stay off the radar to avoid a conflict with another Darkfin.
While everyone checked out the new house, Barnabus and Wade were chatting up a storm. The twins didn't know how to speak, so their conversation was in a language only they understood.
Wade: "Babba Babba. (Aren't dinosaurs awesome! I love the T. Rex.)"
Sefina: "We actually have a toy box now!"
Cecelia: "Stepping on those toys was like stepping on a barnacle!"
Cecelia: "I think we could get a few more toys now. I hear that Kemps will be reopening the stores again!"
Sefina: "Girl, we need to save as much money as we can. The toy chest is full of all the toys we could need!"
Cecelia admired the new fridge while Sefina hugged Gui.
The Twins were caught up in the mood too.
The young women were ecstatic with the new decor and having everything they need to meet their basic needs.
Extras:
Helios's expression while his wife gets abducted is priceless. He's half alien, so it's not like he doesn't know anything about abductions. he's probably the one that used the telescope.
Toddlers have a cute animation inside their play tent when they go to sleep!
I caught Dylan and Zeph fishing together. It's rare to see them in one place together because one usually leaves the lot when the other arrives. I think it has something to do with them looking the same and the game trying to "help" me tell the difference. I swear, they thought about leaving.
When Eos and Pixel aged up, the Techrons moved them into the living room they refurnished into a nursery. As toddlers, they couldn't do much, so the parents spent some time teaching them things like good manners and their basic needs. The early days of toddlerhood were fun for Eos, who was eager to learn and grew faster than his cousin.
"And that's why you never say Barnacle." Iona said.
Iona didn't know if he understood anything she said.
Iona. "And, in spite of what you might see in human movies, merfolk know what forks are used for. We call them tiny tridents and they are decorations for our homes."
Eos smiled and nodded.
Eos: "Babbla babba. (I'm pretty sure I saw Uncle Nui putting the decorations in his mouth with a strange substance he called hungry)"
Iona: "Very good. Remember that Tiny Tridents are decorations and never put them in your mouth."
Eos: "Babba. (I'm not sure I should believe you)"
After the lesson, Eos was feeling hangry, and his parents as well as his aunt and uncles couldn't figure out who would feed him. In his rage, he smashed the doll house.
Eos: "Babboar. (Roar, I'm a sea monster! Fear my tiny tridents for I need hungry!)"
Eos: "Babble. (Poor dolls they didn't have any hungry to survive my tiny tridents.)"
Iona expressed her disappointment in Eos for acting out.
After finally giving him food, Iona read him to sleep. Pixel was already fast asleep in the bed next to his. Pixel dreamt about ghosts while Iona read Eos a story about the Hearts of the Sea, the Abalone King, and the wicked Darkfins that deceive and shatter trust.
"To this day, humans believe the Hearts of the Sea are Buried Treasure."
After Eos fell asleep, Iona repaired the doll house. The magic Hammer seemed to reverse the damage instead of cause it.
After Eos woke up, he used his diaper in his sleep. Iona cleaned him up after changing his diaper. For Eos, the tub was a bunch splishy splashy fun.
After giving him a bath, Iona tried to teach Eos his first words.
Iona: "And that's what a finball is."
Eos: "Rain? Babbla (Finball seems like a lot of splashy fun!)."
Eos: "Blue Birds in rain? (So they whistle when the other merfolk kick a foul ball?)"
Pixel cried because her dads left her in the highchair.
Nui tried to hold back his tears. Being an Alien, he had an empathic connection with his daughter that caused him to feel what he perceived as sadness. He tried to give Pixel attention, but Pixel glared at him, failing to communicate telepathically.
Pixel's thoughts: "Why is he the one that's sad? He wasn't ignored and left in a highchair with nowhere to go."
Pixel's thoughts: "But I love this game!"
While Eos was left alone again, he decided to sleep in his play tent.
Eos and Pixel's parents didn't seem to watch them all the time, and when they left the toddlers to their own devices, they took care of their own needs to the best of their own abilities. They put themselves to sleep and played with the tech pads. They only needed their parents for hungry, dirty, and their non-existent attention.
Eos, however, did get a lot of attention from his parents when it came to his lessons. Iona insisted that his foundation for learning wasn't based in technology. Nui and Gui were fine to let Pixel do her own thing. Being a wild toddler, it was hard to get her to sit still for flash cards.
Eos's thoughts: "The right answer can't possibly be right in front of me, right?"
Eos: "Question!"
Not long after, the helicopter parents arrived.
Pixel failed to speak telepathically. "Eos might be hungry, but he has a parent tending to him. You can go back to sleep now."
After Eos ate and was put to bed, Gui read Pixel to sleep before getting ready to leave for his gig at Zalia Shores."
When Gui returned home, he helped his sister-in-law clean up the bathroom after the toilet exploded. Kalama was a goof ball and ended up using the toilet she pranked again.
When it came to feeding the tots, Gui just picked up the mess Eos made when Pixel made a mess. Iona left in a hurry.
Kalama thought: "I'm too tired for this."
Gui: "She left me. She LEFT ME."
Not long after picking up Pixel's mess, Eos made another mess.
Eos sat patiently as Gui Lectured Pixel instead of him.
Gui attempted to teach Pixel how to talk. "Rough house. Can you say it? Rough. House."
Pixel: "Potty! (Eos used his diaper)."
Nui could smell it and took care of it for Gui. Pixel was surprisingly observant.
Gui: "Say after me. Rough. House."
Pixel: "T. Rex! (He'll get tired of trying to teach me to talk and teach me how to dance soon if I just keep saying nonsense.)"
As Nui walked out of the room, Eos had one thought. "Trash."
Nui brakes the fourth wall: "They're all yours."
Metior Ice: "Don't you think you should do more parenting instead of leaving everything to me! At least let Eos out of the High Chair."
Metior Ice: "And Kalama is feeding her niece bugs, aka, outpost popcorn..."
After his gig at Nautilus Look, Gui tried to teach Pixel manners.
Gui said telepathically: "And that's why we eat with forks instead of laser guns."
Gui was tired and gave Nui another chance to teach pixel how to talk.
Pixel: "When do I start learning to drive a spaceship?"
Nui was too tired, and he could of sworn that Pixel was speaking clearly now.
Pixel corrected herself: "Babble. (I really want to fly a spaceship.)."
Pixel: "Let me fly the spaceship or I use my diaper."
Nui said: "She's hooked on learning to talk."
Pixel's thought: "No seriously, I'll use my diaper at this rate. I have to potty."
Pixel: "I've learned more from the tech pad then my dads."
Eos: "Their parenting is a true piece of work. A rather sloppy piece of art."
Pixel: "They're drama llamas that leave us to the watcher to be cared for!"
Eos: "I know, right."
While the wild toddler continued to sit in her highchair. Eos decided to ask Gui for flashcard lessons before he could let her out.
Pixel: "Seriously."
Gui: "How did you get out of your highchair?"
Pixel: "I teleported."
Gui: "Really?"
Pixel: "No, one of the helicopter parents interrupted you when they cued up the action to let me out, so you decided to show Eos Flashcards in front of me."
Gui: "I don't understand."
Pixel: "Try not to think about it too hard. Consider it musical magic."
The following day, Kalama went to the humor and hijinks festival. Once again, Zeph was wearing his own outfit.
Kalama performed one of her comedy routines for the Comedians.
Kalama: "We all know those tiny tots with their puppy dog eyes and overwhelming cuteness."
Kalama: "And as parents, we fall for their cuteness, but here's the thing."
Kalama: "They look sweet, but they are actually quite smart. They have their parents wrapped around their tiny tot fingers!"
Kalama: "That's why we pray to the watcher that we survive the nooboos that will be coming to a neighborhood near you!"
Back at home, the toddlers were busy with their lessons as usual. Their highchairs were replaced with ottomans the tots could sit on. Nui claimed to have a nightmare that involved pixel speaking clearly and musical magic. The Musical Highchairs had to go.
Gui put a stove in the nursery that would let him cook for the tots so they could help themselves to food when they got hungry.
When Nui got home from work, he checked on Pixel.
Pixel: "What did the sea say to the beach?"
Nui: "What?"
Pixel: "Nothing, it just waved."
When the tots were settled in bed, Helios had a proposition for Iona.
Helios: "These last few weeks have been a struggle. Want to go on a Date?"
Iona: "Sure, why not?"
Iona's stroy was a tragic one. She lost one of her closest friends to a Darkfin that drowned her friend in a fit of Jealousy. The Darkfin was an ex-boyfriend, and her friend was a young human man. She thought she would never be in another relationship until she met Helios. Helios was literally from another world, but he still made Iona feel like she belonged. He made plenty of time to show his affection and reassured her with his Charmer's Lullaby, something he learned had traditional importance between merfolk partners. Over time, Helios softened Iona's heart, and they had a traditional merfolk wedding. Being a merman was new to Helios, but the Alien Merman loved Iona. She loved him in return. Not long after their wedding, Eos was born. Both knew that they struggled as parents, but they were learning together.
Toward the middle of the week, Spooksfest arrived. The Techrons and Eons removed their disguises and showed off their alien forms. Helios, who no longer had the same Alien abilities, dressed in a costume.
In spite of the party, Eos was still eager to learn. Even if he sometimes misbehaved, most of his struggles came from his parents struggling to help him. The five different adults often interrupted each other when one of them tried to help him.
Eos didn't know why it was so hard for one or two adults to help him. Still, Gui was often home because he took time away from his gigs to help look after Eos and Pixel. Eos always asked him for Flashcard Lessons.
And while Gui was distracted, Pixel was a free spirit.
In the spirit of Spooksfest, Dylan and Zeph invited the Eons and Techrons to a night out. They dressed in traditional merfolk attire. No one would suspect that Aliens and Merfolk were gathering during a night that everyone wore costumes.
After the party, Iona was abducted by Aliens before going for a jog around the neighborhood.
There were times that Helios wanted to read to his son and niece, but the technology often got in the way of traditional parenting. Helios wanted to understand magic with science. He loved technology, but now, he wondered if it was better to let things be the way they were. He would outlive his siblings and their children and their children's children. However, he would always have Iona and Eos in his life. Maybe, merfolk had traditional values because they would live forever together.
Helios was torn between two worlds. He was an Alien from Sixam, but he was also a merman now. His abilities were changed with the transformation, but he never forgot the secret handshake between Sixams.
Eventually, their birthday came and went. The Eons and Techrons hired Ember, Dylan, and Zeph to help with the party. Ember was the Caterer, Dylan performed for everyone, and Zeph tended the bar.
Extra: Elemental Chaos in Sulani
First, I discovered that Knox died. Not sure how because his ghost doesn't have any special effect I can discern.
Now, for the real fun! Zeph called the first thunderstorm.
After playing the Song of Sophistication, Dylan played the Etude of Egress. The mortals would not hide inside the bar!
Strangely, Makoa didn't seem affected by the songs.
Some townie's panicked when lighting struck the ground right next to them. The storm affected the entire island, the entire neighborhood. Lightning struck everywhere on the lot and beyond.
