#sim: anneken toyonaga

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Edana paused, looking at the restricted chambers before her. Strangetown's Royal Cemetery was a sight few people ever saw in their lifetime. It was a private property that even historical researchers needed strict permission to enter, deep in the original ruins of Old Strangetown.

If she wanted to sleep peacefully again, Edana needed to find out why her dreams were filled with her brother's screams. Only by confronting her past, would her future become clear. This was the closest she could get to Adam without dying herself. This plan had to work; Edana had no other ideas to fall back on.

Edana entered the chamber where notable, non monarchs were entombed. It had been a kindness she could never repay to have Adam resting here. King Charley had been gracious to her when she needed him most. She'd been a lonely teenager living in a ruin of her brother's own making with nowhere to go. Entombing her brother in a safe, isolated chamber where no one could intrude and cast spells with his ashes was a kindness she hadn't expected and Adam hadn't deserved. The rest of her fallen coven had been buried in a secret location, and their bones had been caked in salt to prevent supernatural discovery, including those of Adam's children's mother. There was no other way to think of the birth mother of her niece and nephew. She was the woman who had laughed in Edana's face when she pleaded for her to leave the cult she'd sucked Adam into. She had a name and presumably a family of her own to be disappointed in her, but Edana didn't care. She'd give the name to her niece and nephew should they ever ask her about that woman, but the less Edana thought of it, the easier it was to pretend that she'd never existed in the first place. Not a healthy coping mechanism according to the therapist Charley had made her visit once, but it was working just fine for her.

The tomb was filled with tapestries and paintings of the deities who Strangetown worshipped over the centuries, each more intricate than the last. Snobby Pleasantview thought themselves to be the center of the universe, while Strangetown remembered the old ways.

She trailed her fingers along the wall, lost in her memories. There was magic here so old and dark, she couldn't even begin to comprehend it. It was the kind of old magic her brother had tried to tap into before he died, and now it would seal him to this place, protecting the world from his wicked ways.

When she thought of that ancient magic, an old nursery rhyme came to mind, one that she had learned before she could even read.

Lukas and Death, a dance of fate

One guards life, the other, death's gate

In the tapestry of night where destinies weave

Lukas protects, the reapers retrieve

And Old Alpheus, a cautionary lore

Of power lost forevermore.

Demons had conquered the land long ago, driving the aliens from their home and decimating society as it stood. One demon with piercing yellow eyes ruled over the land, rebuilding it in the image of the void. Alpheus ruled for several centuries without a challenge and then, in an instant, he was gone. Defeated. His empire decimated and an entirely new royal family installed. The lesson was to never rest, never assume that you were safe and that people followed you blindly. Once you did that, you were done for. It was a cruel lesson to learn as a child, but it was one that was needed. Edana had thought she was safe and in an instant, she had nothing. She was lucky to still be alive.

I wonder what would happen if Alpheus was ever summoned? Could he reclaim his empire? Was he even still alive?

All of her musings died the instant she saw the familiar urn on the wall. How tightly she had once gripped that urn, sobbing into the smooth marble until all rational thought had left her. The portrait she had picked out herself. It was Adam as she chose to remember him, right after graduating and officially becoming a member of the Strangetown coven. Back before he broke their family.

"Mom, Mother, I apologize for not visiting as often as I should. Vrai goes on and on about the futility of visiting here, but I know you can hear me. I know there is a connection between us that death cannot sever. We are descendants of demigods and my heart is strong. Nick, Tristianne, I call to you too. I miss you more than words could say. Medora is growing up into a beautiful young lady and it's my privilege to protect her for you two."

Charley lit one of the many candles in the room, whispering a prayer as he did so.

"Mother, things at home are stable. We're prospering even. I take my oath to protect our kingdom seriously, just as my daughter will one day as well. I miss you. So do Vrai and Jasone, even though one thinks crystal witchcraft is the right direction for his life and one...worships the ocean, I guess? Give me the strength to guide them back to the old ways or at the very least, try to keep Life out of the castle if that is within your control. Please?"

Anna paused, giving her uncle privacy with his loved ones. He truly was devoted to preserving the ways taught to him by his mother. Anna had been taught those same ways in the afterlife with her grandmother and she couldn't possibly interrupt his spiritual time. Vrai wasn't entirely right about his brother's faith. While people couldn't speak directly to their lost loved ones, her grandmother was absolutely sharing a connection with her son. It was more of a warm feeling that spread across a soul than actual words, but that connection was there. It was holy and sacred and natural.

She avoided the urn to her left, the one with her portrait as the young girl she'd been when she died. It was an unusual sensation to stand next to your own grave, but it happened to reapers from time to time. There was still a sacred connection between her reaper form and her physical remains. That connection had made her children possible and tied them to her family.

Communion with the dead was sacred in this hallowed place, filled with the bloodline of the Toyonaga family. This connection was protected and revered and was not the reason why she had been called there.

Something else was happening, something perverse and wrong. Anna wasn't here to reminisce, she was here to work.

"Why, Adam? Why did you have to ruin everything? Why couldn't you just listen to me?"

Tears rolled down Edana's face as she tried to reason why she was here. She had to figure out what was calling to her, but how could she even start when addressing her dead brother brought her to tears? Her brother had left a huge, gaping wound in her heart that would never heal, and the more she tried to ignore it, the deeper it cut.

"Eden, I'm sorry. Please believe me. I never wanted things to go this way."

A strange pressure on her shoulder jolted Edana from her thoughts. It was lighter than a bird would be, choosing her as a perch, but with an intensity that didn't make sense. Sensations of light and heavy, cold and warmth overwhelmed the witch as her brain struggled to comprehend the situation.

"W-what? Adam? How...."

Surprise instantly melted into anger as Edana whipped around to confront the source of the sensations.

"Turncoat! Traitor!"

Edana held her wand under the spirit's neck, daring it to move against her. She didn't personally know any spells to harm ghosts, as they were exceedingly rare, but she could easily bluff her way to safety, especially if this spirit were actually her brother. Out of the two siblings, Edana was the one who actually studied in school.

"Eden, it's me. I have to warn you of something. It's important and I don't have much time."

Edana bristled at the use of her childhood nickname. No one called her that. It was Adam's name for her and she'd destroy anyone else who tried to wield it against her.

"What could you possibly tell me?" she demanded of the spirit. "If you really are my brother, then I can't trust you! I watched you take in dark magic. You brought two lives into the world just to use their life-force to lure Death! Who does that? You're sick and a monster and I hate everything that you became! What could you possibly tell me that I don't know about you?"

The spirit hung his head in shame.

"Eden, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just-"

"Are you even going to ask about them? Your children? The two innocents who I have to lie to every time they ask about you and that viper who stole away your decency? What am I supposed to tell them, Adam? Because of you, we have no family left. Dad is gone, you're gone and every other member of our coven is burning in eternal fire for your crimes against nature! I'm completely alone because of you!"

"There's actually no eternal fire," Adam replied, choosing the less emotional item to give an answer to. "Anyway, listen. You don't know how much it took for me for me to get this far. Tell the kids hi, if you have to, but listen to me first. You're in danger. Strangetown is in danger. The Darktide line can't fall, and I'm sorry, but it all falls on you. All I can do is warn you."

"Warn me?" Edana seethed. "Like you warned me about destroying everything we'd worked for? About following Charlotte into madness?"

"Could you please listen long enough to hear my message of certain doom for our family? You never understood me or what we could have accomplished. We could have been gods. We could have remade the world in our image, but you never could see past your own limitations. You always have to be right, even if you're proven wrong."

"Me? Wrong? Excuse me, but who's the ghost here, and who's the leader of the Strangetown coven?" Edana demanded, earning an eye roll from her brother's spirit.

"You mean the position you got by sleeping with the head of the Pleasantview coven and because there was literally no one else left? Yeah, you're a real star," Adam remarked. "I'm sure Dad's real proud to have Pleasantview Maricourt grandkids. They've always been wonderful to our family."

"You traitorous piece of shit!"

"Better than being the whore of a Maricourt!"

The two siblings quickly devolved into the same squabbles that had defined their relationship in their youth, completely lost in their anger. Neither one of them heard the slight flapping of black wings or felt the gaze of the undead creature that watched them.

"Charley! I finally found you! I need to warn you about something!"

Leo Toyonaga ran to his uncle, but the king could sense that something was off. Firstly, Leo usually addressed him as "Your Majesty" even when the king had pleaded with him to stop while not in the public eye. Secondly, the few times that Leo listened to his request, it was always "Uncle Charley". Leo's father had drilled lessons on etiquette and royal behavior into him growing up and the poor kid even called the mailman by the title on his palace employment contract. "Uncle" was still a title he could use, which meant that the person in front of him was not his nephew-at least not a nephew who was in control of himself.

"Something bad is coming. Strangetown needs to prepare. You need to give me clearance to speak with the army. You have to give me funding to prepare. I can feel something happening, you need to-"

"Lukas, enough with the games," Charley sighed, rubbing his temples. "Release my nephew. We had a discussion about possessing my family, along with all the other boundaries you promised to adhere to. Leo may be 'destined' to work with you, but as long as he's in my country, he's my subject, and you will cease your aggression against my subjects!"

"That's the thanks I get for trying to warn you about something big? Fine, enjoy your painful deaths, the afterlife's a great place to spend eternity. You'll love it."

"Lukas, what the hell? You promised not to possess people again, especially not me! We talked about this. There's ways to contact the royal office without stealing bodies."

"I came to warn you," Lukas repeated angrily. "Do you need me to fill out paperwork when something is wrong? I have a family of my own to get back to, you know."

Charley rolled his eyes. He'd heard this story before. The one time Lukas had submitted paperwork to the palace, it was a note signed from the former queen, telling her son to release a set of tiaras to the deity. Charley had firmly refused the demand easily enough, and no other posthumous notes had ever come his way.

"Then just the highlights are fine," Leo replied, shaking his head to try to shake off the psychic control. "I'm sure your family is missing you."

"There's something old coming," Lukas declared irritably. "There are currents in the Ocean, surely you can feel them too. Strangetown is right in the storm's path. The Islands too. You need to prepare for the worst. I don't think deaths have been scheduled yet, but that time is coming. As my eyes and ears in the living realm, I need you to be on alert, Leo. The ghosts of Strangetown cannot return, if that's what this is."

"Ghosts?" Leo repeated. Behind him, his uncle was nodding solemnly.

"As protector of this land, I will do anything to prevent that," the king swore. "That darkness will never return."

"Let's hope not. I'll be back when I have more."

With those words, Lukas vanished from view, leaving uncle and nephew perplexed.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Spirit! You are not permitted to be in this realm! You will return with me this instant and submit to a formal review of your actions. It is forbidden to return to this realm after death. Do not speak with the living and prepare to be returned to where you have left."

Edana was startled at the sudden appearance of a reaper and even more surprised that she recognized the celestial being. Anna Goldman had her hands out, leeching the energy that made up Adam's form to drain him of his power.

