Bit empty at the moment... any help with this would be greatly appreciated I'm a bit of an internet noob sometimes!
Lol!
"This Tumblr has hardly any posts. None at all, in fact."
Well good luck with tumbler then.
Not something I use, though I'm sure there are many experts.
Haha I know. It’s looking a bit bare right now but hopefully I will do a bit more research on it and start posting things there, too. I wanted somewhere where I could just post all the chapters all in one place and make it look a bit more organised.
I like your idea, I'll check it out when you do and maybe share it with others on FB that are interested in unique stories, comic book style.
Unfortunately, I have had a bit of a setback with my health which ultimately ended up in a trip to hospital and haven't been up to working on much Sim wise
I'm much better now so I've started doing these to try and get back to making poses! I'm so sorry for this delay...
Sorry this thread is a bit dead right now! August has been a VERY bad month for me personally and I just haven't had the headspace to write or play anything recently. I'm back to writing and playing a bit more now so hopefully there will be an update... soonish!
I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still very much interested in continuing my story especially now that the new Star Wars pack is coming out! I'm so excited for a space pack and it's definitely got my creative juices flowing trying to figure out just how I'm going to incorporate the Rebellion and the First Order into my story. Hopefully the gameplay is quite flexible and allows for all kinds of storylines and not just the one EA wants you to tell (looking at you, StrangerVille!)
In the meantime here is a picture of Vince giving his best stoic, tough-guy cop face
Hey no worries. Take your time and update when you want. There's no obligation and if you rush things, you might hurt your work or your creative process. We're all here lurking. You can't shake us off even if you wanted to.
@GracieO312 I have to say that my current favorite "Star Wars" movie now is probably "Solo". I'm liking the side-stories rather than always the 'force' main story stuff. (Nothing wrong with that though)
Also in the last movie, Threepio (c-3PO) was actually an awesome, important, and funny character. A 'side' character.
Hey no worries. Take your time and update when you want. There's no obligation and if you rush things, you might hurt your work or your creative process. We're all here lurking. You can't shake us off even if you wanted to.
@GracieO312 I have to say that my current favorite "Star Wars" movie now is probably "Solo". I'm liking the side-stories rather than always the 'force' main story stuff. (Nothing wrong with that though)
Also in the last movie, Threepio (c-3PO) was actually an awesome, important, and funny character. A 'side' character.
Yeah I've been watching Star Wars stuff again since the icon leaked. I watched the first 6 movies best part of a decade ago, back to back and with a hangover so I'm a taaadd hazy on the details!! I watched Solo and Rogue One last week and now I've just moved onto the Mandalorian which I have to say is a really cool show. I just love the vibe of it - feels very Firefly to me! I'm hoping GTW aliens are able to travel to Batuu and are able to use a lightsabre I don't see why not tbh... hopefully this gets clarified by the devs soon!
@GracieO312 One of my favorite lines from 'Solo' is when he's in the Imperial Army, the Major or Captain or whatever is saying that the alien invaders against the Empire MUST be stopped. Han says something like,
"Uh, Sir? Aren't we the alien invaders on their home planet?"
I haven't been active on here for the last couple months and just wanted to pop in and say I'm still reading and loving your story. Also your builds are amazing. I hope things are getting better for you
@GracieO312 One of my favorite lines from 'Solo' is when he's in the Imperial Army, the Major or Captain or whatever is saying that the alien invaders against the Empire MUST be stopped. Han says something like,
"Uh, Sir? Aren't we the alien invaders on their home planet?"
Haha! Yeah I thought that whole film was great actually. I think they casted young Han really well! I like seeing backstories to characters and since Solo is my fav Star Wars character (I have a bit of a thing for roguish scoundrels in TV/films) I couldn't miss it!
I haven't been active on here for the last couple months and just wanted to pop in and say I'm still reading and loving your story. Also your builds are amazing. I hope things are getting better for you
Aww thanks! I'm not usually a builder but I'm trying to play the Sims differently with TS4. I've always just stuck to my comfort zone in the past but I'm really enjoying how this save/whole game is getting me to think outside the box and be creative.
Things are better now thank you I've been working slowly and steadily on the next part!
The sun was rising over the horizon when the old, wooden floorboards in Vincent’s dingy apartment gently began to creak.
“Psst! Vincent, you awake?” Breathed Caleb as he cautiously crept into the bedroom.
First light filtered through the heavy curtained windows, slightly illuminating the dreary room. Vincent was sprawled carelessly across his bed, snoring loudly and utterly oblivious to Caleb’s intrusion.
“Vincent?” Slight concern began to creep into Caleb’s voice. At least he got home alright, he thought to himself.
Vincent remained motionless as Caleb approached his bedside. He was still alive as Caleb could still hear the plasma rushing through Vincent’s veins. So why wasn’t he waking up?
“Psst! Vincent, wake up!” Hissed Caleb, this time with slightly more urgency.
Caleb carefully raised Vincent’s arm and thoughtfully studied his peaceful, sleeping face. Fascinated, he watched silently as the drool escaped from Vincent’s mouth and dripped onto the bedsheets.
In his minimally conscious state, Vincent could hear the birds honking and the Spice District traffic singing.
Wait, that wasn’t right.
It was entirely possible that Vincent was still juiced from the night before.
“Whattimeizit?” Vincent mumbled.
Startled, Caleb immediately let go of Vincent’s wrist.
