Windenburg Woods, Dryad Territory
Vlad
He watched her fidgeting nervously as her family told their story. She winced when they explained how Mayra and Maverick had joined their parents in working for SimNation’s government on secret projects.
“You didn’t seem to be interested,” her father ventured. “It wasn’t because we wanted to leave you out.”
“Yeah,” her sister added. “Plus, you have a record.”
“Don’t try to twist this!” Alice shouted, “You fought off a bunch of vampires with a robot!”
“You’re damn right we did!” her mother snapped, and Vlad knew instantly where Alice got her fire. “And while we’re on the subject, I count at least three other vampires—”
“Oh, you are mistaken. I am a siren,” Amisyia interrupted, “Evil mermaid. Friend of the family.”
Valeria gave the mermaid a serious once-over, “Later, I’ll have questions, but for now, I’m hoping my daughter can use this time to explain herself. Who is this man with you?”
Alice’s mouth clamped shut. Vlad could sense her anxiety. “You may be concerned about Alice’s safety around me,” he began.
“Yeah,” her sister huffed, “Because you tried to kill us.”
Caleb laughed, “Don’t take it personally. It seems to be a requirement for joining this family.”
Valeria’s eyebrows rose, and Vlad hurried through the rest of his sentence, “I may have…misread the situation, but I assure you I am no threat to Alice.”
“Aren’t you a vampire?” Cyrus pointed out.
“Not exactly,” Caleb answered.
Vlad narrowed his eyes.
“What does he mean by not exactly? You met Alice while competing in the baking contest? At least, that’s what she said.”
Alice bit her lip. “Well…see…”
“He did,” Caleb jumped in, clearly enjoying himself, “After he used Alice to gain access to the contest so that he could seduce her castmate, Jimena, and win the prize.”
Valeria stared at Alice, “So you let him seduce you instead? You’re with a man who wants to use you to win money.”
“No, mom, he didn’t—”
“I have money,” Vlad scoffed.
“That I can confirm,” Caleb said, “He has enough wealth to rival that of a small country. Mainly because he spent the last six hundred years pillaging, manipulating, and stealing. Ever heard of Princess Cordelia?”
Vlad growled, “Caleb.”
Alice looked desperate, “I know about the Princess Cordelia thing.”
“Okay, so what is it?” her sister asked.
“It’s nothing, it’s…its…”
“It’s the story of how Vlad seduced her, stole her treasure, and left her at the alter after wiping all memory of himself. After which, she wandered around in a state of clouded confusion, unable to stave off the Sloth Invasion, which he also profited from because he bet against her.”
Alice looked mortified.
“So I state again, Vladislaus seduced you,” her mother said.
“I courted her.”
“He thinks courtship involves a beheading,” Caleb supplied helpfully. “And the prize is not money; it’s The Owl of Undoing, which when it comes to powerful magic, is worth much more.”
Vlad growled again. “I decided very early on to abandon the route of seducing Jimena.”
Mayra gave him a dubious look, “Right, because you linked up with Alice instead, so you can still get The Owl, which you would…” she turned to Caleb.
“Do literally anything to obtain,” he finished.
Vlad gave him a dark look.
“What?” Caleb blinked innocently, “I’m just trying to help you be honest with Alice’s family so that they know exactly what they’re dealing with.”
“Fine, you’ve made your point,” Vlad ground out, “Are we even?”
“285 years ago, he murdered me and my younger sister and bonded us to him through a shared supernatural curse, and though I’ve been working for him ever since, he’s never once bothered to technically pay me a salary.” Caleb flashed a smile, “Now we’re even.”
Alice’s parents gasped.
“You can’t possibly think this is a healthy relationship,” her mother began.
“Pumpkin, maybe it’s worth slowing down a little to get to know each other,” her father suggested. Valeria elbowed him and he cleared his throat, “Or also just take some time getting yourself together without a relationship.”