While she had always known that Anna's job required her to guard and maintain the afterlife, Edana had never actually imagined how that might look in practice. The shy mother of three looked nothing like the woman Edana had met at a family dinner. This creature was eerily beautiful, strong and as infinite as the stars themselves. No wonder her brother had wanted that power for himself. It was intoxicating to see.

"Eden! Eden, look for a reaper named Atem! The one from the old stories! He's in Arkhelios, he knows what's going to happen!"

Edana frantically searched her memory for a story about a reaper named Atem, while trying to hold on as long as she could to the flickering image of her brother.

"He can help! If you want to find out who killed the Twikkii Island royals and make your idiot husband look like a hero, find him! That-that guy Dumbass Josh married, he's seen-"

"The lost son of the Grim Reaper? For god's sake, Adam, the Grim Reaper killed you and now you're after his son? The one who hasn't been seen in centuries? What's wrong with you?"

With an apologetic smile, Anna lifted her hand, directing Adam's spirit back towards the afterlife and then faded away herself, leaving Edana suddenly alone in the tomb.

"Adam? Can you still hear me?"

When her question was met with silence, Edana felt herself release the tension in her shoulders. Whatever had happened was now over. Adam was gone, and hopefully, her dreams about him would be too.

How on Earth had her brother snuck out from the afterlife? What unholy sacrifice had he made to yet again thumb his nose at the Grim Reaper? The next family dinner at the Goldman's was going to be awkward, that was for sure.

Sorry, Anna, my idiot brother broke the rules again to probably harass your boss in some way. For some reason, I thought being dead would stop him.

But what was so important that Edana needed to be warned about? The explosion that had made Maura queen had happened over six years ago now and no one still had any real clue as to what had happened.

She would research this further then. There wasn't a nursery rhyme to memorialize Atem in Strangetown history, but she had enough of a memory to start with. He was the Grim Reaper's son, she remembered that much, and he hadn't been seen since what, the Demon Wars? Maybe longer? Had he been involved with the destruction of Alpheus? She couldn't remember. A trip to the archives was in order.

She needed time to unpack all of her feelings. Ewan would help talk her through this. He was good at breaking things down to a simple point and seeing through someone's lies. He also might understand Adam's insistence that his half-brother had seen something relevant to the threat. Leo had a lot of weird beliefs and stories, but as far as Edana knew, he was harmless. Connected to a sociopath deity, but otherwise harmless.

"Oh Adam, what have you gotten me into now?"

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #edana darktide #sim: edana darktide #charley toyonaga #lukas lane #sim: leo toyonaga #sim: anneken toyonaga #anneken toyonaga

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Ulyssa looked behind her as she slipped down the upper hallway of Claudia's parents' house. Though she wasn't an expert at subterfuge, she did take a kind of enjoyment from her actions. She was breaking into the rooms of supernatural creatures, beings who were on a first name basis with the Grim Reaper and Death. Jorah was still outside, jabbering on about his kids and distracting the household. The kind of information she needed couldn't just be asked and answered by Claudia's friendly parents. Ulyssa needed to know how Claudia's mind worked, and what her intentions were for the future. Would she reveal Victoriana's paternity to the world? Would she spill the beans on Georgiana now that Ulyssa had confirmed that Claudia knew the truth about her daughter? What were her plans for Roman Bellamy?

 No, stop thinking about Roman. He's just a complication in Claudia's scheme. I don't care what happens to him.

The first three rooms in the hall had been uninteresting. They were the bedrooms of Claudia's little brothers when they weren’t living in their school dorms and the very plain bedroom of Claudia's parents. If they were the standard for reapers, then reapers were far more boring than Jorah anticipated. Their bed was made and the room was tidy. Some photographs rested on the dresser next to a hair brush and some earrings, but nothing fantastical or exciting. If anything, the room reminded Uylssa of her own parents and the bedroom they'd once shared together. Bits and pieces of life strewn around a shared space between two people in love. Maura had her own separate dressing room to accommodate her many outfits and collections of jewellery, nothing like this. Ulyssa's things were in a separate, but joining dressing room, neatly held apart from her wife's. What would their life be like if they lived in a room like this? Where she could wake up next to Maura, brush her teeth in a quaint en suite bathroom and get the kids ready for school. Maybe in a parallel life their marriage wouldn’t be so hard.

This next room would be the one she was looking for, Ulyssa could just feel it. She hadn't found the room where Claudia had grown up yet, but she had to be close.

"Travis did what? No, he's not allowed to practice fire spells in his dorm, we've told him this. Yes, he paid that fine from his own school account. He hand delivered the apology letter to the dean, I made sure of it."

Ulyssa tried to strain her ears to hear the conversation in case it was relevant to her hunt. She could hear Claudia's mother pace the floor downstairs, clearly talking to a school authority of some kind. 

That must be her youngest brother. Claudia, Oliver and Travis? How much younger is Travis? He sounds like a trouble maker. Maybe Claudia has covered up some incidents of his that she doesn't want known.

Ulyssa entered the last room and found exactly what she was looking for. Charts, graphs, and information were sprawled out across the bed and floor, looking more like a detective's work room than a childhood bedroom.

"What in the world?"

Ulyssa picked up a random piece of paper to find a crude family tree scribbled on it. Beside that was a printout from the Pleasantview Royal Archives and a death certificate for an E Goldman. What was she looking at? All of these papers were related to Claudia's family- her father probably and maybe her grandfather? There was a picture underneath the mess of a much younger Claudia standing next to her white haired father in a nondescript room. Beside them, a column of smoke was engulfing the rest of the frame. If Ulyssa squinted hard, she almost swore that she could make out the shape of a face within the smoke, framed with dark hair. It was truly bizarre to stare at.

"That's all the research my father and I did to support my claim to the throne. It took hours in libraries and archives, but we worked the case together and now look at what we've accomplished."

Ulyssa froze, her blood freezing in her veins at the voice. If she thought that she could get away with it, Ulyssa was tempted to just teleport from the room back to her home and pretend she'd never taken this trip. But the queen of Pleasantview stood behind her, her gold eyes watching her every movement, looking for weakness. She was like a cat toying with a mouse. There was no lying her way out of entering this room, and if she teleported now, Maura would likely hear about this visit. Jorah might also be destroyed by the servants of Death, but he had accepted this mission knowing the risks. He'd probably be thrilled to see an actual reaper murder them both.

Claudia's hands fell to a marble bust that took up a large portion of the room and frankly looked far too expensive to reside in a house like this one.

"This is my heritage, my birthright," she continued. "My father is sending it to the archives to be stored, but I’m sure he doesn’t mind me showing our work off to visitors. I don't think you understand the game that you're attempting to play here. Maura has coddled you far too much and you've gotten cocky. You think that you can get away with whatever you want, but I'd advise you not to continue with that line of thinking. I'm quite aware of your little attempts to intrude upon my life. I'm less certain of why you're attempting such a thing. Maybe it's a game my cousin is playing through you, though that's never been Maura’s style. No, if I had to guess, this is all just a misguided errand of love. Not love for my cousin, your wife, but for some utterly undeserved obsession with Roman Bellamy."

Ulyssa tried not to gulp at these words considering the glare she was receiving. The room suddenly felt a lot smaller.

" N-no, Roman doesn't mean anything to me," she stammered. "I…."

She tried to summon the words to back up Jorah's lie, but they got caught in her throat. There was no way that Claudia believed the little autograph ruse and Ulyssa was completely at a loss for a more believable story.

"Do you really think that you love him? That he could love you back? You're nothing to him and you're nothing to me. The only person who cares if you live or die is my cousin, who you claim to love in return. Though I'm sure that Maura could easily move on if you were to turn up dead, the evidence of your feelings surrounding you. She's already got an heir and a spare from you, if you can't stay faithful to her even in your own heart, I might be persuaded to…intervene."

Uylssa's mouth seemed to be failing her as she stammered a few more syllables before falling silent. Could Claudia have her killed? Sure, but would she? Would Maura forgive her or be relieved to finally be free of her cheating spouse?

"I…Maura would…."

"I'm sure that Maura has told you the story of her great-grandmother who allied herself with Strangetown and Pleasantview in order to have her aunt killed to correct her father's…changes to the line of succession," Claudia continued. "She never stops talking about it; she thinks it's the worst thing a person could do to a family member. Well, I'm here to tell you that it isn't. Not by a long shot. Maura only sees the good in people and it leaves her open to being hurt, just as you've done to her. Just as you're doing right now. And all this just for Roman Bellamy? The man is a weak demon hybrid who can't get over the high school boyfriend that he cheats on. He's nothing. Completely irrelevant. Nothing compared to your wife."

"But he was good enough to be Victoriana's father," Ulyssa was quick to point out, seeing a single thing to yield against the queen. "You have feelings for him too!"

Claudia gave her a look that was somehow both pitying and ruthlessly cold.

"Let me be perfectly clear about this little idea of yours. Roman Bellamy means nothing to me. He was a good time and nothing else. Nothing. He gave Victoriana some demon blood that will help her rule and that's it. He could die tomorrow and I wouldn't feel a thing, just as I'm sure he'd feel about you if you turned up dead. Don't play games you know nothing about, or there will be consequences."

Ulyssa took a step back unconsciously, seriously beginning to fear for her life. She knew that Claudia was bluffing about Roman. She had to be bluffing. Claudia had always seemed head over heels for him, even at his wedding to Abe. There was no way that she'd murder him just to get back at Ulyssa. She had his child. She wouldn't kill Roman…right? She wouldn't make a widow of Maura either, or so Ulyssa hoped. There were always whispers about Pleasantview being involved with the attack that had killed Maura’s mother, sister and a princess from Crystal Cove, but Maura refused to believe them. Seeing this side of Claudia, Ulyssa wasn't so sure that she agreed. 

"Maura would find out that you were to blame," Ulyssa tried weakly. "She'd be angry, angry enough to go to war if you killed me."

"No she won't," Claudia promised. "My cousin is soft and weak. Most of her military was trained by my forces and she got the majority of her funding for them as a gift from me. She knows that I could take her throne in a heartbeat if I wanted to and she has a better self preservation instinct than you seem to. I can do whatever the hell I want to whoever I want and not have a single person challenge me for it. I could kill you right here, right now in my childhood bedroom and the only thing that would happen is that I'd have to apologize to my parents for the mess. I could kill your little godson you love so much in an instant. He attends my academy for my coven. He could disappear tomorrow and no one would find a trace of him. Go visit the ruins of the former Pleasantview castle and see for yourself the signs that point out the countless unmarked dead found when they combed through the wreckage. Skeletal remains that were centuries old. I know that you're weak and optimistic in the islands, but here in Pleasantview, we mean what we say. Take my grandfather here, King Casper." She gestured at the overly large and fancy bust for emphasis. "He killed his mother, stepmother, all of his half-siblings and every member of the Crystal Cove royal family, save for the crown princess, who he threatened until she agreed to marry him. He killed the disloyal witches that rebelled against him and every single officer who broke their oath to disobey his orders. He had the same military as I do, the same coven and a similar education. He made every other nation quake with fear with his ambition, something that I have refused to do thus far as a kindness to the other nations. His own grandfather was just the same, as were so many members of my royal family line. Whatever control you think you have on me is an illusion, brought on by your guilty heart.”