“Six am, precisely,” Caleb replied as he hastily straightened up and pretended to check his none existent watch.
A forced, fanged smile spread across Caleb’s face as he watched Vincent gingerly turn over.
Vincent wiped his mouth and cracked open his bleary eyes. Wincing, he shut them again and shielded his face from the morning sun.
“What are you doing here, Caleb? Come for a midnight snack again, hm?”
“Well, no since it’s far from midnight and...,” Caleb faltered slightly, ”and if I were to drink from you I certainly wouldn’t have woken you, would I?”
Vincent ignored him.
“Anyway,” Caleb continued, “I thought you’d remember our little outing we had planned for today but I obviously grossly underestimated how much you drank last night.”
“We’re going out today?” Asked a horrified and now fully conscious Vincent.
“Uhh... yeah? Wow! You really don’t remember anything from last night, do you?”
Vincent shook his head very, very slowly.
“No, I really don’t.”
“Well, you promised me so now you’re stuck with me for the day!”
“Uhh... It’s too early for any of this. Go back to your creepy coffin in your creepy town. Why don’t you do all of SimNation a favour and stay there for eternity, yeah?”
Slightly offended, Caleb rolled his eyes and frowned.
“Look, I really need you to come with me today. I want you to meet some... Sims and see a few sights, that’s all. How hard is that? I promise it will be... beneficial for you.”
He flashed Vincent what he hoped was his most convincing smile.
“With this headache? Very!” Growled Vincent menacingly, ”I’m not up to socialising today, Caleb. Go away!”
“Not being funny, Vincent, but when are you ever up for socialising?”
Touché, Caleb. Touché.
Surrendering to his fate, Vincent sighed heavily.
“Fine! But on one condition...”
“Name it!”
“You do the decent thing and allow me to vomit first.”
***
“Watcher, how much did you drink last night?”
Annoyance could be heard in Caleb’s voice as he once again checked his imaginary watch. The longer Vincent took in the bathroom, the more his impatience grew.
“Five more...” Vincent heaved again, “minutes, I promise!”
“You said that a half hour ago! Aren’t you done yet? How much more is there, exactly?”
Panting, Vincent slumped himself against the wall. A thunderous scowl twisted his handsome features, “I’m only human, remember?”
Caleb sighed and resumed his impatient loitering as Vincent crawled back towards the toilet bowl.
“OK,” an exhausted Vincent said after a further fifteen minutes of dry heaving, ”I think I’m done.”
“Finally!”
“Shut up! Where exactly are we going, anyway? You haven’t told me anything yet,” said Vincent as he staggered towards Caleb.
“The desert!”
“The desert?” Vincent whipped his head up so fast that he felt another wave of nausea rise in his throat.
“Come on, we’ve got to get a move on or else we’ll be late,” Caleb grabbed Vincent’s wrist and whisked him out the door.
***
The arid Oasis Springs desert heat was about as pleasant as the insufferable pounding in Vincent’s head. Sweat soaked the back of his shirt and the late morning sun was brutal on his pale, delicate skin.
“What is this place, Caleb?” He asked as he rattled the firmly locked gate.
“Perfect, isn’t she?”
“Creepy would be more apt so I guess that means yes. Yes, she is perfect for you.”
Vincent stepped back from the gates to get a better view of the imposing, forgotten building. Once a prosperous fish processing plant, the large factory now stood crumbling into disrepair and left to rot. The grounds had an air of sadness around them; a once industrious, productive building was now a breeding ground for delinquent youths and now, apparently, a creepy vampire.
“Well, I don’t think I can stand outside all day. Unless you want to deal with vampire ash, of course?”
“Were not going inside, are we?”
“No, I just brought you to the middle of the Watcher forsaken desert to stare at some abandoned factory!”
First trying to bribe an officer of the law and now trespassing in front of one? Vincent wasn’t impressed by Caleb’s lack of morals but he also wasn’t really that surprised; he was a vampire, after all.
“You’re going to trespass in front of a cop? You’re not that bright, are you?” Vincent couldn’t hide the judgement from his voice.
“Not in front of but rather with a cop! Which will make me look infinitely cooler to Tifa when she hears about this,” Caleb clasped his hands together and grinned giddily to himself.
“Who’s Tifa?”
“Oh, you’ve actually met her before!”
“I have?” Confused, he tried hard to recall the Sim, ”the name doesn’t ring a -...“
Before Vincent could finish his sentence, Caleb effortlessly hauled him over his shoulder and marched to the other side of the street.
“Put me down, Caleb! This instant!” Vincent demanded in his toughest cop voice.
“Don’t worry, Detective,” Caleb cooed, “your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell a living soul about our little adventure today.”
Before Vincent could protest any further, Caleb inhaled deeply and leapt into the air. He glided gracefully over the factory’s sun bleached signage without a hint of exertion on his face.
Caleb landed with such impact that he sent dust and sand flying into the air. Vincent could not help but marvel at the way Caleb set him down as swiftly as he had picked him up. Vampirism certainly had its benefits.
“Come on, Vincent,” said Caleb enthusiastically, nudging him on the arm as he did so, “you’ve got some vampires to meet!”
“Welcome to Plasmapacker HQ, Vincent! A safe space for in-transition and newly transitioned vampires. It also acts as a rehabilitation centre for Straud’s defectors where we attempt to undo his brainwashing,” Caleb’s booming voice reverberated off the walls and filled the deserted factory interior.
