Hi hi! Welcome back! Looking forward to seeing Velma's adventures continue! With MAGIC!
Mar 9: Aww, love the daily pic of Velma with Daphne
WOW that is an impressive list of maxed skills! And her character values, too!
Seeing Velma's traits from the rewards store reminds me I really need to have Aaron spend his own satisfaction points, he has like 60,000 or something and has only bought the Carefree trait from the store
Oh cool, you're using Wonderful Whims, right? I used that after Aaron met Hunter but I cannot remember Aaron's archetype traits at all lol. Then I just removed it because something about it was annoying me... Can't remember what though.
Mar 10: I love that you're giving yourself your own goals to complete for each month in addition to the aspirations.
Never realised how extensive the RoM collections are! Especially all those wands! I really need to explore RoM more...
Mar 11: Love that a random kid just shows up out of the blue (get it? ) and wants to learn how to knit
HAHA the matching boots
Scruberoo is such a useful spell and its especially great when it's the first spell learned!
LOL Thorne is Velma's stan?
Mar 12: Congrats for finally completing Inner Peace!
Aldo, don't be creepy!
HAHA "oooooo, SHOPPING!!!"
A stan stole Velma's potions??? That is so rude! I didn't even know stans could steal things! I don't think any of my famous sims have ever had a stan lol
You'll learn to inferniate other sims instead of yourself one day, Velma
Aww, Ray is adorable!
At that last image... I've said it before and I'll say it again: Velma. Calm down
I laughed out loud at that very last comment. xD it's so true.
I appreciate all these comments. i feel so behind and it's always wonderful when I come back and I'm still contributing to this fun challenge adventure even though I'm a few months behind everyone.
Today's Accomplishments: The Curator - Complete!
- Finish a collection
Today I finally authenticated the last piece I needed before turning over our artifact collection to the museum!
I called ahead and the museum confirmed they had an exhibit set up and ready for our pieces, so we packed everything up and headed over. In a blink of an eye everything was put into place and we were left alone to admire our handiwork.
Unfortunately it didn't take long for my entourage to find us, so we slipped out a back way and found ourselves near the walkway celebrities place their tiles on.
"Hey!" Carol squealed, "Didn't you receive a tile to place Dad? Why don't you place it now!"
I shrugged, it wasn't really a high priority for me, the tile displayed my pseudonym and I hadn't seriously considered placing it before.
"Please!" Carol begged.
"Alright," I said, relenting, "but let's do it before a crowd shows up."
Well I missed that window because when I glanced behind me several sims waved in excitement. Sigh.
I placed my tile and admired it for a moment before Carol suddenly started to yell at her mother for no apparent reason. I think she's going through a phase.
We whisked her away from the crowd before the paparazzi arrived and returned home.
It was getting hot out, so we joined the other trailer residents at the pool.
Kaori and I soaked up some rays while Carol swam around with Arielle.
We spent the rest of the evening chilling and enjoying the day.
Cale stood staring at his garden later that morning. He'd been neglecting it lately and some of the plants didn't look so good. It didn't surprise him since his agent kept him busy constantly doing gigs one right after another. He had little time to do much else.
Was this what he wanted to do for the rest of his life? He'd had fun and made a lot of new friends. But he missed his old friends, he missed spending time with his family, he missed just puttering around in his garden. He missed clean, fresh air, fishing and slow dancing with Sandy. He missed...home and privacy. Even now he could see the paparazzi stalking him outside, lifting their cameras over the fence.
He didn't want to do this anymore. It was supposed to be a few small gigs and then the movie, done. However, since he had been so good, too good, his agent kept pushing for more and more until he found himself a Global Superstar.
His agent and the studio would probably throw a fit and not understand, but he didn't care about that. The people he cared about the most, his family, were the ones who's opinion about giving up acting meant the most to him. Would they understand? He hoped so.
Sandy was walking toward him from their home gym with a smile on her face. She looked all hot, sweaty, her hair in disarray and still so incredible beautiful to him.
"Aww, you're so sweet Cale, I can't believe you want to kiss me, I must not smell very good right now."
"You always smell and look good to me, you're gorgeous."
"Well, I don't know about that, but-"
"Hey, can we talk about something? It's important." "Of course, what's up? You look so serious."
"Let's step into your office for a minute, I don't want the boys to hear this." "Uh oh, it is serious."
"Alright, so you know how we don't have time to do anything together much these days?" "Yeah."
"And the paparazzi hound me constantly." "Gawd, I know, there's three of them outside right now."
"And ever since someone leaked our number, we have girls calling night and day, it's so annoying."
"Yeah, I know and I'm sorry about that." "It's not your fault."
"It is though."
"Anyway, I've been thinking about all this and how it's blown up so fast and so big and how I miss our privacy, my garden, the country, fresh air, and well, home."
"What would you think if I gave it all up and we went back home? I mean, we could just go to get away for awhile and think about it some more before making a big decision like this right away, if that's what you'd rather I do. What do you think?" "I think it's a fantastic idea!"
"I knew it! I knew you'd agree." "Why wouldn't I? I just want you to be happy Cale and for us to be together. I miss our home too. If you want to quit right away, I have no problem with that either."
"Yes! Oh man, I'm so happy right now." "Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go, I'll be right there by your side. I'll quit my job too. I can paint anywhere. I'm sure someone will hire me. And if not, I'll just freelance."
"You are incredible. I love you so much, do you have any idea how much?" "I have an idea, yes. Probably the same as I do, more than can be described."
"Exactly, yes! Okay, so it's settled then, I'll quit acting and we'll go home. I don't know what I'll do after that, but I'm done with DSV and acting. It's just not who I want to be." "You realize you'll still be recognized."
"I know, but eventually people will forget about me." "Hmm, I kind of doubt it. But it'll help being in Glimmerbrook. Not many really know about it, except for other Spellcasters."
"You're right. Let's go tell the boys, I don't want to wait."
Cale and Sandy called the boys to the livingroom and Cale told them what he had discussed with their Mom about giving up acting and moving back to Glimmerbrook.
He told them how it was lots of fun acting, but the rest that went along with being famous, a Global Superstar and living in a smog-filled city was just too much. The lack of privacy, the constant gigs, no time for fun, no time for gardening, etc. etc.
"I miss home too." Joe piped up. "DSV has a lot to offer, and the girls, oh boy, the girls are freakin' gorgeous. But, well, most of them just like me because you're famous. Just like the paparazzi bug you Dad, they bug me too. I can't go anywhere without people whispering behind my back, begging me to get an autograph for them from you and stuff."
"I didn't know it was that bad for you Joe, I'm sorry." "It's okay, I didn't want to say anything because, well, because it seemed like what you wanted to do. I didn't want to be a downer."
"Stuff like that happens to me all the time too. I was going to ask you about maybe going to the Magic Realm anyway. You, Mom and Joe are all Spellcasters and I've been thinking that I want to be one too. I can still be a scientist, I've been experimenting and making potions for a long time, so if I could do magic, it would just be a bonus. So yeah, I want to go home too."
"Okay, so you're all good with this? All I have to do is call the studio, my agent and make some arrangements for someone to take my part in a movie they want me to do soon. That'll take time, but we don't have to stay through it all, we can go home tomorrow if you like. I'll just tell them I'm taking a vacation for now."
Everyone talked over each other in their excitement, each saying they were more than good with Cale giving up acting for a quieter life, eventually. It seemed they wanted to go home for good as much as he did.
Everyone stood up, intending to go start packing while Cale began to make some phone calls. "Oh, this is so cool, I can't wait to go fishing! Maybe I'll build a rocket too! No room for it here, but lots of room in Glimmerbrook!" Joe said and hopped in place like he was a little kid again.
"I need to call Meagan."
"Meagan? Who's Meagan?"
"Pfft, she's one of those starlets I was talking about. She ditched me for him. She doesn't really want you Dude."
"Says you. You're just jealous."
"No I'm not, you'll find out."
"Nah, I'm calling to tell her I'm leaving. I'm not that dumb. Besides, I already have a girl half made already. Once I learn some magic, I'll figure out how to use it to make her come to life."
"HAHAHA! Okay, sure little Bro. Good luck with that."
"You'll see!"
"Hey, maybe you could make me one too!" Joe said with a smirk. "Get your own girl!"
"I was just teasing. I'd rather have a REAL girl. Plenty of babes in the Realm."
"There is?"
"Ohhh Yeahhh!"
"Alright you two, you can discuss this later, right now we need to pack!"
"Glimmerbrook, here we come! Wooooo Hooooo!"
Yeah, cold shower probably the best thing right now Dylan. o.O Whoa, that is a creepy painting, never saw that one before. Nice of Cale to make everyone breakfast before exams. Oh how fun! Love seeing friends hanging out together playing some B-Ball. What!? How did that happen? He won? Wow, he must be in really good shape or incredibly determined to beat them with a sprained ankle. HAHA! Robin with the stink spray! Hilarious! hehe Pic of Velma sawing the violin bow across that guy's neck is funny. Woohoo, Go Cale! You ARE on a roll Dude! hehe Yep, coffee seems like a good idea considering how tired they look. Gah! I can't wait until these two finally get together.
Wow! Great shot of the goldfish pouting. hehe Looks like everyone did very well this last term with their grades! Good job gang!
I'd just go ahead and do multiple updates in one post so you can end June and start July sooner. I know you're excited to play in Moonwood Mill (so am I) and you've already played and will finish soon anyway so why not? Do whatever makes you happy and is less stressful.
Aww, of course he wanted to give Hunter a suave kiss, and then play the violin. hehe Ugh! I am right there with you, I detest incite cheers so much! It's freakin ridiculous and other Sims hate it. I'm with you too about it not being in character for Cale to do that as well. No way! Gawd, Aaron looks SO good carrying those chips! Go away Thorne! Aww, good for you Blue, you're a sweetheart! Audax! Hello gorgeous! Oh yum, thanks for the eye candy! Shelby is such a cute Sim. Why'd Hunter have to leave apples behind? #isconfused
hehe I figured you'd like Cale's redhead look. I agree though, he does look good! LOL! Thanks, it's kind of tough to come up with something original for the same few animations, but it's been fun trying!
Aww, you're welcome! I absolutely loved their vows and the tender looks on their faces for each other.
I understand about being torn about having Hunter a werewolf too, I'm struggling with the same a bit for Sandy. At this point though, I've pretty much decided she won't be for story purposes. I think you're probably right about that sentiment. It's a shame it only comes up for those two events. It should happen more often in my opinion.
Ah, so I'm not the only one that was clueless about some of the pack features. I know better now though. Poor girl changing and being squeamish. I bet she was a mess. Nemesis! I thought she looked familiar!
I had no idea who Dustin Broke was, never played the celebrities in TS2. I could've just gave him a makeover too, but meh. I honestly don't care for Get Famous anyway. Yes, Judith did need a new hairstyle. I like the one she has in my game now. The other one is just too old-fashioned.
Max! Yeah, he seems like he was made to be a werewolf. He's a teen in one of my custom templates. Hmmm, I might have to turn the kid. hehe
Yeah, once Cale saw Joel in the bar in my recent update, I just knew it had to be him. It just makes sense considering how much he means to him. I hope you understand, I think you do.
Ah, okay, thank you! I'll be curious to see how he does in the challenge. Yeah, a werewolf in a vampire laden challenge would not be a good idea. hehe
Yep, that's your Sim, Luca! And of course you recognized Lonnie. Love them both!
We shall see soon, or not, the identity of the werewolf stalking Cale. That's all I'll say... Oh man, I think the fact they can pee anywhere is hilarious! And so, so good for R2R Sims!
Ohhhh, that's why! Yes, Cale has a Pristine reputation, he's had it for a long, long time.
So happy Aaron was able to get the selfies at least. I don't know why it's messed up in my game and Rememberjoy's. Ah well...
Sorry about the throwback look for Aaron. Like I said though, he'll be looking like his recent self in July. I wondered why Adam was looking at Aaron like that too. All I can figure is he was jealous that Cale was paying so much attention to him?? I don't know.
Eh, I didn't mind the beard so much, though I would've picked a different one, but I'm so used to long hair on Cale, the short and blond looked weird. hehe Bummer Aaron doesn't suit any of the gig looks. Ah well.
No worries about the novel, Lord knows I write a lot myself! hehe
I figure that Cale would tire of the spotlight soon and want to spend more time with his family. Afterall, it wasn't too long ago that he discovered them again. A good transition for them to get out of Del Sol Valley. And Cale Jr. wants to make himself a girl? lol Sounds like summoning a girl from that magic wishing well. hehehe Or perhaps he's going to make a robo girl. Maybe Glimmerbrook is where they will get married this time -- I know you wanted to get married there last year. And I already saw that a werewolf is stalking Cale from a previous up-date. I wonder if it's his stepfather who got turned and is now more powerful than ever and still out to get him...or someone Cale loves.
Congrats to Adam for getting that lovely collection to the museum. And, in a nonchalant way, places his star tile down. And then back to the trailer park. Things are going so well for them.
I can relate to playing ahead and then not posting the updates. Also, just not having time to play or post updates is my problem. lol I am skipping DSV completely. I am so behind, and did DSV last year, and I couldn't finish the aspiration (was stuck on one level), so just continued on to Evergreen Harbor. I liked that better as they had to make everything, furniture, etc. and dumpster dive. They moved into very empty shipping containers and went from there. I enjoyed that. Dylan would have been great in the Acting career, because he took Drama in high school, but I really don't like the paparazzi aspect. Plus, with the mob looking for him, getting famous really doesn't go too well with my storyline. Love Aaron's look with the backwards baseball cap. And Thorne Bailey...sheesh...I did a rags to riches in Del Sol Valley, and the guy kept showing up when my poor sim was trying to get tips. Grrr... Oh and a Yoshi shot. Glad that Hunter is still doing some paranormal gigs, and ends up at your old place in Mt. Komorebi. How cool is that? I think it was another up-date when you had a photo of a werewolf with their vampire sweetie, and I thought that was so cute. I am watching lots of Werewolf Let's Plays right now, but haven't even bought the pack yet. Moonwood Mill, although small, looks really cool.
I am glad that someone else is still in May, like me. Ahhh...I want to relax in the hot springs in rl like DJ is doing. Are you going to be doing werewolves in June?
Love that Velma tried to incinerate one of the stans and it backfired. Funny. And Velma still has those on again off again feelings about DJ. But, Dylan…Mr. Magic Hands? Oh my! And so happy that Daphne adores him. And now thinking about woohoo in the closet? Well, poor Dylan hasn’t even woohoo’d in my game yet! hehehe I am so happy that Dylan is a great friend in your game 🙂 And love that she is dueling with some of the Spellcasters, and had to laugh when she realized there was shopping in the realm. Great up-date!
We were awakened early in the morning by a light tapping on our window. Seeing nothing out there, I cautiously went to the front door to get a better look. I rounded the corner and gasped in surprise, Morgyn!
I swung open the door and wrapped my old friend in a warm embrace.
"Are you a sight for sore eyes!" I cried, "What happened to you? We haven't seen you since Britechester!"
"It's a long story," Morgyn said, glancing over his shoulder. "Can I come in?"
"Are you still being hunted?" I asked, ushering into our home.
"No," Morgyn said breaking into a big smile. "We've won back the Magic Realm and I'm once again the Sage of Untamed magic."
"That's awesome!" I grinned. "You have to tell us everything!"
I called to Kaori letting her know who it was and she said she'd be right out. I led Morgyn over to our dining table and we settled in.
"So start from the beginning," I said excitedly, "how did you win back the Realm?"