“Yeah, I thought the drunks and drug dealers were bad, but this is…I mean, you’re basically dating a supernatural warlord!” Mayra added.
Alice’s posture stiffened. It had been months since Vlad had seen her scan the room for exits, but here she was again, looking like she wanted to crawl out of her own skin. He hated it.
“I mean, I know this is your MO, but even for you this is level ten irresponsible,” Mayra continued, “I mean, mom and dad let you blow your college savings on relocating for this contest and now you’re caught up in some sort of shitty supernatural relationship? I know your self-confidence is low but come on!”
“Mayra,” Cyrus warned.
“What?” she shrieked, “No dad, you guys made me get a fucking scholarship and save my own money! Maverick had to go in through the cadets. And Alice gets to do whatever she wants? What does she even know about him?”
“She knows I have killed countless beings, waged centuries of war, and sought revenge and power in alarming and terrifying ways. And yet,” Vlad said crisply, “her response when I made the mistake of underestimating her was to tell me to go fuck myself. Your sister does not lack for confidence.”
“She accepts me even as I am incapable—” he paused, determined to be truthful—”disinterested in caring for most other creatures. But those I do care about mean everything to me.” He looked at Caleb, “Even if they hate me, and have very good reasons for it, there is no act I would not commit for them.”
For the first time, Vlad saw Caleb’s expression actually soften. He nodded once.
Save for Alice’s father, the look on her family’s faces was only slightly less hostile, which in comparison to court life in the 15th century or Josef Straud, was only mildly concerning. Ignoring them for the moment, he pulled Alice in close, tilting up her chin, so she was forced to look in his eyes. “You are not a fuck-up.”
“I thought you said we were both fuck-ups,” she replied, finally smiling.
“No, I am a fuckboy, remember?”
She laughed just as he saw Gwendolyn peeking her head into the room. “Yes, hellion?”
“I’m not eavesdropping,” she declared, “but I don’t hear a lot about me.”
Vlad chuckled and beckoned her over. Scooping her up, he turned back to Alice’s family. “What I am to your daughter, there is no word for it, but I belong to her. She and this tiny terror hold what is left of my heart. Caleb is right, I am not just a vampire. I am Fear Itself, the thing the old myths call Phobos, though ‘Supernatural warlord’ is certainly growing on me.”
Mayra folded her arms, and looked away.
Valeria shook her head, “I’m sorry, are you saying—”
“That for creatures who mean my family harm I will be the last thing they see in the dark? Yes.”
Alice pinched him and scowled, “I love you, but why are you so extra? That is not what she’s asking.” She stepped forward, “She’s asking if by ‘family’ you mean we are together and Gwendolyn is our kid. And the answer is yes.”
“Are you high?” Valeria asked.
“Nope,” Alice smiled, “Not high and not a sim. I’m your daughter and Mayra’s and Maverick’s sister and also the God of Death.”
“A god?” Cyrus and Valeria exclaimed.
“A parent?” Mayra shouted at the same time.
Credits
Male Stand Poses 5 by Natalia-Auditore
Male Stand Poses 4 by Natalia-Auditore
Vlad’s wings by Natalia-Auditore
Emotions 1-10 by Simmerberlin
Daddy and Child Posepack by Natalia-Auditore
Emotions for Couples by Simmerberlin
Gun by RJSims
Combat Poses by JoanneBernice
Under Your Spell Eye Set by Pyxis
Talk and Chill by Wonderscotts
Just Us Posepack by Katverse
WTF? Talking by Steven Studios
Action Movie Animation Pack by FlowersSimsFactory
The Sims 4 Mega Talking Animation Pack by FlowersSimsFactory
Living Chair Poses 02 by Katverse
Unlocked Jungle Adventure Skeleton Outfit by blueshreveport
Pose Pack 20 by Katverse
Living Chair Poses 01 by Katverse
Swimming Poses by SakuraiJ
Stand Male Poses by Natalia-Auditore
Simple Sitting Poses Remix by Atashi77
Talking Emotions by Steven Studios
Supernatural Animation Pack by GamingTweety
Acting Expressions Part 1 by FlowersSimFactory
Acting Expressions Part 2 by FlowersSimFactory
From the Sims 4 Gallery
Modern Eco Family Home by ashbatch16
“WARNING: butts” — Ferosh, 2020, paraphrased
Gosh, this has been simmering for, how long? Seems like you’ve gotten to the point where individual jokes don’t have to do the heavy lifting and you can rely on characterization and context—or setup—and it is beautiful. There are still fantastic one-liners in every chapter, but now there’s an extra layer of things you have to double-take at, like them gossiping about Amysia only to reveal she’s right there and can hear everything they’re saying, or how Zay-Deeks has any brains left to offer Gwendolyn in the first place. I love this.