“We tend to have varying results with that last one, unfortunately...” he added wistfully.
Awed by what he saw, Vincent inwardly thanked the Watcher he was here in broad daylight; the vast scale of the building filled him with unease and he was grateful he wasn’t here alone at night.
A bizarre, eerie sound followed by a clang of something soft hitting something metal and a high-pitched shriek jolted him from his thoughts. Vincent nearly jumped out of his skin whereas Caleb remained motionless; almost as if he were expecting the commotion any minute.
Caleb’s shoulders slumped as he rolled his eyes and let out an irritated sigh.
“Where is it?” Demanded a distant and deep baritone voice.
A grimace contorted Caleb’s features as he turned to face his bemused companion.
“Please excuse me for one moment, Detective,” he said simply, avoiding eye contact as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
He gave a curt nod of his head before sharply turning on his heels and marching towards the disturbance. Compelled by his curiosity, Vincent trailed after him.
Slightly perturbed, Vincent felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The strange sound was incredibly familiar yet he couldn’t quite place where he’d heard it before.
“Give it back, Wiggs! You little thief, I know you’re hidin’ it somewhere!” The deep baritone roared ferociously again.
“I... I don’t... I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Gasped a second unfamiliar voice that probably belonged to poor Wiggs.
Caleb cleared his throat loudly before speaking.
“Alright, alright! That’s enough you two,” he said, trying to quell the tension in the air, “and please put him down gently this time, won’t you, Wallace? After the last disaster we just cannot afford to lose another generator again!”
Wallace ignored Caleb. His fierce eyes were transfixed on Wiggs’ face, his expression growing more dangerous by the second.
“Where. Is. The. Last. Piece. Of. Fruit?!” Interrogated Wallace through gritted teeth. The tension in his jaw caused the tendons in his neck to bulge out of his shirt collar.
Vincent sensed Caleb tense beside him. Caleb squeezed his eyes and fists tightly, swallowed hard and let out a deep breath.
“It was me!”
“What?” Wallace’s nostrils flared in rage as he lost his grip on Wiggs, causing him to plummet towards the hard, dusty floor.
Caleb flinched as Wallace now fixated his wrathful eyes on his terrified grey ones.
“It’s true. I took it, Wallace,” conceded Caleb in a small voice, ”in hindsight, I probably should have told you sooner but-”
“Huh, ya think?” Barked Wallace loudly, exposing his sharp dentition in his indignation.
Feeling awkward, uncomfortable and increasingly exasperated by their heated argument over missing groceries, Vincent took the opportunity to discreetly inspect his cavernous surroundings.
While surveying the area, his eyes discovered a solitary machine and a stack of shelves filled with boxes of various shapes and sizes. Distracted by incensed, airborne vampires he completely missed it on his way into the warehouse. Interest piqued and inquiring mind engaged, he surreptitiously slipped away from the group and left them to their inane squabbling.
The shelves were stacked high with boxes upon boxes of bottles containing a purple coloured liquid that looked frighteningly similar to that of human plasma. Numerous hospital plasma packs and drinking straws were scattered amongst the cardboard cartons making the unit look untidy and cluttered.
Vincent squatted and removed a pack from the bottom shelf. Holding it up to his face for closer inspection he read the following:
Property of Cut-N-Gut Health Clinic, Willow Creek.
Disgusted, Vincent could feel his headache from that morning slowly returning and could sense bile rising in his throat again. He was certain, however, that this time they had absolutely nothing to do with the copious amounts of juice he had consumed the previous evening.
Ignoring the unpleasant bodily sensations, he turned his attention back to the boxes and carefully removed a bottle. He was unable to recognise the label and had never seen anything like it before.
Vincent made the grim assumption that whatever the liquid was, it was most likely to be one-hundred percent human plasma, too.
His eyes flicked back and forth between the bottle in his hand and the machine stood next to him.
He did this for several seconds before something in his brain triggered. He scanned the rusty levers, the pipes and the extensive network of tubing. He’d encountered a similar contraption on one of his previous training courses. The machinery was tired and old but there was still no mistaking what it did.
Riled and shaken by what he saw, Vincent took a deep, calming breath before rejoining the vampires.
“Excuse me, Caleb?” He coolly interrupted their heated brawling, “did you seriously bring me, a law enforcement officer, to an illegal juice fizzing operation using what looks like human plasma?”
He shoved the bottle forcefully into Caleb’s chest.
“Are you crazy? You do realise I’m going to have you all arrested and taken into custody, right?” Vincent removed his handcuffs from his back pocket and dangled them in front of Caleb’s stunned face.
Wallace and Wiggs exchanged nervous glances while Caleb stared wordlessly at Vincent’s cuffs. After a few painfully silent seconds had gone by, Wiggs spoke up.
“It’s not human!”
“What? What exactly is it then?” Urged an incredulous Vincent, still brandishing the restraints at Caleb.
“Uhh... the stuff... we... we uh... put in the fizzer. It’s not human, I swear!”
“Wiggs is right,” Caleb managed to snap out of his daze, “it’s just fruit!”
“Fruit? You’re seriously expecting me to believe that?”
The idea of ‘vegetarian’ vampires still sounded absolutely ludicrous to Vincent and he couldn’t quite accept that this was a reality.
“Yes?”