Claudia stared her prey straight in the eye, her expression deadly serious.

“Don't. Push. Me. You won't like what happens.”

“Anyway, I have to be on my way. I’m already behind as it is.”

Within a fraction of a second, the queen’s entire demeanor changed. She went from the stuff of nightmares to a smiling, carefree woman who hadn’t just threatened to murder her cousin’s wife.

“Mom, I’m running late. If you can’t get off the phone now, just leave the brownies on the kitchen table. I’m going to say goodbye to Dad and Oliver.”

With a playful wink, Claudia reached for the door handle while Ulyssa steadied her breath. What was going on here and who the hell was Maura related to?

“Remember our little talk,” Claudia called out while entering the main hallway. “What happens next is entirely up to you. Send my love to Maura. Mom! I have to leave!”

Ulyssa pressed herself against the wall, trying to count her options. There wasn’t much to work with aside from following Claudia’s orders and leaving her alone. Who was the true Claudia, this happy family woman or the raging psychopath who saw the world as her property? Had Maura ever seen this transformation in her cousin?

Well, for all my efforts, I’ve only learned that Claudia has a troubled little brother, Jorah-level parents and a dark side that’s too deep to ever see the bottom of. Not much for the danger involved and the enemy I’ve seemed to have made. Great.

“Jorah, It’s time to leave! Grab your stuff and let’s go!”

“Good game,” Jorah conceeded, extending a hand to his Don’t Wake the Llama opponent. “You could probably beat my oldest and she’s been practicing for years.”

“Not as long as I have,” Ewan chuckled, grabbing the offered hand and shaking it politely. “Though I could probably give her some tips, if you wanted to stop by again for a game or two some time.”

He smiled sincerely and Jorah beamed back. This was the greatest day ever, (aside from his wedding and the birth of his kids). Not only had he seen a reaper and lived to tell the tale, but that reaper was actually pretty cool and interested in meeting again. Valerian would never believe him.

“Any time!” he promised, hearing Ulyssa still shouting for him in the distance. “You bring the game and I’ll provide the snacks. Valerian makes an amazing casserole, you’ll love it.”

“Jorah! Now! Before she comes back!”

“It’s a date,” Ewan said with a smile. “See you then.”

#arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sims 2 #ulyssa durant #Jorah Durant #ewan jr goldman #sim: ewan jr goldman #claudia goldman #sim: Claudia Goldman #anneken toyonaga #sim: anneken toyonaga

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Queen Claudia watched as her father talked the ear off Ulyssa's brother in the yard. It was just like her parents to take in strays who showed up on their door, regardless of the danger. They were frustrating that way. They'd learned it from their own family members and perfected it while working for their boss. The current Grim Reaper was a softie with a soft spot for families since his own fathers had been so absent in his life. It had been the Grim Reaper, Gee's fault that Claudia existed in the first place. Her parents were too important in living society to qualify to be reapers, and should have at least been told to wait a few centuries before reapplying to the program`. Gee had recognized the same devotion to family within the couple and approved them anyway. It was only when it was too late that Gee realized that he'd approved the former heirs to three thrones to return to the living world and allowed them to procreate. Many other reapers would have solved the problem by killing Ewan and Anna's children before they could become complicated political entanglements, but Gee had other plans. Children would never have to die to fix his mistake, especially the children of his good friends.

Claudia could see the danger that the Durant siblings posed, even if her parents didn’t. It was incredibly suspicious to find Maura’s wife loitering around Claudia’s secretive parents and if she had to guess, Claudia assumed that this encounter hadn’t been approved by her cousin. Whatever game Ulyssa was playing was all her idea; Maura would never show such an interest or be so bold. Maura had always been fine with keeping her distance from the Goldmans. Even as kids, Claudia and Maura had been instructed to play together, but Maura had made convenient excuses whenever Ewan or Anna came to spend time with her.

So what was Ulyssa’s game here then? Claudia knew that the queen consort didn’t have the magical skill for a curse or spell against Pleasantview. She didn’t even likely have the skill for a voodoo doll made from Claudia’s hair, so that explanation was out. Jorah was clearly the distraction for some other plan, so while Ulyssa sipped tea with Claudia’s mother, Claudia ran through her list of possible schemes. Ulyssa would slip eventually and when she did, Claudia would be ready for it.

"So what's it like dying?" Jorah asked, moving his game piece as he spoke. He and Ewan were bonding over a fierce game of Don't Wake the Llama. He could see Ulyssa's irritation through the window where she watched them, but he ignored her. His plan had saved them from Claudia's wrath and he had spent over an hour bonding with an actual reaper. A reaper who had already promised to come to dinner one night in Arkhelios to grill some burgers with Jorah.

"Truthfully I don't remember," Ewan replied, countering Jorah's move with his own. "I died as an infant and it was a long time ago. It's peaceful from what I've seen. A quick moment and then freedom from pain or suffering. Reunification with your deceased loved ones. It's nothing to fear."

"Do you ever work in Arkhelios? Have I seen you around without knowing it?"

"We work in teams," Ewan confided. "Every nation has a team assigned to them so that we can collect the correct souls at the correct time and ensure that the correct functioning of the living world is unharmed. I work in Pleasantview, so no, I don't work in your area, but rest assured, there is a team in place to protect Arkhelios."

Jorah paused to consider Ewan's words. He'd never thought of a supernatural team sent to harvest souls as serving as protection over the living realm. If anything, he'd always thought of them as villains or threats because of the nature of their jobs, but it was true that people were going to die naturally regardless of a reaper being there to help them pass. Having policies and trained professionals in place to help ease that transition was really a kindness extended to mortals by Death when he thought about it.

"So I was reading about the Great Demon War and the reaper sightings from that period. Would that be an example of how reapers protect the living? By fighting threats from beyond the living world? Have you ever been to the Void? Does the Demon Sovereign have to obey your rules? Can she be killed by Death if she breaks the rules? Is she actually evil or just misunderstood? I'm asking for a friend."

Ewan laughed.

"I'm afraid I can't answer all of those questions. There needs to be some secrecy maintained or life just isn't as fun. It's meant to be lived first and then the gaps are filled in once your life ends. It'll ruin all the spoilers you're meant to enjoy one day."

"Do you know when I'm going to die?" Jorah pressed. "All of my kids are going to outlive me, right? You can tell me that much, right?"

"Unfortunately that's above my pay grade," Ewan laughed. "We get told who to escort to the afterlife shortly beforehand. I can't change the death and I don't decide anything about it. Not even the Grim Reaper can. It's above even him."

"What's above him?" Jorah gasped, completely ignoring everything else around him. "Death? He decides when someone dies? What if someone is murdered? Does he know that's going to happen or can he prevent the murder if he wants to save the person?"

"That's a spoiler, I'm afraid," Ewan said with a wink. "Some things have to be a surprise and some questions can't be answered. Honestly, you're better off not focusing on all of that. Life is so short and eternity is forever. Live your life before you lose it and you'll find out the answers to your questions soon enough."

"Fair enough," Jorah grudgingly conceded. "I get it. Can I ask you about your family then? I've read so much about your parents and great-grandparents in books but you're the real thing. You know them."

Ewan fidgeted in his seat while he processed the request and Jorah immediately regretted asking about it.

"Hmmm, maybe when I stop by Arkhelios," Ewan promised, his eyes hooded with secrets. "If you've read about them, you know how difficult it can be to come to terms with the actions of your ancestors. My dad is the best dad I could ever hope to have. My other father is a monster who can't go ten minutes without committing some kind of war crime or monstrous act. I've tried to raise my children to be just like my dad and be happy and loving and kind to others. Unfortunately, these days my daughter seems to be happy following the path of my father. There are so many devious voices in her ear and demons happy to lead her into darkness. That's why I try to demonstrate kindness whenever I can. There's a darkness within her that I fear the throne will encourage. There's a darkness in all of Casper Maricourt's bloodline."

Jorah paused, unable to think of an appropriate response to this admission. The closest example that he could relate to would probably be the Bellamy family and he only had limited contact with most of them. Ever since the affair with Ulyssa, Jorah hadn't seen much of the Bellamys. Roman's mother certainly was evil, though not on the same scale as a ruthless king…not that Jorah knew about anyway.

"Do…do you see him at all?" Jorah asked quietly. "Is there a hell that he's in? Did they just send him to the Void when he died? Is there a king of the afterlife? Do people fight over it?"

"I…I have seen him. Just once and not alone. He…wasn't kind to me," Ewan sighed. "Always choose to be kind, Jorah. Whenever you can. It separates us from the darkness. You strike me as a man who already knows this, but never let yourself forget it."

Jorah paused, realizing that Ewan was upset by the conversation and had ignored all of his secondary questions.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just have so many questions and I love learning about new people and places and I'm afraid that I'll never have the chance to speak with you again."

"I promised you a barbecue, and I don't break my promises. I understand your curiosity, I would feel the same way in your shoes. Maybe we could just pivot away from my father for now. It's bad enough looking in the mirror and seeing his reflection." Ewan gestured quickly at his face. "The hair is a dead giveaway in Pleasantview, especially with the Maricourt eyes. I'm glad none of my kids have inherited them. I'd be tempted to dye it or wear contacts, but it doesn't seem fair. It's my hair and eyes, why should I have to change them because of someone else who died years ago?"

Jorah nodded compassionately at the reaper, who seemed to be working some personal issues out across from him. The last thing he wanted was to scare away his new friend and on top of that, Claudia might murder him if she saw him making her father upset. 

"So reapers eat obviously," he said quickly, gesturing at the grill beside them. "Do you have to sleep? How did you get a body? Is it different from the body that you died in? Can demons possess you?"

Ewan smiled, grateful for the change in subject. 

"We don't need sleep, but we can if we want," he replied. "Our non reaper romantic partners seem to find it unnerving when we're up all night without them and still refreshed in the morning. Death assigns us a body when we graduate training and yes, it's connected to our previous physical body, but it's not completely the same. As for demons, I've never encountered one with the ability to possess others, but they stem from a corruption of life and we stem from the natural course of death, so I'd wager that we're immune to their threat. But enough about me, what about you? How many children do you have? How did you get into autograph collecting?"

"I have three beautiful children," Jorah gushed. "Two daughters and a son, Hamnet, Judith and Susanna. They're turning six this year and they're amazing. Hamnet and Susanna are twins, so it was like having triplets when they all arrived, thank god that my husband was only carrying one kid, though we've talked about more. Maura actually introduced us to the idea of autograph collecting. I would never have thought about it in tiny Arkhelios, but with my sister suddenly meeting world leaders and famous people, it became easier to find people to sign our books. Maura was our first signature and we've got all of Maura’s family too, even her mother, watcher rest her soul."

“How fun. Claudia would have liked that when she was younger, the boys too probably. They’ve always been more hands on with things while Claudia will sit back, evaluate her options and then act. Oliver and Travis would like chasing down people to sign their book. Claudia would probably make them do it for her.’ Ewan laughed and Jorah joined in.