While Dylan prepared another Piper Song, Zeph was trying to persuade a townie to streak in the storm. The townie wouldn't do it.
Zeph: "I had no idea that streaking in a thunderstorm was a bad idea?" (He totally knew what he was trying to do.)
So, the townie became their target for Zeph's Drowning Experiment. The Hypothesis: Can townie's drown with neighborhood stories active? As a genius, it was only natural to experiment. Dylan sang Agean's Question, and the Experiment was about to begin.
Dylan also had his own target for the Siren's Call.
Zeph: "Don't play with junk food."
(The Siren's Call depletes all of a sims needs and refills all the needs of a mermaid or merman. This means that everything from Bladder Failure to Starvation to Energy Failure while swimming can happen. And yet, unplayed sims can swim to the shore without drowning with energy, hunger, and bladder at a critical low.)
Like a more powerful marine vampire, Dylan drained the townie of everything and replenished all his needs.
Next, Zeph called the other human to the sea. Like the thunderstorm that rages across them island, the irresistible call to the sea could be heard across the island. It took the human a bit to swim to their doom.
The Siren's Call was fun for the twins but miserable for their prey.
Dylan's Prey was smart and swam away. Zeph's Prey stayed to chat with the mermen. Apparently, nearly drowning was kinda neat.
When the storm started to clear, Zeph's prey saw hope for survival. Zeph kept him in the water with his own Agean's Question. Hours ticked by, and the human that had ALL his needs depleted would not drown.
Eventually, Zeph's Prey did try to leave, but that's when Zeph sang his Siren's Call. His prey wouldn't escape.
For good measure, after resurfacing, Zeph summoned a giant squid from the deep.
Zeph: "I bet you thought this was game. There is no reset button."
Zeph continued to sing Siren' Lullabies and kept the townie in the water for almost the entire day. Dylan called another thunderstorm. The townie still wouldn't drown.
Eventually, Zeph got bored with his prey and let him escape.
Zeph's Prey: "Crikey, I just nearly died because of a merman!"
During the thunderstorm, it was family day. Duane Kealoha thought it would be a good idea to swing. A little storm chaser in the making.
Metior Ice: "Uh, there's not exactly sun for tanning... How can you be relaxing on Beach Towels?"
Metior Ice: "This isn't exactly the time or place for homework Tane."
And then, the first sim got struck by lightning miles from the sand bar.
After some mermadic chaos, the twins performed the Ghastly ritual and took their elemental forms.
Zeph tried to scare a townie, but the townie ended up having fun as he flew threw her.
As the twins grew closer to reverting back to their merman disguises, they took their human form while in a ghostly state. Dylan called another thunderstorm.
While the humans survived, the furniture was not as lucky.
Mount Mua Pel'Am erupted, and the lot grew crowded with molten boulders.
Unafraid of the elements, Dylan and Zeph made a sandcastle in the thunderstorm.
For Zeph, the Rain and Lightning was good fun!
And then, after going for a swim, he got struck by lightning.
And, another human got struck...
Bartender's thoughts: "Why am I working while Elementals are letting loose their power over nature?"
The lightning did leave some precious metals and crystals behind.
Eruptions created fissures in the shore and more smoldering rocks steamed in the rain.
And, that's when the Watcher removed the roof. I made sure to keep some of the roof above the bartender. They are doing their job and didn't need to get a harder time because of it.
Dylan and Zeph were casually chatting when the lightning struck the wall stereo.
At this point, the lot was starting to glitch, and the Bartender walked into the corner of the wall until they passed through it.
And finally, the other Elementals came to join in the fun!
Juniper announced his arrival by summoning fire from the sky!
And then, he got struck by lightning...
Metior Ice: "Jade, what did you do while I wasn't looking?!"
(Fun Fact: Vampires can be outside during the day if it's raining.)
Ember lit the furniture on fire. She's such a pyro maniac.
And, this is where I take a break. I'll make the other half of the Chaos in Sulani Update later.
The Humor and Hijinks Festival was in town, so the Elementals gave Sulani a break to create a bit of Chaos at the San Myshuno festival. Zephyr called a thunderstorm, and the change in the weather instantly thawed all the snow.
Ember was uncomfortable in the rain, so she lit a bonfire for warmth.
The festival was fun, but little happened aside from a few mysterious fires. The comedians won the Festival Contest!
Near the end of the festival, Jade learned how to make humans hallucinate and talk to "imaginary" friends.
Upon returning to Sulani, the humans tried to replace the things destroyed by lightning, so Ember fixed that.
Zeph being the good merman that he is decided to put out the fire. The table remained charred.
It didn't take long for Zeph to get struck by lightning. No good deed goes unpunished.
But, Ember got struck too...
Ember responded by lighting humans on fire. She unlocked the power to cast spells from a greater distance and remain unknown to her victims.
Random Townie that would not be persuaded to streak in a thunderstorm: "Beware the sea! Their are fish, larger than a human, dragging the poor unfortunate souls beneath the waves!"
Ember thought: "That would be my twin older brothers for you."
Ember proceeded to light more humans on fire! Burn, BURN all the townies!
One townie must have been extremely unlucky because lightning struck him shortly after being lit on fire.
Dylan and Zeph were luring humans into the sea to "play." At this point, they were both struck by lighting.
When their toys tried to escape, they called creatures from the deep to delay their escape.
They survived, but they never got far.
During the thunderstorm, humans gathered for the Flowers and Music Festival. Jade crashed the party by Manipulating all their minds. It was daytime, but the thunder and rain protected her and allowed her to freely use her vampiric magic.
Lyric's thought: "Maybe I should play the guitar and pretend to be hallucinating?"
The humans that hallucinated were easy targets for the lightning.
Eventually, the elementals grew tired and went home. The mermen in the family slept together in the pool. Jade went to her coffin, and Ember slept in her bed.
The Poltergeist showed up, and Ember tried to freeze her. Naturally, the spell backfired on the Fire Elemental.
But, Jade was growing more powerful and dealt with her. While the Poltergeist was distracted, Dylan summoned Bone Helda to deal with her. Bone Helda did nothing...
The Zalrians have their own fashion sense!
For reasons that I can't explain, my Zalrian Household tends to wear their own outfits. Aside from Zephyr often appearing in different outfits, Ember and Calum also wear their own outfits.
Zalen also has an unusual fashion sense. Mermen are traditionally shirtless in almost all depictions of them. That's why they are often shirtless when wearing their merman attire. Zalen seems to be confusing human and merfolk attire here.
Zeph is a workaholic. He didn't even change out of his wetsuit before going to the bar, not that he would even be wearing a wetsuit in the water. It's mostly for show while working with humans.
The Sulani Aliens in Sulani
Kalama, Nui, and Gui went to the bar for Alien Night. They still regularly visit their island home away from home.
Nui and Gui were on a date while Kalama was checking out the place for a gig.
Introducing Makoa's triplet sons: Kai, Lano, and Tero. Makoa is from the sea and married the human Lilliana. Makoa has been raising the trips in the sea, and he's happy to have sons that he can pump up. After Makoa married Lilliana, the triplets and him have moved on land and are adapting to life among humans.
Kai is an aspiring Crafter. Kai is charismatic and bold.
Lano is an aspiring Painter. Lano is a comedian and mischievous.
Tero is an aspiring Musician. Tero is the mature one and responsible.
Lano: "You have to see that funny cat video!"
Tero: "I never understood the appeal for humans."
Lano: "It's still funny! They even set the video to music!"
Tero: "That's actually pretty neat."
Makoa: "Enough about human cat videos. Are you merboys ready for a game of Finball!'
Kai: "Now that dad is busy. Have you guys seen that crazy big fish by the sunken wreck?"
Tero: "We aren't going to dive underwater. Watcher knows that there isn't anything to see underwater. We should probably get some rest before leaving for school."
Kai: "You're always such a buzz kill, but okay. Dad and Lilliana haven't built our rooms, so we'll be sleeping in the sea."
Lano: "I prefer to stay close to our home anyways."
Early the next morning, the trips did their homework together.
Tero: "I heard a new song today. The island radio station is awesome! We don't have radios under the sea. Dad got me some ear buds so I can listen to every station across all the worlds!"
Lano: "Great, he's discovered more music to rave about. Soon, we'll be joining a crab rave under the sea too!"
Kai: "I just got a text. Who's Sebastion?"
Tero: "You're just a jealous drama llama."
Tero: "I think I'm going to enjoy listening to human music."
Lano: "Almost done with my homework. What about you Kai?"
Kai: "Almost finished too."
Lano: "Lilliana, I'm almost done. Why are you helping me with my homework now?"
Lilliana enjoyed the family time and decided to sit down with her son Duane and step-son Tero. Tero finished his homework last.
Lano: "We did it. We finished our homework before him!"
Kai: "You know it!"
Tero: "It wasn't a race."
While Kai and Lano were close friends, Makoa was Tero's role model. Tero was excited to finally have his own instrument! There weren't enough instruments in the sea to play.
Nani was sad after a potty accident. Lilliana tried to comfort her, but Nani wouldn't have it. Apparently, Lilliana did such a bad job potty training that Nani was emotionally scarred with a hurt sentiment.
Lilliana decided to make Nani some scrambled eggs to make up for whatever she did. Unfortunately, she was still learning to cook.
Lilliana was also getting well into her pregnancy.
Nani: "Babble (This tastes like your saltwater tears! Did you think this would make things better.)"
Lilliana tried to comfort Nani again after the watcher made her stop making chilly.
Nani: "I love your saltwater tears if it gives me food like this!"
After comforting Nani, Lilliana taught Nani her basic needs. Nani enjoyed learning with flash cards.
Nani: "Bed! (So that's where I sleep!)"
Nani: "Babble. (But why do I sleep next to where I go potty).
When Tero came home from school, he practiced the guitar. He was determined to get better at playing this human instrument.
Lano had a mood swing, so he went for a jog. Jogging with legs made him a little more frustrated? Why couldn't he just swim through his emotions?"
Since no one was paying attention, Duane made a colorful mess.
When Makoa came over...
Makoa: "Why?"
Duane: "Because it was fun!"
Makoa: "Well, now you can have fun cleaning up your mess."
Duane: "That sounds cool!"
Kai was working on a school project that involved inner workings of electricity and developing handiness. Lano was developing his painting skill with his easel. The two brothers chatted while they worked.
Kai: "Did you hear about the mermaids that moved in next door?"
Kai: "Maybe we should welcome them to the Islands?"
Kai: "I heard that they are quite the catch. I was thinking of asking one of them out on a date."
Tero came over to help his brother. "What are you two planning this tide?"
Kai: "There are three mermaids, so I think we should all try our luck."
Tero: "That's not a bad idea. I'm in."
Lano: "I'm in."
Tero: "But first, we need to finish this project."
While the trips left for school and prepared for their attempts at winning the hearts of three mermaids, Lilliana read Nani to sleep.
Nani gave her mom the stink eye and thought: "I still feel hurt. I don't want... you... reading me... I'm so tired..."
Nani thought: "That's ridiculous. Rex Trek never went into space..."
Nani thought: "I'm actually going to sleep, so shameless."