“Plasma fruit, to be exact. Extremely rare and extremely precious to most,” Wallace gave Caleb a dirty look as he spoke, “of us alternative drinkers. Only found up in the Hollow.”
With his patience wearing thin, Caleb released a small, irritated sigh.
“Here, let me show you all something,” he said, “everyone follow me now. This way.”
Interested in finding out more about the vampire ‘fruit’, Vincent decided that he’d first try and squeeze more information out of the vampires before arresting them. If he wanted the Chief, and eventually the rest of SimNation, to believe that vampires were the cause of SimNation’s disappearing Sims pandemic, he was going to need to gather as much intelligence as possible. He quickly pocketed his handcuffs and caught up with the others.
“Since I wasn’t allowed to get a word in earlier, I can now properly explain why I took it,” said Caleb, giving Wallace a disapproving glance, “I’d also like to offer my apologies to you, Vincent. This really wasn’t the introduction I was hoping for.”
“Huh! This should be good,” retorted Wallace sarcastically, rolling his eyes in derision, “go on then! Out with it, Vatore!”
“I took the last piece of fruit and planted it. Right here,” Caleb squatted and pointed to the ground.
Wild vegetation had once flourished where the concrete had cracked. The withered, gnarled branches of a rose bush twisted and turned in all directions. Lack of sunlight and a serious garbage problem left Vincent feeling uncertain that anything would take root there other than weeds.
“You did what?” Wiggs wheezed as astonishment and slight confusion dominated his soft features.
“You’re a fool!” Roared Wallace, anger flushing in his cheeks once again, “you’re going to get us all killed one day, Vatore! We needed that last piece in a bottle not in the ground, you son of a llama!”
Caleb overlooked the insult and calmly advanced towards the shelving unit to continue his explanation.
“I just thought by planting the last piece of plasma fruit we could maximise our survival. We can’t keep stealing fruit from the Hollow or keep asking random humans to steal packs from hospitals for us. And we certainly can’t continue drinking from humans, either. It goes against everything we believe in! By becoming more self-sufficient we have a chance of not becoming one of Straud’s stupid, plasma-thirsty drones. I mean look at this,” he gestured towards the shelving unit, “this is all we have to feed just us five!”
“You know how... insatiable Lilith’s thirst can be; she can easily get through three of these bottles a day and that’s when she’s not thirsty! Face it, Wallace, these aren’t going to last us much longer. I had to do something to help us!”
Wallace gnashed his fangs fiercely while he considered Caleb’s argument.
“Fine,” he snapped bitterly, finally accepting Caleb’s point of view, “but I still think you’re being reckless. What if Straud finds out?”
“We’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess. My main focus is keeping us all out of that pointless, ludicrous army.”
“I find it highly amusing when you say that you’re trying everything not to become a... how did you say it again, Caleb,” Vincent rolled his wrist as he recalled Caleb’s phrasing, “ah, yes that was it! A ‘stupid, plasma-thirsty drone’ because to me that’s exactly what you are!”
Wiggs let out a titter of laughter.
“You two bicker like an old married couple,” he chuckled, “has anyone ever told you that?”
“No!” Exclaimed the pair in unified horror.
“First time for everything, I guess,” he shrugged nonchalantly, “although, I do have to admit, you’re nothing like how I imagined you to be from your picture, Detective. It turns out you actually do have a sense of humour, after all!”
“What picture?” Snarled Vincent through clenched teeth.
“Oh, it’s no big deal or anything! Just a creepy little memento Caleb picked up from your apartment to remember you by!”
A mortified Caleb cringed next to Vincent.
Vincent gave Wiggs a death stare worthy of a Starlight Accolade.
“Show me. Now!”
“Sure,” beamed Wiggs, “follow me, Detective!”
Wiggs beckoned Vincent to follow, “I think our dear, darling Caleb has a little bit of a crush on you, Detective. The complete llama only went and built you a whole shrine!”
Laid before Vincent was, indeed, a makeshift shrine devoted to entirely to himself. Surrounded by various burning candles, incense, decaying leaves and a single, yellow chrysanthemum was his police academy graduation photo.
Dumbstruck, Vincent simply stared at the creepy tableau in sheer horror.
“It’s not a shrine, Wiggs!” Pouted Caleb, “it’s my... my... appreciation station...”
“Huh! Call it what you want, Vatore, but just so you know I’m not sure the detective here really ‘preciates it!” Wallace gruffly interjected.
“I guess you could say he’s my biggest fan-pire...” Vincent’s deadpan delivery belied the revulsion he felt bubbling in the pit of his stomach.
“Ha! Nice one, Detective Valentine!” Cheered Wiggs as he waited for Vincent to return his fist bump.
Caleb loudly cleared his throat.
“Anyway, I haven’t finished giving my grand tour yet,” he said stiffly, desperate to steer the conversation topic away from himself and the shrine, “this way, Detective!”
Vincent gave Wiggs a small half-smile as he returned the gesture before being dragged off by an incredibly flustered Caleb.
Haha this chapter is awesome! 😂 I love how intricately woven your story is to simstuffs! Cant wait to see you explore Batuu pack's full story potential too!
Btw not a fanpire but a fan, I downloaded this factory build of yours too and spent a good amount of time exploring it and marvelling at all the details. Now I feel sad that my copy of your building doesn't have a Vincent shrine. Would love to pair it with my mentions of you in my story 😀 and give Vincent more reason to smack his face like that hehe!