“Yeah, my Susanna is very similar,” he admitted. “She has her siblings under her spell when she wants to. I’ve found them making her bed for her a few times. Kids, right?”

“Exactly. I wouldn’t trade mine for the world though.”

Jorah smiled. Despite all of his excitement about finding rare supernatural creatures, Jorah seemed to have found something even rarer- a kindred soul.

“I completely agree.”

While Jorah was busy making friends, his sister set about her mission. Claudia was talking with her mother about an upcoming lunch event she was hosting and her watchful eye on Ulyssa was currently occupied. Where to begin though?  The bedrooms upstairs might be filled with secrets worth blackmailing a queen with, but the stair were being blocked by Claudia. To get upstairs, Ulyssa would have to sneak outside and teleport while no one was around..

A car pulled into the driveway, alerting Ulyssa as she tried to innocently explore. Claudia’s brother was home with his guest. This could be just the diversion Ulyssa needed to get past Claudia. Everyone would come out to welcome Oliver and Ulyssa could excuse herself to “use the washroom”.

To her surprise though, she recognized the friend exiting the car with Oliver. She would know him anywhere.

“Junior?”

Theo stood behind Oliver, almost hiding from the godmother he’d never expected to see in Pleasantview. It had been years since he’d seen her in person and he’d nearly forgotten the nickname she had for him. This wasn’t just his godmother though, this was his dad’s affair partner. The reason he had a half-sister no one talked about. The reason his parents decided to have a band aid baby that neither of them would have wanted otherwise.

“Hi Aunt Ulyssa. What are you doing here?”

‘Are you sleeping with Oliver’s parents too’ was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t dare say it. Oliver was a cool senior in the fanciest school in Pleasantview and had a lot of powerful friends. When the witches’ council had paired them for an assignment, Theo had leapt at the chance. There was no way that he would offend the coolest person he knew just to insult his godmother.

Ulyssa beamed and stepped towards her godson, only to have him back away from her. She wanted nothing more than to hug him and catch up with the drama in his teenage life, but she could see the betrayal in his eyes. Her godson hated her. He was named after her, but she’d broken his trust and now he could barely stand to be around her. All of her Claudia related schemes flew out of her mind with this realization.

Theo hates me, and he deserves to. There’s nothing I can say that will fix what I’ve done. His eyes though- they’re just like Roman’s. I can’t bear miniature Roman glaring at me like this.

Claudia watched the reunion derail on the front lawn with interest. Ulyssa’s weakness was laid bare before her and Claudia didn’t even have to do a single thing to force it. Whatever game Ulyssa thought she was playing was doomed to fail. All Claudia had to do was invoke Roman Bellamy and the queen consort would fold. Ulyssa posed absolutely no threat, but Claudia was still interested to see what her cousin’s wife was up to. Knowing where an enemy thought you were vulnerable was valuable information for the future.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #claudia goldman #sim: Claudia Goldman #sim: anneken toyonaga #anneken toyonaga #sim: ewan jr goldman #ewan jr goldman #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #ulyssa durant #Jorah Durant #oliver goldman #Victoriana Goldman #sim: Victoriana Goldman

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“This is the greatest day of my life. I can’t believe this is happening. Do you know how few people have done this? You used to have to be royalty to even know about their existence.”

“I am royalty,” Ulyssa remarked, entertained by her excitable little brother. “And as you always remind me, your greatest day is a three way tie between your wedding and the birth of your kids.”

The Durant siblings stood outside an otherwise unremarkable house in a less expensive part of Pleasantview. The house was small; the modest frame was expanded with the use of shipping containers. Pleasantview wasn’t known for a low cost of living, especially with a nobility and attention seeking witches to support. Estates were common in the areas surrounding the old castle and old ruins filled with lingering magical energy was where most witches chose to dwell. The “ordinary” people were scattered across the country, far enough away from the rich or powerful areas to be noticed by most of society. Naturally, if someone or something wanted to keep a low profile, this neighbourhood was an excellent choice. Everything on the street was quaint and charming. Well manicured lawns and carefully maintained wooden fences were everywhere.

Ulyssa had questions and concerns that could only be answered by a trip to Pleasantview, but wasn’t brave enough to go alone. Luckily, her little brother Jorah seemed to know a little bit about everything and had jumped at the chance to accompany his sister on an adventure. What she had overheard Claudia tell her wife was concerning. Not only did Claudia know about Georgiana’s paternity, but her only heir to the most powerful throne in the world was a Bellamy.

She could blackmail Roman or Wanda with her daughter, potentially harming Arkhelios. She could expose Georgiana and ruin my life- our lives.

They had all agreed that Georgiana would be Maura’s daughter when Ulyssa discovered that she was pregnant. If her daughter ever found out the truth, it would be devastating. Ulyssa needed some dirt on Claudia if she was going to keep her family safe. Something that she could use as a bargaining chip. If Claudia was going to threaten her family, then Ulyssa was going after Claudia’s. The only problem with that plan was that no one had really seen her family. Her own government listed her parents as dead, but also as unnaturally able to produce three children and stop by the castle on occasion. King Ewan and Princess Anneken were undead creatures who stayed in the shadows, flitting between life and death as easily as a demon.

“You know what I mean,” Jorah scoffed, refusing to let his sister ruin this moment for him. “No one has seen a reaper in recent memory, or if they have, no one will admit to it. They used to be legends and myths and now they’re real! Well, I mean they were always real, but they’re not hiding anymore. Well, I guess they are still hiding, but these ones aren’t. How did you manage to track them down anyway? Did you have to watch someone die and then trap whoever showed up? Did someone who had a near death experience point them out? No, I bet it was a dark spell that required a blood sacrifice to get the information.”

“I looked in Maura’s address book,” Ulyssa sighed. “You let your imagination wander far too much. Her grandmother had their address and it got compiled in Maura’s copy when she took the throne. Why on earth would I have to do any of that other nonsense?”

Jorah pouted, despite his excitement. There were times when his sister’s bluntness overshadowed her kindness. Living in a castle hadn’t made Ulyssa any less cynical, she just usually hid it better. Only Ulyssa could make meeting one of the rarest supernatural creatures into something mundane.

“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe, just maybe, you can only find a grim reaper when it’s doing its job?” he shot back. “They blend in otherwise. Maybe they have a dark form like vampires and demons that you can only see when it’s reaping souls. It makes sense to me.”

Ulyssa took a moment to reflect on her brother’s ideas. Truthfully, she didn’t know much about the grim reaper or any of his associates, but Jorah didn’t need to know that. Reapers had been just a footnote in their magical studies class at school as little was actually known about them. Jorah loved reading about the supernatural and world history, but books could only tell him so much. According to some ancient texts and some mysterious undated writings, the academic community had mostly agreed that there was one “Grim” reaper that assisted a sim with the process of dying, and a handful of lesser reapers that assisted him in this task. No living soul had insight beyond that, or if they did, they weren’t sharing that information.

The first glimpse of this secret supernatural hierarchy had come from Crystal Cove centuries ago when it was still known as Viper Isle. Reports of people seeing glimpses of deceased sims running around in robes and cloaks just before someone died were recorded in the history books, even if they weren’t taken seriously. A former king had seen his dead brother on a battlefield and spoken with him. This was chalked up to the king’s history of mental illness, even when his son confirmed the story. The next sighting was during the Great Demon War where palace staff claimed to see the recently murdered crown prince of the newly named Blue Viper Isle. When humans defeated the demons intent on expanding their territory beyond the Void, there were whispers about secret meetings held by the queen and long deceased members of the community. The demonic ruler of Strangetown was seen arguing with a man that no one had seen age and had demonstrated mysterious powers through his long lifespan. Strange children enrolled in school and were picked up at the end of the day by people who looked oddly familiar to dead sims. Sometimes these children would display unusual powers of their own but remained tight-lipped on where they’d inherited them.

Over the centuries, these accounts were assumed to be myth. Reaper sightings dropped and the creatures were considered about as real as a unicorn. They were a fantasy cobbled together to help the people endure hardships by imagining a world where their lost loved ones could return to them. Supposed sightings happened every few decades, though few found them credible. It was said that the ruler of a nation was sometimes warned by a reaper of a great peril they could intervene in, though no royal diary had ever recorded such a case.

That was until Queen Claudia had taken the throne. Born Claudia Goldman, the queen had grown up in this humble house with her two loving parents and her little brother, Oliver. To the outside observer, the Goldmans looked like a typical commoner family. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Anna Goldman had been born Princess Anneken Spencer Toyonaga, the crown princess of Twikkii Island and Strangetown. Her husband had been born King Ewan Ben Goldman Siew, the infant ruler of Pleasantview upon his father’s death. Both of them had died incredibly young, Anna as a toddler and Ewan as an infant. Their families had mourned and the line of succession moved on.

Until the day that Claudia and Oliver Goldman were enrolled at the Princess Zarah Royal Academy, their tuition paid for by the queen of Twikkii Island and her ex-husband, the former crown prince of Strangetown. Both children were listed as their grandchildren, even though neither supposed grandparent could list which of their children had created these mysterious grandkids. Pleasantview was ruled by Queen Charlotte II at the time, a ruler installed by a foreign government who hated living in Pleasantview and who was hated by Pleasantview in return. The nobility had salivated to learn that a blood descendant of the last “true” bloodline existed and upon turning eighteen, Claudia completed the first and only peaceful transfer of power in Pleasantview’s history. Claudia Goldman became Queen Claudia Anneken Maricourt Goldman Goss overnight and once again, the living world brushed against the world of the dead for a fleeting moment. Reapers had to be accepted as real creatures to somehow produce this living, breathing genetic successor to two dead sims. In the centuries that would eventually pass, Claudia’s origins would likely be interpreted as metaphorical or as just a myth to support a regime change and reapers would once more disappear into history.

Which was why Jorah could barely contain his excitement. Only a handful of people had knowingly interacted with a reaper, and even fewer had lived to tell skeptical audiences about them. Claudia’s origins could be explained easily enough by genetic tampering and a surrogate pregnancy, true, but there was confidence in the way Claudia held herself when she spoke about her family. As a family man himself, Jorah could see the respect and love she had for her mysterious family members, and Queen Spencer and Prince Vrai had both supported her claim and sponsored her education. You didn’t get royalty to do that unless there was a legitimate reason.

The siblings approached the house cautiously, unsure of what to expect from its inhabitants. Would there be a fight? Would the reapers run away? Would they kill the Durants just for looking for them?

Ulyssa held her breath and dropped to a curtsy as soon as a figure appeared at the door. Beside her, Jorah waved like an idiot.

“Can I help you?” the man asked, looking baffled by his visitors. “Are you selling something? I don’t think we’re interested. Money’s tight these days. But thanks for dropping by.”

Ulyssa dared to rise from her curtsy after a moment had passed and the door hadn’t immediately been slammed in her face. The man had kind eyes and bone white hair and barely looked older than Claudia. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn’t this.