Kai, and the oldest triplet, made the first move. He went for a swim with Sera and got to know her. To Kai, Sera was a beautiful mermaid and he learned that she loved dogs.
Feeling confident, Kai showed off his muscles. Sera was impressed.
After a bit of flirting, Kai had his first kiss with Sera.
Early the next day, Lyra was born. Because she was a half-blood mermaid, she aged up quickly.
Lyra met a cute boy next door, but she was taking things slower than her older brothers.
She complimented his appearance and Zalen showed off his outfit with pride.
Lyra: "Are you... Are you, with someone?"
Zalen: "No."
Lyra: "Would you want... Would you want to swim with me some day?"
Zalen: "I'd love to!"
Tero came home with a mood swing. He was too stressed to play with his emotions.
Fortunately, he could listen to his ear buds in the sea. He took refuge in his music.
Lano, the middle triplet, introduced himself to another one of the three mermaids, Maia.
Lano: "How are you this fine day?"
Maia chuckled. Lano exaggerated his formal introduction.
To his relief, she caught onto his sense of humor.
Lano asked Maia onto a date and they went to the Triton Beach Karaoke bar, a regular hangout for merfolk.
While on his date with Maia, Arihi Zalrian came over to interrupt their date. Lano kept the date interesting by telling a funny story.
"And that's when the Underwater Unicorns of the Sea met the Magical Liopleurodon."
"Charlie, the Narwhal, couldn't commit to the Liopleurodon. He couldn't commit to anything!"
"That was until he learned the value of conservation and worked with the Liopleurodon to clean up the sea."
Arihi, who was a loner and didn't really want to socialize, left. Lano took this moment to discuss the Meaning of Death. A morbid topic to discuss, but Life was overrated anyways.
Lano: "Do humans really die, or are they just ghosts in a physical form?"
Maia: "They are ghosts in physical form of course."
Lano: "I thought so too!"
After discussing the Meaning of Death, Lano made a move. The merboy extended his arm over Maia's shoulders.
The move was a success!
Of course, he couldn't pull her close forever. So, the young merman pulled his arm away.
The couple took their date into the sea, and Lano playfully splashed Maia.
And, she splashed him back.
With the date going so well, Lano made a bold pick-up line.
On a small island, the couple had their first kiss.
The kiss went well, so the couple kissed in the water.
With the date near its end, Lano talked about the world beneath the waves. Underwater mountains and volcanoes, kelp forests, the desert like open ocean, tropical coral reefs, sea caves, sea grass meadows, and so much more. It was his inspiration for art.
The following day, Harvest arrived. The Kealoha's tried to appease the gnomes. Lyra got zapped pleading for forgiveness.
It was exciting!
Kai then proceeded to plead for forgiveness with his brothers lining up to help if they need to.
Fortunately, the Gnome accepted the plea from Kai.
By the end of the week, Tero, the youngest triplet, tried his luck with Jasmin, the third mermaid.
Tero: "Will you be the Colada in my Pina Colada?"
Surprisingly that worked, and Tero took Jasmin on a date. Tero didn't have Kai's Flirty Confidence and Lano's Humor, so he took the date slow and steady. It ended in success and his first kiss.
After his first kiss, Tero did get a bit flirty.
When he struck a pose, Jasmin complimented his appearance which only boosted his confidence.
And, finally, the high maintenance toddler aged up! Maybe she'll get over feeling hurt after some bad potty training advice.
The day was overcast, and Dylan waded into the sea. As one of the Saphire Princes and the Spirit of the Sea, it was his responsibility to look after the sea and ensure it remained in its pristine state. Mua Pel'Am was sacred to all merfolk, and it was even more important that he carried out his responsibilities for the sake of all merfolk.
His first task was to survey the sea floor. It was an easy task for someone that could breathe underwater. Him and his shimmering blue tail disappeared beneath the waves as he dove underwater.
When he surfaced, the skies cleared and the sun shined down on the islands. The dive was a success, and the underwater realm was at peace.
Next, he swam to the shallower reefs to survey them. His powerful tail allowed him to leap out of the water. For humans, a mist would hide his true form, and no matter how hard they might try, they would never be able to see his true form clearly unless they were awoken to the existence of merfolk.
As his tail slipped underwater, they might think they saw an unusually large fish or a dolphin.
Dylan often wondered why more merfolk couldn't swim underwater around the reefs. It's not like snorkeling was the only form of swimming. Of course, he would never be caught using a snorkel, a very taboo subject among merfolk. Still, whenever he did survey the reefs, he enjoyed kicking his fluke slowly as he swam around the coral and fish.
As a merman, he didn't need to surface. He could just swim slowly around the coral. Using his arms and hands, he could control his movement in the water.
"So many amazing seashells" Dylan thought. "I wish I could collect a few."
While Dylan surveyed the sea, Zeph shot a nature documentary that featured the marine birds that flew in the sky.
It didn't take long for Zeph to catch up with his twin, and Dylan called over an Albino Dolphin when they gathered around the buoy.
"What do you think about the sea around the Island?" Dylan asked his new dolphin friend.
"The waters are warm, the sun is shining, and the sea is clean. I love it." The Albino Dolphin answered.
Dylan grinned. "That's what I want to hear. Me and Zeph are working hard to keep it that way."
"At least, we're trying. Dylan needs to be more careful. He got himself cursed by a darkfin and risked the sea," Zeph said.
"It was an accident, and I won't eat mermadic kelp from strangers again."
As the sun set, the twins went to the shore.
"There are changes happening in Henford-on-Bagley. I might have to manipulate time again. The Pink Tail Prince is going to need help soon. There's a storm coming."
"And I thought we were just starting to have some fun." Dylan replied. "Well, if that's what it takes to help him out. Let's just enjoy our time while we have it."
"I'll be bending the fabric of time to make sure things work out. I can't imagine will have to worry about how we spend our time. But, yes, we'll have plenty of time to have a bit of fun before then."
"Must be nice to be the Spirit of the Sky. Wish I could control the time," Dylan said.
"As the Spirit of the Sea, you can resurrect the dead as merfolk... That has to be way better than what I can do. All I'm doing is manipulating time by manipulating the seasons..."
Dylan got lost in his brother's lecture and blanked out for a moment. Dylan was a Creative Genius, not the same kind of Genius his brother was.
"And that's how changing the season with a weather machine influences time." Zeph finished.
Extra:
Here's Mortimer Goth's Replacement when it comes to beach strolls with a book. lol
Juniper was falling behind on his studies at Kanaloha High, the high school for merfolk. After work, Zephyr tutored his little brother and helped him finish homework. While Juniper worked on his homework, Dylan jazzed up the place.
Zeph: "And that's why you avoid giant squids in the deep sea."
Juniper: "I see now."
Juniper: "That's one of the easier topics."
As the night set in, the Twins and Juniper slept in the sea. For Calum, old habits die hard. He stayed close to his sons and watched over them while they slept. He caught up with his brother while he was playing the guardian.
Kemps: "I've heard rumors about merfolk in other worlds. Maybe the lost princes are still out there."
Calum: "We've kept it a secret from the twins, but they found out anyways. The Darkfins have returned in spite of their banishment. it worries me."
Kemps: "It's something to be worried about. Who knows what they'll do next."
The next day, the twins returned to their hobbies. Even if Dylan and Zeph wanted to avoid fame, they were immortal mermen with extra ordinary talents. As mermen, they were gifted with handsome looks too. Eventually, the humans would take notice of them regardless of what they did.
Zeph's Gift of Knowledge made him sought after for authenticating artifacts.
Dylan's Gift of Creativity made him a talented Musician that could draw crowds with the melodies he played on any instrument. His voice was equally captivating, but that's typical of all mermen and mermaids.
Sometimes, Juniper felt like he was in the shadow of his brothers. He came home with a mood swing. For whatever reason, he was upset.
Juniper might've been a bit dramatic about it.
He didn't have the confidence to work through his emotions on an instrument, so he went for a jog around the island. He wondered why he couldn't swim around the island to clear his mind, but as an earth elemental, it felt good to be on solid ground. It was hard at times. Juniper was a young merman, and yet, he was also an Earth Elemental that was deeply connected to plants. He had green eyes instead of the same sea-green as other merfolk. He was different.
But, Juniper loved plants, and he tended to the Garden around Zalia Shores. He found some magic beans in seed packs, and eventually, he completed his collection.
With the nurturing care of an elemental, the seeds immediately grew into a large magic tree.
Juniper was discovering that being different was okay. His brothers had their gifts, but his gift was his green thumb.
When Juniper explored the hidden realm within the magic tree, his brothers were drawn to it too. Who wouldn't notice a tree spontaneously springing up from the earth? But, they had other things they wanted to chat about.
The space within the tree was filled with flora instead of darkness, and inside this mysterious garden, Juniper found the Forbidden Fruit of the Plant Sims.
Juniper was proud of his discovery and took an obligatory selfie.
He also planted the Forbidden Fruit and added it to his botanical collection. As a merman, he was immune to its magical affects when eaten.
He gave the Forbidden Fruit the Gift of Sulani and left it to grow.
Extras:
Arihi was late to work, so she ended up changing into her work clothes before leaving the water. Calum is a diver, so he didn't have work until later.
I loved the Flavor text on the Magic Bean Tree Portal!
Later that evening, the twins went to the local merfolk hangout to sing some Karaoke. There, Dylan told an epic pirate tale after singing.
Lir gave his uncle a glance and thought. "Here we go again."
Dylan continued his story. "The pirates' skeletons were still wandering around the ship. Someone forgot to tell them that their boat sank."
Rylan thought. "I know that shipwreck. I haven't seen any undead pirates."
Dylan turned to Rylan. "I sense some doubt, but let me tell you, I swam up to them and asked them about what they were doing. They told me they were on look out duty."
Dylan went on. "The pirates only appear during high tide, and they help watch for Giant Squids, particularly the mighty kraken."
"No one has seen the Kraken that sank their boat, but the Kraken is a squid bigger than a giant squid. It's a colossal squid."
"I was about to swim away, when the undead pirate parrot cawed."
"The kraken wasn't far away, and the parrot was warning me. I bravely grabbed rusty scabbard and prepared to help defend the pirates against their ancient foe!"
"Then, a deep-sea volcano erupted and out came the mighty kraken! Eruptions underwater aren't like the eruptions on land. Lava flowed out and hardened as quickly as it flowed. The water heated up!"
"How did you endure the heat. There's no way..." Rylan said.
Dylan continued. "I used my Elemental Power to protect the boat and the crew. I channeled cooler ocean currents that flowed over the lava flows like an underwater wind!"
"After a great fight, we chased off the Kraken and the pirate crew was saved!"
Extras:
Dylan's mom gave him a phone call that I wasn't expecting considering that he lives at home with her. lol. Apparently, one of the townies died.
Dylan used his ability to calm emotions to help his mom work through the loss of a friend.
The Zalrian Family also did a beach clean up and that helped Jade work through her distant phase. Juniper helped a bullied sim.
