Hark(er)! An OWBC, Chapter Twelve: Secret Society Stalkers
Previously, in "Hark(er)! An OWBC": all of Börje and Yvonne's sons found love interests, but Ravi and his boyfriend Lee Lewis were sadly killed in a freak accident involving lightning and photobooth woohoo. Lorens pleaded for his brother's life, but ended up losing. The remaining O'Connor boys then had to resort to befriending secret society members, with Hector ultimately joining the society and ressurecting his brother. Lethe's relationship with her siblings continued to slowly improve, and she became a Grilled Cheese sim, as required of every OWBC heir. Dormie Vernon Moss was revealed to have feelings for Lethe, but eventually decided not to act on them, having since been seen romancing random dormie girls. The whole situation, and its eventual outcome, is still unclear. At the main house, Darryl failed to die by fright and by disease, despite my best efforts. Olive was unlucky enough to be scared to death by Reese's ghost, but was promptly ressurected by Darryl. She and Fergus then got married for a second time with a little help from the matchmaker's love potion. Close to the end of the chapter, all those hours spent gardening finally took their toll on Olive, and she became a plantsim.
Now...
As you might remember, Darryl had managed to recover from the mysterious illness he got via the Science career reward close to the end of last chapter. Well, you might also recall he was infected a second time shortly afterwards...
...and I waited, while I had Olive tend to her plants (hoping that the next Garden Club inspection would prove to be successful).
Finally, after a couple of days or so, Darryl succumbed to his mysterious illness...
...with Grim pronouncing it "not too commonplace, though not top notch" as causes of death go. Certainly in more style than last generation's deaths by starvation, fire and drowning.
Darryl's grave was promptly placed in the ghosts' island.
And poor Olive certainly took it hard - let me tell you, going for a Ghost Hunt when you have a head of the household (first Nisha, now Olive) with 10 nice points will make you feel a bit sad about it. Even if you don't feel too bad for the townies/NPCs/etc. themselves, you'll surely feel sorry for your OWBC sims.
Unfortunately for Olive, one more death was required for this generation, so she moved in another of her friends, burglar Jessica Ebadi (you might remember her from her "visit" back in chapter 4).
Jessica's stats: Libra 3/4/5/5/8 (genetic personality of 2/8/2/6/7), Romance sim with the LTW to have 20 simultaneous lovers. She joined the household with 13 skill points and 19000 simoleons.
(Yes, yet another Libra with the Romance aspiration, yes, that makes 4 out of 6 and I know it looks bad. But is it really my fault that Olive and Fergus tend to have friends with that aspiration/zodiac combo?)
"I heard you've moved in the burglar that stole our things back when we were still kids - did you choose her to be part of the Ghost Hunt as revenge?"
"Oh, Bruna, how can you think such a thing! I would never do that, it's bad enough that I have to see my friends die like that. I still feel terrible because of Darryl! But...but better them than Fergus, or our children, I suppose..."
"Hmm. I see what you mean."
"You've been doing a great job so far, but I wouldn't rest that easy if I were you. The Ghost Hunt might be almost done for this generation, but did you know that the rules state that one of the nine deaths has to be a member of the bloodline? That means you, or Lethe, or one of her children will have to die next generation. Keep that in mind, Olive."
Olive stared at Jo for a long time as she laughed hysterically, but she wasn't paying any mind to Jo's lack of empathy towards her family anymore.
What Jo had told her about the Ghost Hunt stayed on her mind; by the time the party had ended and Bruna and Jo had long left, she was still thinking about it. And, that night, she started making plans.
Meanwhile, Jessica was proving to be as hard to kill as Darryl. I kept hoping for a death by fright (or by satellite, if I was lucky), but nothing happened that rotation.
Which takes us back to Académie Le Tour, where the new arrival to the dorm, Ruthie, was just finishing her makeover.
(In case you don't remember, Ruthie just started her 1st semester at ALT; the triplets just started their second year, and Lethe the 2nd semester of her second year. As for their cousins, Lorens and Ravi are on par with Lethe, and Hector just started the 2nd semester of his third year.)
That same night, the insane secret society chain reaction started. You see, almost all of the Harker kids are best friends with their cousins, so as soon as Hector got in, the chain reaction started for his brothers, and now it's his cousins' turn...
"Hey, what are you doing? Leave me alone, I have work to do, I was just going downstairs to tend to the garden and-"
"I'm sorry, Miss Harker, but I'm afraid you have to come with me right now. Rules are rules."
"Well, I don't care, I didn't sign up for this, you hear me?"
"Nobody really does, Miss Harker, it's not what you've done, it's about who you know."