"It was a long arduous affair," Morgyn sighed, "but we were able to rally enough spellcasters to our side to be able to ferret out the moles and sellouts planted into our Council. It came down to what might be a kin to a legal battle where we were able to prove that some of the members had ties to certain unsavory parties."
Morgyn paused as Kaori joined us. "That's actually why I'm here Adam," Morgyn continued in a serious voice. "Some of the corrupt members were willing to provide us with certain information in return for a lighter sentencing... and one of those things concerns you."
Kaori looked over at me nervously, "Is it about his father?" she asked.
Morgyn looked taken aback, "Then you already know?"
"Yeah," I said rubbing my neck, "My mother told me after we defeated a large sentient plant for her."
"Alright then," Morgyn said, giving me a curious glance. "There's obviously an interesting story to be told here, but it'll have to wait. My information places you and your family in great danger Adam. Your father knows you are here and he's been plotting to have your daughter Carol abducted and brought to him as leverage against you."
My heart raced and I glanced over at Carol who was sleeping peacefully through our conversation.
"Fortunately for you," Morgyn continued, "you still have that protection spell I showed you obscuring your exact location. This will only throw them off for a limited time though, and they will eventually find you if you stay here."
I reached over and took Kaori's hand, "We can move tonight if we have to."
Morgyn nodded, "Good, because I'm here to take you to a temporary safe house. I'll give you some space so you can explain things to Carol."
Morgyn got up and wandered over to look at some of our art as I gently shook Carol awake. She groggily got up and grabbed some leftovers from the fridge before sitting down.
"What time is it?" she asked half asleep, "It's still dark outside."
"Sweetie," I said, "we need to pack up for another adventure, and we need to leave before the sun rises."
This seemed to perk her up a little. "Where are we going this time?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," I admitted, "Morgyn's going to lead us there as soon as we're ready."
"Morgyn!" Carol shouted, looking around. When she saw him she jumped up and ran to give him a hug. "It feels like it's been forever!" she cried. "Are we going back to the Magic Realm!"
"It's good to see you again Carol," Morgyn grinned, "I've certainly missed your energy and enthusiasm. I'd rather not say where we're going right now in case of unfriendly ears, but we most certainly can return to the Magic Realm someday soon."
"Good," Carol said, seemingly satisfied, "I've already beat my dad in a duel and I need a bigger challenge."
Kids.
Fifteen minutes later we had everything we wanted to take with us packed up and ready to go. Morgyn took our hands and in a blink we disappeared from our home in Del Sol Valley.
We appeared in front of a cozy looking home and I immediately recognized we'd returned to Glimmerbrook.
"Who's house is this?" I asked, not recognizing the place from the last time I was here.
"It belongs to a couple of old friends," Morgyn winked, leading us up to the front door.
Before we could knock, a familiar face appeared at the door.
"Gemma!" I cried as she ran out to give me a hug, "It's so good to see you!"
Another familiar face followed her and soon Kiyoshi was giving out his own hugs.
They ushered us inside to their living room to sit down and catch up.
Of course they had to introduce us to their children, Allyson and Xzavier, who looked at us shyly.
Gemma and Kiyoshi caught us up on their part in freeing the Magic Realm as well as their wedding we'd missed while in Strangerville. We told them about our adventures in StrangerVille as well as my rise to fame and our trips to Salvedorada.
Eventually Morgyn had to say goodbye as he was needed back at Magic HQ, but not before asking us to meet him there the next day.
After he left we all sat down to a delicious turkey dinner Gemma magic'd up for us.
We then went outside and chatted in their backyard and I volunteered to help them out with their garden.
We set up our smaller tent in the backyard for Kaori and myself, as Carol had been offered Allyson's lower bunk to sleep on.
Before I turned in for the night I took advantage of the telescope they had set up out back and enjoyed some stargazing.
Hopefully tomorrow we can hash out a plan of what to do next.
Later that night, Cale and his family went home. For the time being his Agent, the studio, and his co-workers thought he was only taking a well deserved and much needed vacation. After a couple days of resting and relaxing, he'd tell them that he had no plans to come back.
As evidenced by the daily post pic, Cale and Sandy had already gone to their room. They spent some time talking and snuggling while the boys just kicked back and relaxed. Joe was playing video games while Cale Jr. sat outside on the deck rocking and thinking. His parents had promised tomorrow would be the day. The day he would take the Rites of Ascension and begin his journey as a Spellcaster. He could hardly wait.
After a little while he got up and went for a walk. The Portal seemed to know his intentions and was singing to him. He couldn't resist the lure and just wanted to go take a look at it. That's all.
The closer he got, the louder it sang. Not much farther now, just around the next corner.
Cale Jr. stopped in his tracks when he saw a menacing looking man stomping toward him on the trail. He didn't look very friendly at all.
(Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.)
He turned to go and the man called out to him.
"Hey kid, where do you think you're going? Watch what I can do."
Cale Jr. gasped and screamed when the man turned into some kind of wolf beast thing.
Meanwhile Joe happened to notice Cale Jr. get up and walk away and after finishing his current round of Party Frenzy, Joe followed him. He had a feeling he knew exactly where his kid brother was going, so he wasn't in any hurry.
Cale Jr. turned and ran for his life as the wolf man continued walking toward him, yelling horrible things, taunting and teasing him.
"MUWAHAHAHA! You can't get away from me. I'm faster than you'll ever be."
Cale Jr. tried to scream when the wolf man grabbed him. But all he got out was a squeak before it covered his mouth with a hairy, stinky paw.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Nice try kid. But not good enough. Oh I'm going to love this. Your Daddy will be so worried. But he'll never find you. I'll make sure of that."
Cale Jr. fainted from fright and fell at the werewolf's feet.
"You're a Nancy boy just like your Daddy, aren't you? Pfft..."
"Aaa-WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
(What was that? A wolf? Glimmerbrook has wolves? Wait...what is THAT!?)
The werewolf picked up Cale Jr. still out cold and slung him over his shoulder.
"Go home little boy before I eat you!" The werewolf said looking straight at Joe before growling and snarling at him with glaring eyes glowing a terrifying red.
*GASP* "OH MY GAWD!"
(Is that...is that a... werewolf? Werewolves are REAL?!)
(Um, you're a Spellcaster, not so unreasonable other special beings exist.)
(It has my Brother! And...he's not moving! What's he going to do with him?)
Joe stood in shock watching the werewolf walking away with his Brother. Why was he just standing there? The beast was getting away! He had to try to save Cale Jr.!
"STOP! STOP! PUT HIM DOWN YOU BEAST!" "HAHAHA! Sure Nancy, when I get home. Buh Bye!"
Joe ran as fast as he could, but it was no use. The werewolf ran into the forest at an incredible speed and disappeared before Joe could catch him.
Joe walked back to the trail and collapsed in anguish. He'd failed to save his brother and it was all his fault. He was gone, how would they find him? What did that beast want with him? Was he still alive? He had to be! Right?
(WAIT! WHY DIDN'T I USE MY MAGIC ON HIM!?)
(You don't know anything that would've made a difference.)
(Why didn't I study more? Why? Why? Why?)
(Stop feeling sorry for yourself and think about your brother, do something! Tell your parents! They need to know! You're wasting time!)
There was one spell that would at least save time, Transportalate. The faster he could tell his parents, the quicker they could figure out what to do and how to find his brother to rescue him from that monster...
You're right, it hasn't been very long at all since he got his memories back and was reunited with them. Cale's finished with the limelight and fame. He deserves to relax and just enjoy being with them again. I'm glad this pack's month is complete. Get Famous isn't my favorite pack at all. But, I did have fun with the gigs at least.
HAHA! Oh, I didn't even think of that! No, not a wishing well girl, a Robo girl, yep! He got a Robotics station for his birthday. Didn't care about girls at first, but he's changed his mind. Not sure where they'll get married yet. I have some ideas. I did want Essa and Josh to get married in the Magic Realm. But I love where they got married in the end even more. Hopefully after the trials and tribulations of Moonwood Mill, they'll have time to really plan their wedding, set a date and location.
I haven't really said yet who is the werewolf, but I'm sure it's not very hard to figure out who it is, especially after my latest update. And if you've read it, you know that you're right about the werewolf going after a family member. o.O Gah!
*alright so essentially I've decided we're going to be time-traveling over my next few updates. And I apologise in advance again because they are going to be LONG (and very disjointed!). Honestly to tell you the truth, every day with Aaron trying to get famous was pretty much the same (on days that he didn't have an acting gig to go to) and it would be super boring to read if I was posting one update at a time so hopefully this way will make for more interesting reading. I'll also try to incorporate a bit more story from here on in but as always we'll see how it goes.
It all passed in a blur for Aaron almost as soon as he became a notable newcomer. The crowds he drew whenever he played his violin or sang became larger and larger. (Ignore that it says Mulligan, I have MCCC set to NOT sync last names for same sex married couples but it keeps ignoring the setting for some reason. I want Aaron to keep his last name and Winterson-Mulligan is too many characters, so Hunter had to become Hunter Winterson)
He was even getting attention from one of the more famous musicians in Del Sol Valley, a vampire virtuoso by the name of Luca Valentine, and coincidentally, Elle's industry rival.
Aaron even got a tip, and Luca was a proper celebrity!
But maybe that was just a ploy, considering that Aaron was married to Elle's son.
Luca instantly attempted to draw the attention away from Aaron and on himself, just as Thorne had. Though Aaron didn't entirely mind.
An author by the name of Logan Phoenix had also taken an interest in him, but for an entirely different reason...
Okay so I guess it's time to explain what my original idea for the transition to DSV was. And my whole lore for the Mother plant. And some Sixam lore too for good measure LOL
The two sons of the Queen of Sixam, known only by their Sim names Jaxen and Logan, crash-landed in StrangerVille decades ago. Enamoured with the films of Judith Ward in her youth, Jaxen went to Del Sol Valley in an effort to make it big as an actor. During his travels, he got very... friendly with several men, including one Audax Stone while filming in Glimmerbrook (leaving Audax with a tiny purple baby named Malachi...). Although it should be noted that Audax never consented to being probed.
Logan stayed in StrangerVille, realising it was the perfect climate to grow his hybrid plants that he'd developed but that had quickly been made illegal on Sixam. He also started to write books that he claimed were science fiction but were actually science fact, citing technologies available on Sixam that the Sim world could never dream of, including that technology allowing a same-sex couple to have biological children together. It was through his books that he met Aoibhinn Phoenix, a vampire with an evil streak and ambitions to use this alien technology to do what all evil sims want to do. You know. Take over the world
Jaxen
Logan
Aoibhinn
Logan established the lab in StrangerVille that housed the Mother plant, and named said lab in his partner's honour - Phoenix Labs. He later took her last name when they married, and they had a daughter named Regan, a vampire with purple skin.
You guys know Regan, but I'm including pics of her anyway LOL
All seemed perfect with Logan and his little family. Until...
Extremely angry with Logan's conduct and his exposure of Sixamian knowledge and tech (and the fact he married a vampire), Sixam's authorities decided to forcefully take Logan back to Sixam. While serving out a sentence as a mentor for Sixam's youth, he met a young Blue Zulpo.
Blue herself had been ostracised from Sixam society for her skintone, which is clearly not blue. She escaped Sixam as a young adult and met Regan, also a young adult now. The rest for those two is history.
But what of StrangerVille? Logan managed to get out again (Sixam security isn't that great, is it?) and reconciled with Aoibhinn, and continued his little passion project with his plants. Except. The Mother got too powerful. Conspiracies that aliens were behind the weird plants popping up all over the place started going around. He fled StrangerVille for Del Sol Valley, hiding with his brother Jaxen who was now established as a Proper Celebrity.
By this time, Blue had made a name for herself as a scientist and had no qualms about presenting herself as an alien, so following these alien rumours concerning the plants, the military called her in and placed her in charge of the team of scientists already there.
Aaron's arrival in StrangerVille and subsequent defeat of the Mother elevated them both in celebrity status. However... Blue wanted to get to the bottom of the whole thing, and had a team of secret agents track Logan down, finding him in Del Sol Valley. Aaron moving to DSV wasn't just because he was getting noticed and there were opportunities there. It was to confront Logan. As Aaron had headed the group of sims to fight the Mother himself, Blue argued that he should be the one to do it. Exposing Logan for how his work had affected an entire town would make Aaron look even more heroic.
To finish up StrangerVille, I would have had a scene with Blue meeting with Aaron along with some secret agents to explain all this and tell him just why he had to move to DSV, but I didn't have the time to set it up and so on the surface, the move to DSV is just what I presented in my June 1 post. Anyways...
If you read all that, thank you LOL. I wanted to put this somewhere even if I couldn't fit it properly into the narrative, but based on how Logan, Jaxen and Aoibhinn are acting around Aaron in-game I don't think it'll actually have any bearing on the story now but it was fun to write it out
I also needed to tie up those loose ends from last month and I figured this was the best way to do it.
And if the fame from publishing his papers and telling the story of how he defeated the Mother plant wasn't enough, producers from a local film studio, Plumbob Pictures, approached him with a job offer, to become an actor.
Aaron wasn't sure what to think at first, but with Hunter's encouragement he accepted and began learning lines for a commercial where he was dressed as a pirate,
a TV show where he was dressed as a pirate,
and a movie where he wasn't dressed as a pirate but may well have been the apocalyptic equivalent of one.
He decided to hold a Meet and Greet, and it never got any less weird seeing and hearing a huge crowd of people cheering his name.
(Why are you looking at Aaron like that, Cale??? o.O )
His co-star, Adrian, asked if he wanted to give a few street performances at the park which would help promote his roles.
(Yes, Adrian is one of my boys)
***
He didn't even know how, but Aaron did manage to find the time to be with Hunter and try to relax at home.
Hunter took up yoga, and Aaron was very happy about that (Apparently Hunter has had Wellness as one of his likes this whole time and I did not know LOL)
~~~
Next door, Cale and Aster had their second baby, a daughter named Andromeda L. Conrad. The L. stands for Lisa, in honour of Cale's mother. (Yes, I know this means I should probably age Leo up already but that's coming soon )
Later, Hunter's father asked if he'd like to come over. Apparently, Hunter had great timing because Lonnie immediately started freaking out as soon as he arrived.
(Elle actually did go into labour as soon as Hunter flew up to greet his father - I had NO idea she'd be having the baby right then and there )
Because there was a baby on the way.
Hunter gazed down at his baby sister, little Thalia, and grinned. She was adorable.
As he gently put her back in the bassinet, he had a thought. Would Aaron be open to having children...?
~~~
It was only when he was sitting in Studio PBP waiting for an awards ceremony to begin - an awards ceremony that he had been nominated for an award in! - that it dawned on him. (Frick, I am famous...)
One of his co-workers, Jaxen, also at the ceremony, seemed to have something against him though... (Jaxen erased Aaron's memory of him so it's like they never met. Autonomously!)
"Jaxen, you know I saw that, right?"
In a daze, Aaron barely heard his name being said, until Elle reached over and touched his shoulder.
"You won," she said, grinning, and he stared at her for a second before glancing at the host. "No way," he said, and then the host beckoned him forward. "We're waiting, Mr. Winterson," he said, and Aaron stood to collect his Starlight Accolade.
"Well, I guess I should be giving a speech right about now, huh?" He hadn't prepared anything at all...
Then he thought of something. "Well first I have to thank my wonderful mother-in-law for telling me I did win, because of..." Wait, what had happened? He frowned at the sim sitting in the purple suit in the front row. Surely he knew the man's name? He shook his head and continued. "I should probably also thank my amazing husband, who I think is busting ghosts right now, because without him telling me to just go for it and accept the offer to act I wouldn't be here right now to get this great award! And thank you to my co-stars, because without them, I'm nothing, really..."
