::1.7:: Skepticism

So.  Your mom's in love with a werewolf man.  Too in love to kick him out, even after he flakes on parenting for an entire winter to go chill on the beach with some rando.  It's not like he's a bad person, but he keeps bringing back random junk to try and win her over, like that's supposed to make up for an entire season of literal abandonment.

What do you do?

Take his first day back, for example.

It's morning; the kids have left for school, and Sunflower is halfway out the door when Denn shows up, back from a hunt, offering her some uncut gems with a hopeful expression.  She stares at them until he timidly slips them back into his pocket.  Then she frowns; leans in to get a closer look at semi-healed puncture wounds on his neck.  "You were hurt?"

"I have a vampire friend in Lucky Palms.  He's chill, let's me stay with him during the winter in exchange for... a sip."  He looks concerned.  "That doesn't bother you, does it?"

Sunflower brushes his hair away from his neck.  "Should it?"

"No."  The careful scrape of Denn's claws against her palm is grounding, though part of her doesn't want it to be.  "I know you need to go to work.  I'll stay here with the pup.  Charlie, right?"

"Yes," Sunflower says, retracting her hand.  "Congratulations on another kid, by the way."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here for it."  He sounds sincere.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you another werewolf child."  She sounds bitter.

Denn looks crestfallen.  "Don't say that.  You're still upset."

"Mhm."

"I was hoping we could kind of just continue on like the whole misunderstanding didn't happen."

"Ha, ha.  I have to go."

Well, maybe there's nothing to do.

At least the house looks better.  Finally.

It doesn't seem like much, but tearing out the old metal sheets and moldy floorboards has done wonders for the place.

No one in the house thinks that the new bathroom wallpaper is a visual improvement, but since it isn't literally rotting off the walls, it gets a pass.

 The new bathroom in the basement, at least, is much more palatable.

And, perhaps most importantly, the kids can sleep in the room on the top floor without risk of inhaling a deadly spore or toxin.

Having a house that isn't on the verge of falling apart or giving one of her children an infection satiates the worst Sunflower's neuroses, and puts her in a more lenient mood.  After several weeks of turning him away at the door, she agrees to let Denn be part of the family again.

"You can visit the kids whenever you like," she tells him.  "Just don't expect them to want to see you all the time.  And don't... act familiar with me."

To her slight surprise, Denn doesn't protest her arrangement, only nods dejectedly.

She doesn't give herself much time to worry about Denn, though.  There's always something about the house that isn't quite right--a leaky showerhead, a burner that won't heat properly, a window with a draft.  Like with the strange science-y contraptions she's in charge of at work, she learns quickly how to take care of things around the house.

But it's never enough.  There's always something wrong.  Clean floorboards and a shiny new Bargain John don't change the fact that the house still, at its core, sucks.

And, permitting Denn to be part of the family isn't the end of the drama.

"Come oooon, Lissie!  Just talk to him!"



"Don't wanna," Elisabeth sniffs petulantly.

"What the heck?  Why not?"

"He smells funny."



Iron Fang motions with uncharacteristic melodrama.  "But can't you see how cool he is?"

"Cool is a relative term," Elisabeth yawns.  Denn glances back and forth between his bickering daughters, bewildered.

"I don't even know what the word relative means!" Iron Fang shouts in exasperation, before storming out the front door.


 
This, Elisabeth realizes, leaves her and her quote-unquote "Werewolf Dad" completely alone.

"Well, since you're already here, you may as well help me with my science homework," she reasons.

"Academics aren't really my forte," Denn replies brightly; "But I can tell you about the time I narrowly escaped capture for supernatural experimentation."

One thrilling story later, Elisabeth finds herself utterly in favor of this whole "dad" thing.

"You were right," she concedes a few days later, when the girls stop by the park after school.  "He's not so bad."

"Told you."  Iron Fang is incapable of taking a win graciously.  "I'm a genius."

"You wish," Elisabeth rolls her eyes good-naturedly.  "Mom said only Charlie passed the tests at the science center."

"Charlie's just a dumb puppy.  How can he be a genius?"

"Mom said we should call him a baby, remember?"

"Well, Dad calls him a pup.  So he's a pup."

"Do you think it really matters?" Elisabeth wonders.  "They basically mean the same thing."

"Yeah, but Dad said that just because someone doesn't present as a werewolf, it doesn't make them not a werewolf.  Even though you're humans, you 'n Charlie still have werewolf blood."