Dylan and Zephyr's wives lived in separate households to protect them and Dylan's twin sons, Barnabus and Wade, from the Darkfins. Sarah Darkfin wove a curse on Cecelia that stole her immortality, her mermadic powers, and her mermaid form.
Despite the curse, Dylan's love for Cecelia was unwavering. He made sure to remind her that his Heart and Soul belonged to her by singing his beguiling Charmer's Lullaby and giving her his Merman's Kiss. Both mermadic abilities were reserved for the partners of any mermaid or merman.
A Merman's Kiss, or Mermaid's Kiss, held the power to give humans the ability to breathe underwater. So long as Cecelia was under its influence, she could be in the sea with Dylan without any fear of drowning.
Zephyr and Sefina had some fun in the snow before Dylan and Cecelia crashed their date.
Zephyr retaliated by starting a snowball fight by throwing a snowball at Cecelia.
Dylan joined the fight, but it turned into a fight between the Twins vs their wives. Dylan and Zeph teamed up and the snowball fight began to heat up.
Cecelia: "Did you just throw a snowball at me?!"
Dylan wasn't done though. He threw a snowball at his brother. "Bet you didn't see that coming. I'm a snowball throwing double agent!"
For Dylan, he had a good laugh, but the Twins ended up joining forces.
Reached up to throw a snowball at Cecelia. "Don't you dare!"
Dylan's snowball ended up falling to his feet instead of hitting Cecelia.
Zephyr wanted to make up for his brother by asking Sefina if she wanted to go on another date. She said yes.
Zephyr took Sefina back to Sulani where they had some fun in the water. Zeph splashed Sefina and she splashed him back.
Zeph: "Sorry about my brother. He can be quite an airhead sometimes."
Sefina: "It's no trouble. I had a lot of fun."
Caught up in the moment, Zeph gave Sefina his Merman's Kiss.
On the Docks, Zeph felt confident and moved in for a suave kiss.
The two love fish ended their date sitting on a love seat at the beach. Zeph made a move and looked deeply into Sefina's eyes.
It was the merman's hope that they would have more time together. Zeph though that Sefina might join him in the sea, but he kept his thoughts to himself for now.
For now, the couple sang some karaoke. Sefina wasn't very good, but compared to the voice of a merman, few were much better.
Ember unintentionally created a connection between the Spirit Realm and Zalia Shores when she gained her spellcaster powers.
Despite her natural talent for being a medium, the Twins often had to work together to keep the Spiritual Serenity in check. Performing Seances was taxing for Dylan and Zeph and required all of their focus. Consequently, they couldn't maintain their human disguise during the Seances, and they reverted to their true, undisguised forms.
The Seances sapped the twins energy, but they managed to take their human form long enough to get to some patio recliners and nap. With so much energy exhausted, they slept in their natural forms. Legs and looking like a human was over-rated anyways.
While the twins regained their energy, Zalia Shores had an uninvited guest. This poltergeist was Ember's Rival, and she never hesitated to "practice" her magic on her.
As a Fire Elemental, Ember's first and favorite spell was Inferniate. She was becoming quite the pyromaniac every day. With magic, she could fix whatever she burned.
Dylan slipped into his Elemental Form while he slept and helped to chase off the Poltergeist. In his Elemental Form, Dylan floated, so he didn't have to change into his human disguise.
Dylan spooked the spook, but he wasn't going to stop there. More than being an Elemental, he was a merman first, and he had his mermadic power to help him fight the ghost.
Dylan wove magic into his Agean's Question, and the poltergeist was paralyzed with tension.
Dylan called a thunderstorm. Normally, he would leave manipulating the weather to his twin, the Spirit of the Sky, but should he need to, he had sway over the weather too.
The Poltergeist was having enough of this nuisance, but Dylan wasn't done. He summoned his elemental powers, channeling the elemental fires of Mua Pel'Am in his hands.
The Islands Answered Dylans call for power, and the Poltergeist was struck where she stood by Lightning. After being burned in death and struck by the forces of nature, the connection to the Spirit Realm and Zalia Shores was severed. The ghost was done haunting this place.
Extra:
I ended up killing Dylan and Zeph's Grandmother, the Saphire Queen. Mermadic Powers are helpful in many ways, but if you want to get a ghost from Death by Electrocution, the process is quite simple.
Second: Make sure the Mermaid or Merman has low Handiness and have them repair the broken electronics. After a few attempts, the mermaid or merman should get a nice jolt before the deadly jolt. Make the dazed mermaid or merman make a few more repairs for success.
The Grim Reaper should appear if everything is done successfully.
Grim: "I thought she already died thanks to the Darkfins. Oh, this isn't part of the story."
Grim: "I guess I'll listen to the repaired stereo and dance on her grave."
Metior: "Oh, there's Juniper's potential Girlfriend taking a selfie with grim Dancing on his grandmother's grave. Better not tell him."
And, that's how you zap a mermaid to death.
Dylan: "So, Metior has this genius idea. Apparently, we aren't allowed to leave the water, and we're supposed to go from rags to riches too."
Zephyr: "I don't really see the challenge there."
Dylan: "Well, if we go on land, we lose all our simoleans."
Zephyr: "Bring it on!"
Saphren: "I don't know. It's been how many years since we last chatted?"
Dylan: "It's not like I can actually dive underwater myself, well, Metior can't follow me when I dive underwater."
Saphren: "So, you blame it on the watcher. Fair enough."
Saphren: "I give, I'll be right back with something."
Dylan: "Thank you, my friend."
Dylan: "Well, it wasn't what I was expecting, but thank you for retrieving a Piranha for me."
Dylan: "But next time, could you get me something that won't bite my fins."
Saphren: "Sure thing buddy."
Dylan: "I'll hold you to that."
Dylan: "I mean, it's not like there aren't more things in the sea. There's coral..."
Saphren: "And creatures with squid legs diving in the sea..."
Dylan: "You mean humans. Yeah, there are humans in the sea too."
Dylan: "But most humans ride on boats or stay on the shores of the islands."
Saphren: "It's better to be a dolphin, just saying."
Dylan: "I don't disagree. Swimming in the sea is better than wandering around on land."
Saphren: "Well, I have dolphin things to do, so see ya later.
Early the next day, the twins swam to deeper water and dove into the depths to look for sunken treasure. They couldn't rely on their dolphin familiars for all their income. The dive was fairy repetitive with a lot of pulled fin muscles. When they needed to take a break, Zephyr called his Dolphin Familiar, Saphran.
Saphran: "Look at my majestic profile!"
Zephyr: "Thank you for gracing us with your presence. Can you fetch me something from the deep?"
Saphran: "I know the perfect thing."
And so, Saphran dove for a treasure from the deep.
Saphran: "Some human left this digi-sketch pad in the sea when a giant boat sank. I was thinking you could sketch my majestic profile with it!"
Zephyr: "While that's a nice idea, I'd rather eat a pufferfish. Thank you anyways."
Saphran: "It was worth asking."
Zephyr: "Now that you mention it, do you think you can tell me if there's anything else in that giant shipwreck?"
Saphran: "Very funny. The only useful thing down there was something to capture my Magnificence."
Zephyr: "It was worth asking."
Zephyr: "I do have another thing to ask."
Saphran: "I'm listening."
Zephyr: "Do you think you can do a flip for me? I'm horrible at jumping out of the water. Me and my brother would love to see such an impressive trick."
Saphran: "I'd love to show you a thing or two!"
Zephyr: "Awesome!"
And so Saphran showed the twins how to jump out of the water.
Zephyr: "I couldn't do better myself."
Saphran: "Of course you couldn't. You're all left fins."
Zephyr: "Hey, at least I can dive deeper and stay underwater as long as I want to. You have to stay close to the surface."
Saphran: "Minor details."
After a long couple of days, the twins slept near a shallow reef that offered some shelter from the rough tides.
The next day, Dylan was asked on a date by Cecelia. While there was a penalty for going on land, that didn't stop Dylan. Dylan spent so much time swimming, that he almost forgot how to walk. He spent most of the date sitting down. After spending days without shifting into his human form, every step felt like daggers in his feet. A small price to pay to spend time with the love of his life on land for a moment.
Dylan: "I'm glad I get to spend some time with you."
Cecelia: "I'm glad you could be here."
Dylan: "How about a massage?"
Cecelia: "I'd love one."
While Cecelia's Guard was down, Dylan tickled her mercilessly.
It took some effort to get down the stairs again, but Dylan did his best to stay by Cecelia's side. Cecelia took to living among humans quickly, and Dylan, a merman that was spending his days in the sea, just couldn't endure the pain of being on his feet. He knew old tales about the Little Mermaid and how she felt on land when she made a deal with a sea witch to be human. Experiencing the pain was something different, but he never felt discomfort on land when he spent more time in his human form. Maybe, it was just something humans were used to. Dylan didn't naturally have legs after all. Magic gave him a human form.
Cecelia: "You look great by the way?"
Dylan: "Thank you."
Cecelia blew Dylan a kiss and thought, "I have this merman hook, line, and sinker."
After the date, Dylan returned to the sea with his heart fluttering like flying fish.
He dove down into the depths in search of more treasures. It was his hope to build a home that his wife and sons could live in with him when the Darkfins were dealt with.
Eventually, Dylan and Zeph began taking turns with the dives, and they never dove alone. Occasionally, other merfolk met them in deeper water and dove with them.
Occasionally, Dolphins showed up and played with them too.
Dylan called Saphren again.
Dylan: "How are things in the sea?"
Saphren: "Everything has been fintastic! I've been playing in the surf lately. It's a rush!"
Dylan: "I bet. I had a date with my wife. Being in a human form after so much time in the sea, it felt different. It caught me by surprise."
Saphren: "I hear that once a merman or mermaid spends too much time in their natural form, the magic to take human form hurts for a while. I hope you were alright."
Dylan: "It was nothing I couldn't handle."
Dylan: "I'll always be more at home in the water, swimming with my family. By the way, what's it like swimming with your pod?"
Saphren: "The Azure Dolphins are like the other dolphins, we swim through the deep, play, and hunt schools of fish. But, we always respond to the calls from our merfolk partners."
Dylan: "Thank you for that. You guys always splash in when we need you."
Saphren: "It's an honor to be an Azure Dolphin. We are born the moment a mermaid or merman is born, and we are raised by our parents to help them when they grow into their fins."
Eventually Zephyr caught up to his twin after Saphren left.
Zephyr: "I heard you went on land to go on a date with Cecelia. Are you alright?"
Dylan: "I'm fine. It was a bit painful, but we had a good time together."
Zephyr: "We've spent so much time in the sea. You shouldn't push yourself too much on land."
Dylan: "Zeph, I'm fine. I'm really starting to miss the music on land though. I can't play any instruments or sing in the water."
Zephyr: "We're almost there. Just hold on a little longer. Soon, we'll be stretching our squid legs again."
That night, Cecelia went to the sea to meet with Dylan. Dylan was ecstatic to see her. To ensure she wouldn't drown and could spend time with him, he gave her his merman's kiss.
Dylan: "How are Barnabus and Wade doing? I think about them every tide."
Cecelia: "They are doing well. I don't think they inherited mermadic powers. They are ordinary human boys."