"...This is incredible, I never expected to be getting something like this so soon! Thank you all so much!"
This post is getting extraordinarily long as it is so I'm going to just leave it here
May 26: That goldfish looks traumatised and I love him
Oh dear, Dylan's really leaving things to the literal last minute, isn't he?
But that was definitely me over the final few weeks of last semester though Glad that's over...
Great grades for everyone!
Come on Aaron, a B? Slacker!
~~~
Moonwood Mill may be a small world, but it feels like there's so much to explore! I've definitely gotten lost while going around the world trying to find certain spots
It is a very cool world, yeah!
Jun 26: So sorry, I completely forgot to comment on this one! o.O
Haha I love Adam's reaction to the skeleton Did he never summon Bonehilda?
The robot doing yoga is great
Jun 27: Adam's museum display looks fantastic! Congrats for completing Curator!
So he finally places his tile, nice
Well I missed that window because when I glanced behind me several sims waved in excitement. Sigh.
Poor Adam, I mean, Andrew
Jun 28: Knew instantly from the way the house looked that they were back in good ol' Glimmerbrook!
So good to finally see Morgyn again! And great that the good guys got the Magic Realm back!
Oh hell, Darius wants to abduct Carol! No!
"Good," Carol said, seemingly satisfied, "I've already beat my dad in a duel and I need a bigger challenge."
Kids.
HAHAHA Carol! There is a lot more at stake here! Though of course she doesn't know that yet, but still
Oh, it's Gemma and Kiyoshi's place! Sweet! Was wondering when we'd get to see them again.
Jun 27: Makes perfect sense that Cale would want to quit the spotlight.
Aaron's reasoning will be much the same I think.
Poor Joe being bugged by the paparazzi too! That's awful, since he's still only a teen!
Of course they'll go back to Glimmerbrook, that really is their home!
~~~
That's exactly what I'm doing I've worked out that it'll take me 4 more posts for June, so if I post once every day then I won't properly "start" July until... the 3rd I think, but that's totally fine for me. Now I'm just waiting on him to get that darned third selfie and then I can move on with my plans. He's at 2/3 now but I'm so tempted to cheat it, I've had him standing at the park and the lounge doing nothing for entire days, and it just doesn't freaking happen... I'm so frustrated, I can't move on with my story when he's stuck at this milestone and it's not fun to play and wait for it to happen.
When I've left Aaron doing nothing to see if fans will ask him for selfies, I've caught him inciting cheers autonomously and I just... UGH it's so bad, I hate it lol.
I really love that hot weather outfit on Aaron (the one with the chips) with the backwards hat, the sunglasses, the open shirt... I agree, go away Thorne
Oh, when Aaron left Mount Komorebi I decided not to take his apple trees, since the place I'd chosen for them in Windenburg had no room for them. I know I could have just stuck them in his household inventory ready for when they did move to a place with room, but I didn't lol.
I feel like having Hunter remain a vampire while Aaron's a werewolf will be a great source of angst but Aaron's already been through so much angst, and having him lose Hunter again like he did in Glimmerbrook... It'll not only crush him, it'll crush me to write it LOL but... Hunter did say he'd never leave like that again, no matter what It would be fun for gameplay if Hunter was a werewolf too, though (and then they could be fated mates for real!)... I still need to think about it.
She absolutely was a mess while she had werebies, I actually felt sorry for her LOL
But now she's having the time of her life being an evil werewolf and finding out how fun it is to torment dear old great-granddad
They actually aren't related in this save because adding the relationships would be a pain but I thought it was hilarious She did that autonomously too, it was like she knew
I gave my Judith a makeover with one of the hairs from Vintage Glamour and the improvement was instantaneous!
I finally aged Max up to teen in this save and now I really want to make him a werewolf Maybe he can be one of the sims Aaron gives the cursed bite to when he works on the Wildfangs aspiration. Also I want him to turn Wolfgang, for obvious reasons
Oh, yes of course I understand! I never thought Aaron would be that special to Cale to even be considered for that role, compared to Joel!
I'd recognise Lonnie from a mile away because he's so distinctive but with Luca I was kinda like "oh hey that sim looks kind of familiar..." Then I looked closer. I thought he was much too handsome to be a game-generated townie and I was right Yes I am tooting my own horn LOL
Yikes, your most recent update... that pretty much proves it's Lance, right?
It's also their facial expressions when they mark territory that does it for me
Every time I need a laugh I just find these two pics in my pic folder
And yes, VERY useful for rags to riches! Combined with groom self and some other werewolf perks, they don't even need a house really!
Like I said before I might just cheat the selfie thing because it just makes me angry now. It's all up to the game and it's actually really dumb to have it as part of the aspiration since it happens without your sim doing anything. It's passive, not active if that makes sense. It's not something your sim CHOOSES to do, like dealing with the paparazzi or whatever, you know? Besides, I noticed a fan ask Aaron for an autograph and I'm going to count that because with how much time I've wasted trying to get that final selfie... I don't consider it cheating.
Nah, it's all good! No need to apologise about Aaron's throwback look
It was great when Aaron got the perk that lets him skip hair/makeup and wardrobe in gigs, because then I could let him just get wardrobe and he'd do the gig in his regular hair and beard. He looked fantastic every time! Like Aaron has a face that works with some things and does not work with others, and that was very evident in his gigs before I got him that perk
~~~
Jun 28: Aww, such a lovely daily pic of Cale and Sandy snuggling
Cale Jr looks so handsome there in the rocking chair thinking about the future!
And that is a gorgeous pic of him running along the path!
He rounds the corner and... O.O Holy- I just have to say I immediately tensed up and was filled with a visceral disgust that I've only ever felt once before while reading this challenge. 5 months ago, in fact. o.O
So glad Joe took notice of Junior's absence, but oh my freaking- I don't have words, seeing the werewolf taunting Junior and then Joe makes me so uncomfortable!
Okay ew - Nancy boy? Yup, that's definitely Lance, f***... look what you've done, you've reduced me to swearing
(Yes I really did just reread your January 29 update to remind myself of Lance's physical build and manner of speaking and now I'm crying for some reason, funny that... Gosh I forgot just how emotional that update was!)
No, Joe, it's okay, baby, you did the best you could!
You saw bits of my doings at beginning of this year, but then my watcher got cerebral hemorrhage, and lost left side of her body, and had to learn to walk and talk again.
Recovering took months, and unfortinatelly watcher played me a bit ahead before all happened and I refuse to be her sim no more, she made me deal with too many angry ladies for my taste
But, my sister, Oona Medicci here, would li"ke to give it a go. from beginning like 1 simday = one challenge day ,it goes fast, simply doing the aspirations , no complex storie (she says), if the OP allows?
My love, my love, my fearless love, I will not say goodbye..
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
We met up with Morgyn at Magic HQ the next morning.
He led us into a side room where we sat down together.
"I have a proposition for you," he began, getting right to the point. "We have some teaching positions open and I'd like for you to stay here until we can work something out about Darius. Carol can take classes here and continue her magical training."
"Yes!" Carol cheered. "That sounds great!"
Morgyn smiled and returned his gaze to Kaori and myself. "What do you think?"
Kaori looked uncertain, "That's very generous of you Morgyn," she said, "but I'm already teaching a class on Selvadorada for another school and I'd hate to leave them hanging."
"We can make arrangements so that you may finish your class remotely," Morgyn offered. "I'm afraid it's much too dangerous for you to return to Del Sol at this time to teach it in person."
Kaori bit her lip and nodded in understanding, but looked upset none the less.
Morgyn met my eyes, "What about you Adam," he asked. "Would you like to be a teacher here in the Magic Realm?"
"It's tempting," I sighed, "but I think I need to face him."
Morgyn looked shocked. "Adam," he said, "I admire your bravery, but that would be suicide, or worse. Your father is not one to be reasoned with."
"If I don't do this Morgyn," I said, "I'll spend the rest of my life either running or hiding. The same for Kaori and Carol. I don't want that for them or for me. I need to face him, and if necessary, destroy him."
Kaori broke in before Morgyn could respond "Can I have a moment alone with my husband?" she asked, sounding mad.
Morgyn motioned for Carol to follow him out of the room and I reluctantly turned to look into Kaori's blazing eyes.
"What are you doing Adam?" she whispered angrily. "We're a team, you and I, for better or for worse. Why didn't you discuss this with me earlier?"
"Because I just decided now," I admitted. "I've known a confrontation with Darius was inevitable ever since I learned he was my father, but I want that meeting to be on my terms. The only thing holding me back before was concern for you and Carol. If you stay here I can confidently face him without having to worry about you two."
"And if Darius proves too strong for you," Kaori said bitterly, "what then? I'm not going to stand on the sidelines while you go and get yourself killed!"
Looking into her angry eyes my face softened and I pulled her into a hug. "I love you Kaori," I whispered into her hair, "and if my father gets his hands on you I would do anything to keep you safe." I pulled back and looked into her tearful eyes, "and that's why I have to do this alone. He can't be allowed to gain any leverage on me."
Kaori wiped away her tears and gave me a steely look. "I want to hear a detailed well thought out plan before I agree to any of this," Kaori demanded. "If it isn't fool proof I'll tie you up and keep you in one of the closets here if I have to."
That made me laugh and I promised her I would hash out an expert plan with insight from all of the sages and wouldn't attempt anything without her approval.
We hugged it out for awhile before going out to see what Carol and Morgyn had gotten up to.
We found them in the center ring dueling.
Carol showed some improved form, but Morgyn still easily defeated her.
When they saw us watching, Carol asked if we'd made a decision.
I told her that for sure she would be attending magic school here for real this time, but that we were still figuring out what we were going to do.
The rest of the day was spent doing more duels and showing Carol the magical ropes.
When we returned home we joined the Itos in watching a cute little movie about a lost dog.
I could relate to that poor dog more than I'd like to admit.
GAH! I can't believe it! I was so into writing Cale's update for the 29th, I missed the deadline. *sigh* I'm still not finished either. Almost though! Here's the daily post pic at least. Be right back with the rest of the update! *cries*
June - Day 29:"You can run, but you can't hide. I will find you and take back what's mine..."
Notes
Joe felt sick inside thinking about what had happened to his brother.
And how he had failed to save him. If that monster hurt him he would avenge his Brother if it was the last thing he ever did.
"MOM! DAD! WAKE UP! SOMETHING'S HAPPENED, SOMETHING BAD. WAKE UP! IT'S ABOUT JR." "What!? What's happened? Is he alright?"
"Put some clothes on Sandy, you can't go out there like that." "Oh, uh, yeah."
"We'll be out in a second. Go have a seat in the kitchen." "Alright, but hurry! Please hurry!"
Cale and Sandy sat at the kitchen table and waited for Joe to pull himself together. "What's going on Joe? You're scaring me. Where's Jr.?"
"Come on Joe, if he's in trouble, crying won't help. Tell us! You're wasting time!"
Joe wiped his eyes, took a deep breath and choked out what had happened. How he had followed Jr. to the Portal, hearing a wolf howl. Seeing what had to be a werewolf carrying his unconscious Brother away. He told them what it said to him and how it had laughed. How he'd tried to follow him to save his Brother, but couldn't. The werewolf was just too fast. He had disappeared within seconds.
"I should've used my magic somehow, but I don't know much and I was so in shock at what I was seeing, I didn't know what to do. I froze. I freakin' froze! I transportalated here right away though to tell you. What are we going to do? How do we find him? Why did he take Jr.? He's just a kid. I'm so sorry, I hate myself. Jr's gone and it's all my fault."
"It's not your fault Joe, you tried your best." "Oh my Gawd! A werewolf? Are you sure Joe?" "It was all furry from head to toe, it had these big claws & teeth, ears and nose like a dog, a growly menacing voice, it howled, just like a wolf and had glowing red eyes. It was BIG too, so big. I've never seen anything so big in my life."
Cale could not hold back the tears. His son had been taken by a monster, a menacing werewolf that only ate...meat.
(Oh Gawd don't eat my Son.)
Joe was miserable too, with silent tears falling down his cheeks. He'd never seen his Father cry before. This was bad, very bad.
(My Son, my beautiful, innocent Son, he can't be gone. I can't...I won't think like that. NO! We will find him. Somehow...)
"Wait a minute..."
"You said he called you 'Nancy?" "Yeah, like it was an insult."
"I know who it is. That werewolf is my Step-Dad, Lance. It has to be. He called me Nancy all the time too whenever he thought I wasn't acting 'manly' enough. He's a horrible, hot-headed, mean, cruel, evil murdering *BEEP*!"
"SON OF A *BEEP*! He took Jr. to get to me, to try to hurt me."
"He killed my Mother and tried to kill me. Now he has my Son! He must've been stalking us. He found us because of ME! Because I'm famous! GAH! How could I be so stupid!? It's not your fault Joe, It's MINE! I'll KILL HIM, KILL HIM WITH MY BARE HANDS IF HE'S TOUCHED ONE HAIR ON HIS HEAD. DO YOU HEAR ME!?"
"Calm down Cale, I know you're upset, but screaming, ranting and raving isn't going to help. You're scaring Joe. He feels bad enough as it is, don't you think?"
"I'm sorry. I just get so wound up thinking about that man. He brings out the worst in me. I meant what I said though. We have to find him, but how? How?"
"I have an idea how we can find him."
"Oh?"
"When I was doing research to try to find a spell to get you back when I accidentally sent you to that island, I remember something I read. It was a story. I thought perhaps it was just a fairytale at the time, but I believe now it was actually about the history of Spellcasters and Werewolves, Vampires too."
"The story was about an occult called Mooncasters, which are somehow related to all three. It talked about a place called...well, I can't remember that part, but I bet L. knows. There's more tomes about everything I've said, but I can't access them."
"Only Sages can read those tomes. I would bet L. has read them and knows where your Step-Dad might've taken Jr."
"Oh Gawd, I hope you're right!"
"Because if she hasn't and the tomes can't be found, we might never know where to find Jr."
"No, NO, don't say that, you can't say that. My little boy... Oh Jr..."
"It'll be alright Mom, at least now we have some hope, right?"
"Please don't cry, you'll make us cry again too."
"I'm sorry, I can't help it. Thinking about that monster and what he might do, I can't bear it. He has to be alright, he just had to be...right?"
"We'll find him Mom. I'm going to go check online and see if I can find anything else about these Mooncasters. Maybe there's more information out there than just the tomes."
Joe got up and walked quickly to his room as Sandy continued to sob. Cale got up from his chair, went over to Sandy and pulled her into his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder.
"Shh, shh, c'mere, it'll be alright. We'll find him, we will! I promise." "How can you promise such a thing? You don't know. He could be, he could be..."
"NO! He's not. I know my Step-Dad, he'll keep him alive until I get there. He wants me, not Jr., he's bait. We'll find him and bring him home."
Sandy pulled herself together, dried her eyes and stood stoically looking at the man she loved who now had a look of sheer determination on his handsome face. She trusted him and believed in him. Their Son was alive and they were going to get him back.
"Alright, I say we go to the Realm, now. I know it's late and everyone is probably asleep, but I know L. she'd want to help us as soon as she can if she can and won't care if we wake her up." "I agree, you're right. What about Joe? We can't just leave without telling him."
"Of course he's going with us. We're a family, Jr. is his Brother, we're in this together, always. No one will ever get left behind in this family again. I made that vow when I returned to you, remember?" "I do, yes, you're right. Go get dressed and I'll get Joe and tell him the plan."
Joe couldn't find a thing about these so-called Mooncasters, but he wasn't giving up. His Mother walked inside his room and told him they were leaving for the Realm. He nodded, understanding that time was of the essence, shut down the laptop and followed her outside where Cale was waiting for them. (Oh Watcher, I hope Aunt L. can help us. Hold on little Bro, we're coming for you!)