Haha thank you and I'm really glad you enjoyed this part. It was a long time coming because I've been playing around with the effects mod a lot more recently. Yes, I do like to concentrate on building on and incorporating Sim lore into my stories I have a lot of fun trying to fit it in with the storylines. Batuu will be such a challenge because it's not really Sims related (it has a very developed lore of its own) so I'm intrigued to know how I'm going to handle it! I do have a rough idea though...
I can absolutely upload Caleb's shrine to the gallery as a room for you. I didn't include it in the original gallery posting as I wanted the build to be quite generic and I also wanted it to be a fun story surprise
@mercuryfoam I've uploaded the abandoned factory with Caleb's shrine Appreciation Station. You'll have to tick the include custom content box because of the picture though
Lol that chapter was really good! I don't know how but you managed to capture exactly what I imagine Caleb's personality to be. Great job as always.
Thanks! I really tried hard this time with more effects and worked hard in Blender as well...
He's fast becoming one of my favourites to write actually! He had some hilarious faces in this part yeah I just imagine him to be quite awkward, a bit of a dork, utterly oblivious to (human) things and really optimistic. It's fun putting him with Vince because I see them as total opposites. Caleb is a cinnamon roll
Comments
Aw thank you! That's much appreciated
Unfortunately, I have had a bit of a setback with my health which ultimately ended up in a trip to hospital and haven't been up to working on much Sim wise
I'm much better now so I've started doing these to try and get back to making poses! I'm so sorry for this delay...
Sorry this thread is a bit dead right now! August has been a VERY bad month for me personally and I just haven't had the headspace to write or play anything recently. I'm back to writing and playing a bit more now so hopefully there will be an update... soonish!
I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still very much interested in continuing my story especially now that the new Star Wars pack is coming out! I'm so excited for a space pack and it's definitely got my creative juices flowing trying to figure out just how I'm going to incorporate the Rebellion and the First Order into my story. Hopefully the gameplay is quite flexible and allows for all kinds of storylines and not just the one EA wants you to tell (looking at you, StrangerVille!)
In the meantime here is a picture of Vince giving his best stoic, tough-guy cop face
Peace
Gx
Also in the last movie, Threepio (c-3PO) was actually an awesome, important, and funny character. A 'side' character.
Thanks! This has made me feel heaps better
Phew!
Yeah I've been watching Star Wars stuff again since the icon leaked. I watched the first 6 movies best part of a decade ago, back to back and with a hangover so I'm a taaadd hazy on the details!! I watched Solo and Rogue One last week and now I've just moved onto the Mandalorian which I have to say is a really cool show. I just love the vibe of it - feels very Firefly to me! I'm hoping GTW aliens are able to travel to Batuu and are able to use a lightsabre
"Uh, Sir? Aren't we the alien invaders on their home planet?"
@GracieO312 This ain't like dusting crops, boy!
Haha! Yeah I thought that whole film was great actually. I think they casted young Han really well! I like seeing backstories to characters and since Solo is my fav Star Wars character (I have a bit of a thing for roguish scoundrels in TV/films) I couldn't miss it!
Aww thanks! I'm not usually a builder but I'm trying to play the Sims differently with TS4. I've always just stuck to my comfort zone in the past but I'm really enjoying how this save/whole game is getting me to think outside the box and be creative.
Things are better now thank you
Story Blog | Forum Discussion
Thank you! Yes they definitely give me Telltale vibes too (RIP Telltale)
The new Star Wars movie looks... interesting...
Thank you! It's not finished yet and there are still a few tweaks to make but I'll definitely upload it once I'm finally done with it
It looks amazing as-is! I'm looking forward to properly meeting all of the sims over the course of the story.
She's grace.
She's here to burn the place...
Vincent’s apartment. Spice District. Dawn.
The sun was rising over the horizon when the old, wooden floorboards in Vincent’s dingy apartment gently began to creak.
“Psst! Vincent, you awake?” Breathed Caleb as he cautiously crept into the bedroom.
First light filtered through the heavy curtained windows, slightly illuminating the dreary room. Vincent was sprawled carelessly across his bed, snoring loudly and utterly oblivious to Caleb’s intrusion.
“Vincent?” Slight concern began to creep into Caleb’s voice. At least he got home alright, he thought to himself.
Vincent remained motionless as Caleb approached his bedside. He was still alive as Caleb could still hear the plasma rushing through Vincent’s veins. So why wasn’t he waking up?
“Psst! Vincent, wake up!” Hissed Caleb, this time with slightly more urgency.
Caleb carefully raised Vincent’s arm and thoughtfully studied his peaceful, sleeping face. Fascinated, he watched silently as the drool escaped from Vincent’s mouth and dripped onto the bedsheets.
In his minimally conscious state, Vincent could hear the birds honking and the Spice District traffic singing.
Wait, that wasn’t right.
It was entirely possible that Vincent was still juiced from the night before.
“Whattimeizit?” Vincent mumbled.
Startled, Caleb immediately let go of Vincent’s wrist.
“Six am, precisely,” Caleb replied as he hastily straightened up and pretended to check his none existent watch.
A forced, fanged smile spread across Caleb’s face as he watched Vincent gingerly turn over.
Vincent wiped his mouth and cracked open his bleary eyes. Wincing, he shut them again and shielded his face from the morning sun.