Dylan: "The power is dormant. I'm sure of it. One day, we'll have to tell them about their heritage."
Cecelia: "One day. I'm still worried about the Darkfins. For now, we should keep their mermadic heritage a secret. I know it's hard to not be there while they grow up."
Dylan: "It's okay. I understand. I do. I don't want a darkfin to know about them, to go anywhere near them."
Dylan: "You should head back to them. I'll always be here. I don't want both of us to miss out on them growing up."
While Dylan got some rest, Zephyr took over searching for more sunken treasure to sell in the merfolk markets under the sea.
Dylan received another call from Cecelia asking to go on a date. Dylan was happy to meet up with her. The Grim Reaper sent Dylan many messages about humans he knew dying. It was the price of immortality. He would live on while the humans he encountered grow old and die.
Cecelia was struggling with her emotions. She wasn't able to distract herself with the wonders of the sea. Dylan didn't think of himself as cold, but he really didn't feel sad about the loss. He was washed over with positive feelings the sea gave him.
Cecelia: "It's not fair. Why do humans have to die?"
Cecelia: "Mortality, why does it have to exist?!"
Dylan used his spiritual powers and soothed Cecelia's emotions. Feelings of calm and the oceanic splendor washed over Cecelia from Dylan.
With a few deep breaths, Cecelia started to feel better.
Dylan trembled on his legs, but he focused on helping his wife. He sang an Inspiring Berceuse that overpowered Cecelia's sorrow and lifted her spirits.
But for Dylan, every moment was worth it. He could endure the pain of being in human form. Eventually, after some time spent in this unnatural form, it would go away.
Cecelia knew Dylan was struggling, so the couple sat down. Dylan blew her a kiss.
The next day, the twins finally raised enough money and adjusted to their human forms again. It was just in time for the romance festival. Zephyr took Sefina to the festival to drink Sakura Tea. Zephyr never said anything, but he loved the festivals in different worlds. He always showed up to the Humor and Hijinks Festival, Island Festivals, and the other Celebrations humans had.
The Festival Music helped to set the mood, and Zephyr played the romantic. Zeph and Sefina were enamored. Even after spending some time on land, Zeph still needed time to adjust to his human form and chose to sit with Sefina.
Halfway through the festival, Dylan showed up. This time, he was much more comfortable using his legs. He called Cecelia to hang out. After spending hours with Cecelia and just before he left to go home, Dylan gave Cecelia a passionate kiss.
Note:
Extra:
"Even more impressive, his watcher had their 48th anniversary with their partner!"
Anyways, Zephyr was struck twice this time.
Powering up for another lightning strike!
Love this screenshot!
While Zeph brought the Lightning, Dylan made it rain fire!
It wasn't long before the power wore off and it was time to start the challenge. Zeph loves his weather machines. lol
Sefina asked Zeph onto dates often, and I found that being a celebrity made the date intrusions more intrusive.
Zeph and Sefina were having a good time when I saw sims appear in the conversation.
But, there was literally a blizzard... Why? And during a date too.
And so things got too awkward for romance.
Zeph tried to make the date worthwhile with stories about robot invasions, but being a geek could only be so charming.
For a moment, I thought the fans would leave them alone, but I was mistaken. Zeph really did try hard during the date. Sefina did love his geek nature. Zeph was her geek after all.
I had Zeph stop his date to sing Agean's Question to Sergio. I was hoping that would be enough to make him leave, but I guess the celebrity sighting overpowered the tense moodlet. I also think he didn't want to go out into the blizzard. Zeph was trapped in a small room with a bunch of fans intruding on his date.
A Vampire Townie showed up and had a few choice words when I finally got to leave the date. I kinda like her.
Dylan played wing-merman and helped his brother recover. First, he removed the sub-par DJ. I'm very impressed with the range of a Siren's Call. Sims across the map get lured into the sea. But, most merfolk abilities can impact entire neighborhoods and worlds.
Fun Fact: if a mermaid or merman calls a thunderstorm. Every single neighborhood in a world is subject to that thunderstorm. Leaving the lot to go to a different neighborhood won't change the weather.
Dylan was a much better DJ anyways, and he can manipulate the emotions of sims on the Dance Floor. Dylan has so many different ways to change a sims mood, but that's the power of art.
Note: If you look, Cecelia showed up too. Dylan didn't invite her to hang out, but she showed up anyways.
Dylan on the phone: "Operator, my brother is love struck. He's still lost in the party."
Unfortunately, being a Marine Biologist doesn't yield any fame, but I did learn that shooting a nature documentary brings in Royalties. I had Dylan take pictures of Mua Pel'Am and I didn't get any pictures that could be sold or shared for fame.
This wouldn't be a bad profile picture for Zeph. He's looking good and knows it too.
Of course, if any sim can sing as well as the twins, they would build fame quickly. Dylan and Zeph gained a lot of their fame from Karaoke Performances.
Eventually, I went back to the Sand Bar and realized that the roof was still in bad shape after my attempt at getting my twins struck by lighting twice. I redid the bar and put in a stage for performing. I had Dylan and Zeph dress in their merman attire, with a shirt and shoes. They would be drawing attention to themselves after all.
The Bar also has a small area that should make it function as a lounge too. I might change the lot type so Talent Shows can take place in Sulani.
This is when Dylan caught Cecelia Cheating with another merman. It was minor Flirting, and the moodlet was overpowered by tons of positive moodlets. Needless to say, Dylan was upset at first, but he was quickly unaffected by her flirting.
I think the game got upset that I ignored the drama it so conveniently put in front of me because Dylan was struck by lightning....
Zeph was taking a break from performing, and he changed into his merman attire for cold weather. He had a moment with Sefina.
Here's a look at the stage for performing. And yes, Sims can actually perform with a Guitar or Violin. With enough Simoleons, performers can be hired.
I also had Dylan and Zeph perform at the Flea Market. After I made my post about where my Twins like to hang out, I remembered that Zeph actually enjoys the City and Island Festivals. He's a regular at these events.
I made another Karaoke Bar/ Bowling Ally in San Myshuno and the twins went there to perform. I had Dylan and Zeph get excited to see each other there. It was really hilarious to be honest. They were both ecstatic to see each other because they were both celebrities. Dylan and Zeph spend so much time together that they actually get powerful moodlets from being near each other. With sentiment system, they often get the stronger moodlets that last for days.
In my game right now, Dylan is feeling protective of Zeph with the Adoring Sentiment and Zeph is getting playful with a Good Times Sentiment. This is actually pretty normal with the twins. They are that close.
And, that's when they swapped outfits because of the fame perks.
Zeph dressed like Dylan does in his Everyday Merman Attire.
Dylan dressed like Zeph does in his Everyday Merman Attire.
I ended up changing them back into their Merman Attire for Cold weather with shirt and shoes. They weren't in Sulani and had to at least blend in with humans somewhat. They ended up posing for the Paparazzi Together. After seeing what would happen with different perks and quirks, I had the twins step out of the spotlight so they could build their fame naturally. They have unstoppable fame, so it's only a matter of time before they become world famous celebrities.
The children always inherit the Father's Tail with very few exceptions.
Elemental Occults Rule
Due to the nature of certain Occults and their abilities, I came up with a few rules for which type of occult the Water, Air, Fire, Earth, and Shadow Elementas can become. I split Earth Elementals into two variations, Land Elementals and Plant Elementals.
The Sapphire Royal Family's Laws of Succesion
It was believed that the Blue Tail was lost because Kemps and Calum inherited their father's tail, a typical result of merfolk genetics.
With the Bloodline believed to be broken, Kemps inherited the title of Sapphire King and Calum inherited the title First Sapphire Prince.
After Calum fell in love with an Elemental and had children, the Blue Tail resurfaced in the Bloodline. Dylan and Zephyr became the joint heirs and the Second Crown Princes because they inherited their Grandmother's Blue Tail. Age gave Kemps Seniority and that's why Dylan and Zephyr never inherited the title of Sapphire King.
Barnaby and Wade are destined to be drawn to the sea because their Father is an Elemental of Water and the Spirit of the Sea. They are fated to become mermen when their bloodline awakens, but any descendants of theirs will not share the same fate if they are born before their bloodline awakens. Barnaby and Wade will inherit Dylan's Tail.
The order of succesion for the title of Sapphire King is as follows:
This makes the first born twin of the Twin Legacy the Heir and the Second Born twin a spare.
Barnaby and Wade's Toddler Days
Raising a pair of twins can be stressful, however, Sefina promised Zephyr that she would help look after his brother's family. While Cecelia learned to live life as a human and went to work in a human career, Sefina took time to help care for the twins. As was intentional, the Twins didn't know they were royals or had a connection to the sea. They didn't know that Elementals, Merfolk, Vampires, and Aliens existed. They didn't know about the Darkfins hunting the Royal Bloodline they were apart of. They were blissfully oblivious to the dangers of the magic realm even though they lived in one of the few magical worlds. Barnabus was the older twin and Wade was the younger twin. The difference in age was seconds to minutes.
While Wade played with the blocks, Sefina focused her attention on Barnabus. Barnabus, or Barnaby as his mother lovingly called him, was a wild toddler and needed the extra attention. Wade was Angelic and never misbehaved.
Barnaby smiled and nodded. Sefina wondered if anything got through to the hyper child.
Wade thought: "These blocks are fun. I wonder if I'd be able to play catch. What is catch?"
Instead of Sefina trying to teach a young toddler that couldn't speak table manners, she though it would be more helpful to teach him how to speak. Before leaving the Business Career to become a Gardener and work outside like she always wanted to, she ate a lot of Pizza at Foxbury. This brought back memories of when she first met Zeph.
And that's when she found out what Zephyr was soon after. She saw his shimmering blue tail when he lept out of the water to splash her, and oddly, she wasn't totally startled by the absence of legs. Zephyr at the time wasn't confomring to merfolk traditions and wore a fish net top. Apparently, young mermen were rebelious to tradition too during their University Years. Later, Zeph went shirtless, even in his human form, distanced himself from humans, wore more gold and silver trinkets, and left the netting behind when he had to represent the Merfolk of Sulani as a prince. The fish net was human junk that wasn't suitable for a prince, so Zephyr was told.
The night was still magical for Sefina.
Sefina: "And that's what pizza is."
Barnaby: "Babble. (So that's what Rex Treks eats?)".
Barnaby: "Babble. Babble. (Doesn't seem healthy though.)"
Barnaby: "Babba. (I like junk food though.)"
While Sefina taught Barnaby how to talk, Wade taught himself how to speak by talking to the plants outside.
Wade: "Babble. (What does sunshine taste like?)."
Later in the afternoon, Sefina got a call from Zeph.
Naturally, Sefina didn't want to leave the twins home alone, so she brought them with her. Cecelia was home at the time, so she joined Sefina at the City Festival. Wade learned to speak and his first words was a Joke he learned there.
Wade: "Why did the Jack spring from his box?"
Cecelia: "Why?"
Wade: "Because he's a Jack-in-the-box."
Barnaby thought the festival was the perfect time to take his clothes off.
