Hark(er)! An OWBC, Chapter Eleven: Perimortem
About the chapter title: the term "perimortem" (used mainly in anthropology) refers to an event that happened at or very close to the time of death.
Last time, in "Hark(er)! An OWBC", Lethe went to college shortly after being told she had been chosen as the heiress for this generation. On her first day there, she managed to antagonize placeholder Kai Truman (aka Don), leading to a series of rumors being spread around Bio-Thingy. She did manage to make one friend at Académie Le Tour, dormie Vernon Moss, who advised her to try to mend her strained relationship with her siblings (particularly Bad Apple Peri). To pretty much everyone's surprise, she did seem to be making an attempt at befriending Peri after the triplets joined her the following semester. Her second semester (the triplets' first) thus went by much more uneventfully than the previous one. At the main house, progress towards the Ghost Hunt was made, with townie Alani Brosnan being moved in early in the chapter (and promptly eaten by the family cowplant), and dormie Darryl Astor joining the household by the end of the chapter. Also, Olive had yet another unsuccessful garden inspection, and ignored youngest child Ruthie went on a date with Amin Sims, which improved her mood and aspiration levels quite a bit.
Now back to our scheduled episode for today...
We open the chapter with yet another party (the season being spring this time) going on at the Harker main house. The two members of the family usually involved in troublemaking, Lethe and Hector, are the guests in attendance for this one.
Though, fortunately, they didn't cause any trouble during this specific event (probably due to Olive's calming influence).
And, of couse, a party is never a party without the required-
"Gerbits! Gerbits! Vooooo Gerbits!"
Indeed.
Yes, it surely was yet another successful party, Ruthie getting the credit for it this time.
What about Darryl, you ask? He joined the household last chapter, is he dead yet? Well...I've been trying to go for death by fright this time. However, the ghosts have been ignoring him, which has proved to be extremely annoying.
Meanwhile, at Académie Le Tour... You might or not remember that Börje's LTW is to have 6 grandchildren. So his sons have been doing some progress towards that by finding future spouses. Hector has fallen in love with, and recently got engaged to, townie Ivy Copur.
(Ivy became a vampire when the Grand Vampires went all bite-happy after Fergus was first bitten by Contessa Stephanie Morrison. I found a mod to avoid a potential vampire plague, but not before Ivy and the "beret and boots" blonde downtownie were turned as well. I will keep Ivy as a vampire even after she marries Hector in the near future, though, she is a Knowledge sim and will appreciate it.)
As for Lorens, Börje and Yvonne's second son, he has found a good match in Garden Club member Allyn Thomason. We'll have to wait to see how his family will react to this development, since the main house members don't have the best relationship with the Garden Club.
Still, most of the trouble there was instigated by Tiffany Zarubin (and Matthew Smith, Armando Cox and Jill Smith to a lesser degree). As far as I remember, Allyn was never part of any garden inspection at the Harker household, so things might be okay with them.
The youngest of the O'Connor boys, Lorens' twin Ravi, has found love with repairman Lee Lewis.
By this point, all seemed to be well at the boys' dorm, but shortly after Ravi and Lee fell in love, disaster struck in a completely unexpected way.
It started with some apparently innocuous photobooth woohoo between the happy couple. They were unlucky enough to have the photobooth be struck by lightning the second they came out of it...which immediately resulted in them being set on fire.
Lorens ran to their rescue...
...but wasn't successful, and both Lee and Ravi were dead before he could even put the fire out. The only thing left for him to do was to plead for his brother's life (they were best friends with a relationship score in the 90s, after all)...
...however, the universe was actively acting against him, and Lorens had the terrible luck of losing the battle for Ravi's life.
I was very upset by this, especially since Ravi had been my favourite out of Börje and Yvonne's three sons, and to have him die like that in a freak accident along with his newfound love interest was just plain awful. So I decided something had to be done about it.
Hector and Lorens were thus sent to wander around community lots in search of secret society members to befriend, a task that was not made any easier by Hector's lack of nice points.
In one of those trips to ALT community lots, Lethe showed up and prompty went into aspiration failure over the loss of her cousin, which just made me more determined to have Hector or Lorens bring Ravi back as soon as possible.
Finally, they managed to befriend secret society girl #3...
...and soon enough, officer Demi Love showed up in the middle of the night to take Hector to the Volauvent Society.
He didn't react too well, but eventually allowed himself to be led away.
Hector was actually pleased when he was greeted by several enthusiastic secret society members (surely thinking he could get used to this).