*Updated my June 29th post above! I'll get started on all comments/replies in a moment but first I want to say a BIG happy "Welcome back!" to @Ellupelluellu! So, so good to see you here again dear. We missed you so much! I'm so glad you're home now and getting better every day. Of course it's fine if Oona takes over for her brother, Sean. Whatever you want to do to continue the challenge is good by me, always! Take it slow and easy, if you want. Don't push yourself too hard, okay? This challenge will always be here for you and everyone else whenever you have time for it. Love you dear, I'm thrilled that you're going to be alright and that you're back! *Hugs & Love*
Oh boy, Aaron doesn't look too happy in the daily post pic. o.O
Luca Valentine is absolutely gorgeous! I love his glowing eyes. Could be he had biased intentions, especially after he starting inciting cheers for himself. But I would bet he still enjoyed Aaron's music.
Oh Wow! That must've taken a lot of thought and creativity to put together such a detailed lore for your Sims and Aaron's story. Everyone is connected! I love it! And I love your Sims! Every single one of them is gorgeous! Gah! Thank you for including your intensions, I read every word of it!
Whoa! No offense, but I didn't even recognize Aaron with the blond hair at first. o.O Love his next pirate gig look though and the red hair for the apocalyptic gig! Same as Cale! He looks fantastic!
Absolutely love that Cale was at his Meet & Greet, but yeah, what's up with the face Cale? o.O (*psst* He looks hot as heck even when he scowls) I'm not biased at all, nope. hehe
Adrian! I remember him! Still looking gorgeous as ever, such a handsome Merman! Oh and apparently Actor too!
Hi Yoshi! Hi Hunter! Oh yeah, I bet Aaron was happy about Hunter taking up Yoga. Especially with 'that' view. hehe
Oh man, I'm going to cry! Such a sweet thing to do naming Andromeda L. after Cale's Mother! I love that! *sniff* Cale is always such a good Daddy! He looks so cute playing with Andromeda!
Thalia! Lovely name and Hunter is a sweet big brother to her! How cool he just happened to be there when Elle went into labor. Hey Lonnie, you handsome hunk! Love him!
Oh geez, you must have a Mod or something to have all your Sims at the Gala and all dressed correctly. I'm jealous! hehe Elle looks positively gorgeous and Jaxen, WOW! Purple is my favorite color and redhair is my favorite hair color so to see the two combined with purple eyes? o.O I'm speechless...
Aww, Congratulations Aaron in winning your first Starlight Accolade! He looks so happy too in that last shot. Loved his speech, he did good for thinking up something off the cuff!
Yup, Cale had enough of stardom. He's not vain enough and he'd rather just get back to nature with his garden and spending time with his family. Glimmerbrook will always be their 'real' home despite wherever they may travel. I made that house a vacation rental so they can stay there whenever they want and I'll pretend they just wanted to go back home.
Ugh, I completely understand the frustration with the selfies! At least Aaron got a couple, Cale didn't get any and he did exactly what Aaron did, travel everywhere and spend days just standing around. Go ahead and cheat it, I did and so did RememberJoy.
Ohhh, thanks for the explanation about the apples. I think Cale left some of his garden with Fox too, and Fox has his Mother Plant trophy. For some reason Cale couldn't take it with him when he moved out so I just got him one from Debug to display in his DSV office.
Same here, there was no way I was going to leave Sandy and the boys behind again, so they'll all be together again at some point in MM when and if they get Jr. back. o.O I thought about making Sandy a werewolf too, like I said before. But the more I think about it, the more I think she'd rather stay a Spellcaster. She was originally one when I downloaded her and she's been one the entire time. She's actually more powerful than Cale. We shall see though, I might change my mind depending on gameplay, but I doubt it.
HAHA! Oh yeah, I can totally see Nemesis getting a kick out of tormenting Vlad! Go Nemmie!
Ooo, Aaron's going to be in the Wildfangs pack eh? I was thinking Cale would be in the Moonwood Collective, because of the gardening thing. I haven't explored all the aspirations though, Ben is just a runt still, I think. Haven't played him in a while. But if the other aspirations call for Cale to be in the Wildfangs, he'll of course join them.
You should toot your own horn! Luca is way too handsome to have been game generated. hehe
Yup! It's Lance. Pretty easy to figure out. hehe I thought about it being Eros at one point, but couldn't figure out why he'd become a werewolf when he's already an Alien and rarely, very rarely ever comes to the Sims world He loves his ship and Sixam too much. It just made sense for Lance to come back into the picture and cause some chaos. That's his middle name afterall. hehe
HAHA! Oh man, believe it or not, Lance is the only werewolf I have that has marked his territory and he had his back turned in that screenshot. I never even saw his face so this is hilarious to me!
You're SO right! It shouldn't be something passive, it should be something our Sims can 'aspire' to reach instead of something that only can happen autonomously. I'd cheat for that autograph to count too!
I should've done the same thing for Cale, but I couldn't resist seeing how the game would style him for most of his gigs.
Thanks about the screenshots. Jr. is so handsome and I love that screenshot. Glimmerbrook is so pretty! Especially that area with the pathway and the portal by the river/creek and the falls.
Oh man, I am so, so, sorry for making you feel that way. I had to stick to his personality and character though. He is a horrible, disgusting man in every sense, yes! He has to be that evil, mean and just totally abhorrent. I didn't mean to make you cry though. Maybe I went overboard with the guy? o.O *Hugs*
Poor Joe, he's so miserable right now thinking he let his Brother down and his Mom and Dad. He's feeling a little better now that there is hope they will find him though. But terrified that he was taken by such a monster.
I apologize for the novel of a comment. As always, please don't feel you have to write such a long one in kind.
Okay ugh putting this update together is just not working for me right now, I should really have gotten it out earlier in the day but my computer was being annoying (turns out I just needed to update it... who knew?) so I left it really late...
I'm freaking exhausted right now and not in the greatest of headspaces (just feeling super anxious about life), so I'm going to have to update this and do comments/replies later today (it's almost 1am here). Or maybe I won't update it, since it'll probably turn out the exact same as yesterday's update, just with different gigs.
Here are some random no-context pictures, anyway
*Don't worry, he's not cheating on Hunter! He just needed to practice romantic scenes and I had him do them with his co-star Veronica (credit to @MaggieMarley ) because I thought it would be funny
Oh also bonus pics of Cale being handsome and my first sighting of SoulGal's Zach Hobbs!
@Ellupelluellu - Oh my gosh! What a horrible, horrible thing to happen in real life. I am so happy that you are doing better now. You are so brave! And it's wonderful to see you here again in this challenge. I will miss Sean, although he was never available to download, but will love to see Oona. Take is easy...and (hugs) to you!
June 28 - I wanted to tell you that this update was one of your best. Very intriguing. I kind of guessed what was going to happen when Cale Jr. walked down the path towards the portal...but the poses that you used and expression of Joe was really, really good. I had remembered what Cale's father had called him in the epic fight match, so knew who this werewolf was. Anyway, just wanted to say again that this was very well done.
June 29 - Sorry you posted late...but hey...you were on a roll writing.
Oh so sad. Poor Joe...the burden he is carrying for not saving his brother. And, yes, there are tomes in the Realm about Mooncasters...and L will most definitely help them. Of course, Cale figured out who this werewolf really is...and they are all going together, as a family, to the Realm. Let's hope they find the answer they are seeking.
I woke up early and found Morgyn waiting inside for me as a thunderstorm continued to shake the house. I sat down across from him and we began to hash out a plan.
"I spoke with the other sages and they had some interesting ideas," Morgyn began. "L believed that if we pretended to cast you out because of your parentage as well as strip you of your magic, it might make you a more tempting target for your father. As it is right now, he fears your powers, which is why he hasn't tried to forcefully bring you in yet. It's also why he sought leverage with Carol as well. If you were powerless and seemingly shunned by all your spellcasting friends, he may reach out to you more gently in the hopes of drawing you into becoming a vampire willingly."
I nodded, seeing L's wisdom, but feeling uncertain about parting with my magic.
"So then what?" I asked. "Do I just wait around until he comes for me, or should I approach him?"
"It would be safer to allow him to make the first move, to let him think it's his idea. If he even suspects you're up to something, you're a dead man walking."
"So let me get this straight," I said, trying to wrap my head around what Morgyn was suggesting. "I pretend to be cast out of the Magic Realm, leaving behind my powers as well as everyone I love, to wait around for a bunch of vampires who may or may not end up killing me?"
"It's definitely a substantial risk you'll be taking," Morgyn admitted, "but if you're serious about facing Darius it may be the only safe way to infiltrate his coven. He will turn you, there is no way of getting around that, but if you throw yourself into the role you may be able to uncover his weakness and eventually be able to put an end to his reign of terror."
My stomach roiled at the thought of becoming a vampire, forced to live off the plasma of other sims. This was going to be a difficult undertaking, but I knew that if I was successful Carol could have a normal life, and for that I was willing to do almost anything.
"Alright," I said sitting up straighter, "I'll do it."
We gathered everyone into the living room after breakfast to explain our plan.
Let's just say Kaori wasn't thrilled with our plan, but she also didn't put her foot down against it either, which was a small victory at least.
"So you're going to allow your father to take you and turn you into a vampire in the hopes you can rise in his ranks and one day defeat him?" she laid out very matter-of-factually.
"More or less?" I said, preparing for backlash. But it didn't come.
"Adam," she said quietly, "I've decided not to stand in your way in this. That doesn't mean that this plan doesn't freeze my heart in terror, but I understand why you need to do this. I only wish I could come with you." She stood up and drew me into her arms, "All I ask is that you promise to do everything in your power to come back to us safe and sound."
I leaned in and gave her a kiss. "You have my word."
The rest of the morning was spent hashing out the details of our plan as well as saying our goodbyes.
Morgyn returned to the Magic Realm to await our arrival that afternoon, and the Itos reassured me that they would look after Carol and Kaori in my absence.
Once everything was ready I took Carol and Kaori's hands, and with a deep breath, teleported us to the Magic Realm one last time. Before heading inside, I took Carol aside for a last few words of encouragement.
"Are you going to be OK?" I asked rubbing her shoulders.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I wish there was a way we could know how you're doing."
I thought for a moment before pulling out a couple crystals. With a little focused magic I linked the two shards and handed her one.
"Keep this with you and when you miss me, hold it tight. I'll have it's twin on me at all times and will send my love to you and your mother through it."
Carol hugged me tight and clutched the gem to her heart, "Thanks dad, this means a lot."
We entered Magic HQ where we found Morgyn waited somberly for us in the middle arena.
"Adam Strong," he said loudly enough for those around to hear, "you are here because you have been found to be the child of our arch enemy, Darius Lord. Do you deny it?"
I shook my head and lowered it in feigned shame.
Morgyn turned to Kaori. "You may choose to stand by your husband and be cast out, or divorce yourself from him and swear to never have any dealings with him or his kind again. What choose you?"
For a second I saw indecision in Kaori's eyes, and I thought she might choose to stand by me, but the moment passed and she continued to play her part.
"I disavow myself from this man and his kind," Kaori said loudly. "If I'd known he was the son of the vampire who killed my grandparents, I would never have married him. Let it be know that I hereby divorce him and neither my daughter nor I will have any more dealings with him."
Even though I knew it was an act, it still stung.
Morgyn turned back to me. "Adam Strong, because of your heritage I revoke your spellcasterhood and take back the power previously granted you."
Morgyn pulled back, and with a wave of his hand began to draw out my magic. With a whimper I was swirled up into the air until every last drop of magic was drained from me. When I dropped back to the ground, I was human once again.
Before I had a chance to take in my new condition, Morgyn waved his hand and shouted, "Now I cast you out of the Magic Realm forever!"
As I felt myself being teleported out of Magic HQ, my eyes rested on the faces of my wife and daughter for one final moment before they disappeared from sight and I was left standing in a grungy lot surrounded by smog and garbage.
June - Day 30:"Complete honesty is not the same thing as full disclosure..."
Notes
"What!?! Your Step-Dad kidnapped Cale Jr.? Oh no! How did this happen?"
"Well you know how he wants to be a Spellcaster and we were coming to the Realm tomorrow, well later today now to have you give him the Rites of Ascension." "Yes, of course."
"Joe saw him leave the house walking toward the portal trail and thought he might be going there. Probably just to look at it and dream. Or it could've been singing to him. You know how it is, I've heard it myself. He followed him to make sure he would be alright."
"Joe heard a howl, like a wolf when he was almost there and then he saw a giant werewolf with an unconscious Cale Jr. slung over his shoulder." "A Werewolf! Oh dear Watcher..."
"It talked to him and said, "Go home little boy, before I eat you." "Oh my, this is horrible."
"Joe tried to chase him anyway when he started to walk away into the forest with Jr. and I'm so proud of him for doing that. You're very brave Joe, you are." "Thanks Dad, I tried, but he was just too fast."
"How do you know it was your Step-Dad though?"
"Because he mocked Joe, calling him a Nancy boy and laughed. Lance called me that all the time. He hates me, killed my Mother and almost killed me too, as you know. He's evil, he's a monster and even more dangerous than before now that he's a werewolf."
"It's all my fault L. I just know he really wants me. He took Jr. because he knew I'd look for him. He took my Son because I foolishly let myself become famous and easily found. I'll never forgive myself for that." "Oh Honey, it's not your fault. You didn't make him the way he is."
"I know, but I did make it easier from him to find me." "How do you think I can help? I never met him so I can't use my powers to find him for you."
"It was Sandy's idea. I'll let her explain."
"Well, see, when we were trying to find Cale before, I did a lot of research looking for the spell I accidentally cast to reverse it and bring him home. One of the books I read was about something called Mooncasters. It was a story about them, werewolves, Spellcasters and even Vampires."
"Oh no, you were not supposed to see that book. It's forbidden for anyone to read, but the Sages."
"You gave it to me though. It was in a stack of other books. I thought it was just a fairytale at the time and I don't remember the full story anyway now."
"I do remember that there was something in the book about a place where werewolves live, but I couldn't remember the name. That's why I thought you could help. I found out later that book was just the first of many and the others were only accessible to the Sages. Have you read them? Do you know where werewolves live? Please L., we have to know so we can get our Son back."
"I can not tell you everything, but there are some things I can, including the name of the settlement where two packs of werewolves live. It's called Moonwood Mill and it's deep in the middle of a forest. Not many know where it is, it's so remote, but some have found it by accident. Some of the occults go there too, looking for answers and...other things."
"Long ago, the settlement only had one pack of werewolves, the Moonwood Collective. They are led by a man named Kristopher Volkov. He lives there with his adopted Son, Jacob. and another elder werewolf named Lily."
"He is a peaceful man and believes that werewolves have unjustly earned a beastly reputation through no fault of their own. He works to keep the peace between werewolves and those who are not to repair that reputation. He and his pack want harmony with all and nature. They try to fight the beast within and use their powers for good. They keep a community garden and share with those who would be their friends. I think you would like him Cale."
"He has another adopted child, a daughter named Rory. However, she rebelled against the idea of not letting the beast within run wild and free."
"She believes werewolves should embrace their animalistic tendencies."
"Rory moved out, left the Moonwood Collective and began her own pack called the Wildfangs."
"They are a wild and beastly bunch of werewolves, believing in turning as many others as they can far and wide."
"They don't care for the rules of others and spend their days and nights reeking havoc, preferring to party and terrorize everyone, frightening others until they faint, turning them against their will, celebrating the power of the moon to give them the fury they crave."