"You're really starting to talk like him," Elisabeth giggles.

"Of course!  We're the only werewolves in the pack.  We have a bond."

"Oh, really?  Prove it."

"Wh--it--it's just a feeling."

"Hmm.  Then I guess I don't believe you."

There are still, however, other members of the household to convince.

"I don't understand why she still doesn't want to talk to me," Denn frets.  He's been staying at the house for a week straight, now, perhaps the most nights he's ever spent with the family at once.  Sleeping in one of the kids' old sleeping bags, of course.  "I apologized, I brought gifts, I watch Charlie while she's at work... I've tried everything!"

 "First of all," Roe begins, "I'm not sure why you're talking to me about this.  Second of all, has it occurred to you that a human isn't going to care about the same things as a werewolf?  I get that this is normal wherever you're from, but for humans, a parent who just pops in and out whenever it suits them is kind of scummy."

Denn looks genuinely taken aback.  "It was never my intention to be a bad--bad anything.  I didn't even realize--"

"I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this," Roe grumbles.  "I guess I don't really care what happens; I just want Mom to be happy."  Denn opens his mouth, but Roe interrupts again.  "It's time for Charlie's nap.  I'll see you around, I guess."

By the time Sunflower comes home from work that day, Denn has made a difficult decision.

"I was doing some totally unprompted thinking today, and I thought... it must've been kind of... not so great, when I left last season.  I didn't mean to leave you all alone with four pups to take care of, it's just that you have so many qualities that remind me of someone who could've been part of my pack growing up--resilient, hardworking, playful, kind... and I assumed you were just like them.  My packmates, I mean.  But you're not, you're human, and for me to not think about that was..." he hangs his head pitifully; "Scummy."

"Oh, Denn," Sunflower sighs, "I don't think you're scummy.  I just wish you would've talked to me more about your life.  I mean, you just come and go with no explanation.  How do I know you don't have five other families in other towns?"

Denn grasps her hand urgently.  "No, Sunny, I would never--"

"I know, I know.  I don't know why I do, but I trust you."  This time, she threads her fingers through his.

Denn swallows.  "A-anyway, I was thinking, and... if it's what you want, I'll stay.  Here, with you, and the pups.  I won't wander anymore."

Sunflower is quiet for a moment; thoughtful.  "But you wouldn't be happy."

"I want you to be happy."

"I will be happy," Sunflower insists, "if you tell me when you're going somewhere.  And where you're going.  And how long you plan to be gone.  Maybe it's not normal for humans, but I'm okay with how we've built our family.  But I would appreciate the stability of human-style communication."

A wave of visible relief washes over Denn; he gives a lopsided smile, eyes glowing happily.  Then, with a bold peck on her cheek: "Human-style communication.  Got it."

With him and Sunflower officially back together (were they even broken up?  Denn isn't sure, but it kind of felt like it), there's only one family member left to win over.

Easy as pie.

☾

Misc: A short chapter, since this was basically just the leftovers I trimmed from the previous one.  I wasn't expecting Denn's forgiveness and reintegration into the family to get its own chapter, but once I started writing it, it felt weird to gloss over (at least, gloss over any more than I did).  Since I write my sims largely within the "rules" of the game universe, as opposed to real life, it doesn't make sense to linger on any one plot point for very long.  So, I'm satisfied with the pacing of things.

Oh, and just for the record, Denn has never actually been a playable member of the household at any point in the game, with the exception of when I had to briefly cheat him into the house to make him and Sunflower have kids.  I always made sure he never did anything productive during those times.

::1.6:: This Whole Dad Thing

 Roe and Irene attend the First of Spring Formal (that is, the formal school dance that takes place on the first day of spring),  Roe in a suit bought at a literal costume shop on the Spooky Day clearance aisle, and Irene in a seasonal couture dress with a price tag as ugly as the design.

"I didn't know you were going."  Sunflower hasn't been out of her bathrobe for three days, and pulls it tighter around herself when Roe introduces his girlfriend.  "It's nice to meet you, Irene."

"The limo's waiting," Roe peers out the door window; "I'll be back by ten, Mom."  He gives Irene's arm an affectionate little tug and slips out the door.