But he didn't linger outside for long, as he had joined the secret society for one specific purpose, which did not involve dormies in any way.
10000 simoleons later, Ravi was back as good as new. And there was a very touching moment between the brothers as Ravi thanked Hector for ressurecting him. All is well when it ends well (sort of).
(As for Lee, Ravi is planning in getting a job in the Paranormal career after graduating and bringing him back then. The lovers will be reunited one day, don't you fear.)
At their cousins' dorm, things are fortunately less eventful. Operation Get the Bad Apple some Eggplant Juice (or whatever name you might prefer) is still in progress, with Phlox getting a silver gardening badge at the beginning of the semester.
In case you had forgotten...she and Pomp don't have a lot of neat points.
"Your sister's table manners are disgusting."
"Maybe you should be telling Lethe that instead of me, Halle. I only have 3 neat points, you know."
Poor Peri is still having a hard time, with many of her motives (especially energy) frequently in the red. We really need those eggplants soon.
And Lethe finally works up the courage (or the green aspiration level) to do what's required of her as the heiress...
"You can do this. No reason to be afraid, Mom did the same thing before, eating grilled cheese sandwiches for the rest of your life can't be that bad...right?"
"So, do you feel any different yet? Hungry? More relaxed?"
"Uh...no, it just didn't work. I guess my aspiration needs to be even lower for this..."
"Pity, that. I was hoping it would work and there would be some conveniently pleasant side effects, you know, like you starting to act nicer towards people."
"Don't push your luck, Pomp."
"Weren't you a bit mean to your brother there? You know, if you were my sister, I might have reacted the same way."
"...Vernon, I am going to hit you so hard with this pillow, you won't be able to remember your own name afterwards."
"Say, Vernon, I think it's time we had a talk. I've been watching you and Lethe, and I've reached the conclusion that you are more than her only friend outside the family. You like her, don't you?"
"Maybe... But that would be between me and her, Pomp, if I have decided not to tell her, it's none of your business to-"
"Yes, I understand. I wouldn't do that, but I would advise you to go ahead and tell her how you feel - if you really like her, that is - sooner rather than later."
"Thank you, Pomp, I'll think about it."
Though, as the semester went by, Peri pondered the meaning of flamingos' lives, Phlox and Pomp tended to the garden and worked in their term papers and assignments...
...Vernon found himself choosing not to follow Pomp's advice. Sure, he was interested in Lethe, but she didn't seem to see him as anything more than a friend.
Maybe it was just not worth it. It had been a silly idea to begin with...
Lethe was following the advice Vernon had given her the previous semester, however, and tried her best to cheer up Peri whenever she saw her in a particularly bad mood. While they weren't as close as, say, Olive and her own siblings, their relationship was already much better than it had been when they were teenagers.
And support worked both ways, too, as Peri wasn't the only one having a hard time.
Pomp was surprised to find Lethe crying over her breakfast one morning, though he didn't press the issue.
He wondered if was stress due to their upcoming exams, or if anything had happened with Lethe and Vernon. As far as he knew, Vernon had not actually followed the advice he had given him, but still...
Phlox had told Pomp she had seen Vernon chatting with several female dormies more and more frequently over the last few days, and soon Pomp was able to witness it firsthand. But he reminded himself that it was very likely that Vernon had never told Lethe anything; it would be wrong of him to interfere.
Though it was hard to stick with that decision. The day he saw Vernon and fellow dormie Bridget Hamilton coming out of the photobooth as he was coming back from class, Pomp had to struggle with his inner thoughts and opinions for a very long time before finally forcing himself to ignore them and just go inside.
As time had gone by, he had also noticed that Lethe's relationship with Vernon seemed to be the same as ever, even if that meant they were still just friends.
Peri, meanwhile, was blissfully oblivious to the whole developing situation, spending most of her free time playing darts, looking dreamily at the flamingos or bringing back the dorm gnome, Pheromone.
Closer to the end of the semester, Lethe decided to try to change her aspiration again...and this time, she successfully went from Family to Grilled Cheese.
Eating grilled cheese sandwiches for the rest of her life (or most of it) didn't seem that bad anymore...though the actual aspiration change process had been fairly unpleasant; she was glad she wouldn't have to go through that again.
With the beginning of summer, it was time for another party, and Phlox wasted no time in telling her mother about everything potentially going on with Lethe and Vernon.
Olive advised her not to meddle (the same applying to Pomp), and to just let things work themselves out.