"I believe your Step-Dad might be a member of Rory's pack. At least I hope so, he'll be easy to find that way. If he isn't...he might be a lone wolf and live anywhere. Most werewolves prefer to stay in the area of Moonwood Mill, but lone wolves have been known to live elsewhere."
"I can tell you how to find Moonwood Mill. But it might take some time before any of the werewolves will help you. Kristopher would be a good start, but you may have to get involved with the Wildfangs if what I believe is true. You would have to prove yourself to both of them though before they will open up to you. Which will again take some time."
"You can look around there and you might get lucky and find him right away, if he's there. But if you don't, you should consider moving there, at least temporarily and try to blend in with the werewolves, befriend them if you can."
"Be very, very careful while you are there. It's dangerous, you could get bitten at any time and contract werebies. If you do, you could turn into a werewolf yourself. There is a cure, of sorts, but it's unreliable. If it doesn't work, you could stay a werewolf the rest of your life or even turn into...something else... Others have been unsuccessfully searching for a cure for decades. Perhaps with your biology background you might find a cure yourself, but do you really want to take that chance, with your family? Perhaps you should go there alone."
"Are you kidding me? What if I do go there by myself and get bit? What then? There's no way I'd come back and possibly lose myself to this fury thing you mentioned and maybe bite Sandy or Joe and never find Jr. at all! I don't want to risk never being with them again. I made a vow that I wouldn't. But...I...don't want to put them in danger either. Gawd, this is such a mess." "I know Honey, I wish there was a better way to find him, but going there is your only option."
"I'm going with you Cale and that's final."
"Me too Dad, we have to take the risk...for Jr."
"I wouldn't expect any less from you Sandy and you too Joe. I don't know if you're brave or foolish, but it's what I would do too in your situation."
"Sandy! Are you sure? Let me go by myself, there's no sense in putting us all in danger." "No, we're all going. If you try to go by yourself, we'll just follow you there. Besides, we're Spellcasters, we can use our powers to protect ourselves."
"Sandy's right, there are some of powers that can help you keep them at bay, perhaps scare them into leaving you alone. But I would only use any magic as a last resort. If you do use magic on a werewolf, they won't help you at all. So be very, very sure you don't want that werewolf as a friend."
"Well if they're attacking me or my family I wouldn't want them for a friend anyway." "Ah yes, there is that."
"Alright, it's settled then. We'll go to Moonwood Mill and look for Jr. hopefully we find him there and can get him quickly away from Lance. He won't give him up very easy though. If it comes down to it, he's mine, understand? I want to avenge my Mother and Jr. End of discussion....okay, are we clear on that, Sandy, Joe?" "I understand Cale. But we're a family, if it comes down to it and you need help, you have to let us help."
"Alright, I can agree to that. But only if it looks like I can't beat him myself."
"One more very important thing you should know. Stay away from a werewolf named Greg. He's the most dangerous werewolf of all and could, probably would bite you on sight."
"Who's Greg? How do we know which one is him?" "If you come upon a shack in the woods with signs warning about him, leave, immediately, don't go any further, don't talk to anyone, just run, or better yet transportalate away."
"Uh, okay, got it."
"Good luck Honey, keep in touch, let me know when you get Jr. back. I would go with you now, and I still might come and help when I can, but I have my duties here."
"Thanks L., we'll let you know, of course." "I'll write down the location of Moonwood Mill for you, oh and I happen to know of a house you can stay in while there too. It's not much, but it's available if you need it."
"I hope we don't need it." "I hope so too Honey."
"I love you L., you remind me of my Mother so much." "I love you too Cale."
"Goodbye and good luck sweet girl, you are so brave. Keep vigilant dear, don't let your guard down, ever. Especially during a full moon. Werewolves are the most dangerous then, it heightens their fury."
"Thanks L., for everything. I love you so much. Please don't worry, I'll take care of my boys, we'll find Jr. and bring him home." "I know you will. I love you too dear."
L. shared a hug with Joe too and then gave them the directions they needed. The three of them left to go back to the house and pack a few things. Cale called his Agent and the studio telling them he would not be coming back. They weren't happy about it and perhaps there would be consequences in the future, but right now, he didn't care. Finding Jr. and bringing him home was the most important thing right now. They left for Moonwood Mill soon after...
Comments/replies coming up next. I hope y'all had a fabulous day/night!
Woah, wonder why Aaron is giving this guy the third degree! hehe Oh geez, if looks could kill Aaron would be dead right now the way she's looking him. o.O Happy to see Aaron just enjoying his time with Hunter and Yoshi.
Ooo, he played a Dr.! Very cool! And again, very handsome!
hehe Veronica! That is funny! Looks like the pap got a good shot of it too. Ah and there's my gorgeous guy! Hello Cale, you still look better in afai's game than mine. hehe
Thank you, you flatter me! I had so much fun with this update using poses again. It was a bit frustrating and fiddly though since I had to use a green screen for the poses and then cut/paste them into the screenshots. I was happy with the results though. Not sure how much I'll use poses in the future though, takes so much time to do. o.O Worth it in the end though if you have the time to do it.
Yeah, still stings that happened, but yeah, I'll get over it.
Joe is suffering, of course. He tried so hard to save him, but he was doomed from the beginning. Yup, Cale's horrible Step-Dad is back. I hope he doesn't get away again if and when they find him. o.O If you've read my most recent update, you'll know L. was able to help them, yes!
Comments
I laughed out loud at that very last comment. xD it's so true.
Year Long Community Challenge
Today's Accomplishments:
The Curator - Complete!
- Finish a collection
I called ahead and the museum confirmed they had an exhibit set up and ready for our pieces, so we packed everything up and headed over. In a blink of an eye everything was put into place and we were left alone to admire our handiwork.
Unfortunately it didn't take long for my entourage to find us, so we slipped out a back way and found ourselves near the walkway celebrities place their tiles on.
"Hey!" Carol squealed, "Didn't you receive a tile to place Dad? Why don't you place it now!"
I shrugged, it wasn't really a high priority for me, the tile displayed my pseudonym and I hadn't seriously considered placing it before.
"Please!" Carol begged.
"Alright," I said, relenting, "but let's do it before a crowd shows up."
Well I missed that window because when I glanced behind me several sims waved in excitement. Sigh.
I placed my tile and admired it for a moment before Carol suddenly started to yell at her mother for no apparent reason. I think she's going through a phase.
We whisked her away from the crowd before the paparazzi arrived and returned home.
It was getting hot out, so we joined the other trailer residents at the pool.
Kaori and I soaked up some rays while Carol swam around with Arielle.
We spent the rest of the evening chilling and enjoying the day.
Notes
Cale stood staring at his garden later that morning. He'd been neglecting it lately and some of the plants didn't look so good. It didn't surprise him since his agent kept him busy constantly doing gigs one right after another. He had little time to do much else.
Was this what he wanted to do for the rest of his life? He'd had fun and made a lot of new friends. But he missed his old friends, he missed spending time with his family, he missed just puttering around in his garden. He missed clean, fresh air, fishing and slow dancing with Sandy. He missed...home and privacy. Even now he could see the paparazzi stalking him outside, lifting their cameras over the fence.
He didn't want to do this anymore. It was supposed to be a few small gigs and then the movie, done. However, since he had been so good, too good, his agent kept pushing for more and more until he found himself a Global Superstar.
His agent and the studio would probably throw a fit and not understand, but he didn't care about that. The people he cared about the most, his family, were the ones who's opinion about giving up acting meant the most to him. Would they understand? He hoped so.
Sandy was walking toward him from their home gym with a smile on her face. She looked all hot, sweaty, her hair in disarray and still so incredible beautiful to him.
"Aww, you're so sweet Cale, I can't believe you want to kiss me, I must not smell very good right now."
"You always smell and look good to me, you're gorgeous."
"Well, I don't know about that, but-"
"Hey, can we talk about something? It's important."
"Of course, what's up? You look so serious."
"Let's step into your office for a minute, I don't want the boys to hear this."
"Uh oh, it is serious."
"Alright, so you know how we don't have time to do anything together much these days?"
"Yeah."
"And the paparazzi hound me constantly."
"Gawd, I know, there's three of them outside right now."
"And ever since someone leaked our number, we have girls calling night and day, it's so annoying."
"Yeah, I know and I'm sorry about that."
"It's not your fault."
"It is though."
"Anyway, I've been thinking about all this and how it's blown up so fast and so big and how I miss our privacy, my garden, the country, fresh air, and well, home."
"What would you think if I gave it all up and we went back home? I mean, we could just go to get away for awhile and think about it some more before making a big decision like this right away, if that's what you'd rather I do. What do you think?"
"I think it's a fantastic idea!"
"I knew it! I knew you'd agree."
"Why wouldn't I? I just want you to be happy Cale and for us to be together. I miss our home too. If you want to quit right away, I have no problem with that either."
"Yes! Oh man, I'm so happy right now."
"Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go, I'll be right there by your side. I'll quit my job too. I can paint anywhere. I'm sure someone will hire me. And if not, I'll just freelance."
"You are incredible. I love you so much, do you have any idea how much?"
"I have an idea, yes. Probably the same as I do, more than can be described."
"Exactly, yes! Okay, so it's settled then, I'll quit acting and we'll go home. I don't know what I'll do after that, but I'm done with DSV and acting. It's just not who I want to be."
"You realize you'll still be recognized."
"I know, but eventually people will forget about me."
"Hmm, I kind of doubt it. But it'll help being in Glimmerbrook. Not many really know about it, except for other Spellcasters."
"You're right. Let's go tell the boys, I don't want to wait."
Cale and Sandy called the boys to the livingroom and Cale told them what he had discussed with their Mom about giving up acting and moving back to Glimmerbrook.
He told them how it was lots of fun acting, but the rest that went along with being famous, a Global Superstar and living in a smog-filled city was just too much. The lack of privacy, the constant gigs, no time for fun, no time for gardening, etc. etc.
"I miss home too." Joe piped up. "DSV has a lot to offer, and the girls, oh boy, the girls are freakin' gorgeous. But, well, most of them just like me because you're famous. Just like the paparazzi bug you Dad, they bug me too. I can't go anywhere without people whispering behind my back, begging me to get an autograph for them from you and stuff."
"I didn't know it was that bad for you Joe, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I didn't want to say anything because, well, because it seemed like what you wanted to do. I didn't want to be a downer."
"Stuff like that happens to me all the time too. I was going to ask you about maybe going to the Magic Realm anyway. You, Mom and Joe are all Spellcasters and I've been thinking that I want to be one too. I can still be a scientist, I've been experimenting and making potions for a long time, so if I could do magic, it would just be a bonus. So yeah, I want to go home too."
"Okay, so you're all good with this? All I have to do is call the studio, my agent and make some arrangements for someone to take my part in a movie they want me to do soon. That'll take time, but we don't have to stay through it all, we can go home tomorrow if you like. I'll just tell them I'm taking a vacation for now."
Everyone talked over each other in their excitement, each saying they were more than good with Cale giving up acting for a quieter life, eventually. It seemed they wanted to go home for good as much as he did.
Everyone stood up, intending to go start packing while Cale began to make some phone calls.
"Oh, this is so cool, I can't wait to go fishing! Maybe I'll build a rocket too! No room for it here, but lots of room in Glimmerbrook!" Joe said and hopped in place like he was a little kid again.
"I need to call Meagan."
"Meagan? Who's Meagan?"
"Pfft, she's one of those starlets I was talking about. She ditched me for him. She doesn't really want you Dude."
"Says you. You're just jealous."
"No I'm not, you'll find out."
"Nah, I'm calling to tell her I'm leaving. I'm not that dumb. Besides, I already have a girl half made already. Once I learn some magic, I'll figure out how to use it to make her come to life."
"HAHAHA! Okay, sure little Bro. Good luck with that."
"You'll see!"
"Hey, maybe you could make me one too!" Joe said with a smirk.
"Get your own girl!"
"I was just teasing. I'd rather have a REAL girl. Plenty of babes in the Realm."
"There is?"
"Ohhh Yeahhh!"
"Alright you two, you can discuss this later, right now we need to pack!"
"Glimmerbrook, here we come! Wooooo Hooooo!"
Wow! Great shot of the goldfish pouting. hehe Looks like everyone did very well this last term with their grades! Good job gang!
@afai1261
Aww, of course he wanted to give Hunter a suave kiss, and then play the violin. hehe Ugh! I am right there with you, I detest incite cheers so much! It's freakin ridiculous and other Sims hate it. I'm with you too about it not being in character for Cale to do that as well. No way! Gawd, Aaron looks SO good carrying those chips! Go away Thorne! Aww, good for you Blue, you're a sweetheart! Audax! Hello gorgeous! Oh yum, thanks for the eye candy! Shelby is such a cute Sim. Why'd Hunter have to leave apples behind? #isconfused
hehe I figured you'd like Cale's redhead look. I agree though, he does look good! LOL! Thanks, it's kind of tough to come up with something original for the same few animations, but it's been fun trying!
Aww, you're welcome! I absolutely loved their vows and the tender looks on their faces for each other.
I understand about being torn about having Hunter a werewolf too, I'm struggling with the same a bit for Sandy. At this point though, I've pretty much decided she won't be for story purposes.
Ah, so I'm not the only one that was clueless about some of the pack features. I know better now though. Poor girl changing and being squeamish. I bet she was a mess.
I had no idea who Dustin Broke was, never played the celebrities in TS2. I could've just gave him a makeover too, but meh. I honestly don't care for Get Famous anyway. Yes, Judith did need a new hairstyle. I like the one she has in my game now. The other one is just too old-fashioned.
Max! Yeah, he seems like he was made to be a werewolf. He's a teen in one of my custom templates. Hmmm, I might have to turn the kid. hehe
Yeah, once Cale saw Joel in the bar in my recent update, I just knew it had to be him. It just makes sense considering how much he means to him. I hope you understand, I think you do.
Ah, okay, thank you! I'll be curious to see how he does in the challenge. Yeah, a werewolf in a vampire laden challenge would not be a good idea. hehe
Yep, that's your Sim, Luca! And of course you recognized Lonnie. Love them both!
We shall see soon, or not, the identity of the werewolf stalking Cale. That's all I'll say...
Ohhhh, that's why! Yes, Cale has a Pristine reputation, he's had it for a long, long time.
So happy Aaron was able to get the selfies at least. I don't know why it's messed up in my game and Rememberjoy's. Ah well...
Sorry about the throwback look for Aaron. Like I said though, he'll be looking like his recent self in July. I wondered why Adam was looking at Aaron like that too. All I can figure is he was jealous that Cale was paying so much attention to him?? I don't know.
Eh, I didn't mind the beard so much, though I would've picked a different one, but I'm so used to long hair on Cale, the short and blond looked weird. hehe Bummer Aaron doesn't suit any of the gig looks. Ah well.
No worries about the novel, Lord knows I write a lot myself! hehe
@Karababy52 -
@RememberJoy -
@afai1261 -
@LegacySims2017 -
@Shadami -
I swung open the door and wrapped my old friend in a warm embrace.
"Are you a sight for sore eyes!" I cried, "What happened to you? We haven't seen you since Britechester!"
"It's a long story," Morgyn said, glancing over his shoulder. "Can I come in?"
"Are you still being hunted?" I asked, ushering into our home.
"No," Morgyn said breaking into a big smile. "We've won back the Magic Realm and I'm once again the Sage of Untamed magic."
"That's awesome!" I grinned. "You have to tell us everything!"
I called to Kaori letting her know who it was and she said she'd be right out. I led Morgyn over to our dining table and we settled in.
"So start from the beginning," I said excitedly, "how did you win back the Realm?"