As he wandered around naked, Cecelia caught up with him.
Cecelia: "Are you serious? Please don't take your clothes off in public."
Barnaby thought: "I want to bob to music now."
Before Cecelia could follow Barnaby, Wade aproached her.
Wade: "Story please!"
Cecelia: "Sure, let me get your brother and we'll head home for a story."
Even though their father, uncle, grandparents were at the festival, the twins never had a chance to get to know them. Still, Dylan and Zeph were always keeping watch over them at a distance. It was hard. Dylan, Zeph, Calum, and Arihi wanted to be a part of their lives, but they also had to keep their distance for their protection. It was Cecelia's wish that they didn't know about the magic realm yet. At home, Barnaby wandered into the bathroom and started splashing in the toilet.
Cecelia had to stop reading Wade to sleep to discpline his brother. She went for a softer approach and hugged it out.
The afternoon rainstorm hit, and Cecelia held the umbrella over herself and the twins. Barnaby were unaffected by the rain, and Wade gave his brother a hug.
Wade: "You need to listen to mommy. She's trying to help you."
Barnaby: "Babble. (Why aren't you talking normal anymore. Those words are Quackers.)"
Then Barnaby started to speak. He didn't even second guess himself.
Barnaby: "My favorite color is Orange!"
Barnaby: "But I also like the color red."
Barnaby: "Red is actually a pretty cool color."
Wade: "I like green and brown, but red is a cool color."
The next morning, Barnaby snuck into the cabninets and grabbed some baking ingredients for an art project. He saw his mom painting a lot, and he thought art was fun.
Cecelia: "Are you serious? We just got this new patio and a slide for you and your brother."
Cecelia: "Please don't make messes."
After cleaning up the mess and when Sefina came home, Dylan asked Cecelia if she wanted to go on a date.
The couple went to the Dance Floor and danced together. Cecelia blew Dylan a kiss. Since they were in a Magic World, Dylan wore traditional merman attire. He had his image as a merman prince to maintain. He still had a responsibility to represent Sulani Merfolk.
Like his brother, Dylan wasn't using his human form as much, and the magic to shapeshift came at a price. It hurt to stand, like daggers in his feet. Eventually, he had to sit down during the date. He was trying to get used to being in his human form again, and he thought he was past the discomfort. The pain would go away if he spent enough time shapeshifted.
Cecelia, having been a mermaid herself, understood that it took a lot of effort for Dylan to be on land. She didn't mind sitting down with him.
Cecelia whispered in Dylan's ear: "I'm glad you could be here."
Dylan: "Of course, I would endure a thousand daggers in my feet anytime if it means I get to spend one night with you."
Dylan placed a hand on Cecelia's and Cecelia grabbed his hand.
Dylan: "You and the twins mean the world to me, and I look forward to spending every moment I can with you and them."
Dylan clasped his other hand around Cecelia's. "I will always be here for you and them."
Cecelia: "I know you will be."
Dylan and Cecelia snuggled close to each other. It was hard for both of them. Dylan was bound to the sea, and Sarah Darkfin took Cecelia mermadic magic. Though Sarah was defeated in the Ruins of a Selvadorada Temple, her curse still kept Dylan and Cecelia apart after death. It was only a matter of time before Barnabus and Wade's bloodline would awaken. Cecelia would die a mortal death, and Dylan would have to help his sons after she was gone.
Cecelia kissed Dylan on the head. "I'll always love you."
Before Dylan could reply, Cecelia mercilessly tickled him. "And that's payback for our last date."
The merman couldn't take it. "I give. I give."
When Cecelia was done, Dylan whispered in her ear. "Let's sing some karaoke. I think I have the energy to stand again."
The couple went down stairs and sang a karaoke duet before Dylan returned to the sea.
The date was just what Cecelia needed to keep going. It helped her have a bit of fun and socialization before looking after the twins again. She taught Barnaby shapes while Wade learned shapes on his own.
Cecelia: "Look, you can make a castle with the blocks if you stack the smaller blocks on the bigger blocks."
It started to occur to Baranbus that healthy foods were better than junk food. He didn't know how shapes factored into it, but he was learning.
Sefina checked on Wade.
Wade: "Bath time please!"
Cecelia stepped in to endure the toddler soaking while Sefina used the bathroom counter to make a fruit salad. When you lived off the grid and grew your own food, you made do with whatever you had. Cecelia and Sefina had lots of fruits they grew in their garden.
The twins didn't know why it became dark sometimes, and Cecelia and Sefina always kept the tears and fears away by spending quality time with them. The house was getting bigger and used more power than it produced. Soon, they would need more wind turbines. After all, the Spirit of the Sky looked after them. They had the sky and the wind on their side.
Sefina told a bold story to help pass the time. "And that's how Rex Treks brings us the wind. With every roar, we get a gust of wind that helps to keep the lights on.
Suddenly, thunder crashed and the rain outside turned into a thunderstorm. Wind rushed over the roof and the wind turbines picked up speed.
Cecelia comforted Wade with a hug. "It's okay. It's just Rex Treks's Roar, and someone very special to Sefina helping us."
The power came back on, but Cecelia and Sefina had to go to work. The twins were taken to daycare even though they weren't happy. Cecelia and Sefina did find a daycare that would take good care of the boys.
Later that night, strange lights began glowing outside. They hypniotically called to Sefina. In much the same way that the Cecelia and Sefina kept the twins true identities a secret, Gui never told them that he was an Alien when he renovated their home. Unfortuantely, associating with Aliens put Sefina and Cecelia on their radar. And, magic was a curiosity for aliens that specialized in science.
The abduction from Aliens was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before the Aliens would prove friendly or not.
While Sefina was abducted, Ember came over to check on her sisters in law. The sky was unforgiving and she was struck by lightning outisde their doors. For Ember, it was a harmless zap that sent a clear message. It wasn't time for Ember to meet her nephews.
Shortly after, Sefina was returned to her home. The Aliens didn't get much from abducting her. She was the most human out of everyone she knew.
Still, Sefina was worried about the Aliens. They were dangerously close to one of the Worlds' Pillars, the Spirit of the Sky and her husband.
Despite everything that happened outside, the twins were still protected from the truth. Barnaby made silly faces with his brother and took a liking to comedy.
Much like their Father and Uncle, Barnaby and Wade were very close and spent a lot of time together. They didn't know a lot of people and their world was still very small. Barnaby was the one that pushed the boundaries of their world and looked for adventure outside. Wade stayed in his pajamas most of the time. He liked the outdoors but he didn't try to leave the safe comfort of their nursery as often.
Eventually, the twins outgrew the high chairs. It reached a point where they ate in bed or on the floor. It was difficult to have them do much else. When the wind slowed, the power went out, and this became normal for the twins. The light from windows helped to keep the dark away.
At least until the summer thunderstorms blacked out the sky, but this was also a relief. The thunderstorms brought the wind and the power eventually turned back on.
As the week grew closer to an end, the boys were clearly growing fast. Barnaby loved to rough house with Cecelia and he was still young enough for Cecelia to enjoy it too.
The Alien Activity didn't escape Zephyr's notice, and he showed up the next day to check on his wife, Sister in Law, and Nephews. Much like his brother, this was going out of his way. It didn't look like it, but it was hard on him to take human form.
Sefina: "You don't think we have anything to worry about."
Zeph: "As long as they don't make a habit of showing up. I think you and the twins will be fine. I'll watch over you guys, and if they return, I'll see what I can do to keep you guys safe."
After checking on Sefina, Zeph went for a quick jog around the house. Every step hurt, but he wanted to check out the area just in case.
Back at the house, Barnaby pushed Wade away. Wade lovedgiving hugs, but Barnaby felt like he was getting too big for them. This was a surprise for Wade.
Since the twins didn't want to socialize today, they decided to watch Sefina repair the toilet.
Friday arrived faste than expected and the local bars had a speical to show appreciation to their patrons. Cecelia and Sefina had a date night with their Husbands in Sulani. They huddled around the warm embers of the Beach Bonfire before getting something to eat. As Mermen, Dylan and Zeph were sustained by the sea and never needed to eat, but their wives were different. The next day was Baranby and Wade's Birthday. There wasn't a lot they could do to celebrate while trying to stay on the down low. So, a family gathering was out of the question.
Extras
Dylan was struck by Lighting when he came to visit. I think Dylan and Zeph would have been more involved with the toddlers if the game had the option for the twins to interact with them. Unfortunately, I couldn't even introduce Baranabus and Wade to Dylan and Zeph until they aged up. It's not like Dylan and Zeph didn't try to be there. They did visit fairly often and did their best to be as involved as possible.
A preview of Barnabus and Wade. Their Childhood will start with the next update. I wonder where Barnabus is learning about Vampires?
After their double date, Sefina went to the backyard and began planting some larger crops. The assortment of potential meals was lacking given their simple living.
Wade was an angelic toddler, so Cecelia was very forgiving considering this was his first mess he made.
Wade was more than happy to clean up his mess, and he understood that what he did was wrong.
He even decided to help tend to the flowers.
After the twins left for school, Dylan called Cecelia and asked her out on another date. When they started to get romantic, an old woman with a bag that must have had bricks in it approached Cecelia. The couple climbed to the top of the skyscraper, so Dylan was worn out. He couldn't get to his feet. While the woman wacked Cecelia, Dylan had some choice words. Cecelia used herself as a shield as she took the hits.
After the woman left, Dylan thanked Cecelia with a kiss in the water before leaving. The date went alright, and the old woman couldn't ruin it entirely.
When the twins returned home, they started working on their homework. They were becoming very in sync like their Father and Uncle.
When they finished their homework, Wade approached his brother with a huge grin. "The sky is getting cloudy. It won't get dark tonight."
Barnaby: "You're becoming quite the storm chaser. What's up with that?"
Wade: "I don't find thunderstorms scary. I don't know why, but I enjoy the sound of thunder and heavy rain."
Barnaby: "Last night, I saw a bat flying through the shadows. Before I could blink, I saw it transform into a Vampire."
Wade: "That's impossible. Vampires aren't real."
Barnaby: "I'm telling the truth, I swear."
Wade: "Are you sure you aren't seeing things."
Barnaby: "Haven't you noticed anything strange about the neighborhood. Like, people dressed funny and random strangers approaching the door."
Wade: "Not really."
While the twins were chatting about Vampires and other strange things they started to notice, Damion, the Elemental of Shadows and a former Merman, stood next to an urn. A young man sped through the shadows to be by his side. Damion caressed his cheek and lifted his chin.
Damion: "I love you so much. I will always love you. When I'm done collecting a few wonderful things, we'll take a vacation to Sulani. Just the two of us. I'll be redeemed, and I will finally see the light again. We will have a wonderful time together."
Damion held onto some of his mermadic heritage, espcially in his dark form. However, he had no intention of regaining his mermadic powers. He fully embraced the darkness, but that didn't mean he didn't want to enjoy the light. Sulani was brightest world out of all the worlds. He knew that, if he claimed the souls of the most evil and vile merfolk, the island spirits would forgive his transgressions against the Elementals. He wasn't going to change his evil nature, but he also didn't want to lurk in shadows forever. Claiming Evil Souls was its own dark fun.