“What are you doing here, Caleb? Come for a midnight snack again, hm?”
“Well, no since it’s far from midnight and...,” Caleb faltered slightly, ”and if I were to drink from you I certainly wouldn’t have woken you, would I?”
Vincent ignored him.
“Anyway,” Caleb continued, “I thought you’d remember our little outing we had planned for today but I obviously grossly underestimated how much you drank last night.”
“We’re going out today?” Asked a horrified and now fully conscious Vincent.
“Uhh... yeah? Wow! You really don’t remember anything from last night, do you?”
Vincent shook his head very, very slowly.
“No, I really don’t.”
“Well, you promised me so now you’re stuck with me for the day!”
“Uhh... It’s too early for any of this. Go back to your creepy coffin in your creepy town. Why don’t you do all of SimNation a favour and stay there for eternity, yeah?”
Slightly offended, Caleb rolled his eyes and frowned.
“Look, I really need you to come with me today. I want you to meet some... Sims and see a few sights, that’s all. How hard is that? I promise it will be... beneficial for you.”
He flashed Vincent what he hoped was his most convincing smile.
“With this headache? Very!” Growled Vincent menacingly, ”I’m not up to socialising today, Caleb. Go away!”
“Not being funny, Vincent, but when are you ever up for socialising?”
Touché, Caleb. Touché.
Surrendering to his fate, Vincent sighed heavily.
“Fine! But on one condition...”
“Name it!”
“You do the decent thing and allow me to vomit first.”
“Watcher, how much did you drink last night?”
Annoyance could be heard in Caleb’s voice as he once again checked his imaginary watch. The longer Vincent took in the bathroom, the more his impatience grew.
“Five more...” Vincent heaved again, “minutes, I promise!”
“You said that a half hour ago! Aren’t you done yet? How much more is there, exactly?”
Panting, Vincent slumped himself against the wall. A thunderous scowl twisted his handsome features, “I’m only human, remember?”
Caleb sighed and resumed his impatient loitering as Vincent crawled back towards the toilet bowl.
“OK,” an exhausted Vincent said after a further fifteen minutes of dry heaving, ”I think I’m done.”
“Finally!”
“Shut up! Where exactly are we going, anyway? You haven’t told me anything yet,” said Vincent as he staggered towards Caleb.
“The desert!”
“The desert?” Vincent whipped his head up so fast that he felt another wave of nausea rise in his throat.
“Come on, we’ve got to get a move on or else we’ll be late,” Caleb grabbed Vincent’s wrist and whisked him out the door.
The arid Oasis Springs desert heat was about as pleasant as the insufferable pounding in Vincent’s head. Sweat soaked the back of his shirt and the late morning sun was brutal on his pale, delicate skin.
“What is this place, Caleb?” He asked as he rattled the firmly locked gate.
“Perfect, isn’t she?”
“Creepy would be more apt so I guess that means yes. Yes, she is perfect for you.”
Vincent stepped back from the gates to get a better view of the imposing, forgotten building. Once a prosperous fish processing plant, the large factory now stood crumbling into disrepair and left to rot. The grounds had an air of sadness around them; a once industrious, productive building was now a breeding ground for delinquent youths and now, apparently, a creepy vampire.
“Well, I don’t think I can stand outside all day. Unless you want to deal with vampire ash, of course?”
“Were not going inside, are we?”
“No, I just brought you to the middle of the Watcher forsaken desert to stare at some abandoned factory!”
First trying to bribe an officer of the law and now trespassing in front of one? Vincent wasn’t impressed by Caleb’s lack of morals but he also wasn’t really that surprised; he was a vampire, after all.
“You’re going to trespass in front of a cop? You’re not that bright, are you?” Vincent couldn’t hide the judgement from his voice.
“Not in front of but rather with a cop! Which will make me look infinitely cooler to Tifa when she hears about this,” Caleb clasped his hands together and grinned giddily to himself.
“Who’s Tifa?”
“Oh, you’ve actually met her before!”
“I have?” Confused, he tried hard to recall the Sim, ”the name doesn’t ring a -...“
Before Vincent could finish his sentence, Caleb effortlessly hauled him over his shoulder and marched to the other side of the street.
“Put me down, Caleb! This instant!” Vincent demanded in his toughest cop voice.
“Don’t worry, Detective,” Caleb cooed, “your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell a living soul about our little adventure today.”
Before Vincent could protest any further, Caleb inhaled deeply and leapt into the air. He glided gracefully over the factory’s sun bleached signage without a hint of exertion on his face.
Caleb landed with such impact that he sent dust and sand flying into the air. Vincent could not help but marvel at the way Caleb set him down as swiftly as he had picked him up. Vampirism certainly had its benefits.
“Come on, Vincent,” said Caleb enthusiastically, nudging him on the arm as he did so, “you’ve got some vampires to meet!”
“Welcome to Plasmapacker HQ, Vincent! A safe space for in-transition and newly transitioned vampires. It also acts as a rehabilitation centre for Straud’s defectors where we attempt to undo his brainwashing,” Caleb’s booming voice reverberated off the walls and filled the deserted factory interior.
“We tend to have varying results with that last one, unfortunately...” he added wistfully.
Awed by what he saw, Vincent inwardly thanked the Watcher he was here in broad daylight; the vast scale of the building filled him with unease and he was grateful he wasn’t here alone at night.