“Your Highness? King Ewan? My name is Ulyssa and I’m married to Queen Maura Siew. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to talk to you if I could. Please don’t kill me or my idiot brother; we don’t mean you any harm or disrespect.”

The man looked visibly confused by this but made no move to reject them.

“Maura’s wife? I don’t think I’ve seen my niece since she was a teenager. Work keeps me busy these days. Come in, come in. Show me pictures of your kids, Claudia says they’re quite cute.”

The Durants slowly moved into the house, closing the door behind them. Was this a joke? Was this a trap? Neither one of them knew what to expect.

“Anna, we have guests! Your sister’s daughter in law stopped by. No, she didn’t bring the kids. I don’t know what she wants. Just come down and find out for yourself.”

“Is your hair white because your ‘job’?” Jorah asked excitedly, trying to remember every detail of the house they were in so he could relive this experience over and over in his mind.

“Uh, no. I inherited it from my father,” the man replied. “It runs in the family, you could say. Who are you exactly? You’re not that Abe that Claudia talks about, are you? With the demon son?”

Jorah shook his head quickly, fascinated by the knowledge these creatures possessed about his tiny settlement. Had they ever been to Arkhelios? Did they ever accept ‘assignments’ there? He had so many questions.

Before Jorah could ask anything else, a knock on the front door interrupted him.

“Mom? Dad? I’m here to pick up Mom’s brownies for the dinner tonight.”

“Wait outside!” the man exclaimed quickly, ushering the Durants out the door to the backyard in a hurry. “Claudia doesn’t like surprise guests. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Grandpa!“

Just as soon as the Durants were shoved out the door, Victoriana rushed in, engulfing her grandfather in a hug.

“Vicki, what a surprise!” the man exclaimed, kissing the little girl. Even through the back door window, Ulyssa could see the deep love the two had for each other. This wasn’t some random person Claudia paid to play her parents, this was a legitimate connection. The man with the white hair had to be King Ewan. A woman descended the stairs who could easily be Claudia’s sister. Both had the same shade of green skin and gently curved ears and a commanding demeanor. With Claudia’s hair dyed black, the two women could have been twins. Both of Claudia’s parents looked like they were no older than thirty which was baffling. Ulyssa’s own father was an elder with grey hair and wrinkles who looked very much his age.

“Do reapers not age?” Jorah asked with awe, clearly noticing the same thing as his sister. “Do they age backwards? Do they have real bodies or do they possess living people? I have to know. This is amazing.”

“Why don’t you stay for dinner? Your brothers will be home within the hour from school,” Anna asked, grabbing a chair to sit next to her daughter. Ewan played with his granddaughter happily, seemingly oblivious to the guests outside.

“I have a meeting, I can’t,” Claudia sighed. “Then another meeting with the witch council right after. I’m hoping that Miruna can keep that one short enough that we can spend some time together.”

“Oliver is bringing a friend home from school,” Claudia’s mother insisted. “At least stay long enough to say hi. You never see your brothers anymore. They miss you just as much as I do. Ewan, tell your daughter to stay for dinner.”

“You heard your mother, “ Ewan laughed. “I’m going to barbecue for our guests, so if you miss your dad’s famous burgers, stick around.”

“That’s not fair,” Claudia complained. “Maybe I can take some on the road. You know I can't turn down one of Dad's burgers. They're almost as good as Grandpa’s."

Ewan laughed, reaching for a plate to put the food on.

"I'll be sure to tell him next time I'm over," he promised. "Though he has the advantage. Cooking with actual food is way harder than shaping energy in the afterlife. So, mine are better by default."

Beside Ulyssa, Jorah was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Did you hear? He admitted it," Jorah exclaimed. "He's a reaper! We're looking at a creature so secretive and rare that we might be the only ones who have seen one this century! Our names are going to be in the history books as witnesses! Even Bigfoot has reliable sightings more than reapers. This is huge!"

"Well, clearly they have people stop by and come home with their kids," Ulyssa pointed out. "They get seen, but no one knows what they are. Even at royal events. Maura says that sometimes they go to functions, but in disguise or something. She's never seen Claudia's parents really. Once in passing supposedly, but nothing else. There's probably tons of reapers floating on the edge of society that we have no idea about. Also, I think that you should probably refrain from calling them creatures. They look human enough to be offended."

"Dad? Do you have company over?"

Ulyssa froze at the question. She hadn't counted on Claudia stopping by when she decided to attempt this mission. She was here getting intel on Claudia, but that would all be compromised if Claudia knew about it. She'd tell Maura and then Ulyssa would have to tell her wife that she emptied her schedule today to play detective with her brother.

"Abort! Abort! We've been made!" Jorah whispered urgently. "Teleport us out!"

"No, we told him who we are," Ulyssa hissed. "We need a cover story. Claudia's going to be suspicious as hell about why we're here. She's going to tell Maura and I'll have to spend three more hours in therapy talking about boundaries."

Without thinking through his plan, Jorah opened the door and stepped back into the kitchen area. He waved awkwardly at Claudia in apology.

"Sorry, we don't mean to intrude," he said confidently, despite not having a single clue of what he was doing. "Ulyssa and I were just visiting. I'm sorry, I was bugging her about getting an autograph from Queen Claudia's parents because I'm such a fan. She told me that it was rude to try, but I was just so desperate. My kids and I collect autographs together and they begged me to add the royal family of Pleasantview to our collection. You're so hard to find accurate pictures of, but you know Maura so I thought-"

"That you'd come bother my family?" Claudia remarked. There were icebergs warmer than the tone of her voice. "Innocent civilians just wishing to exist in peace?"

"Claudia, calm down," Ewan snapped, cutting his daughter off before she could tear into the nervous visitors. "We raised you better than that. You, me and your mom aren't too good to do a favour for a father. What example are you teaching Victoriana? Did you bring your autograph book? I'd be glad to sign it."

Ulyssa froze, frantically trying to think of an excuse to have not brought an autograph book with them, but Jorah just smiled.

"Just the small one," he said, pulling out a thin booklet from his wallet. "I wasn't sure if we'd find you, so I packed light."

Thank god my brother is the biggest dork in the world. Of course he keeps an autograph booklet with him, he pulled one out at the last formal tea we hosted. He's probably not even lying about collecting autographs with his kids. Is that a normal thing for a parent to do? Should I be encouraging my kids with a group hobby? Probably. Just another thing I’m terrible at.

“Hey, do you know how to grill fish? I’m not the biggest fan of fish, but Anna loves it. If you could assist me with that, I’d have no problem helping you get some even rarer signatures,” Ewan suggested, clapping Jorah on the back. “How would your kids like Death’s signature? I could probably grab Life’s too if they’re in a good mood.”

Jorah beamed with enthusiastic joy and waved to his sister as he headed for the barbecue, leaving Ulyssa alone with Claudia and her mother.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #ewan jr goldman #Victoriana Goldman #sim: Victoriana Goldman #claudia goldman #sim: Claudia Goldman #sim: anneken toyonaga #anneken toyonaga #Jorah Durant #ulyssa durant #durant family

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

Elaine nervously surveyed the ballroom, looking for danger. To her surprise, she couldn’t find even the slightest hint of something wrong. Roman and Abe were still clothed, Theo wasn’t starting fires and Nathan wasn’t ranting and raving bigoted remarks in front of the sovereign of all demons. It was all too good to be true.

Roman’s three children while not causing trouble, were wandering aimlessly down the halls looking for something to do. Their father was busy shaking hands and thanking guests, so Elaine decided to intervene before they got into any trouble.

“Theo! You two! Go dance near your godmother or you’ll be sitting next to me and Grandpa Launce while we discuss our financial planning for the month.”

Theo didn’t understand what those words meant, but he knew from experience how tedious it was to have to listen to his grandmother ramble on about good universities he should be working towards applying to one day or how to network with the other kindergartners. He loved dancing and would gladly dance with his sisters if it meant escaping his grandmother.

Elaine watched her grandchildren scamper off to become Ulyssa’s problem. Another scan of the room revealed Nathan to be happily spinning his ex-girlfriend around, looking almost happy for once in his life. Both of them were smiling and well behaved, something Elaine didn’t believe her son was capable of anymore. Cindra was a nice girl, and very close with her father, so Elaine didn’t want to push Nathan towards her, even if he seemed to be happy with her. Launce would murder Nathan if he hurt his daughter, and Elaine didn’t want their family dynamic to be ruined whenever Nathan decided to be horrible again. It was a situation she would be keeping an eye one either way. Her sons had unfortunately inherited the worst traits of their father and needed a stern hand to guide them at times.

“Enjoy this professionally thrown together mess of a cake,” Roman said, nearly stabbing his husband with a fork when trying to feed him cake. “I could have easily made something much better, but we can’t offend the castle staff.” “Yours are professional level too,” Abe replied, wiping his face. “Easily better than this, no contest. After the baby comes and we get settled, everyone will be fighting to employ you or visit your own store.”

“Right.”

Roman smiled sadly, fighting down his frustration on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life. None of the food was what he wanted and the decorations had all been selected by some royal committee. He had been hoping to do some of the baking himself and impress his aristocratic guests so that he could network like Elaine always urged him to. The cake at least was allowed to be white, which was one small win. 

“I’ve had worse cake,” Abe stated, poking at the slice he’d picked up. “The music is nice too. Very formal.”

“Nothing like we wanted though. This isn’t a celebration of our love; it’s an obligation Maura’s using for PR. Our names aren’t even on the wedding menu, it’s just “Her Majesty’s Guests”. I wanted to have something special with you after everything we’ve been through.”

“And you will.”

Roman’s blood froze in his veins upon recognizing the voice that called to him. He thought Lucy had said something about the sovereign being on the grounds, but she’d been in such a rush to disappear down the hall with a pretty woman that she didn’t take the time to explain.

“Your Majesty,” Roman greeted, bowing formally and nudging Abe to do the same.

“Your demon ceremony will be very personal,” the head of all demons declared. “Blood magic is the most personal magic there is. We celebrate your ancestry and join you and your partner into one bloodline, indivisible from then on. I trust that Lucy has passed on my decree about your ceremony?”

Roman nodded quickly and the woman produced two champagne glasses. She gave one to Roman and kept the other for herself, giving Abe an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry that your condition limits your ability to join our toast,” she said quickly. “You should save a bottle to enjoy when the child has come. The palace has outdone themselves for this silly little event.”

Abe tried not to look terrified at the thought of this woman knowing about his pregnancy and calling attention to it. Considering how interested she was in the son they already had, Abe had a sinking feeling that she might be just as interested in this new child.

“To your future,” she said, raising her glass.

Roman raised his in response and tried to smile.

“To the future.”

Elaine had lost track of Lucy, but still had eyes on her sons. If Ulyssa wasn’t missing as well, then Elaine figured that wherever Lucy currently was, she wasn’t causing irreparable damage to their family name and Arkhelios’ standing in the world. Maybe if she found someone at the reception, Lucy would end the travesty of a relationship she was carrying on with her boss. Maybe she would find someone proper to marry and be the brilliant heir Elaine knew she could be.