 "Stay warm!" Sunflower calls after him.  Most of the snow has melted with the shift of seasons, but the night air still holds a sharp chill.  She glances at Irene anxiously.  "Um, keep an eye on him, won't you?"

"More like he'll be keeping an eye on me, Ms. Moon," Irene grins.  "He's the sane one between the two of us."

Then she's out the door, as well.

Sunflower sighs.  "Just, stay out of trouble."

"Where's Roe?" Elisabeth, fresh from toddlerhood, comes downstairs.  "Charlie's crying again."

"He's at prom with Irene."

Elisabeth rolls her eyes.  "Doesn't he know there's no time for fun in this house?"  She's hardly old enough to go to school, but is already well aware of household dynamics.

"I'll be up to take care of Charlie in a minute, don't worry."

Roe returns home at 9:15 PM.  He and Irene miss the last dance, but she seems to understand his concerns about his mother burning the house down in his absence.  Sure, Sunflower has a thing about checking the stove five times a day, but he can't help worrying.

 Roe and Irene's prom picture becomes the first thing added to the shack that makes it feel like home.

 The dance was fun and all, but the next day it's back to the same old, same old.

Iron Fang is the most colicky of Roe's younger siblings--always howling, clawing, destroying.  None of the humans in the house know quite how to placate her.

Elisabeth, on the other hand, ages up soundly self-sufficient.  Since it's taken for granted that Roe will help shoulder the household responsibilities, Elisabeth has plenty of time to explore the newfound freedom of childhood.

 She's heard stories from Roe, and knows she'll need friends if she wants to survive her upcoming school years.  So she heads to the park to get a lay of the land, and the people she'll be surrounded by for the rest of her life.

 It isn't long before she corners Joelle Mosqueda, the only kid at the park not clamoring over the jungle gym.

Elisabeth conducts a test; she wipes her nose with her hand as she introduces herself.

Then proceeds to shake Joelle's hand with the same snotty fingers.

Whether Joelle is completely oblivious, unusually laid-back, or merely too polite to call Elisabeth out on her gross move doesn't matter.  Any of those options will serve Elisabeth well.  Her goal is to be successful in school while avoiding all the drama; passive friends are what she's looking for.

Now, she must test Joelle's teamwork and ability to follow directions.

"I mostly just keep to myself at school.  It's kind of intimidating to talk to new people.  " Joelle confesses.  She peeks at Elisabeth from around the faceless snowhead.  "You don't seem scared, though."

"Just stick with me, Joelle," Elisabeth says.  "I'm gonna kick school's butt."

Success: friendship acquired.  Two friendships, actually, if you count Sir Classic Snowsim.

A few feet away, Joelle's mother, Paige Mosqueda, famous around town for defeating a werewolf in an eating contest, is ill-dressed--even by springtime standards.

"She's really good at the starfish technique," Elisabeth offers.  She can sense Joelle is a bit embarrassed.

Some of the older kids spent the afternoon building an igloo, so once they leave, Elisabeth and Joelle brave a closer look.

"Be careful," Joelle squeaks, "what if there's a yeti?  Or worse, one of the teenagers is still in there?"

"Yetis aren't real.  And teenagers probably aren't, either."

She ducks inside.

"No yetis?" Joelle calls cautiously.

"No yetis."

Back home, Sunflower is reenacting Lunar Lakes' most popular folktale, The Great Yeti Invasion.  Historians are divided on whether or not it actually happened.

"How was the park?  Did you meet anyone nice?"

"I'm satisfied with the results," Elisabeth answers cryptically.

One friend isn't enough, though.  It takes three to make a proper team, in Elisabeth's opinion.  All the best books she's read have three plucky protagonists.

So she strikes up a conversation with the paper girl.  "Hey, you go to school in town, right?"

"Yeah, but it sucks," the paper girl replies.  "I only get to go for half the day because of this dumb paper delivery job, so everyone thinks I'm weird.  And I always miss recess."

"Can't you just quit your job?" Elisabeth asks.

"I'm a warden of the state, it's required."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't have parents."

"Oh..."

"Yeah."

"Where did they go?"

"Don't remember."

"Oh.  My mom's the same way."  Elisabeth pauses, thinking.  "Alright.  Hang out with me at school.  I'll introduce you to my friend Joelle.  It'll be fun."

The paper girl narrows her eyes.  "You want something from me, don't you?"

"Just your friendship," Elisabeth says easily.  "And... maybe some help with a few ideas."