Damion: "You aren't going anywhere. I invoke the contract and pull your spirit back from the edge of the Netherworld. Sarah Darkfin, I summon your soul that belongs to me."
Damion changed into his Dark Form and sat next to the Evil Mermaid's Soul. "Did you really think I would let you pass on to the Netherworld? You belong to me for eternity, and I will make sure to put what's mine to good use."
Sarah: "Your contract was a scam. How could it still be valid?"
Damion: "Oh, there's no braking what you agreed to. I held up my end of the Bargin. You had many chances and failed repeatedly. To be fair, I would have been happy with the souls of the three mermen you failed to capture, but you failed."
Before Sarah spoke, Damion interupted. "Everyone knows that Dylan and Zephyr are more than just mermen. Even if I wanted their souls, there's no way I would be so foolish as to anger the Mother Elemental, Arihi. Did you really think you would get away with such a crime against the Worlds if you succeeded?"
Damion made one last command before Sarah could argue. "You will serve me by keeping this filthy place clean. If I took care of Vlad sooner, maybe I would have had more time to clean myself. Now, get too work."
Sarah tried to resist, but there was no refusing the command. Her soul belonged to Damion. She no longer had free will.
When she finished cleaning every speck of dust and every dirty dish, she went to her Urn and Mourned her Failure.
"I was so close. I had that little merman in my grasp. I had the first blue tail prince under a curse. What went wrong? How could I fail?"
She looked back and relished every small victory, but she still missed the most important reason why she failed.
But Lir's dad's had his back and saved him.
She decieved Juniper and cursed Dylan.
Dylan would have been doomed to burn in the sun, but he had his twin brother and Lir to help him.
When Sarah tried to go for Zephyr's soul. Zephyr had his Twin and Lir to help him. Every time she hurt someone, more people banded together to stop her.
Her only true victory was the Curse she placed on Cecelia.
In the end, she was lured deep into a temple and recklessly triggered traps as she followed her prey. Even if Damion didn't give her a Cardiac Explosion, she would have died from poison.
While Sarah mourned, she was interrupted by Damion. "So I have some news for you. I'll be renuiting you with one of your siblings soon."
Sarah couldn't even find the strength to argue. it was useless.
Damion: "It'll be great to have some extra help around here don't you think."
Eventually, the seething rage within Sarah boiled over. She wasn't just doomed to an afterlife of servitude, she was cursed with eternal rage. She couldn't stop her.
"I'll turn things around. I'll escape your clutches, and when I do..."
Before Sarah could finish, Damion grabbed her spectral throat and flew up in the air. "And you'll do what exactly. Don't forget your place."
Damion tossed Sarah to the side and sent her to work around the house. He left for the wastelands of Oasis Springs to start collecting his next soul.
Damion approached a blonde mermaid and sat down next to her. "So I hear you miss your dear sister. What if I told you I could bring her back? I'm sure grimmy told you about her tragic passing in the Selvadorada Temple."
Damion: "She was a truly genius thief. It's such a shame."
Flaira: "I don't even know what she was doing taking risk in a place like that. She didn't make those mistakes, you know."
Damion: "Death doesn't have to be an end, but to bring her back, I'll need something."
Damion: "You see, to bring a soul back, I'll need another soul. Not any soul will do. I need the soul of a merman in particular."
Flaira: "Who's soul do you need?"
Damion: "A merman with a beautiful pink tail will suffice for the exchange. After all, your sister had a pink tail too."
Damion: "There is a catch however. For the exchange to work, I need you to agree to a small contract. The, I'll give you the location of the merman you need to capture for me."
Damion paused. "My terms are very simple. You get me the soul of this merman, and I give you his location. You'll have three months to do it. If you can't bring me his soul, I'll take yours."
Flaira: "I'll do it. I'll catch this merman for you. I hate this wretched heat anyways. I could use a break."
Damion: "I completely understand, and it's a deal. You'll find the merman you're looking for in Henford-on-Bagley. Just get me his soul, that's all I need for the exchange."
While Damion set in motion the hunt for the Bandearg Prince, Zephyr and Sefina had a date in the World of Mt. Komorebi.
Zephyr: "I bet you didn't expect me to find such a nice place for a date."
Sefina: "It's a beautiful trail."
Zephyr: "Soon, I'll be able to walk with you along this trail. I'm finally starting to get used to my human form again.
Zephyr hugged Sefina: "I love you so much."
Sefina: "Back at you."
Zephyr: "I hope we can continue to have these moments together forever."
Zephyr started to think about a special proposal. Humans could become merfolk, half-merfolk. It would be enough to grant immortality, maybe Sefina would be willing to give up being human.
As the week progressed, the next day came quickly. The twins came home from school and began playing "Don't Wake the Llama."
The game was one of Barnaby and Wade's few forms of entertainment. Night came even quicker, and Barnaby woke up after discovering a monster under his bed. He tried to reason with it.
Unfortuantely, the monster wouldn't see reason, and the twins began to panic.
Eventually, Sefina was able to put them back to bed. Cecelia was sleeping after a long day of work. Both Sefina and Cecelia were starting to get exhausted.
The next day, after the twins came home from school, Sefina and Cecelia were at work. While they were home alone, they went to the nearby park to play on a pirate ship jungle gym.
Barnaby was starting to have dreams of the sea, and the dreams influenced their game. The twins were pirates sailing the seas. They protected their ship from the Evil Sirens of the Sea, the Darkfins.
Eventually, a guest arrived at the house. The twins weren't surprised. Sefina told them that their Uncle would show up to keep an eye on them while she was gone. They made sure to be back in time for his arrival.
Barnaby gave Zeph a big hug when the twins invited him in.
Zeph was finally comfortable in his human form again: "I have a great idea. Why don't we go to the Sea Nymph Water Park. Your dad will meet us there. I know you haven't had a lot of time with him, so we were thinking it might be time for that to change."
When the two sets of twins arrived at the water park, they began sliding on the water slip-n-slide.
Eventually, the younger twins grew hungry as it grew late. Dylan and Zeph brought them home. Dylan told Barnaby a story about the wonders of thes sea. Zeph chatted with Wade.
Wade gave Zeph a hug as Dylan finished his story.
When Zeph entered the house, he was caught by surprise when Sefina gave him a passionate kiss.
While Cecelia painted, Dylan decided to help take out the trash.
The Family sat at the table together. Barnaby told Dylan about how much he loved ants and wanted to have an Ant Farm. Sefina talked about the sunny weather with Zeph.
When Wade got out of bed, he and his brother ambushed Dylan with a crazy question.
Barnaby: "Can I have a new toy?"
Dylan couldn't say no and caved.
Barnaby was excited.
Wade: "This has been the best day ever!"
It was Saturday, and the Older Twin's Wives had work. Dylan and Zeph came over to help watch the younger twins.
Zeph struggled with the Child's game, but Dylan proved to be a natural.
Despite their differences, Dylan and Zeph spent so much time together that they often mirrored each other. They had the same thinking faces at the same time through out the game.
When Zeph succeeded at the game, he was excited, but for an Undefeated Grand Chess Master, he struggled often.
Barnaby took this time to ask Dylan about Vampires.
Barnaby: "Dad, what do you know about Vampires?"
Dylan hesitated before answering. "I know they aren't all bad, but you shouldn't go looking for them."
Barnaby thought the answer was strange. Could they actually be real?
Barnaby: "So vampires are real?!"
Dylan: "A lot of magical things are real. We just hide our true identity from humans."
Barnaby called Wade over. "Wade you have to hear what dad is saying."
Wade sat with his brother and father. Dylan told them a little bit about the magic realm. He never told them that they were apart of it, but he truthfully answered all of their questions. The younger twins seemed to grow more curious about the mysterious magic realm, and they seemed to be taking notice of the denizens of that realm. Dylan thought it might be close to time for them to learn more.
When Sefina came home, she gave Zeph a hug and thanked the older twins for watching the younger ones.
Extra:
@Boyollo I’m glad you are enjoying the story!
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to condense everything into something easier to manage immediately, but I’m trying.
I’ve done a lot of research on merfolk lore, fairytales, and mythology.
Believe it or not, the traditional Mermen and Mermaids are also considered one of many types of Fairies in some stories. If you read how they are described, they are obviously a Merman or Mermaid, but the term Fairy is also associated with them. Scandinavian Stories have the most depictions of Mermen out of any source that I’ve found.
Trying searching (Many of these are actually Mermen but some are Mermaids. Horses have a strong connection to the sea and water in mythology. Names sometimes come from the words for “Water Horse”:
1. Fossgrim
2. Nix
3. Nixie
4. Nokke or Noken
5. Naack
6. Nokk
5. Neck
5. Merrow
6. Havmand or Havmann
7. Havfrue
8. Mami Wata
9. Blue Man
10. Vetehinen
Some stories worth looking into:
1. The Musician Merman
2. “The Merman With the Seven Sons” and “Agnete and the Merman”
3. The Merman in Lake Fagertarn, Sweden
One of my favorite links and the references they have to support what they are saying.
https://windowstoworldhistory.weebly.com/mermen-are-important-players-in-scandinavian-culture-and-history.html
References
Child, Francis James. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 95-6, Dover Publications, New York 1965.
Conway, D.J. Magickal, Mystical Creatures. Llewellyn Publications, 2001.
Fiske, John. Myths and Myth-Makers. Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1900.
Healy, John F. Pliny the Elder- Natural History- A Selection. Penguin Books, 1991.
Larson, Laurence Marcellus. The King's Mirror. Twayne Publishing, 1917.
Simpson, Jacqueline. Scandinavian Folktales. London: Penguin Books, 1988.
Yolen, Jane and Oppenheim, Shulamith. The fish Prince and Other Stories: Merman Folk Tales. New York: Interlink Publishing Company, 2001.
/spoiler]
After spending more time with the younger twins, Dylan and Zeph felt it was time to introduce them to the Realm of Magic and their culture. Before leaving for Sulani, the younger twins got their mermadic attire that they would wear while on vacation. The mermadic attire had some important functions for merfolk. For royal merfolk, the fishnet was considered unsuitable because it was made from human junk left in the sea. That didn't mean mermen didn't wear the fishnet.
Upon arriving at Ohani Villa, the first thing Barnaby did was raid the kitchen and make a mess in his Uncle and Aunt's room.
Barnaby: "I don't know. It seemed like fun."
Sefina: "By now, you should know that making messes isn't right. Now, you need to start your vacation cleaning."
Barnaby: "I don't mind. I'll clean this mess right up."
And so, Barnaby cleaned his mess up.
After Barnaby finished cleaning, the family left for Nereus Lagoon. A local beach that featured Karaoke and a number of water activities. A perfect place for merfolk and water elementals. Dylan and Cecelia enjoyed singing a duet while the younger twins did tricks on the water slide.
While Dylan's family was having fun, Zeph kissed Sefina in the water. The young merman was enamoured with Sefina, and Sefina felt the same way. Sefina loved the outdoors and was a Child of the Ocean. Sefina was drawn to the sea, and even though she was born a human, she naturally got along with merfolk, dolphins, and any other denzin of the sea.