A bizarre, eerie sound followed by a clang of something soft hitting something metal and a high-pitched shriek jolted him from his thoughts. Vincent nearly jumped out of his skin whereas Caleb remained motionless; almost as if he were expecting the commotion any minute.
Caleb’s shoulders slumped as he rolled his eyes and let out an irritated sigh.
“Where is it?” Demanded a distant and deep baritone voice.
A grimace contorted Caleb’s features as he turned to face his bemused companion.
“Please excuse me for one moment, Detective,” he said simply, avoiding eye contact as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
He gave a curt nod of his head before sharply turning on his heels and marching towards the disturbance. Compelled by his curiosity, Vincent trailed after him.
Slightly perturbed, Vincent felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The strange sound was incredibly familiar yet he couldn’t quite place where he’d heard it before.
“Give it back, Wiggs! You little thief, I know you’re hidin’ it somewhere!” The deep baritone roared ferociously again.
“I... I don’t... I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Gasped a second unfamiliar voice that probably belonged to poor Wiggs.
Caleb cleared his throat loudly before speaking.
“Alright, alright! That’s enough you two,” he said, trying to quell the tension in the air, “and please put him down gently this time, won’t you, Wallace? After the last disaster we just cannot afford to lose another generator again!”
Wallace ignored Caleb. His fierce eyes were transfixed on Wiggs’ face, his expression growing more dangerous by the second.
“Where. Is. The. Last. Piece. Of. Fruit?!” Interrogated Wallace through gritted teeth. The tension in his jaw caused the tendons in his neck to bulge out of his shirt collar.
Vincent sensed Caleb tense beside him. Caleb squeezed his eyes and fists tightly, swallowed hard and let out a deep breath.
“It was me!”
“What?” Wallace’s nostrils flared in rage as he lost his grip on Wiggs, causing him to plummet towards the hard, dusty floor.
Caleb flinched as Wallace now fixated his wrathful eyes on his terrified grey ones.
“It’s true. I took it, Wallace,” conceded Caleb in a small voice, ”in hindsight, I probably should have told you sooner but-”
“Huh, ya think?” Barked Wallace loudly, exposing his sharp dentition in his indignation.
Feeling awkward, uncomfortable and increasingly exasperated by their heated argument over missing groceries, Vincent took the opportunity to discreetly inspect his cavernous surroundings.
While surveying the area, his eyes discovered a solitary machine and a stack of shelves filled with boxes of various shapes and sizes. Distracted by incensed, airborne vampires he completely missed it on his way into the warehouse. Interest piqued and inquiring mind engaged, he surreptitiously slipped away from the group and left them to their inane squabbling.
The shelves were stacked high with boxes upon boxes of bottles containing a purple coloured liquid that looked frighteningly similar to that of human plasma. Numerous hospital plasma packs and drinking straws were scattered amongst the cardboard cartons making the unit look untidy and cluttered.
Vincent squatted and removed a pack from the bottom shelf. Holding it up to his face for closer inspection he read the following:
Property of Cut-N-Gut Health Clinic, Willow Creek.
Disgusted, Vincent could feel his headache from that morning slowly returning and could sense bile rising in his throat again. He was certain, however, that this time they had absolutely nothing to do with the copious amounts of juice he had consumed the previous evening.
Ignoring the unpleasant bodily sensations, he turned his attention back to the boxes and carefully removed a bottle. He was unable to recognise the label and had never seen anything like it before.
Vincent made the grim assumption that whatever the liquid was, it was most likely to be one-hundred percent human plasma, too.
His eyes flicked back and forth between the bottle in his hand and the machine stood next to him.
He did this for several seconds before something in his brain triggered. He scanned the rusty levers, the pipes and the extensive network of tubing. He’d encountered a similar contraption on one of his previous training courses. The machinery was tired and old but there was still no mistaking what it did.
Riled and shaken by what he saw, Vincent took a deep, calming breath before rejoining the vampires.
“Excuse me, Caleb?” He coolly interrupted their heated brawling, “did you seriously bring me, a law enforcement officer, to an illegal juice fizzing operation using what looks like human plasma?”
He shoved the bottle forcefully into Caleb’s chest.
“Are you crazy? You do realise I’m going to have you all arrested and taken into custody, right?” Vincent removed his handcuffs from his back pocket and dangled them in front of Caleb’s stunned face.
Wallace and Wiggs exchanged nervous glances while Caleb stared wordlessly at Vincent’s cuffs. After a few painfully silent seconds had gone by, Wiggs spoke up.
“It’s not human!”
“What? What exactly is it then?” Urged an incredulous Vincent, still brandishing the restraints at Caleb.
“Uhh... the stuff... we... we uh... put in the fizzer. It’s not human, I swear!”
“Wiggs is right,” Caleb managed to snap out of his daze, “it’s just fruit!”
“Fruit? You’re seriously expecting me to believe that?”
The idea of ‘vegetarian’ vampires still sounded absolutely ludicrous to Vincent and he couldn’t quite accept that this was a reality.
“Yes?”
“Plasma fruit, to be exact. Extremely rare and extremely precious to most,” Wallace gave Caleb a dirty look as he spoke, “of us alternative drinkers. Only found up in the Hollow.”
With his patience wearing thin, Caleb released a small, irritated sigh.
“Here, let me show you all something,” he said, “everyone follow me now. This way.”