"It was a long arduous affair," Morgyn sighed, "but we were able to rally enough spellcasters to our side to be able to ferret out the moles and sellouts planted into our Council. It came down to what might be a kin to a legal battle where we were able to prove that some of the members had ties to certain unsavory parties."
Morgyn paused as Kaori joined us. "That's actually why I'm here Adam," Morgyn continued in a serious voice. "Some of the corrupt members were willing to provide us with certain information in return for a lighter sentencing... and one of those things concerns you."
Kaori looked over at me nervously, "Is it about his father?" she asked.
Morgyn looked taken aback, "Then you already know?"
"Yeah," I said rubbing my neck, "My mother told me after we defeated a large sentient plant for her."
"Alright then," Morgyn said, giving me a curious glance. "There's obviously an interesting story to be told here, but it'll have to wait. My information places you and your family in great danger Adam. Your father knows you are here and he's been plotting to have your daughter Carol abducted and brought to him as leverage against you."
My heart raced and I glanced over at Carol who was sleeping peacefully through our conversation.
"Fortunately for you," Morgyn continued, "you still have that protection spell I showed you obscuring your exact location. This will only throw them off for a limited time though, and they will eventually find you if you stay here."
I reached over and took Kaori's hand, "We can move tonight if we have to."
Morgyn nodded, "Good, because I'm here to take you to a temporary safe house. I'll give you some space so you can explain things to Carol."
Morgyn got up and wandered over to look at some of our art as I gently shook Carol awake. She groggily got up and grabbed some leftovers from the fridge before sitting down.
"What time is it?" she asked half asleep, "It's still dark outside."
"Sweetie," I said, "we need to pack up for another adventure, and we need to leave before the sun rises."
This seemed to perk her up a little. "Where are we going this time?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," I admitted, "Morgyn's going to lead us there as soon as we're ready."
"Morgyn!" Carol shouted, looking around. When she saw him she jumped up and ran to give him a hug. "It feels like it's been forever!" she cried. "Are we going back to the Magic Realm!"
"It's good to see you again Carol," Morgyn grinned, "I've certainly missed your energy and enthusiasm. I'd rather not say where we're going right now in case of unfriendly ears, but we most certainly can return to the Magic Realm someday soon."
"Good," Carol said, seemingly satisfied, "I've already beat my dad in a duel and I need a bigger challenge."
Kids.
Fifteen minutes later we had everything we wanted to take with us packed up and ready to go. Morgyn took our hands and in a blink we disappeared from our home in Del Sol Valley.
We appeared in front of a cozy looking home and I immediately recognized we'd returned to Glimmerbrook.
"Who's house is this?" I asked, not recognizing the place from the last time I was here.
"It belongs to a couple of old friends," Morgyn winked, leading us up to the front door.
Before we could knock, a familiar face appeared at the door.
"Gemma!" I cried as she ran out to give me a hug, "It's so good to see you!"
Another familiar face followed her and soon Kiyoshi was giving out his own hugs.
They ushered us inside to their living room to sit down and catch up.
Of course they had to introduce us to their children, Allyson and Xzavier, who looked at us shyly.
Gemma and Kiyoshi caught us up on their part in freeing the Magic Realm as well as their wedding we'd missed while in Strangerville. We told them about our adventures in StrangerVille as well as my rise to fame and our trips to Salvedorada.
Eventually Morgyn had to say goodbye as he was needed back at Magic HQ, but not before asking us to meet him there the next day.
After he left we all sat down to a delicious turkey dinner Gemma magic'd up for us.
We then went outside and chatted in their backyard and I volunteered to help them out with their garden.
We set up our smaller tent in the backyard for Kaori and myself, as Carol had been offered Allyson's lower bunk to sleep on.
Before I turned in for the night I took advantage of the telescope they had set up out back and enjoyed some stargazing.
Hopefully tomorrow we can hash out a plan of what to do next.
Notes
Later that night, Cale and his family went home. For the time being his Agent, the studio, and his co-workers thought he was only taking a well deserved and much needed vacation. After a couple days of resting and relaxing, he'd tell them that he had no plans to come back.
As evidenced by the daily post pic, Cale and Sandy had already gone to their room. They spent some time talking and snuggling while the boys just kicked back and relaxed. Joe was playing video games while Cale Jr. sat outside on the deck rocking and thinking. His parents had promised tomorrow would be the day. The day he would take the Rites of Ascension and begin his journey as a Spellcaster. He could hardly wait.
After a little while he got up and went for a walk. The Portal seemed to know his intentions and was singing to him. He couldn't resist the lure and just wanted to go take a look at it. That's all.
The closer he got, the louder it sang. Not much farther now, just around the next corner.
Cale Jr. stopped in his tracks when he saw a menacing looking man stomping toward him on the trail. He didn't look very friendly at all.
(Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.)
He turned to go and the man called out to him.
"Hey kid, where do you think you're going? Watch what I can do."
Cale Jr. gasped and screamed when the man turned into some kind of wolf beast thing.
Meanwhile Joe happened to notice Cale Jr. get up and walk away and after finishing his current round of Party Frenzy, Joe followed him. He had a feeling he knew exactly where his kid brother was going, so he wasn't in any hurry.
Cale Jr. turned and ran for his life as the wolf man continued walking toward him, yelling horrible things, taunting and teasing him.
"MUWAHAHAHA! You can't get away from me. I'm faster than you'll ever be."
Cale Jr. tried to scream when the wolf man grabbed him. But all he got out was a squeak before it covered his mouth with a hairy, stinky paw.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Nice try kid. But not good enough. Oh I'm going to love this. Your Daddy will be so worried. But he'll never find you. I'll make sure of that."
Cale Jr. fainted from fright and fell at the werewolf's feet.
"You're a Nancy boy just like your Daddy, aren't you? Pfft..."
"Aaa-WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
(What was that? A wolf? Glimmerbrook has wolves? Wait...what is THAT!?)
The werewolf picked up Cale Jr. still out cold and slung him over his shoulder.
"Go home little boy before I eat you!" The werewolf said looking straight at Joe before growling and snarling at him with glaring eyes glowing a terrifying red.
*GASP* "OH MY GAWD!"
(Is that...is that a... werewolf? Werewolves are REAL?!)
(Um, you're a Spellcaster, not so unreasonable other special beings exist.)
(It has my Brother! And...he's not moving! What's he going to do with him?)
Joe stood in shock watching the werewolf walking away with his Brother. Why was he just standing there? The beast was getting away! He had to try to save Cale Jr.!
"STOP! STOP! PUT HIM DOWN YOU BEAST!"
"HAHAHA! Sure Nancy, when I get home. Buh Bye!"
Joe ran as fast as he could, but it was no use. The werewolf ran into the forest at an incredible speed and disappeared before Joe could catch him.
Joe walked back to the trail and collapsed in anguish. He'd failed to save his brother and it was all his fault. He was gone, how would they find him? What did that beast want with him? Was he still alive? He had to be! Right?
(WAIT! WHY DIDN'T I USE MY MAGIC ON HIM!?)
(You don't know anything that would've made a difference.)
(Why didn't I study more? Why? Why? Why?)
(Stop feeling sorry for yourself and think about your brother, do something! Tell your parents! They need to know! You're wasting time!)
There was one spell that would at least save time, Transportalate. The faster he could tell his parents, the quicker they could figure out what to do and how to find his brother to rescue him from that monster...
HAHA! Oh, I didn't even think of that! No, not a wishing well girl, a Robo girl, yep! He got a Robotics station for his birthday. Didn't care about girls at first, but he's changed his mind.
I haven't really said yet who is the werewolf, but I'm sure it's not very hard to figure out who it is, especially after my latest update. And if you've read it, you know that you're right about the werewolf going after a family member. o.O Gah!
(Ignore that it says Mulligan, I have MCCC set to NOT sync last names for same sex married couples but it keeps ignoring the setting for some reason. I want Aaron to keep his last name and Winterson-Mulligan is too many characters, so Hunter had to become Hunter Winterson)
He was even getting attention from one of the more famous musicians in Del Sol Valley, a vampire virtuoso by the name of Luca Valentine, and coincidentally, Elle's industry rival.
Aaron even got a tip, and Luca was a proper celebrity!
But maybe that was just a ploy, considering that Aaron was married to Elle's son.
Luca instantly attempted to draw the attention away from Aaron and on himself, just as Thorne had. Though Aaron didn't entirely mind.
An author by the name of Logan Phoenix had also taken an interest in him, but for an entirely different reason...
The two sons of the Queen of Sixam, known only by their Sim names Jaxen and Logan, crash-landed in StrangerVille decades ago. Enamoured with the films of Judith Ward in her youth, Jaxen went to Del Sol Valley in an effort to make it big as an actor. During his travels, he got very... friendly with several men, including one Audax Stone while filming in Glimmerbrook (leaving Audax with a tiny purple baby named Malachi...). Although it should be noted that Audax never consented to being probed.
Logan stayed in StrangerVille, realising it was the perfect climate to grow his hybrid plants that he'd developed but that had quickly been made illegal on Sixam. He also started to write books that he claimed were science fiction but were actually science fact, citing technologies available on Sixam that the Sim world could never dream of, including that technology allowing a same-sex couple to have biological children together. It was through his books that he met Aoibhinn Phoenix, a vampire with an evil streak and ambitions to use this alien technology to do what all evil sims want to do. You know. Take over the world
Logan
Aoibhinn
Logan established the lab in StrangerVille that housed the Mother plant, and named said lab in his partner's honour - Phoenix Labs. He later took her last name when they married, and they had a daughter named Regan, a vampire with purple skin.
All seemed perfect with Logan and his little family. Until...
Extremely angry with Logan's conduct and his exposure of Sixamian knowledge and tech (and the fact he married a vampire), Sixam's authorities decided to forcefully take Logan back to Sixam. While serving out a sentence as a mentor for Sixam's youth, he met a young Blue Zulpo.
Blue herself had been ostracised from Sixam society for her skintone, which is clearly not blue. She escaped Sixam as a young adult and met Regan, also a young adult now. The rest for those two is history.
But what of StrangerVille? Logan managed to get out again (Sixam security isn't that great, is it?) and reconciled with Aoibhinn, and continued his little passion project with his plants. Except. The Mother got too powerful. Conspiracies that aliens were behind the weird plants popping up all over the place started going around. He fled StrangerVille for Del Sol Valley, hiding with his brother Jaxen who was now established as a Proper Celebrity.
By this time, Blue had made a name for herself as a scientist and had no qualms about presenting herself as an alien, so following these alien rumours concerning the plants, the military called her in and placed her in charge of the team of scientists already there.
Aaron's arrival in StrangerVille and subsequent defeat of the Mother elevated them both in celebrity status. However... Blue wanted to get to the bottom of the whole thing, and had a team of secret agents track Logan down, finding him in Del Sol Valley. Aaron moving to DSV wasn't just because he was getting noticed and there were opportunities there. It was to confront Logan. As Aaron had headed the group of sims to fight the Mother himself, Blue argued that he should be the one to do it. Exposing Logan for how his work had affected an entire town would make Aaron look even more heroic.
To finish up StrangerVille, I would have had a scene with Blue meeting with Aaron along with some secret agents to explain all this and tell him just why he had to move to DSV, but I didn't have the time to set it up and so on the surface, the move to DSV is just what I presented in my June 1 post. Anyways...
If you read all that, thank you LOL. I wanted to put this somewhere even if I couldn't fit it properly into the narrative, but based on how Logan, Jaxen and Aoibhinn are acting around Aaron in-game I don't think it'll actually have any bearing on the story now but it was fun to write it out
I also needed to tie up those loose ends from last month and I figured this was the best way to do it.
And if the fame from publishing his papers and telling the story of how he defeated the Mother plant wasn't enough, producers from a local film studio, Plumbob Pictures, approached him with a job offer, to become an actor.
Aaron wasn't sure what to think at first, but with Hunter's encouragement he accepted and began learning lines for a commercial where he was dressed as a pirate,
a TV show where he was dressed as a pirate,
and a movie where he wasn't dressed as a pirate but may well have been the apocalyptic equivalent of one.
He decided to hold a Meet and Greet, and it never got any less weird seeing and hearing a huge crowd of people cheering his name.
(Why are you looking at Aaron like that, Cale??? o.O )
His co-star, Adrian, asked if he wanted to give a few street performances at the park which would help promote his roles.
(Yes, Adrian is one of my boys)
He didn't even know how, but Aaron did manage to find the time to be with Hunter and try to relax at home.
Hunter took up yoga, and Aaron was very happy about that
(Apparently Hunter has had Wellness as one of his likes this whole time and I did not know LOL)
Next door, Cale and Aster had their second baby, a daughter named Andromeda L. Conrad. The L. stands for Lisa, in honour of Cale's mother.
(Yes, I know this means I should probably age Leo up already but that's coming soon
Later, Hunter's father asked if he'd like to come over. Apparently, Hunter had great timing because Lonnie immediately started freaking out as soon as he arrived.
(Elle actually did go into labour as soon as Hunter flew up to greet his father - I had NO idea she'd be having the baby right then and there
Because there was a baby on the way.
Hunter gazed down at his baby sister, little Thalia, and grinned. She was adorable.
As he gently put her back in the bassinet, he had a thought. Would Aaron be open to having children...?
It was only when he was sitting in Studio PBP waiting for an awards ceremony to begin - an awards ceremony that he had been nominated for an award in! - that it dawned on him. (Frick, I am famous...)
One of his co-workers, Jaxen, also at the ceremony, seemed to have something against him though...
(Jaxen erased Aaron's memory of him so it's like they never met. Autonomously!)
"Jaxen, you know I saw that, right?"
In a daze, Aaron barely heard his name being said, until Elle reached over and touched his shoulder.
"You won," she said, grinning, and he stared at her for a second before glancing at the host. "No way," he said, and then the host beckoned him forward. "We're waiting, Mr. Winterson," he said, and Aaron stood to collect his Starlight Accolade.
"Well, I guess I should be giving a speech right about now, huh?" He hadn't prepared anything at all...
Then he thought of something. "Well first I have to thank my wonderful mother-in-law for telling me I did win, because of..." Wait, what had happened? He frowned at the sim sitting in the purple suit in the front row. Surely he knew the man's name? He shook his head and continued. "I should probably also thank my amazing husband, who I think is busting ghosts right now, because without him telling me to just go for it and accept the offer to act I wouldn't be here right now to get this great award! And thank you to my co-stars, because without them, I'm nothing, really..."
"...This is incredible, I never expected to be getting something like this so soon! Thank you all so much!"
This post is getting extraordinarily long as it is so I'm going to just leave it here
Oh dear, Dylan's really leaving things to the literal last minute, isn't he?
But that was definitely me over the final few weeks of last semester though
Great grades for everyone!
Come on Aaron, a B? Slacker!
~~~
Moonwood Mill may be a small world, but it feels like there's so much to explore! I've definitely gotten lost while going around the world trying to find certain spots
It is a very cool world, yeah!
@RememberJoy
Haha I love Adam's reaction to the skeleton
The robot doing yoga is great
Jun 27: Adam's museum display looks fantastic! Congrats for completing Curator!
So he finally places his tile, nice
Jun 28: Knew instantly from the way the house looked that they were back in good ol' Glimmerbrook!
So good to finally see Morgyn again! And great that the good guys got the Magic Realm back!
Oh hell, Darius wants to abduct Carol! No! HAHAHA Carol! There is a lot more at stake here! Though of course she doesn't know that yet, but still
Oh, it's Gemma and Kiyoshi's place! Sweet! Was wondering when we'd get to see them again.
@Karababy52
Aaron's reasoning will be much the same I think.