"Let me go! Damn it, just let me go! My eggplants need me!"
"Awesome, a new arrival!"
"Congratulations!"
"It's great to meet you, Phlox! We are all so glad you've joined the secret society!"
"We're sure you'll be a great addition, just like your cousins!"
"Oh, for crying out loud, this is ridiculous. There are so many things I could be doing instead...but still, the cheering crowd is a nice touch."
Phlox didn't stick around for long, but she did meet one very charming secret society member by the name of Donald Chapman before she left...
...and went right back to her plants. Like mother, like daughter.
Thanks to Phlox's efforts, Peri was finally able to get some skill points via eggplant juice, though, sadly, she was still lacking some necessary ones for that semester.
Lethe received a visit from the infamous coach, bane of Grilled Cheese sims everywhere...
...and Ruthie decided she was rather fond of Amin Sims after all, inviting him over for some photobooth woohoo by the will of ACR. They got out of the photobooth just in time to see the secret society limo arrive once more...
...with Pomp being their target this time.
"Aww, man! Can't I get this postponed for another day? Maybe tomorrow night? I have work to do!"
"Sorry, Mr. Harker, the rules do not allow you to do that. When we come for you, that's final."
"This sucks. What good is the secret society to me anyway? It's not like I need to ressurect someone like Hector did, and I can get all the career rewards I want after I graduate!"
"...please just keep quiet and come with me."
"I might have to issue some sort of formal complaint about this, you know."
"Phlox was right, having a crowd cheering for your arrival is sort of pleasant...but that's pretty much what there is to like about the secret society. Well, that and the fancy blazers. I really can't see anything else of interest here. They really wasted my time..."
Pomp's abduction by the secret society happened very close to the end of the semester. Once again, Lethe, Phlox and Pomp (and Ruthie, a while later) had excellent grades. And Peri managed to get a 15! That eggplant juice was more helpful than I thought!
Besides slouching, she also seems to have developed the habit of primping every once in a while. I won't complain, though, as, like her mother, she has adorable expressions, and is amusing to watch.
"Ruthenium Harker, you must come with me immediately. Do not resist."
"But...but I had just returned from my final exam...can't I even rest for a while before-"
"Absolutely not."
"...I hate this freaking society."
"Yes, yes, new people, llama blazers, that's all very cool, but if you excuse me, I'll be leaving now."
Love is in the air at the beginning of this semester, as ACR does some matchmaking, and Phlox hooks up with Donald Chapman, the secret society member from before. I think they're quite cute together, and they have 2 bolts, so Phlox has just found her future husband.
Olive pays her children a visit, meaning it's time for yet another party (autumn this time around).
"I'm so glad to hear things have been going well with you and your siblings, Lethe, you did end up taking my advice to heart, didn't you? That's my girl."
"Thank you, Mom."
"...are you sure there isn't a way to stop the secret society visits that isn't as violent? Frankly, setting them on fire seems a bit much, Hector."
"They'll never learn their lesson if you're too lenient. But I guess all of you guys have way too many nice points to attempt a permanent solution. Pity."
Yet another great party for Lethe to be proud of...even if not all was sunshine and rainbows in her life. There was still the unspoken situation with Vernon lingering around in her thoughts, not that anyone ever spoke about it out loud, not even Lethe herself.
And, of course, that same night...
"I'm not sure if you can do this, I'm the Bad Apple for this generation, can a Bad Apple even get into the secret society?"
"I don't really care anymore. You're on the list, you're going. You Harkers are a difficult bunch, always trying to resist us, and giving all sorts of excuses."
"Ouch! You didn't need to be so rude, you've hurt me!"
"I will ask you to be quiet, Miss Harker, if you please, and let me do my job."
"...my siblings are right, you really are terrible people."
"Even if I do get to meet so many new potential friends."
Time seemed to be rushing by, and another semester came to an end. Peri managed to get another 15, which made me very happy, and her siblings' grades were as good as they could possibly be.
And finally, the secret society madness came to an end (for this generation at least)...
...with Lethe joining at the beginning of the semester. She was not amused.
But, of course, she had more important things on her mind at that time...
"Yes, I know, I'm stubborn and annoying at times, and I refuse to see what's happening right in front of me more often than I should. But I won't ignore this anymore, I'll go straight to the point. You know, Pomp and Phlox were right all along, though I'll never admit that to their faces. We...we ought to give this a try."
"Seriously? I always thought you were just not interested and-"
"Yes. I know. Never mind that now...what do you say?"
"I'll say that you've just made me a very happy man, Lethe Harker."
And when Vernon left later that night, it was clear that they were in love...to everyone but the two of them, possibly. (Who knows?)