Ah, dang, that end scene. It’s perfectly set up so that both sides sound reasonable, even though the reader is more likely to swing one way. Scratch that. If this weren’t a fictional universe, her family would be 100% right. It reminds me of the passage in The Gift of Fear where someone claims there was no way to predict a husband would kill his wife, when the dude in question had a history of stalking, controlling behavior, misogyny, threats, and, oh yeah, his previous wife died from injuries he gave her.
That being said, Mr. Alice Martin’s hypothetical non-toxic parents would warn him the exact same way. “S/he’s a mass murderer” loses its punch when EVERYONE is a mass murderer. But how the heck is Alice going to explain that? And that’s damn funny.
You know my headcanon is that the skeletons are telling shitty Halloween jokes they made up on the spot the whole time Aurelius is fighting them. Speaking of. Thank you for fighting those skeletons, Aurelius! Bam! Emotional labor complete.
And you know how every/almost every shot of Morticia in the recent Addams Family movies has her with a tiny sliver of light over her eyes and the rest of the scene is encapsulated in darkness? Mr. God of Death needs that. Super extra. Now that I think about it, he does have the wings to pull out when he goes full ham.
MVP in this scene, as far as I’m concerned, goes to Valeria for the glorious “mmmmmmno” vibes she’s emanating every second. Glad she’s not my PI because I would die.
Thank you! In a way, the story has become more fun to write because I’m not spending so much time trying to establish who they are or give context. I’m also trying to set up their stories/conflicts for book two while I work towards the finale.
I imagined Deacon like: oh, you don’t like hikers? Wanna try some brains? I know he’s supposed to be the “older brother” but we all know who is really in charge lol.
Ah! Yes, you are so right about Alice’s family. We’ve been in this little bubble with Alice and Vlad, but her family is like: you’ve only been gone for like 6 months, how are you almost married to a warlord and parent of a kid? We know Vlad would never hurt Alice, but nothing about his behavior or actions indicates that to her family.
Oh man, Alice and Vlad and her family is gonna be fun. VALERIA MARTIN DOES NOT TAKE ANY SHIT. She is terrifying. Definitely earns MVP title.
Those skeletons are defintely practicing their comedy set. Haha literally slaying the skeletons in your closet. I didn’t even think of that but now I love it.
I’ve been thinking about a title sequence for the next book and Mr. Alice Martin definitely deserves the Morticia Addams treatment.
OH. Deacon’s brains being the brains that are in his possession that came from other people, not Deacon’s brains being the brains that are purportedly in his head.
Your explanation makes more sense, but I’m going to stick with mine, if that’s okay.
Damn, but I like the idea of Deacon offering the brains in his head. Such a better joke hahahahahahaa
Yay, a reunion of Vlad and Alice with Caleb, and with Amisyia in the mix! And a delightfully hilarious one at that! The first page just had me in stitches. Who would have thought Vlad would be cracking sex jokes at the beginning of this… Also, Caleb squirms so well. It’s almost a skill, haha.