What her mother didn’t know was that her newest fling was the married crown princess of Strangetown, but what her mother didn’t know surely wouldn’t hurt her.

Elaine’s eyes locked on Roman, the adopted into the family son she not so secretly preferred to her own children. He was locked in a deep conversation with the woman that she referred to as the Devil, even though her daughter begged her not to. As much as she trusted Roman’s instincts when it came to parenting and running a household, she knew that the boy was blinded when it came to his family or strange creatures claiming to know his family. A creature like that couldn’t be trusted. Elaine just knew that there was more to this little conversation she was observing, but how much more? Surely Roman wasn’t interested in making a deal like Oriana had and this horrible creature did help pay for Theo’s tuition. Was she blackmailing them for more money? Elaine vowed to corner her daughter and try to get the truth out of her when they went home. She could always afford to spend more money on her grandson if her favourite child (and Abe) were being blackmailed or financially threatened.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios university #Roman Bellamy #Abe chun #elaine helios #nathan chun #Cindra Durant #Theo Bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #sim: anneken toyonaga

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

“That’s the king of Strangetown! What is he doing here? Does Roman or Abe know him?”

Jorah watched the crowd starting to form intently. It was hard to believe that he was standing in the same area as the famous faces he saw on the international tv channels and that Roman and Abe’s wedding was big enough to draw foreign royalty to it.This event was much bigger than just a wedding between two Arkhelios citizens; it was a chance for the international community to show Twikkii Island that they weren’t responsible for the attack that had suddenly left Maura the throne. No one had claimed responsibility for the attack, but rumours were beginning to fly and fingers were being pointed. No one wanted to be accused of the crime, so foreign governments were going out of their way to show Queen Maura their sympathies.

“Look at her dress,” Jorah gushed as more people walked by. “It’s probably more expensive than our house.”

Valerian laughed at his husband’s enthusiasm. Out of all the Arkhelios guests at the wedding, Jorah had to be the only one who knew about foreign celebrities and customs. Growing up relatively sheltered in tiny Arkhelios, reading about the rest of the world was his escape. At night he’d dreamt of exploring the stars with Lucy and during the day, he’d fantasized about visiting the remarkable things he’d read about in books. The world was a huge, mysterious place and Arkhelios was only a small sliver of it. There was so much to see of it and Jorah wanted to see it all.

“Are you going to keep out of trouble during the ceremony? You can’t ruin this for your brother no matter how much he frustrates you.”

Cindra was trying to remain firm with Nathan in order to keep an international incident from occurring. She could see the the resentment on his face and knew from experience that nothing good ever came from that look. She hadn’t approved of his “antics” with Kaeileen, but what was done was done. All she could do was encourage Nathan to act better in the future.

Nathan shrugged and shot Cindra what looked to be a genuine smile.

“I’ll do my best, for your sake,” he promised. “Not that Abe deserves all of this. He’s marrying a monster. I know that whenever they do find the people responsible for the yacht explosion, it’s going to be demons. It’s always demons. They feed on death and pain and-”

“Shush!” Cindra commanded irritably. “There’s already enough paranoid people here, you don’t need to fan the flames. The demon Lucy’s dating seems to be perfectly fine. You’re just being prejudiced.”

“She’s dating her boss, the head of the soul stealing department!” Nathan gasped. “How on earth is he fine? Oriana is going to die before her natural time because of them! It’s unnatural!”

“She seems happy to me,” Cindra replied, with an indifferent shrug. “She’s married to her lost teenage love and they have a family. Would you rather she be miserable and alone until her “natural time” comes? You might want to re-think your priorities in life, Nathan. You don’t seem to be very happy yourself. The only one complaining here is you.”

Nathan rolled his eyes and murmured something under his breath that Cindra couldn’t quite hear. It was probably for the best she didn’t hear whatever it was anyway.

“Look how happy your sister is. No one else is stewing in negativity like you are,” she stated flatly. “And she’s probably not even dating that guy anymore. She looks pretty interested in some of the guests, so you may not even have to worry about a demonic brother in law.”

Maura watched the crowd vigilantly for any sign of danger. The intricately carved wooden throne she sat on felt hard and uncomfortable to her. It had always been her grandmother’s seat that she was forbidden to touch. Even now, she half expected her grandmother to suddenly jump out from behind a tree to scream at her. She still flinched when the staff addressed her as “Your Majesty”. She was apparently the queen of Twikkii Island, though the title still seemed foreign to her. Hopefully over time she’d get used to it.

She watched the other royal families carefully as they waited for the grooms to arrive. King Liam of Crystal Cove had been the first to arrive with his heir Princess Theodosia. Maura had been warned to watch him closely by her advisors. His youngest daughter had been killed in the attack on the yacht, and while his government hadn’t yet blamed Twikkii Island for their loss, it was always possible. Their nation had a sizable army, a coven of powerful witches and strong ties with Strangetown and Pleasantview. They weren’t the biggest threat to Maura, but she’d been warned to watch them all the same.

Fortunately for Maura, her close friend and cousin Claudia was the head of the strongest, most feared country. Pleasantview was absolutely ancient with populations of magic users and demons and who knew what else that had grown over the centuries into a force that historically crushed anyone who opposed them. With Claudia’s support, Maura could probably present enough of a threat to keep the other nations at bay, even if Crystal Cove retaliated against them.

Beside Claudia, the king of Strangetown, King Charlie, and his heir, Princess Anneken, seemed to have the same idea as Maura. She saw their eyes darting around, sizing up the political scene for themselves. Despite Strangetown’s physical closeness to Twikkii Island, Maura didn’t know much about their royal family. Her mother’s half-sister was once the crown princess before her tragic death and the current king had just had a mild heart attack according to her advisors. Her grandmother had been the one with a connection to Strangetown, while Maura struggled to remember the names of any of the other Strangetown royals. Claudia seemed friendly with the family, so Maura was relying heavily on her relationship with Claudia to keep Strangetown friendly towards her home. That’s why she found it so nerve wracking to see her cousin and Roman Bellamy flirting the way they did. If he left Abe for Claudia, Maura would have to renegotiate her relationship with her cousin, and if she disapproved of Maura’s reaction or Ulyssa said something wrong, Maura’s home could lose the protection it currently enjoyed. Roman Bellamy could cost the nation she was now in charge of protecting absolutely everything. She didn’t know how her grandmother coped with the pressure of the crown without breaking. Every day seemed to add some new complication that she’d never encountered before and the pressure to keep everything together was becoming crushing.

At least one third of the Chun siblings were under control from what Maura could see. Nathan seemed to be scowling, but otherwise he looked non-threatening. Lucy had disappeared entirely, but Ulyssa was seated beside her wife, so the damage Lucy could do seemed limited. Even the kids seemed well behaved. Theo was standing quietly, waiting for his chance to perform his ring bearer duties and his sisters were calm beside him. As troubled as he’d been as a toddler, Theo had really begun to mature over the past few years. He still had his slip ups, but after receiving the proper support for his abilities, he was doing well in school and being a supportive older brother. His parents might sometimes disagree with her assessment, but to Maura at least, Theo was growing into a smart, compassionate young boy with a bright future. Adrian’s daughters were just as promising and Maura couldn’t wait for them to show more of their personalities as they aged. Without an heir of her own, those girls could be the future of her family and would need to be guided if she and Ulyssa struggled to start their family.

It’s funny how much of my life depends on the whims of an unstable demon hybrid. When did that happen?

To Maura’s relief, music began to play, indicating that the grooms were ready to start the ceremony. So far, no one had bolted from the altar or started a fight. Maybe this wedding might not be troubled after all.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios university #Ulyssa Durant #sim: Maura Siew #Theo Bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #durant family #Cindra Durant #Jorah Durant #nathan chun #lucy chun #sim: theodosia alioto #sim: Claudia Goldman #sims 2 pictures #sim: anneken toyonaga

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Gentlemen. How's the water?"

Victoriana cringed as she sank into the hot water. That had sounded lame even to her.

"It's fine," Travis replied, his voice clearly making his disinterest known. "It's just like any other hot tub: boring and filled with the skin cells of everyone in it."

"Gross, Travis. Shove over."

Bronwen pushed her way into the hot tub, over the protests of the boy she was shoving.

"Hey, Claudia. Hey, Theo. What's up? Anything interesting happening?"

"Not since I got in like thirty seconds ago," Victoriana snapped, irritated by her friend's arrival. How was she supposed to talk to Theo with her snooping around? Travis didn't want to be there and thus wouldn't get in her way, while Bronwen very clearly would.

"Hey, Bron, maybe you should stay inside for a bit. Your vampire skin will burn if you stay out too long."

"I'm only half vampire and can stay out for hours. You've seen me do it all the time, Your Highness. I don't want to wait in the stupid house when the excitement is happening put here."

"What excitement?" Travis grumbled, looking enviously at the house.

Victoriana frowned at the negative energy coming at her, so she playfully splashed Theo, trying to get his attention in a positive way.

Across from her, Bronwen fumed, her pale skin turning dark red. Theo didn't like to be splashed, at least not by anyone other than Adam. She'd tried it herself once and he'd glared at her, but to her astonishment, he merely smiled at the princess.

It has to be because she's rich and going to inherit Pleasantview one day. It has to be as simple as that.

"So, you see Rien, you want your brushstrokes to be confident and bold. Make a statement with your art. Fuel your creation with your emotions."

Anna examined her progress on her painting, then looked at Rien's canvas beside her. It wasn't too bad for a beginner.

Adrian had begged the reaper to help his daughter find a passion for something other than tarot card reading, and Anna had been more than willing to help. As a dead soul in the afterlife, she'd tried her hand at many things to pass the time. Everything there became tedious after a number of years. Painting wouldn't fulfill her desire for a family of her own or give her the ability to make choices and see the world change because of them, but it had been a decent distraction. Working for the grim reaper was an incredible escape from the monotony of the afterlife. All of her many hobbies did come in handy as a mother though. She was great at distracting and soothing kids with a craft or sudden game of basketball.

"I know how to paint," Adrienne replied. "We do have art class in school, remember? I'm only here to make Daddy happy so that I can get my cards back."

"Fair enough," Anna said casually.

Adrienne had been hoping for a scandalized gasp or stern disapproval, but Anna offered her nothing but indifference. Adults were supposed to be easy to manipulate, but Anna didn't even flinch. To the child, it seemed that reapers were magical creatures with nerves of steel, when really, Anna was a mom to three very strong-willed children. There was very little that she hadn't seen.

"What are you going to do if he doesn't?" she asked. "You could be waiting a very long time. It might be more fun if you tried a bunch of stuff while you wait. Make him see how little you're affected by him taking them, so he gives then back to you."

"He'll die if he doesn't. He makes the lady mad and I need to see what she's planning to help them."

This comment did cause Anna to pause. It didn't seem vengeful or angry, just a simple statement of fact.

"Your parents aren't going to die soon. I'd know about it if they were," she replied, looking at the child strangely. Again, nothing malicious was coming from her. It was like she was just reading the paper, bored by the printed facts. "What lady wants to hurt your daddy? Do you know her?"