"I don't mind being in the background most of the time...I won't care about people not paying attention to me, not anymore, really, as long as they don't come for me again. I'll lock the doors. Oh, they might have just scarred me for life, will I ever be able to look at a limo the same way again? Damn them."
At the main house, Jessica was still managing to avoid death successfully.
And the Garden Club had dropped by for yet another inspection. Don't ask me how many times they've come to inspect the Harkers' garden so far, I have completely lost count at this point.
As Olive watched them nervously (and Fergus slept peacefully in his coffin), Jessica got to meet one of the neighbours, Harper Black (a sim originally downloaded from Garden of Shadows - one of several now living in this neighbourhood).
Something wonderful happened that night at the Harker household, as the Garden Club decided Olive's garden was good enough for her to receive...the long-awaited wishing well!
Congratulations, Olive, Nisha would be so proud. (I'm just so glad we don't need to invite these folks over anymore.)
(A little note, too: to me, these TS2 accomplishments, big or small, always have a certain soundtrack associated with them in my head, specifically one from the game Bugdom, which I played as a child, and which is a major source of nostalgia for me. For your listening pleasure, this is what getting the wishing well after so long sounded like in my head.)
"Nice job not dying so far, Jessica, you're doing better than me."
Oh, you infuriating ghosts, killing her is kind of the point of this whole thing! She's right there! Why is Olive the only one you actually consider scaring to death? Some sort of twisted revenge? *sigh*
The following morning gives way to yet another party (spring) to celebrate the addition of the wishing well to the household.
Even sim Jo is impressed.
"Great job finally getting that pesky well, Olive! I declare you the best heiress so far, just for that."
"Aww, thank you, Jo, but that's too much of a compliment, Lethe and her future child might do much better as heirs in the future."
"Meh, I doubt it."
After her chat with Olive, Jo then decided to go and sit in the room where Fergus and Jessica were currently sleeping, just to look creepy. Yes, Jo, we get it, you're not a friendly simself.
Not that anything could ruin Olive's good mood. Ah, such a sweet sim.
Oh, yes, I think I forgot to mention this before - Jessica was one of Oil's 20 lovers prior to joining the Harker household. (I had forgotten about it myself until ACR made Jessica invite Oil over.)
Somehow, I doubt Oil will be too upset about Jessica's eventual demise, though, there are always more fish in the sea as she's concerned.
After Oil leaves, I move Jessica to the island via meditation, and while she complains about being trapped, the ghosts still won't scare her, which makes me feel very, very frustrated.
See? Several ghosts roaming around, and none of them will go for the easy target standing right there! If it had been Olive there instead of Jessica, they'd have killed her three times by now. This is seriously annoying.
Olive, however, awesome heiress that she is, decides to immediately cheer me up by becoming permaplat as the ghosts roam meaninglessly outside. Congratulations once again, Olive!
Back at ALT, Peri takes a page out of her mother's book and manages to cheer me up as well just by being platinum. I'm not doing a bad job of getting a Bad Apple through college after all!
But, of course, eggplant juice is always a vital ingredient to that.
That marked the end of yet another (very uneventful) semester. This time, Peri's siblings are not the only ones to hit the top of the scale with their 20s!
I hereby declare you the most awesome Bad Apple ever, Peri, you deserve it. (Sorry, Bruna, you tried, but things were just so much better for you once you were out of the main house, you really can't be compared to your niece.)
Lethe spends her mornings making grilled cheese sandwiches with a wistful look on her face...
..and invites Vernon over that night for a very special moment for them...
...their very first kiss.
I must say, I'm growing more and more attached to Vernon and Lethe as the generation 2 OWBC couple every day. They're cuter together than Olive and Fergus ever were, closer to the level of Nisha and Cody (and that's true as chemistry goes, at least - they have 2 bolts together, as Nisha and Cody did; Olive and Fergus only have 1).
Soon enough, it's time for another party at the dorm (winter has come).
And Lethe chooses that moment to propose to Vernon.
With him gleefully accepting.
Uncertainty and random ACR hookups are in the past, everyone - I give you the future Harker power couple for this generation!
"Congratulations on fulfilling your LTW, Mom!"
"Thank you, Phlox! I must say, this is turning out to be a wonderful time for the family, with Lethe finally having the good sense to get together with that nice young man, Vernon, and you and Ruthie also having found love interests, I hear..."
"...well, yes, that's true. You can expect another engagement soon, I'd say. Not so sure about Ruthie and Amin, they might not be the type to actually want to get married."
The party goes on with the happy couple peacefully eating some grilled cheese (well, with Lethe eating some grilled cheese, at least)...