Time passes.  More snow melts under the spring sun.  Charlie grows some hair and gains some freckles.

And Sunflower is finally ready to return to work, after what feels like a lifetime of maternity leave.

"We were taking bets in the lab on whether on not you'd actually come back," Gretel Sekemoto laughs on the other end of the line.  "Christina Landgraab-Royal owes me twenty simoleons."

That ladder is definitely a safety hazard, Sunflower frets.

Despite the fact that things are going rather well, these days, she frets over a lot.

She tries to keep the full-blown freakouts contained to the garden, though, so as not to upset the kids.

 Then, after her first day back at work, she comes home to this.

"He let himself in," Elisabeth informs her without looking up from her book.  "He says he's, uh, Dad."

"Sunny!" Denn chirps, hurrying to stand.

 WHERE

HAVE 

YOU 

BEEN???

 "I always travel to a warmer climate in the winter," Denn stammers, caught off guard.

"You disappeared!" Sunflower shouts, too furious to notice Elisabeth awkwardly taking her book to another room; "For an entire season! With no explanation!"

"I told you I was leaving town before the snow came!"

"How was I supposed to know that's what you meant??"

 "Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Her tone turns pleading without her permission.  "Does that not matter to you at all?"

"I--"

Any further escalation is halted by the soft jingle of Iron Fang's birthday.

Though Elisabeth and Charlie seem understandably put-off by the strange man who showed up out of the blue, something in Iron Fang's instincts draws her to him; tells her she can trust him.

Biting her tongue, Sunflower goes to search the house for the rest of her kids.  Roe is most likely still at his part-time job, but she probably should explain things to Elisabeth.

Iron Fang completely monopolizes her father's attention for the next hour, and now that she's in her state of post-freakout tranquility, Sunflower isn't sure what else to do besides carry on as she normally would.

Dinner is uncomfortable, and Roe is stony throughout, but Elisabeth still has questions.  "If he's our dad, then why doesn't he live with us?  Why is he just showing up now?"

"Eat your birthday salad, Elisabeth," Sunflower says tiredly.

The kids are put to bed early, and Denn starts to make himself at home--though for the first time, he has the mind to be sheepish about it.  "I hope you don't, um, mind if I eat something."

Sunflower doesn't reply at first, but eventually she relents; "You must be hungry."

The spring frosts still plague Lunar Lakes after sunset, and for all her anger, hurt, and confusion, Sunflower can't bear the thought of Denn sleeping on a park bench.

He stays the night.

"Just like that, huh?" Roe muses dryly the next day.

"I guess so," Sunflower sighs.

Denn leaves early under pretense of a morning hunt, so for a moment, the house is back to normal.

"I don't know how I feel about this whole 'dad' thing," Elisabeth announces over breakfast.

"I do," Iron Fang says through a mouthful of off-brand cereal; "He's awesome."

"Be thankful you have a dad, Lissie," says Roe.

"Denn said he's your dad, too, you know," Iron Fang tells him.  Roe thins his lips and says nothing.

"I don' think he's anyone's dad," Elisabeth grumbles.  "I think he's making it all up."

The bus arrives, so they head for the door.  

"You're just jealous because I've got his pointy ears and you don't," Iron Fang throws over her shoulder.

Elisabeth scowls.  "You are so annoying."

☾

Misc: ...This chapter still had 10+ picture's worth of content planned, but at that point, a bunch of things that weren't really related to each other were all happening at once.  Seemed a little confusing and unwieldy to me, so I'm chopping it off here.

I realized I haven't listed any of the kids' traits yet, so here we go:

Roe - loner, hates the outdoors, adventurous, neat (all of his traits were out of my control, but how are adventurous and hates the outdoors not in direct contradiction with one another??)
Elisabeth - friendly, disciplined, computer whiz
Iron Fang - brave, loves the outdoors, good sense of humor
Charlie - genius, friendly

These are only up until this point in the legacy, obviously, so I'll try to remember to update you as they continue to age.

And just for funsies:

Denn - night owl, family oriented, loves the outdoors, brave, absent minded
Irene - absent minded, excitable, insane, night owl

I've also added a few new pages to the blog.  One covers the ways I've customized/changed this challenge (plus things like a list of mods), and one is a list of other Sims 3 legacy blogs you should check out if you're bored and want more reading.

The song of the day is Italian alternative. :o