"You only know when someone's death is written in stone," the child stated, as if it was obvious. "You'll only know when it can't be changed. I can help them if I had my cards."

"Finally! Time to finish my book," Travis exclaimed, reclining on a chair by the pool. "Everyone pretend I'm not here."

"Already done," Bronwen said, rolling her eyes as she sat beside him.

"That's looking really good so far," Anna commented. She held her brush up to the canvas and feigned a painting motion.

What on earth was this kid talking about? There were well established cases of people prophesying the future through dreams, or while under the spell of Life, but this seemed different. Part of their onboarding as reapers had been learning about the various ways a possible vision of a future could be spelled out, but this child was a mystery. She claimed to need to use her tarot deck to access the supernatural, but Anna had her doubts. The girl has demon blood and was ripped out of her father at birth as his spirit fell deep into the demonic void. What kind of impact would that have on a child? As far as she knew, the topic had never been brought up once in their reaper briefings.

"What lady wants to hurt your father?" Anna prompted again, hoping for a better response than before. "If she's dangerous, I may be able to protect your parents."

Adrienne shrugged, wiping her brush clean.

"I don't know for sure, but I keep getting the words 'red queen" when I read my cards," she replied. "She has dark hair, I think. I can almost picture her, but I need my cards."

"Dark hair, pasty skin, way too much lipstick?"

Anna held her breath as Adrienne nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's her. Why do you know her?"

"Uh, yeah, you could say that. Rien, you don't have to worry about her, she died a long time ago. Claudia took the throne from her daughter. The Red Queen is long dead."

"I just keep getting those words in my readings," Adrienne replied, her expression extremely patronizing. "I never said that she was alive or anything. You can't take everything literally when reading cards."

"Oh, well, if you see anyone who wants to hurt your dad, you can tell me or any of the adults here," Anna sighed, trying to hide her frustration from the child. "We can help."

"So, uh, Victoriana. Hi. Do you want to swim, or hang out here? We could talk if you want. I wanted to get to know you better, if that's okay."

Theo flushed, trying not to come across as dull or like he only cared about her money. Despite his best efforts, it felt like he was failing.

"I'd like to get to know you," the princess replied shyly. "I wanted to talk about demons if that's okay. How did you know you had a dark form? Does it hurt to change? How dangerous do you think your family really is these days?"

"Uh...I'm not sure," Theo answered awkwardly. He wasn't sure why the crown princess of Pleasantview was interested in his family and demons in the first place. Of course, Theo knew they were related and shared a demonic family, but Victoriana asking about it seemed odd. "It doesn't hurt, really. It kind of itches. My dad says he has our family under control, but it's nothing you have to worry about, being a princess and whatever. I can tell you about it if you want though."

"I would like that," Victoriana said cautiously. No need to seem as desperate for answers as she truly was. "I'd really like that. Your dad sounds like an interesting person."

"He is, I guess."

"Yeah. I guess."

The two teens stared awkwardly at the ground, unable to think of a way of progressing their conversation without revealing their shared paternity or coming across as some kind of weirdo.

"She knows already, Theo," Adrienne sang, as she skipped by the teens. "You both know the same secret, so stopping being weird."

"You know about me?" both teens said at once, watching their shared sister skip away. "Oh, thank god."

"I didn't know you knew," Theo said. "Here I was trying to be subtle about it and you already knew! I never thought you'd believe me!"

"My mom told me," the princess confessed. "I made her tell me and now she's mad at me, but I finally know! I've been going insane just thinking about it. Who told you?"

"I saw your connection after a spell," Theo confided. "I thought you'd think I was after your money or something if I came out and told you. I still can't believe it."

"We have a lot to talk about," Victoriana said eagerly. "Maybe you could tell me more about Roman Bellamy. I'd like to know all about him. For political analysis of course." An unwavering look passed between the half-siblings, promising that they would keep their true connection a secret from the rest of the teens at the pool. The last thing Victoriana needed was a scandal breaking out while her mother was already mad at her.

"Let's go inside and get some of that lemonade I saw Anna pouring," Theo suggested, gesturing towards the house. Victoriana nodded eagerly.

"Awsome!"

"So Adrienne has a vivid imagination," Anna began, trying to phrase her words gently. Her nephew's shoulders slumped before she could continue her sentence.

"You're telling me," Adrian groaned. "The damn thing is, she's almost always proven right when she 'imagines' things. Even Roman can't read cards like she can."

"So she says. I know you worry about her, Adrian. She seems like a very bright child. Lonely though."

"That's my main concern. Her sister has enough charisma for the both of them. Luci is in every sports team at her school and has tons of friends. Rien keeps to herself and acts like she's already thirty. I don't know what to do, Anna. I've never experienced anything like this before. I used to think that we had an interesting family, but Roman's is something else. Do I put her with other demon hybrids? Should I register her in Crystal Cove to learn about crystals and tarot readings? There has to be somewhere she can shine, but I'm at a loss for where. All I want is for her to have the happy childhood I dreamed of for her, but nothing seems to make her happy."

"We all find our paths eventually, Adrian. I know it's frustrating now, but Rien will find her way. When I was born, I was destined to be the queen of Strangetown and Twikkii Island. What my actual destiny turned out to be was quite different. And Claudia was no different. I would have never chosen the path she's walking for her, but it's where she belongs. It sounds like your daughter is beginning to figure out her future, you just need to wait and be patient."

"You've raised two teens who have turned out to be incredible adults, I'll try my best to follow your example," Adrian said, bowing his head as he spoke.

"You're way too uptight for someone of your rank," Anna teased. "With the succession guaranteed, Maura’s heirs have bumped you even further from the throne. You might as well relax and enjoy your estate like Edana's husband. Luci will need to know how to conduct herself at court, but very little else."

"That's not how my parents saw it," Adrian replied stiffly. "I have a duty to uphold to the crown. Should the unthinkable happen and the royal family is lost once more, Luci is still in the line of succession. If she didn't assume the throne herself, then she needs to defend the monarch. She should just be thankful that I'm not sending her to the military academy I was sent to. My father went there, so of course I had to as well."

She paused for a moment.

"Try growing up in Strangetown," Anna laughed. "From what I'm told, it's intense. I spent an eternity with my grandmother in the afterlife, learning about our family and traditions and a million other superstitions. I love it all, but to live it everyday? I don't envy my cousin."

"Do you think that maybe you spend too much time thinking about what your parents would do or think? They're lovely people, but you're not them."

"They weren’t perfect, that's for sure. I just miss them. I wonder what they'd say about my kids or trying to run a business with Roman. Would they like Evren? How would they help Rien? I wish I knew."

"You'll see them again someday and I know they'll be proud of you no matter what path you choose in life. Try relaxing a bit. Your kids have a long path before them, you just need to trust them."

"Relaxing? Sure, maybe when I'm dead," Adrian scoffed. "Roman needs me to manage our business and Evren needs me to keep him from murdering Wanda Bellamy and the kids need me for everything else. Maura is still pissed at me for sticking with Roman after everything and I don't know how I'm going to pay to send Fiolett to school next year, which Evren has also been extremely cagey about. Should I marry Evren? Does he even want that? If I do, will it change everything for us? If I-"

"Again, maybe you should try practicing relaxation before you take on the entire world," Anna interrupted. "Why don't you take a day just to yourself this week? Maybe even an afternoon if that's too hard. When you quiet your mind, you may find the answers you're struggling with."

"An afternoon," Adrian repeated slowly. "I guess it couldn't hurt. Abe could watch the boys while Fiolett is in school. I don't see the harm in trying."

#arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #adrian siew #sim: adrian siew #anneken toyonaga #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #Victoriana Goldman #Adrienne Bellamy #luciana bellamy #travis maricourt #bronwen traver #sim: bronwen traver

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"You've got this. You're going to head out there and be completely normal. Theo's more powerful than me, he can probably smell fear with his demonic senses. Just be friendly and pretend it's one of mom's conferences. No one will suspect a thing."

Victoriana nodded at her reflection in the mirror. The past week had been confusing, now that she knew who her father was. Half the time she wanted to teleport to Arkhelios and run into his arms, and the other half, she just wanted to forget that he existed.

Things were weird between her and her mom now. Claudia had all but banished her from her sight and didn't text her back. Victoriana had spent the past two weekends at her grandparents' house, waiting to be summoned back to the castle. The call never came. The queen had all but banished her for the crime of pushing her to name her father, and Victoriana was starting to worry that her time with her grandparents was going to be permanent.

Her grandfather had to work most of the day, so her grandmother decided to take Victoriana and Travis to the Siew family cottage, where conveniently, Adrian and several of his children also just happened to be visiting. Ewan Traver's kids had also been deposited at the cottage, so the lot was full. If things went badly today, Victoriana could usually count on the Traver siblings to cheer her up. Bronwen especially, considering that she had also grown up without one of her parents. Bronwen's mother had abandoned her just after her birth, leaving her with a similar longing to know her place in the family tree.

It was good that her friends were there to support her if anything went wrong. Her biological father's ex-husband and children were there with her and Victoriana wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

"Okay, girls, let's start again. Ten points to Luci for winning last round."

Trent stacked the game pieces to restart the game. The twins were both ecstatic to play another round of Don't Wake the Llama, but behind them, their father wasn't amused.

"Trent, Luci needs to be in the pool practicing for her swim competition in a few weeks," Adrian insisted. "She doesn't need to be distracted with games. Rien has some math homework to do as well, don't think I didn't find that hiding under your laundry."

"Relax, Adrian, we'll just play one more round. I thought you wanted them to socialize while they're here. They can't socialize while doing homework."

"Yeah, Daddy. Rien's practicing doing something other than reading cards all day and I'm already going to win the competition even without practicing. We never get to see Uncle Trent and Aunt Cindra."

"If I do my homework, can you make Dad give me my tarot cards back?" Adrienne pleaded. "I won't fight with Luci again, I promise. Unless she starts it."

Adrian rolled his eyes in frustration. If he didn't remind his daughters about their responsibilities, he wasn't being supportive and if he did remind them, he was being uptight and strict. He couldn't win with the twins. At least Fiolett was still young enough not to sass him too often. It was only going to get worse when they became teenagers. He and Roman would need all the help they could get when the girls were Theo's age.

"Fine, play with your uncle. I have to make some calls. I'll come check on you when I'm done, and then you're doing your homework and practicing."

"Okay, girls, let's go find some information," Victoriana declared, looking expectantly at her small group of friends. The Travers children stared back at her with expectations of their own.

"Why are we trying to get info on Theo?" Elowen asked. "We've known him forever. The only thing you need to know about him is that he has a boyfriend. He won't shut up about him or talk about anything else."

"Theo talks about a lot more than just Adam," Bronwen said. "He likes a lot of things like playing guitar and practicing magic. There's a lot more to him than Adam."

"Please, like we don't all know why you really know so much about him," Elowen laughed. "You want his little demon babies. You're in love with him. Bronwen loves Theo."

"Shut up," Bronwen snapped, her face suddenly very red. "I do not!"