...and poor Peri apparently being scarred for life by a random fight breaking out in the cafeteria.
The two troublemakers? One of the llama mascots (can't remember which one, sorry) and a dormie named Nicole Hemingway, who, oddly enough, turned transparent after the fight. That sure is a weird glitch.
A bit later that night, a very tired Lethe gains yet another great party memory.
Winter goes by with Ruthie desperately trying to get someone to pay attention to her...
...while Phlox proposes to Donald, who is wearing a very Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire-esque outfit. I suspect he's also a nerd, he'll fit right in with his future wife and brother-in-law.
Ruthie, meanwhile, surprises everyone (or at least some people) by actually going ahead and proposing to Amin.
Which means all the couples for this generation are all set up now. Hector and Ivy, Lorens and Allyn, Ravi and Lee (well, eventually), Lethe and Vernon, Phlox and Donald, Ruthie and Amin. Neither Peri nor Pomp have showed any specific romantic interest in any particular sim, or rolled any wants to get engaged and the like, so they will remain single, unless they change their minds later on.
We thus wrap up the chapter with the conclusion of yet another semester (Lethe's 7th, the triplets' 6th, Ruthie's 4th). Peri doesn't do as well this time, getting a 12, but I'm not really upset about it. Her siblings, as always, keep their good grades.
Come back next time to witness the graduation of our generation 2 heiress, her marriage and the arrival of generation 3...as well as some other assorted shenanigans. Until then, goodbye and happy simming to everyone!
***
Current challenge stats:
Base Game Bonuses:
-Obtain an alien through a legit abduction
-Go one whole generation - from birth to birth - without getting any promotions
-Have a gnome to guard the flamingos [Glycogen, with Pheromone standing in for him at ALT]
Nightlife Bonuses:
-The heir(ess) for every generation must go on a date via gypsy matchmaker and see it through to completion [1st generation: Olive's date with Fergus; 2nd generation: Lethe's date with Sean; ...]
-Every heir(ess) is turned into a Grilled Cheese sim [1st generation: Olive; 2nd generation: Lethe; ...]
-A sim must be turned into a vampire [Fergus]
Seasons Bonuses:
-Throw a party once per season [spring: Nisha and Cody's wedding, Olenna's toddler birthday, 7 house parties (2 at college), Ruthenium's toddler birthday; summer: Börje & Bruna's toddler birthday, 6 house parties (2 at college), Ruthenium's child birthday; autumn: Olive & Oil's toddler birthday, 8 house parties (3 at college); winter: 7 house parties (4 at college), Olive's graduation, Olive and Fergus' wedding]
-Earn a wishing well [Done - earned by Olive]
-A sim must be turned into a plantsim [Olive]
Story Bonus:
-Finishing the challenge and posting it online [work in progress]
"Boolprop Naming Scheme" Mini-Challenge:
-First generation: children resulting from the 3 mandatory pregnancies must have names starting with B, O and O respectively [Börje & Bruna, Olive & Oil, Olenna]
-Second generation: children resulting from the 3 mandatory pregnancies must have names starting with L, P and R respectively [Lethe, Peridot & Phlox & Pomp and Power, Ruthenium]
-Third generation: children resulting from the 3 mandatory pregnancies must have names starting with O, P and C respectively
"One Bad Apple" Mini-Challenge:
-Every generation, one child (chosen at birth) must be uncontrollable (they get 8 commands at day from college/adulthood onwards) [1st generation: Bruna; 2nd generation: Peridot; ...]
"Cowforbrains' Ghost Hunt" Mini-Challenge:
-Three sims must die every generation, and every cause of death must be different [1st generation: Dustin (death by starvation), Donna (death by fire), Reese (death by drowning); 2nd generation: Alani (death by cowplant), Darryl (death by disease), ...]
"Family Scrapbook" Mini-Challenge:
-Every member of the family must have their picture taken or their portrait painted and hung somewhere around the house [Nisha, Cody, Börje, Bruna, Olive, Oil, Olenna, Dustin, Reese, Donna, Fergus, Lethe, Peridot, Phlox, Pomp and Power, Ruthenium, Alani, Darryl, Jessica, ...]
-The founder and each one of the 3 heirs/heiresses must write a novel [Nisha, Olive, ...]
"Workaholics Anonymous" Super Mini-Challenge:
-Earn all the career rewards available [16 out of 20: 2 earned by Cody, 2 earned by Reese, 2 earned by Börje, 2 earned by Bruna, 1 earned by Donna, 3 earned by Fergus, 2 earned by Olive, 2 earned by Oil]