After a long day of fun,the family gathered for dinner. Dylan and Zeph could eat human food even if they never needed to, but their wives and Dylan's sons needed to eat. It was something to get used to. Much like how Dylan and Zeph became best friends and super siblings from a young age, Barnaby and Wade were becoming an inseperable duo.
Cecelia: "This is everything I've always wanted. I never imagined that we would be spending time as a family so soon. I... I was worried about introducing the twins to their heritage so soon, but everything seems to be working out for the best."
Dylan: "I think the twins are ready to learn about their heritage. Tomorrow, I'm going to show them my true form."
Cecelia: "They'll be young mermen before I know it. I think it's a good idea that they know what they are."
The twins were curious about their parent's conversation, but they didn't pay it much mind.
Cecelia put the merboys to bed before going to sleep.
Before going to bed, Dylan had a crazy idea. "You should offer Sefina some mermadic kelp. She could join us in the sea."
Zeph rubbed his temples. 'Was it really that simple? Sefina loved the sea, but would she be willing to give being human to be with Zeph in the sea?'
When Zeph joined Sefina in a human bed, he dreamt of humanities mortality, the inevitble death from old age that waits for anyone that survives to their elder years.
Dylan slept soundly next to Cecelia. Most merfolk didn't use human beds. Their scales would dry out over night and it was just more comfortable to not exert energy to maintain a human form while asleep. For Dylan, it was worth it because Cecelia no longer had her eternal youth.
The Ancient Bloodline that coursed through the veins of the twins was beginning to awaken. They came from a lineage of Elementals and Merfolk. The time they spent in Sulani sped up the awakening. Before long, they would grow into their true form and gain their full power as mermen.
The next day, Dylan went into the water with Barnaby and lept out of the water. For the first time, Barnaby saw what his father truly was, shimemring blue tail and all. His head raced with questions.
'How was he on land when he didn't naturally have legs?'
'Why did he keep it a secret?'
'Would he get a tail too?!'
'Are there other magical people in the Worlds?'
Before he could ask his question, Dylan dove under the water and flicked a light spray of sea water at his son with his fluke. Barnaby laughed at the playful gesture. Knowing that merfolk were real was awesome!
Barnabus often suspected that the people that wandered the streets at night weren't human. He had a question for his father.
"Are vampires real?"
Dylan's playful demeonor turned serious. "Vampires are real, but they aren't all friendly. There's one vampire you should never look for. He's the Shadow Elemental and preys on people's inner darkness. You should never make a deal with him. It will never end well."
Dylan paused and remembered his own time under a curse.
"Merfolk that let their inner darkness consume them can become Vampires of Shadow that prey on others. It's important to swim in the light and treat others right."
Dylan looked at Barnaby in the eyes. He didn't want to scare him, but he wanted him to know the truth.
"Barnaby, you are a merling, a young merman that hasn't grown into his power. You don't have a tail yet, but your current form is only temporary. Eventually, you will gain your true form, a tail, and a great deal of power. That power comes with a great deal of responsibility."
Dylan's demeanor changed back to playful. "But let me tell you, the freedom that comes with swimming in the sea, the dolphin friends you'll make, and all the merfolk you've yet to meet will be great! It's not something to fear. Merfolk and Water Elementals should never fear change because change is in out nature. We change our form to walk on land, change the way others feel, and change the weather."
Dylan: "And as far as Vampires are concerened, one of your aunts is a vampire and an Earth Elemental of the Land. She's actually pretty cool, and I think you would get along with her. Just remember what I said, not all vampires are friendly. The merfolk consumed by their darkness become vampires for a reason. It is a curse to lose your tail and your mermadic powers."
Dylan: "It's important to embrace who and what you are."
Wade slept in, so Dylan showed Wade his tail later in the day. Wade had many of the same questions his brother had, and Dylan gave very similar answers. Dylan wanted to make sure both twins understood the importance of using their powers responsbily and the dangers of misusing their powers. He also explained to them why merfolk wore the clothes they wore and the dangers that lurked in the sea.
Wade, however, did ask a few questions that were different from his brother's. And again, Dylan took a more serious apporach to answer his questions.
Wade: "If merfolk that misuse their power become vampires, how are they different from vampires like our aunt."
Dylan: "The biggest difference is what they feed on. Merfolk consumed by their inner darkness need to feed on the suffering of others. They inflict pain to satisfy a hole inside them. It's a very ugly cycle."
As the day went on, Dylan and the twins went on land. He knew from experience that Elementals had power at an incredibly young age. He wanted to show the twins the power they had.
Dylan turned to Wade and back to Barnaby. "All Elementals, be they Water, Air, Fire, or Earth have a connection to the Heart of Sulani, Mount Pel'Am. Mount Pel'Am touches all the Elements. We can call on it to summon lava bombs anywhere."
Dylan turned to Wade. "These powers can become dangerous. The lava bombs can start fires and humans can burn themselves if they touch them while they are hot."
Dylan: "This is one power that must be used responsibly. But, I believe you are ready to learn."
Dylan channeled the Heart of Sulani into the palm of his hands. Fire ignited as he gathered more power.
Barnaby: "That's so cool!"
Showing restraint, Dylan closed his palms before fire rained down on the island.
Dylan: "Now you two can try."
The younger twins began looking deep within for their own power. Soon, fire ignited in their hands. They couldn't sustain the fire and eventually it extinguished.
Dylan: "Give it more practice and you'll be able to control this power."
During the middle of their vacation, the merfolk family enjoyed the sun and explored the island. The older twins diliginitly showed the twins the joys of singing and music that came naturally to all merfolk. The younger twins honed their motor skills and achieved their aspiration to become physically gifted.
As their vacation came closer to an end, Zeph invited Sefina to Wayfinder's Atoll and slow danced with her.
The sky was clear, and the moon shined on the sea. Zeph expertly navigated the human dancing techniques, but Sefina took the lead.
Zeph felt it was time to make the proposal his brother mentioned earlier in the week. Maybe it would be this simple.
Zeph: "Sefina, I want you to have this. I don't want you to feel pressured, but if you take one bite out of this magic kelp, you'll gain mermadic powers and eternal youth. The choice is yours and I'll support whatever you choose."
The next day , the younger twins explored more of the islands and snorkled in the lagoon. The merlings were close to growing into their true form.
As the sun set, Sefina waded into the sea and thought about the offer Zeph gave her. All she had to do was bite into the magic kelp he gave her and her life would change forever.
As much as Sefina loved Zeph, she didn't want to change because of him or anyone. If she was going to become a mermaid, it had to be because she wanted it. After staring at the kelp a long while, she realized that it might be a dream come true. She loved the sea. She loved Zeph. Would could be better than being with someone she loved and in a place she loved forever. Sefina took a bite and shrieked as she changed into a mermaid.
Zeph heard her and ran to her. He was worried something terrible might have happened. 'Could a Darkfin be targeting the love of his life?'
Too Zeph's surprise, he was greeted by Sefina with a huge grin. Sefina's shirek was a shriek of laughter and joy. When Zeph swam to her, Sefina felt the mermadic power coursing through her veins and instinctively gave Zeph a Mermaid's Kiss, an ability merfolk reserved for their soulmates and a kiss Zeph often gave Sefina to keep her from drowning in the sea.
Sefina pulled Zeph close as he arched his back. Sefina's hand wrapped around the back of Zeph's head as she pulled him closer.
It was an intense moment for Zeph and Sefina before Sefina released the young merman from her embrace. Zeph smiled back at her. He was in love.
Not long after, another change happened. The younger twins changed and grew into their merman form. They were still in their human form and had yet to go for their first swim as mermen. Zeph and Sefina met up with Dylan at the Nightclub. Dylan played the DJ booth and the family had a small dance party to celebrate the changes in their lives.
Dylan's musical skill started to draw a crowd, and one of the people that showed up was Ember, his younger sister. Ember knew about the curse that plaugued Cecelia. As a spellcaster, she knew that spellcasters could end up cursed too. She did some digging and discovered a potion that could cure curses. She had a special gift she wanted to give Cecelia.
Cecelia smiled, almost crying when she saw what was inside the present.
Cecelia went downstairs and drank the potion. She felt a warm light flow through her and the spell Sarah wove with her Siren Song was undone.
Extra:
Previously: Summer Vaction in Sulani
Dylan revealed his true form as well as the existence of merfolk to the twins. Consequently, the twins realized that vampires are real. Three types of Vampires exist: former merfolk corrupted by their inner darkness, some Earth Elementals of the Land, and natural vampires.
Before Sarah's Demise in the Selvadorada Temple, She tried to capture Lir, Dylan, and Zeph's souls. Lir was abducted with the intent to hand him over to Damion, Dylan was cursed with vampiric corruption, and she planned to get to Zeph with the Temple Traps. Dylan and Zeph have special tomes tethered to them that can give the wielder power over their souls. Calum keeps them protected in a shrine to the four elements. The tomes can also ressurect the Twins should anything happen to them.
Previously: The Shadow of Thieves
After finding his bedroom empty, Kylen and Aaron went to the World of San Myshuno.
Kylen and Aaron both knew that Lir was a one of eight merman princes descended from seven royal merfolk bloodlines. But, he was their son first and foremost. His disappearance worried them.
Kylen was a part of an Ancient Merfolk Bloodline and used his ability to commune with Island Spirits to find his son. While Aaron fought the evil siren, Kylen found his son in a locked room. Lir was put under a spell of deep sleep thanks to Sarah's Night's Requiem. Aaron retrieved the key and Kylen woke his son up.
Previously: The Seaweed is Always Greener
Eventually, a Dolphin friend of the little merman knocked some sense into him, and he went home to make things right.
Previously: The Legacy of the Sea and Sky
Previously: A Gift from a Fan
Juniper passed the gift on to his older brother, and Dylan ate the mermadic kelp without a second thought.
The Gift ened up Cursing Dylan with Vampiric Corruption.
Previously: Restoring the Spirit of the Sea
As the Spirit of the Sea, Dylan's corruption would have dire consequences to all the worlds and the waters that connect them.
Previously: A Growing Family
Previously: The Poor Unfortunate Soul
With Sarah deep in the Heart of the Temple and Poison coursing through her veins, the twins teleported out of the Temple and to safety.
That's when the Shadows caught up with her. A former merman that became corrupted by his own inner darkness emerged from a dark mist. He now fed on other's misery because Plasma could barely satisfy his thirst.
Damion changed into his Dark Form and made it clear that it was the end of the line for Sarah. Her heart couldn't take the rage of defeat and poison in her veins.
Previously: Sumemr Vaction in Sulani
Ultimately, Sefina wanted to make this choice for herself and not because of anyone else. She chose to give up her life as a human and become a Half-Mermaid.
Note:
Ember arrived just in time to give Cecelia a Potion of Curse Cleansing that would remove her curse. Ember was a foodie and natural cook. Her favorite magical art was potion brewing. When she heard of Cecelia's situation, she came as quickly as she could to help resolve the problem.