Poor Joe being bugged by the paparazzi too! That's awful, since he's still only a teen!
Of course they'll go back to Glimmerbrook, that really is their home!
~~~
That's exactly what I'm doing
When I've left Aaron doing nothing to see if fans will ask him for selfies, I've caught him inciting cheers autonomously and I just... UGH it's so bad, I hate it lol.
I really love that hot weather outfit on Aaron (the one with the chips) with the backwards hat, the sunglasses, the open shirt...
Oh, when Aaron left Mount Komorebi I decided not to take his apple trees, since the place I'd chosen for them in Windenburg had no room for them. I know I could have just stuck them in his household inventory ready for when they did move to a place with room, but I didn't lol.
I feel like having Hunter remain a vampire while Aaron's a werewolf will be a great source of angst but Aaron's already been through so much angst, and having him lose Hunter again like he did in Glimmerbrook... It'll not only crush him, it'll crush me to write it LOL but... Hunter did say he'd never leave like that again, no matter what
She absolutely was a mess while she had werebies, I actually felt sorry for her LOL
But now she's having the time of her life being an evil werewolf and finding out how fun it is to torment dear old great-granddad
They actually aren't related in this save because adding the relationships would be a pain but I thought it was hilarious
I gave my Judith a makeover with one of the hairs from Vintage Glamour and the improvement was instantaneous!
I finally aged Max up to teen in this save and now I really want to make him a werewolf
Oh, yes of course I understand! I never thought Aaron would be that special to Cale to even be considered for that role, compared to Joel!
I'd recognise Lonnie from a mile away because he's so distinctive but with Luca I was kinda like "oh hey that sim looks kind of familiar..." Then I looked closer. I thought he was much too handsome to be a game-generated townie and I was right
Yikes, your most recent update... that pretty much proves it's Lance, right?
It's also their facial expressions when they mark territory that does it for me
Every time I need a laugh I just find these two pics in my pic folder
Like I said before I might just cheat the selfie thing because it just makes me angry now. It's all up to the game and it's actually really dumb to have it as part of the aspiration since it happens without your sim doing anything. It's passive, not active if that makes sense. It's not something your sim CHOOSES to do, like dealing with the paparazzi or whatever, you know? Besides, I noticed a fan ask Aaron for an autograph and I'm going to count that because with how much time I've wasted trying to get that final selfie... I don't consider it cheating.
Nah, it's all good! No need to apologise about Aaron's throwback look
It was great when Aaron got the perk that lets him skip hair/makeup and wardrobe in gigs, because then I could let him just get wardrobe and he'd do the gig in his regular hair and beard. He looked fantastic every time! Like Aaron has a face that works with some things and does not work with others, and that was very evident in his gigs before I got him that perk
~~~
Jun 28: Aww, such a lovely daily pic of Cale and Sandy snuggling
Cale Jr looks so handsome there in the rocking chair thinking about the future!
And that is a gorgeous pic of him running along the path!
So glad Joe took notice of Junior's absence, but oh my freaking- I don't have words, seeing the werewolf taunting Junior and then Joe makes me so uncomfortable!
Okay ew - Nancy boy? Yup, that's definitely Lance, f***... look what you've done, you've reduced me to swearing
(Yes I really did just reread your January 29 update to remind myself of Lance's physical build and manner of speaking and now I'm crying for some reason, funny that... Gosh I forgot just how emotional that update was!)
No, Joe, it's okay, baby, you did the best you could!
You saw bits of my doings at beginning of this year, but then my watcher got cerebral hemorrhage, and lost left side of her body, and had to learn to walk and talk again.
Recovering took months, and unfortinatelly watcher played me a bit ahead before all happened and I refuse to be her sim no more, she made me deal with too many angry ladies for my taste
But, my sister, Oona Medicci here, would li"ke to give it a go. from beginning like 1 simday = one challenge day ,it goes fast, simply doing the aspirations , no complex storie (she says), if the OP allows?
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
He led us into a side room where we sat down together.
"I have a proposition for you," he began, getting right to the point. "We have some teaching positions open and I'd like for you to stay here until we can work something out about Darius. Carol can take classes here and continue her magical training."
"Yes!" Carol cheered. "That sounds great!"
Morgyn smiled and returned his gaze to Kaori and myself. "What do you think?"
Kaori looked uncertain, "That's very generous of you Morgyn," she said, "but I'm already teaching a class on Selvadorada for another school and I'd hate to leave them hanging."
"We can make arrangements so that you may finish your class remotely," Morgyn offered. "I'm afraid it's much too dangerous for you to return to Del Sol at this time to teach it in person."
Kaori bit her lip and nodded in understanding, but looked upset none the less.
Morgyn met my eyes, "What about you Adam," he asked. "Would you like to be a teacher here in the Magic Realm?"
"It's tempting," I sighed, "but I think I need to face him."
Morgyn looked shocked. "Adam," he said, "I admire your bravery, but that would be suicide, or worse. Your father is not one to be reasoned with."
"If I don't do this Morgyn," I said, "I'll spend the rest of my life either running or hiding. The same for Kaori and Carol. I don't want that for them or for me. I need to face him, and if necessary, destroy him."
Kaori broke in before Morgyn could respond "Can I have a moment alone with my husband?" she asked, sounding mad.
Morgyn motioned for Carol to follow him out of the room and I reluctantly turned to look into Kaori's blazing eyes.
"What are you doing Adam?" she whispered angrily. "We're a team, you and I, for better or for worse. Why didn't you discuss this with me earlier?"
"Because I just decided now," I admitted. "I've known a confrontation with Darius was inevitable ever since I learned he was my father, but I want that meeting to be on my terms. The only thing holding me back before was concern for you and Carol. If you stay here I can confidently face him without having to worry about you two."
"And if Darius proves too strong for you," Kaori said bitterly, "what then? I'm not going to stand on the sidelines while you go and get yourself killed!"
Looking into her angry eyes my face softened and I pulled her into a hug. "I love you Kaori," I whispered into her hair, "and if my father gets his hands on you I would do anything to keep you safe." I pulled back and looked into her tearful eyes, "and that's why I have to do this alone. He can't be allowed to gain any leverage on me."
Kaori wiped away her tears and gave me a steely look. "I want to hear a detailed well thought out plan before I agree to any of this," Kaori demanded. "If it isn't fool proof I'll tie you up and keep you in one of the closets here if I have to."
That made me laugh and I promised her I would hash out an expert plan with insight from all of the sages and wouldn't attempt anything without her approval.
We hugged it out for awhile before going out to see what Carol and Morgyn had gotten up to.
We found them in the center ring dueling.
Carol showed some improved form, but Morgyn still easily defeated her.
When they saw us watching, Carol asked if we'd made a decision.
I told her that for sure she would be attending magic school here for real this time, but that we were still figuring out what we were going to do.
The rest of the day was spent doing more duels and showing Carol the magical ropes.
When we returned home we joined the Itos in watching a cute little movie about a lost dog.
I could relate to that poor dog more than I'd like to admit.
June - Day 29: "You can run, but you can't hide. I will find you and take back what's mine..."
Notes
Joe felt sick inside thinking about what had happened to his brother.
And how he had failed to save him. If that monster hurt him he would avenge his Brother if it was the last thing he ever did.
"MOM! DAD! WAKE UP! SOMETHING'S HAPPENED, SOMETHING BAD. WAKE UP! IT'S ABOUT JR."
"What!? What's happened? Is he alright?"
"Put some clothes on Sandy, you can't go out there like that."
"Oh, uh, yeah."
"We'll be out in a second. Go have a seat in the kitchen."
"Alright, but hurry! Please hurry!"
Cale and Sandy sat at the kitchen table and waited for Joe to pull himself together.
"What's going on Joe? You're scaring me. Where's Jr.?"
"Come on Joe, if he's in trouble, crying won't help. Tell us! You're wasting time!"
Joe wiped his eyes, took a deep breath and choked out what had happened. How he had followed Jr. to the Portal, hearing a wolf howl. Seeing what had to be a werewolf carrying his unconscious Brother away. He told them what it said to him and how it had laughed. How he'd tried to follow him to save his Brother, but couldn't. The werewolf was just too fast. He had disappeared within seconds.
"I should've used my magic somehow, but I don't know much and I was so in shock at what I was seeing, I didn't know what to do. I froze. I freakin' froze! I transportalated here right away though to tell you. What are we going to do? How do we find him? Why did he take Jr.? He's just a kid. I'm so sorry, I hate myself. Jr's gone and it's all my fault."
"It's not your fault Joe, you tried your best."
"Oh my Gawd! A werewolf? Are you sure Joe?"
"It was all furry from head to toe, it had these big claws & teeth, ears and nose like a dog, a growly menacing voice, it howled, just like a wolf and had glowing red eyes. It was BIG too, so big. I've never seen anything so big in my life."
Cale could not hold back the tears. His son had been taken by a monster, a menacing werewolf that only ate...meat.
(Oh Gawd don't eat my Son.)
Joe was miserable too, with silent tears falling down his cheeks. He'd never seen his Father cry before. This was bad, very bad.
(My Son, my beautiful, innocent Son, he can't be gone. I can't...I won't think like that. NO! We will find him. Somehow...)
"Wait a minute..."
"You said he called you 'Nancy?"
"Yeah, like it was an insult."
"I know who it is. That werewolf is my Step-Dad, Lance. It has to be. He called me Nancy all the time too whenever he thought I wasn't acting 'manly' enough. He's a horrible, hot-headed, mean, cruel, evil murdering *BEEP*!"
"SON OF A *BEEP*! He took Jr. to get to me, to try to hurt me."
"He killed my Mother and tried to kill me. Now he has my Son! He must've been stalking us. He found us because of ME! Because I'm famous! GAH! How could I be so stupid!? It's not your fault Joe, It's MINE! I'll KILL HIM, KILL HIM WITH MY BARE HANDS IF HE'S TOUCHED ONE HAIR ON HIS HEAD. DO YOU HEAR ME!?"
"Calm down Cale, I know you're upset, but screaming, ranting and raving isn't going to help. You're scaring Joe. He feels bad enough as it is, don't you think?"
"I'm sorry. I just get so wound up thinking about that man. He brings out the worst in me. I meant what I said though. We have to find him, but how? How?"
"I have an idea how we can find him."
"Oh?"
"When I was doing research to try to find a spell to get you back when I accidentally sent you to that island, I remember something I read. It was a story. I thought perhaps it was just a fairytale at the time, but I believe now it was actually about the history of Spellcasters and Werewolves, Vampires too."
"The story was about an occult called Mooncasters, which are somehow related to all three. It talked about a place called...well, I can't remember that part, but I bet L. knows. There's more tomes about everything I've said, but I can't access them."
"Only Sages can read those tomes. I would bet L. has read them and knows where your Step-Dad might've taken Jr."
"Oh Gawd, I hope you're right!"
"Because if she hasn't and the tomes can't be found, we might never know where to find Jr."
"No, NO, don't say that, you can't say that. My little boy... Oh Jr..."
"It'll be alright Mom, at least now we have some hope, right?"
"Please don't cry, you'll make us cry again too."
"I'm sorry, I can't help it. Thinking about that monster and what he might do, I can't bear it. He has to be alright, he just had to be...right?"
"We'll find him Mom. I'm going to go check online and see if I can find anything else about these Mooncasters. Maybe there's more information out there than just the tomes."
Joe got up and walked quickly to his room as Sandy continued to sob. Cale got up from his chair, went over to Sandy and pulled her into his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder.
"Shh, shh, c'mere, it'll be alright. We'll find him, we will! I promise."
"How can you promise such a thing? You don't know. He could be, he could be..."
"NO! He's not. I know my Step-Dad, he'll keep him alive until I get there. He wants me, not Jr., he's bait. We'll find him and bring him home."
Sandy pulled herself together, dried her eyes and stood stoically looking at the man she loved who now had a look of sheer determination on his handsome face. She trusted him and believed in him. Their Son was alive and they were going to get him back.
"Alright, I say we go to the Realm, now. I know it's late and everyone is probably asleep, but I know L. she'd want to help us as soon as she can if she can and won't care if we wake her up."
"I agree, you're right. What about Joe? We can't just leave without telling him."
"Of course he's going with us. We're a family, Jr. is his Brother, we're in this together, always. No one will ever get left behind in this family again. I made that vow when I returned to you, remember?"
"I do, yes, you're right. Go get dressed and I'll get Joe and tell him the plan."
Joe couldn't find a thing about these so-called Mooncasters, but he wasn't giving up. His Mother walked inside his room and told him they were leaving for the Realm. He nodded, understanding that time was of the essence, shut down the laptop and followed her outside where Cale was waiting for them.
(Oh Watcher, I hope Aunt L. can help us. Hold on little Bro, we're coming for you!)
Oh boy, Aaron doesn't look too happy in the daily post pic. o.O
Luca Valentine is absolutely gorgeous! I love his glowing eyes. Could be he had biased intentions, especially after he starting inciting cheers for himself. But I would bet he still enjoyed Aaron's music.
Oh Wow! That must've taken a lot of thought and creativity to put together such a detailed lore for your Sims and Aaron's story. Everyone is connected! I love it!
Whoa! No offense, but I didn't even recognize Aaron with the blond hair at first. o.O Love his next pirate gig look though and the red hair for the apocalyptic gig! Same as Cale! He looks fantastic!
Absolutely love that Cale was at his Meet & Greet, but yeah, what's up with the face Cale? o.O (*psst* He looks hot as heck even when he scowls) I'm not biased at all, nope. hehe
Adrian! I remember him! Still looking gorgeous as ever, such a handsome Merman!
Hi Yoshi! Hi Hunter! Oh yeah, I bet Aaron was happy about Hunter taking up Yoga. Especially with 'that' view. hehe
Oh man, I'm going to cry! Such a sweet thing to do naming Andromeda L. after Cale's Mother! I love that!
Thalia! Lovely name and Hunter is a sweet big brother to her! How cool he just happened to be there when Elle went into labor. Hey Lonnie, you handsome hunk! Love him!
Oh geez, you must have a Mod or something to have all your Sims at the Gala and all dressed correctly. I'm jealous! hehe Elle looks positively gorgeous and Jaxen, WOW! Purple is my favorite color and redhair is my favorite hair color so to see the two combined with purple eyes? o.O I'm speechless...
Aww, Congratulations Aaron in winning your first Starlight Accolade! He looks so happy too in that last shot. Loved his speech, he did good for thinking up something off the cuff!
Yup, Cale had enough of stardom. He's not vain enough and he'd rather just get back to nature with his garden and spending time with his family.
Ugh, I completely understand the frustration with the selfies! At least Aaron got a couple, Cale didn't get any and he did exactly what Aaron did, travel everywhere and spend days just standing around. Go ahead and cheat it, I did and so did RememberJoy.
Ohhh, thanks for the explanation about the apples. I think Cale left some of his garden with Fox too, and Fox has his Mother Plant trophy. For some reason Cale couldn't take it with him when he moved out so I just got him one from Debug to display in his DSV office.
Same here, there was no way I was going to leave Sandy and the boys behind again, so they'll all be together again at some point in MM when and if they get Jr. back. o.O I thought about making Sandy a werewolf too, like I said before. But the more I think about it, the more I think she'd rather stay a Spellcaster. She was originally one when I downloaded her and she's been one the entire time. She's actually more powerful than Cale. We shall see though, I might change my mind depending on gameplay, but I doubt it.
HAHA! Oh yeah, I can totally see Nemesis getting a kick out of tormenting Vlad! Go Nemmie!