Interested in finding out more about the vampire ‘fruit’, Vincent decided that he’d first try and squeeze more information out of the vampires before arresting them. If he wanted the Chief, and eventually the rest of SimNation, to believe that vampires were the cause of SimNation’s disappearing Sims pandemic, he was going to need to gather as much intelligence as possible. He quickly pocketed his handcuffs and caught up with the others.
“Since I wasn’t allowed to get a word in earlier, I can now properly explain why I took it,” said Caleb, giving Wallace a disapproving glance, “I’d also like to offer my apologies to you, Vincent. This really wasn’t the introduction I was hoping for.”
“Huh! This should be good,” retorted Wallace sarcastically, rolling his eyes in derision, “go on then! Out with it, Vatore!”
“I took the last piece of fruit and planted it. Right here,” Caleb squatted and pointed to the ground.
Wild vegetation had once flourished where the concrete had cracked. The withered, gnarled branches of a rose bush twisted and turned in all directions. Lack of sunlight and a serious garbage problem left Vincent feeling uncertain that anything would take root there other than weeds.
“You did what?” Wiggs wheezed as astonishment and slight confusion dominated his soft features.
“You’re a fool!” Roared Wallace, anger flushing in his cheeks once again, “you’re going to get us all killed one day, Vatore! We needed that last piece in a bottle not in the ground, you son of a llama!”
Caleb overlooked the insult and calmly advanced towards the shelving unit to continue his explanation.
“I just thought by planting the last piece of plasma fruit we could maximise our survival. We can’t keep stealing fruit from the Hollow or keep asking random humans to steal packs from hospitals for us. And we certainly can’t continue drinking from humans, either. It goes against everything we believe in! By becoming more self-sufficient we have a chance of not becoming one of Straud’s stupid, plasma-thirsty drones. I mean look at this,” he gestured towards the shelving unit, “this is all we have to feed just us five!”
“You know how... insatiable Lilith’s thirst can be; she can easily get through three of these bottles a day and that’s when she’s not thirsty! Face it, Wallace, these aren’t going to last us much longer. I had to do something to help us!”
Wallace gnashed his fangs fiercely while he considered Caleb’s argument.
“Fine,” he snapped bitterly, finally accepting Caleb’s point of view, “but I still think you’re being reckless. What if Straud finds out?”
“We’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess. My main focus is keeping us all out of that pointless, ludicrous army.”
“I find it highly amusing when you say that you’re trying everything not to become a... how did you say it again, Caleb,” Vincent rolled his wrist as he recalled Caleb’s phrasing, “ah, yes that was it! A ‘stupid, plasma-thirsty drone’ because to me that’s exactly what you are!”
Wiggs let out a titter of laughter.
“You two bicker like an old married couple,” he chuckled, “has anyone ever told you that?”
“No!” Exclaimed the pair in unified horror.
“First time for everything, I guess,” he shrugged nonchalantly, “although, I do have to admit, you’re nothing like how I imagined you to be from your picture, Detective. It turns out you actually do have a sense of humour, after all!”
“What picture?” Snarled Vincent through clenched teeth.
“Oh, it’s no big deal or anything! Just a creepy little memento Caleb picked up from your apartment to remember you by!”
A mortified Caleb cringed next to Vincent.
Vincent gave Wiggs a death stare worthy of a Starlight Accolade.
“Show me. Now!”
“Sure,” beamed Wiggs, “follow me, Detective!”
Wiggs beckoned Vincent to follow, “I think our dear, darling Caleb has a little bit of a crush on you, Detective. The complete llama only went and built you a whole shrine!”
Laid before Vincent was, indeed, a makeshift shrine devoted to entirely to himself. Surrounded by various burning candles, incense, decaying leaves and a single, yellow chrysanthemum was his police academy graduation photo.
Dumbstruck, Vincent simply stared at the creepy tableau in sheer horror.
“It’s not a shrine, Wiggs!” Pouted Caleb, “it’s my... my... appreciation station...”
“Huh! Call it what you want, Vatore, but just so you know I’m not sure the detective here really ‘preciates it!” Wallace gruffly interjected.
“I guess you could say he’s my biggest fan-pire...” Vincent’s deadpan delivery belied the revulsion he felt bubbling in the pit of his stomach.
“Ha! Nice one, Detective Valentine!” Cheered Wiggs as he waited for Vincent to return his fist bump.
Caleb loudly cleared his throat.
“Anyway, I haven’t finished giving my grand tour yet,” he said stiffly, desperate to steer the conversation topic away from himself and the shrine, “this way, Detective!”
Vincent gave Wiggs a small half-smile as he returned the gesture before being dragged off by an incredibly flustered Caleb.
Btw not a fanpire but a fan, I downloaded this factory build of yours too and spent a good amount of time exploring it and marvelling at all the details. Now I feel sad that my copy of your building doesn't have a Vincent shrine. Would love to pair it with my mentions of you in my story 😀 and give Vincent more reason to smack his face like that hehe!
I can absolutely upload Caleb's shrine to the gallery as a room for you. I didn't include it in the original gallery posting as I wanted the build to be quite generic and I also wanted it to be a fun story surprise
Thanks! I really tried hard this time with more effects and worked hard in Blender as well...
He's fast becoming one of my favourites to write actually! He had some hilarious faces in this part
Sorry about the quality! I'm planning on making a human version too