"We're here because I need to watch him. Because I said so, and I'm the Crown Princess so what I say goes."

Victoriana's words stopped the sisters from bickering, just as she'd intended. She was the heir to the Pleasantview throne and her tone needed to convey that. It was something she and her mother had been working on before the queen had distanced herself from her daughter.

"I just want to know him better," Victoriana explained. "His sisters too. I can't explain why."

"Alright, well prepare to learn all about what Adam eats for lunch," Elowen groaned.

"And his favourite food, colour and animal," Remy added. "Plus the names of their future kids and what month is a good month for a wedding."

"Basically, you'll know Adam a lot better than you'll know Theo," Bronwen laughed. "But if you insist."

"Ah, Vicky, I was wondering what you were up to. If you see your uncle Travis, tell him to get in the pool before lunch." Anna wrapped her arms around her granddaughter and smiled. "I saw Theo out in the hot tub on my way in. I hope you two find what you are looking for in each other. Your grandfather and I love you no matter what."

"Ew, Grandma, not in front of my friends! You make it sound like I want to date him or something. I just want to talk to him."

Anna watched Victoriana leave in search of her half-brother with worry. The poor girl couldn't handle a rejection from her sibling if this went badly. Theo seemed to be a nice boy though. She didn't see any reason why he would be rude.

Ewan should have been the one taking the kids today. He cried at the end of sappy movies and probably would have some kind of "family reconnection" party planned to help the siblings adjust to their new relationship. When he found out that he had a living half-brother of his own, Ewan had immediately set up "brother play dates" every so often to give them time alone to bond, despite being adults. Anna had no doubt that if her husband was here, he'd be doing the same for Victoriana and Theo. On second thought, maybe it was for the best that Ewan was working.

"What do you think Victoriana wants with Theo?" Bronwen asked her sister, watching as the princess took confident strides toward the hot tub. "She seems pretty determined to do whatever it is that she's doing."

"Jealous much? She has the same chance that you have with him, which would be zero. The guy is obsessed with his boyfriend, Bron. Move on."

"I'm not jealous," Bronwen hissed, looking around for anyone who might have heard the accusation. "We're just friends. And Victoriana could do way better than Theo, I'm just surprised. She's going to be queen one day and she wants Theo?"

"Maybe she just wants to yell at him for something. He's always screwing up with his blood magic, maybe he went too far and the queen is pissed," Elowen replied. "Victoriana seems jumpy whenever we mention her mom."

"I think something might be going on with her mom," Bronwen said, looking over her shoulder to check for eavesdroppers. "You've seen how twitchy Dad has been lately, and your mom seems to be practically living in the archives. When I tried to do my homework on her desk, I could barely find a place to write on. She had all sorts of weird books and scrolls."

"Yeah, something is up with her. I found her crying in the kitchen before we left for school, but of course she denied it. Do you really think their weirdness has something to do with Victoriana's mom? Victoriana has been staying at her grandparents' house on the weekends now, which is weird, and now she's determined to talk to Theo? It's all weird, but does it mean anything?"

Bronwen shrugged.

"I guess we'll see how this thing with Theo goes today. Maybe it's all just a coincidence."

Travis Goldman tried to walk as quietly as he could across the backyard, hoping to sneak past his mother's watchful eyes. He wasn't sure just what powers a reaper had, but she had to have super sensitive hearing for all the times she had caught him trying to sneak out of social occasions.

Today was no different. His royal niece had been staying with them, forcing social interactions on him the entire time. Now he had to endure a bunch of loud kids and all of Victoriana's friends at the busy family cottage. All he wanted to do was sit down with a good book and ignore all the noisy people around him, but his mother would never allow that. He had to always put on a smile and try to make some friends everywhere he went. His parents "worried about him" far too much. All the damage and trouble he'd caused at school made them think that he was lonely or lashing out because there was something in his life that he lacked. Ironically, the only thing he did need from them was some space, which the two of them could never give.

"Travis, honey, are you alright? Do you want a snack? I think the other teens are meeting in the hottub if you want to join them."

"Mom, I was just going to read a little. I don't want to use the hottub, I want to read. By myself."

"Well that sounds lonely," Anna said. "Why not join the other teens? You know all of them. They're nice girls and I'm sure they wouldn't mind the company."

"Maybe," Travis muttered. "Can I at least read a few chapters? I'm at a cliffhanger."

Anna frowned. It wasn't an unreasonable request, but the instant she said yes, her son would be locked in a room in the cottage, completely alone with the stacks of books he could magically summon. There was no way that he'd actually meet with the other teens.

Her other two children had had the opposite problem as teens. Claudia and Oliver were extremely social, driven to be the top student with a large group of followers. Travis was shy and reclusive by nature and his parents were at a loss trying to know what was best for him.

His biological mothers had both been outgoing, charismatic witches who had the combined audacity to try to kill the Grim Reaper. Travis had none of those traits, preferring to read quietly until people forgot that he was still in the room. She and Ewan had tried to raise him just as they did their biological children, and she'd like to believe that they had succeeded. Little Travis was an introvert in a family of extroverts; maybe it was just as simple as that.

"Go finish that chapter and then maybe you can read beside the pool," she decided. "You don't have to swim, but maybe you can join in some of the conversations later. I love you, you know that, right? I just want what's best for you."

Travis reacted to her words with embarrassment, just as Victoriana had earlier. God forbid an adult tell a teen that they loved and supported them.

"I'll go in the hottub for twenty minutes," Travis proposed, noticing the worry on his mother's face. "But that's it. Then I get to read as much as I want."

Anna had experience with the darkest minds, and the most hateful creatures of the supernatural world, but they were nothing compared to the roller coaster of parenting teenagers.

"I think that sounds very mature and understanding of you. I appreciate you and our talks, Travis."

"Mom!"

With that, Travis scurried away to find a bathing suit, desperate that none of the other teens see his mother expressing her feelings for him.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #anneken toyonaga #travis maricourt #bronwen traver #sim: bronwen traver #sim: elowen traver #remy maricourt #Victoriana goldman #trent siew #sim: adrian siew #adrian siew #luciana bellamy #Adrienne Bellamy

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios university #strangetown #lucy chun #random pics #hrh anneken Toyonaga

[luverofralts]

After her dad has a nearly fatal heart attack, Crown Princess Anneken is finally persuaded to marry someone and make an heir. She chooses a woman named Corrina that she doesn’t know very well, but they have great chemistry together. They are expecting their first son within the year which Anneken hopes will keep her father focused on recovering, and out of her private business.

The current immediate royal family. Things are still a bit weird for the family after losing Anneken’s twin brother Nickolas a few years ago. Portraits always feel like someone is missing.

The Toyonaga cousins at the wedding. Only two of them live in Strangetown now, but they try to stay in contact. I always grab a group photo when they’re together.

The (mostly) whole Toyonaga family. All of the kids and grandkids are accounted for but there was no room for spouses or pets. It’s crazy how full the family tree is after 3 generations

#sims 2 #ts2 #ts2 gameplay #sims 2 pictures #ts2 pictures #Strangetown #family pictures literally take 3 hrs to pose #sim: anneken toyonaga

[luverofralts]

ACR is at it again

Last time I loaded @rheniumsims‘ Whiskey Reed’s household, he was happily married to his wife Adelaide with two kids. However, I think I reset the neighbourhood gender preference settings on another lot, and when the game loaded, Adelaide was repulsed by her husband and immediately left him for a female vampire. Which is what makes the ACR so interesting to use. After a bit, Whiskey ran into Lynette at the local bakery she worked at and hit it off. Whiskey has the luck of living next to annoying family sim, Ewan Goldman, who immediately started planning their wedding for them.

Whiskey’s son Max has a crush on Ewan’s daughter Claudia, and Max spent most of the ceremony following Claudia around with heart bubbles.

The wedding went perfectly

And Max finally got the courage to have his first kiss with the girl next door. She isn’t sure how she feels about him, or about a future together, but for the moment, he seems pretty cute.

Pictures of all the neighbourhood couples at the wedding:

Lynette and Whiskey

Max and Claudia

Ewan and Anna

#sims 2 #ts2 #ts2 gameplay #ts2 pictures #sims 2 pictures #claudia goldman #max reed #ewan jr goldman #sim: ewan jr goldman #sim: anneken toyonaga #anneken toyonaga #sim: Claudia Goldman

[luverofralts]

I had some time to play the other day, but I have a million toddlers at the moment, which isn’t too exciting. So I started a new family.

@rheniumsims​ I found a partner for your Whiskey Reed sim. He married a bartender named Adelaide and they have two kids, Max and Blaine.

Max has tons of friends at school, but his best friend is Claudia, the literal girl next door. They live in the suburbs of Pleasantview, where Whiskey teaches and Adelaide runs a bar.

Claudia is full of energy and curiosity, and usually drags Max along with all her adventures and schemes. Whiskey’s not entirely sure he likes her impulsiveness and influence on Max, but he can see that they are inseparable.

#ts2 #sims 2 #sims 2 pictures #sims 2 photos #sims 2 gameplay #ts2 gameplay #pleasantview #sim stories #whiskey reed #max reed #oliver goldman #claudia goldman #sim: Claudia Goldman #anneken toyonaga #sim: anneken toyonaga #blaine reed

[luverofralts]

Catching up with the rest of the Twikkii island ladies

#ts2 #sims 2 #sims 2 photos #ts2 pictures #ts2 gameplay #sim family #twikkii island #siew family #sim: Maura Siew #sim: anneken toyonaga #cherry gothier #cherry siew

[luverofralts]

Dorks in love. Sometimes the best relationships are the ones you don’t plan for.

#sims 2 #sims 2 pictures #ts2 #ts2 pictures #sim wedding #sims wedding #ts2 gameplay #sims 2 gameplay #sim family pictures #sim stories #sim: ewan jr goldman #ewan jr goldman #sim: anneken toyonaga #anneken toyonaga

[luverofralts]

The things that happen when you adopt your witch sister's orphaned son without being a witch yourself. Ewan and his wife take in his nephew Travis, who they are told will come into his powers when he's older, only to discover that this is very much untrue and they suddenly need to read up on how to control your toddler's magical outbursts. The whole family pitches in to make themselves a little more magical to help Travis adjust, even if the actual witches think they look ridiculous

#ts2 gameplay #ts2 #ts2 pictures #sims 2 #sims 2 pictures #ts2 witches #sims 2 gameplay #sim family pictures #sim family #sim: Claudia Goldman #sim stories #claudia goldman #ewan jr goldman #sim: ewan jr goldman #sim: anneken toyonaga #anneken toyonaga #oliver goldman #travis maricourt

[luverofralts]

Anneken Toyonaga is the future queen of Strangetown, but you’d never guess it by meeting her. She rarely wears jewelry, and greets every person she meets as an equal. She is incredibly close to her dad, and after losing her brother last year in an accident, she happily lives at home with her parents with no plans to move out. She is currently looking for someone to start a family of her own with, if you happen to have anyone looking as well.

Download

#ts2 #sims 2 #ts2 download #sims download #ts2 dl #sim download #hrh anneken Toyonaga