Ooh, sexy bathtime with Morgyn and William, and- oh, that conversation got deep fast, dang. Morgyn does not waste time. And William is actually opening up. Hoo boy. Now excuse my while I swoon for a while 😀
OMG I didn’t think I’d get my wish of Alice’s two families meeting so soon! *squeals* This is fabulous! So much madness, and I’m here for it.
Ahahaha Caleb’s enjoying this payback far too much. But he actually helped. All’s in the open now. I maintain that Alice’s family can handle this. Aww, one big happy family.
Also, can’t believe you cut away from Morgyn and William just as they were about to enter the library, tsk tsk. I guess that means we have that to look forward to in the next chapter, hopefully. Then again, who knows what they’ll find there, so it might be best not to rush towards it, haha.
Vlad making sex jokes is the character coming full circle! He has ascended!! HAHAHA.
God and Caleb is so uncomfortable. This scene was so fun to write. I just wanted to do “Meet the Parents” a million different ways.
And Caleb gets his revenge 🙂
Morgyn came to play this game and to win. They are wearing William down for sure. They are about to be center stage for a little bit, so I’m super excited. Don’t worry, you’ll find out what happens in the library…
You know, they aren’t the only ones due for a visit.
Oh yes, don’t you worry, I have not forgotten about my faves. Even though they’ve sort of been overtaken by Penny on my preferred list now. Damn. City living came with some good premades, apparently. Though who am I kidding, the credit is all yours, I never paid them any mind in my game 😊
Oh gods, that meeting between Alice & co and her family was hilarious 😂 such chaos in one scene, and somehow they made it all out unscathed. Well, almost all of them, but Deacon is a zombie, so he doesn’t really count. Aaaaah all the confusion and Alice reigning in Vlad and Valeria angry at her daughter and gah I loved it. 🤣
I’m really starting to like William and Morgyn together too. It took me a while to warm up to them, but slowly and surely I’m starting to ship it.
“Oh, you are mistaken. I am a siren. Evil mermaid. Friend of the family.”
Bwahahaha 🤣
Oh my gods Caleb, you’re making this so much worse but hilarious at the same time and I’m loving it. “Courted her.” With his finger lifted like that hahaaaa 😂
I wonder if Vlad and Alice even remember their original purpose for the owl. Vlad wanted to get rid of his feelings of morality, and Alice wanted to get rid of her godhood and cast out Ben. So much has happened since then. If they got their hands on it now.. what would they use it for, I wonder?
Man, that’s a mountain of information for her family to swallow. I wonder if they’ll believe her – if they can believe her. Then again, they’ve fought supernatural creatures like a well-oiled machine and seem to be pretty open-minded. Fingers crossed that this giant explosion does not end in a second giant explosion.
Ah squee!!!! This was such a chaotic scene to write but glad you liked it. I was just like: what if this went completely off the rails? Caleb using this exact moment to take Vlad to task? Amisyia chilling, watching them in amused silence except for the occasional one-liner? GAH. so fun. so exhausting to screenshot because anytime you’ve got multiple sims a scene it’s a problem.
WELCOME TO THE WILLIAM AND MORGYN SHIP! THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM, PLEASE WATCH YOUR STEP WHILE BOARDING THE BOAT!!!!!
You made a really good point about Alice/Vlad and The Owl. So for clarity’s sake, I will say that Gwendolyn is The Owl of Undoing. She is the one that gave Alice her immortality and turning her into The Owl is how Alice/Vlad saved her (there is a very specific reason why Alice is able to do this).
That said: YOUR POINT IS SO GOOD OMFG AND I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL YOU GET TO THE END OF THE STORY (Okay I gotta finish writing the end of the story). But yeah, as far as Alice and Vlad are concerned, The Owl is their kid. And that’s gonna create some problems given that everyone else sees The Owl as a weapon, a tool to be used to achieve their own ends…
dannnnnggggg you are a dangerous reader!