Ooo, Aaron's going to be in the Wildfangs pack eh? I was thinking Cale would be in the Moonwood Collective, because of the gardening thing. I haven't explored all the aspirations though, Ben is just a runt still, I think. Haven't played him in a while. But if the other aspirations call for Cale to be in the Wildfangs, he'll of course join them.
You should toot your own horn! Luca is way too handsome to have been game generated. hehe
Yup! It's Lance. Pretty easy to figure out. hehe I thought about it being Eros at one point, but couldn't figure out why he'd become a werewolf when he's already an Alien and rarely, very rarely ever comes to the Sims world He loves his ship and Sixam too much. It just made sense for Lance to come back into the picture and cause some chaos. That's his middle name afterall. hehe
HAHA! Oh man, believe it or not, Lance is the only werewolf I have that has marked his territory and he had his back turned in that screenshot. I never even saw his face so this is hilarious to me!
You're SO right! It shouldn't be something passive, it should be something our Sims can 'aspire' to reach instead of something that only can happen autonomously. I'd cheat for that autograph to count too!
I should've done the same thing for Cale, but I couldn't resist seeing how the game would style him for most of his gigs.
Thanks about the screenshots. Jr. is so handsome and I love that screenshot. Glimmerbrook is so pretty! Especially that area with the pathway and the portal by the river/creek and the falls.
Oh man, I am so, so, sorry for making you feel that way. I had to stick to his personality and character though. He is a horrible, disgusting man in every sense, yes! He has to be that evil, mean and just totally abhorrent. I didn't mean to make you cry though. Maybe I went overboard with the guy? o.O *Hugs*
Poor Joe, he's so miserable right now thinking he let his Brother down and his Mom and Dad. He's feeling a little better now that there is hope they will find him though. But terrified that he was taken by such a monster.
I apologize for the novel of a comment. As always, please don't feel you have to write such a long one in kind.
Daughters of Hesperia
March 13th - Becoming a duelist
Year Long Community Challenge
I'm freaking exhausted right now and not in the greatest of headspaces (just feeling super anxious about life), so I'm going to have to update this and do comments/replies later today (it's almost 1am here). Or maybe I won't update it, since it'll probably turn out the exact same as yesterday's update, just with different gigs.
Here are some random no-context pictures, anyway
*Don't worry, he's not cheating on Hunter! He just needed to practice romantic scenes and I had him do them with his co-star Veronica (credit to @MaggieMarley ) because I thought it would be funny
Oh also bonus pics of Cale being handsome and my first sighting of SoulGal's Zach Hobbs!
June 29 - Sorry you posted late...but hey...you were on a roll writing.
Oh so sad. Poor Joe...the burden he is carrying for not saving his brother. And, yes, there are tomes in the Realm about Mooncasters...and L will most definitely help them. Of course, Cale figured out who this werewolf really is...and they are all going together, as a family, to the Realm. Let's hope they find the answer they are seeking.
"I spoke with the other sages and they had some interesting ideas," Morgyn began. "L believed that if we pretended to cast you out because of your parentage as well as strip you of your magic, it might make you a more tempting target for your father. As it is right now, he fears your powers, which is why he hasn't tried to forcefully bring you in yet. It's also why he sought leverage with Carol as well. If you were powerless and seemingly shunned by all your spellcasting friends, he may reach out to you more gently in the hopes of drawing you into becoming a vampire willingly."
I nodded, seeing L's wisdom, but feeling uncertain about parting with my magic.
"So then what?" I asked. "Do I just wait around until he comes for me, or should I approach him?"
"It would be safer to allow him to make the first move, to let him think it's his idea. If he even suspects you're up to something, you're a dead man walking."
"So let me get this straight," I said, trying to wrap my head around what Morgyn was suggesting. "I pretend to be cast out of the Magic Realm, leaving behind my powers as well as everyone I love, to wait around for a bunch of vampires who may or may not end up killing me?"
"It's definitely a substantial risk you'll be taking," Morgyn admitted, "but if you're serious about facing Darius it may be the only safe way to infiltrate his coven. He will turn you, there is no way of getting around that, but if you throw yourself into the role you may be able to uncover his weakness and eventually be able to put an end to his reign of terror."
My stomach roiled at the thought of becoming a vampire, forced to live off the plasma of other sims. This was going to be a difficult undertaking, but I knew that if I was successful Carol could have a normal life, and for that I was willing to do almost anything.
"Alright," I said sitting up straighter, "I'll do it."
We gathered everyone into the living room after breakfast to explain our plan.
Let's just say Kaori wasn't thrilled with our plan, but she also didn't put her foot down against it either, which was a small victory at least.
"So you're going to allow your father to take you and turn you into a vampire in the hopes you can rise in his ranks and one day defeat him?" she laid out very matter-of-factually.
"More or less?" I said, preparing for backlash. But it didn't come.
"Adam," she said quietly, "I've decided not to stand in your way in this. That doesn't mean that this plan doesn't freeze my heart in terror, but I understand why you need to do this. I only wish I could come with you." She stood up and drew me into her arms, "All I ask is that you promise to do everything in your power to come back to us safe and sound."
I leaned in and gave her a kiss. "You have my word."
The rest of the morning was spent hashing out the details of our plan as well as saying our goodbyes.
Morgyn returned to the Magic Realm to await our arrival that afternoon, and the Itos reassured me that they would look after Carol and Kaori in my absence.
Once everything was ready I took Carol and Kaori's hands, and with a deep breath, teleported us to the Magic Realm one last time. Before heading inside, I took Carol aside for a last few words of encouragement.
"Are you going to be OK?" I asked rubbing her shoulders.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I wish there was a way we could know how you're doing."
I thought for a moment before pulling out a couple crystals. With a little focused magic I linked the two shards and handed her one.
"Keep this with you and when you miss me, hold it tight. I'll have it's twin on me at all times and will send my love to you and your mother through it."
Carol hugged me tight and clutched the gem to her heart, "Thanks dad, this means a lot."
We entered Magic HQ where we found Morgyn waited somberly for us in the middle arena.
"Adam Strong," he said loudly enough for those around to hear, "you are here because you have been found to be the child of our arch enemy, Darius Lord. Do you deny it?"
I shook my head and lowered it in feigned shame.
Morgyn turned to Kaori. "You may choose to stand by your husband and be cast out, or divorce yourself from him and swear to never have any dealings with him or his kind again. What choose you?"
For a second I saw indecision in Kaori's eyes, and I thought she might choose to stand by me, but the moment passed and she continued to play her part.
"I disavow myself from this man and his kind," Kaori said loudly. "If I'd known he was the son of the vampire who killed my grandparents, I would never have married him. Let it be know that I hereby divorce him and neither my daughter nor I will have any more dealings with him."
Even though I knew it was an act, it still stung.
Morgyn turned back to me. "Adam Strong, because of your heritage I revoke your spellcasterhood and take back the power previously granted you."
Morgyn pulled back, and with a wave of his hand began to draw out my magic. With a whimper I was swirled up into the air until every last drop of magic was drained from me. When I dropped back to the ground, I was human once again.
Before I had a chance to take in my new condition, Morgyn waved his hand and shouted, "Now I cast you out of the Magic Realm forever!"
As I felt myself being teleported out of Magic HQ, my eyes rested on the faces of my wife and daughter for one final moment before they disappeared from sight and I was left standing in a grungy lot surrounded by smog and garbage.
My new home.
Notes
"What!?! Your Step-Dad kidnapped Cale Jr.? Oh no! How did this happen?"
"Well you know how he wants to be a Spellcaster and we were coming to the Realm tomorrow, well later today now to have you give him the Rites of Ascension."
"Yes, of course."
"Joe saw him leave the house walking toward the portal trail and thought he might be going there. Probably just to look at it and dream. Or it could've been singing to him. You know how it is, I've heard it myself. He followed him to make sure he would be alright."
"Joe heard a howl, like a wolf when he was almost there and then he saw a giant werewolf with an unconscious Cale Jr. slung over his shoulder."
"A Werewolf! Oh dear Watcher..."
"It talked to him and said, "Go home little boy, before I eat you."
"Oh my, this is horrible."
"Joe tried to chase him anyway when he started to walk away into the forest with Jr. and I'm so proud of him for doing that. You're very brave Joe, you are."
"Thanks Dad, I tried, but he was just too fast."
"How do you know it was your Step-Dad though?"
"Because he mocked Joe, calling him a Nancy boy and laughed. Lance called me that all the time. He hates me, killed my Mother and almost killed me too, as you know. He's evil, he's a monster and even more dangerous than before now that he's a werewolf."
"It's all my fault L. I just know he really wants me. He took Jr. because he knew I'd look for him. He took my Son because I foolishly let myself become famous and easily found. I'll never forgive myself for that."
"Oh Honey, it's not your fault. You didn't make him the way he is."
"I know, but I did make it easier from him to find me."
"How do you think I can help? I never met him so I can't use my powers to find him for you."
"It was Sandy's idea. I'll let her explain."
"Well, see, when we were trying to find Cale before, I did a lot of research looking for the spell I accidentally cast to reverse it and bring him home. One of the books I read was about something called Mooncasters. It was a story about them, werewolves, Spellcasters and even Vampires."
"Oh no, you were not supposed to see that book. It's forbidden for anyone to read, but the Sages."
"You gave it to me though. It was in a stack of other books. I thought it was just a fairytale at the time and I don't remember the full story anyway now."
"I do remember that there was something in the book about a place where werewolves live, but I couldn't remember the name. That's why I thought you could help. I found out later that book was just the first of many and the others were only accessible to the Sages. Have you read them? Do you know where werewolves live? Please L., we have to know so we can get our Son back."
"I can not tell you everything, but there are some things I can, including the name of the settlement where two packs of werewolves live. It's called Moonwood Mill and it's deep in the middle of a forest. Not many know where it is, it's so remote, but some have found it by accident. Some of the occults go there too, looking for answers and...other things."
"Long ago, the settlement only had one pack of werewolves, the Moonwood Collective. They are led by a man named Kristopher Volkov. He lives there with his adopted Son, Jacob. and another elder werewolf named Lily."
"He is a peaceful man and believes that werewolves have unjustly earned a beastly reputation through no fault of their own. He works to keep the peace between werewolves and those who are not to repair that reputation. He and his pack want harmony with all and nature. They try to fight the beast within and use their powers for good. They keep a community garden and share with those who would be their friends. I think you would like him Cale."
"He has another adopted child, a daughter named Rory. However, she rebelled against the idea of not letting the beast within run wild and free."
"She believes werewolves should embrace their animalistic tendencies."
"Rory moved out, left the Moonwood Collective and began her own pack called the Wildfangs."
"They are a wild and beastly bunch of werewolves, believing in turning as many others as they can far and wide."
"They don't care for the rules of others and spend their days and nights reeking havoc, preferring to party and terrorize everyone, frightening others until they faint, turning them against their will, celebrating the power of the moon to give them the fury they crave."
"I believe your Step-Dad might be a member of Rory's pack. At least I hope so, he'll be easy to find that way. If he isn't...he might be a lone wolf and live anywhere. Most werewolves prefer to stay in the area of Moonwood Mill, but lone wolves have been known to live elsewhere."
"I can tell you how to find Moonwood Mill. But it might take some time before any of the werewolves will help you. Kristopher would be a good start, but you may have to get involved with the Wildfangs if what I believe is true. You would have to prove yourself to both of them though before they will open up to you. Which will again take some time."
"You can look around there and you might get lucky and find him right away, if he's there. But if you don't, you should consider moving there, at least temporarily and try to blend in with the werewolves, befriend them if you can."
"Be very, very careful while you are there. It's dangerous, you could get bitten at any time and contract werebies. If you do, you could turn into a werewolf yourself. There is a cure, of sorts, but it's unreliable. If it doesn't work, you could stay a werewolf the rest of your life or even turn into...something else... Others have been unsuccessfully searching for a cure for decades. Perhaps with your biology background you might find a cure yourself, but do you really want to take that chance, with your family? Perhaps you should go there alone."
"Are you kidding me? What if I do go there by myself and get bit? What then? There's no way I'd come back and possibly lose myself to this fury thing you mentioned and maybe bite Sandy or Joe and never find Jr. at all! I don't want to risk never being with them again. I made a vow that I wouldn't. But...I...don't want to put them in danger either. Gawd, this is such a mess."
"I know Honey, I wish there was a better way to find him, but going there is your only option."
"I'm going with you Cale and that's final."
"Me too Dad, we have to take the risk...for Jr."
"I wouldn't expect any less from you Sandy and you too Joe. I don't know if you're brave or foolish, but it's what I would do too in your situation."
"Sandy! Are you sure? Let me go by myself, there's no sense in putting us all in danger."
"No, we're all going. If you try to go by yourself, we'll just follow you there. Besides, we're Spellcasters, we can use our powers to protect ourselves."
"Sandy's right, there are some of powers that can help you keep them at bay, perhaps scare them into leaving you alone. But I would only use any magic as a last resort. If you do use magic on a werewolf, they won't help you at all. So be very, very sure you don't want that werewolf as a friend."
"Well if they're attacking me or my family I wouldn't want them for a friend anyway."
"Ah yes, there is that."
"Alright, it's settled then. We'll go to Moonwood Mill and look for Jr. hopefully we find him there and can get him quickly away from Lance. He won't give him up very easy though. If it comes down to it, he's mine, understand? I want to avenge my Mother and Jr. End of discussion....okay, are we clear on that, Sandy, Joe?"
"I understand Cale. But we're a family, if it comes down to it and you need help, you have to let us help."
"Alright, I can agree to that. But only if it looks like I can't beat him myself."
"One more very important thing you should know. Stay away from a werewolf named Greg. He's the most dangerous werewolf of all and could, probably would bite you on sight."
"Who's Greg? How do we know which one is him?"
"If you come upon a shack in the woods with signs warning about him, leave, immediately, don't go any further, don't talk to anyone, just run, or better yet transportalate away."
"Uh, okay, got it."
"Good luck Honey, keep in touch, let me know when you get Jr. back. I would go with you now, and I still might come and help when I can, but I have my duties here."
"Thanks L., we'll let you know, of course."
"I'll write down the location of Moonwood Mill for you, oh and I happen to know of a house you can stay in while there too. It's not much, but it's available if you need it."
"I hope we don't need it."
"I hope so too Honey."
"I love you L., you remind me of my Mother so much."
"I love you too Cale."
"Goodbye and good luck sweet girl, you are so brave. Keep vigilant dear, don't let your guard down, ever. Especially during a full moon. Werewolves are the most dangerous then, it heightens their fury."
"Thanks L., for everything. I love you so much. Please don't worry, I'll take care of my boys, we'll find Jr. and bring him home."
"I know you will. I love you too dear."
L. shared a hug with Joe too and then gave them the directions they needed. The three of them left to go back to the house and pack a few things. Cale called his Agent and the studio telling them he would not be coming back. They weren't happy about it and perhaps there would be consequences in the future, but right now, he didn't care. Finding Jr. and bringing him home was the most important thing right now. They left for Moonwood Mill soon after...
Comments/replies coming up next. I hope y'all had a fabulous day/night!
No worries! I understand real life always comes first! I'll look forward to seeing your new character next year.
@afai1261
Woah, wonder why Aaron is giving this guy the third degree! hehe Oh geez, if looks could kill Aaron would be dead right now the way she's looking him. o.O Happy to see Aaron just enjoying his time with Hunter and Yoshi.
Ooo, he played a Dr.! Very cool! And again, very handsome!
hehe Veronica! That is funny! Looks like the pap got a good shot of it too.
@SoulGal7
Yeah, still stings that happened, but yeah, I'll get over it.
Joe is suffering, of course. He tried so hard to save him, but he was doomed from the beginning.