Pomp's interactions with Lorens were far more cheerful, as everyone was very much relieved to hear Ravi had been brought back in one piece and was doing as well as it could be expected.
The party also had the pleasant effect of improving Peri's mood quite a bit.
Yes, it had definitely been a good party, Lethe later concluded as her mother and Lorens left.
The semester came to an end shortly after that, with Lethe, Phlox and Pomp once again having excellent grades, and Peri managing to get yet another 11 despite all of her difficulties during the semester.
Back at the main house, Ruthie found herself in the awkward position of having to endure Darryl's friendly interactions. Even if he never tried to flirt with her or anything like that, he acted so starved for attention, it made her feel very uneasy.
After Ruthie discreetly told her mother about it, Olive decided to have Darryl help her in the garden more and more often. He was also assigned to digging duty a few times.
But, no matter how long he wandered around in the garden at night, the ghosts never seemed to show any interest in scaring him.
Eventually, it was time for Ruthie to leave for Académie Le Tour (to her intense relief)...
...and she joined her siblings at the dorm, settling for Art as her major.
Fergus, meanwhile, had been stargazing every single night (which had been going on for most of his time as part of the Harker household already), but there were still no results. Sometimes, he found himself idly wondering if his streaker coding had anything to do with the aliens' apparent lack of interest in him.
As he entertained these thoughts and Darryl tended to the garden, tragedy struck the Harker family for a second time over a fairly short period of time.
Olive picked the wrong time to teleport to the ghosts' island to pick the weeds that were once again growing there - the ghosts might not show any interest in Darryl, but they definitely showed interest in her.
And, as she was surrounded by water, unreachable, neither Fergus nor Darryl could plead with the Grim Reaper for her life.
As Fergus looked on helplessly, he could swear he saw a smirk on Reese's face as Grim faded away.
Things were quickly solved, however, as the Harker family did own a bone phone, and Darryl rushed to it to bring Olive back immediately after her death.
Like her nephew Ravi before her, 10000 simoleons later she had returned, as happy and sweet-natured as ever.
But, in the back of her mind, she felt terribly guilty for having involved Darryl in the Ghost Hunt - he had brought her back from death and now she would have to repay him by watching him die and not doing the same for him. Rules were rules, though, she eventually concluded, quite sadly.
There was only one problem - she and Fergus were no longer married. And he did seem to be acting a bit cold towards her after her ressurection...
"...I heard that can be easily fixed, and I do think you and Dad should try to get remarried as soon as possible, Mom. After all you've gone through together, it's just too sad if it were all to end now."
"So you think love potion would work, Lethe? I'm not sure if-"
"It's been proven to work many times. There's definitely no harm in trying."
"You must be the new addition to the Ghost Hunt, it's nice to meet you. Here's to hoping you don't get one of the most unpleasant deaths..."
"...what are you talking about?"
"Never mind, dear. Just run along and be a good little ex-dormie."
"Lethe, I've told you there's nothing wrong between me and your mother, it's just...things feel weird somehow since she was brought back. But it's not her fault...and I don't really know why I feel like this. It's strange, really."
"One more reason for you and Mom to go ahead and try that love potion thing. I just can't bear to see this awkwardness between the two of you, it's just not natural. You were never like this before."
"I guess death can have odd side effects."
"It might be so. But I still want you two to try what I told you, and soon. And, Dad? Please go put some clothes on."
"Don't you worry, Olive, Lethe seems to have your best interests in mind - she really has changed quite a bit since she went to college! I'm sure you and that foolish former brother-in-law of mine will be happily married again in no time."
After hearing her daughter and sister's encouraging words, Olive was a bit more hopeful...even if she still didn't approve one bit of her husband's habit of wandering around naked.
One call to the matchmaker and two bottles of love potion later...
...Olive and Fergus were back to being in love, though, for reasons unknown, after she decided it was time for their second engagement, he rejected her proposal.
The second attempt (with Fergus proposing this time) was a success.
And Olive and Fergus Harker were married for the second time, surrounded by a cloud of little hearts.
The next morning, Darryl finally proved not to be invulnerable, and managed to get infected with a mysterious illness via the Science career reward.
I built a little room for him to hopefully die in...and waited.
Olive, meanwhile, was in for another life-changing event, as she found herself changing when tending to her plants...
...thus becoming a plantsim.
Being the upbeat sim that she is, this was just an easier way for her to grow closer to her beloved plants - maybe this would even help her with that elusive Garden Club inspection? Only time would tell.
"You became a plantsim? That's pretty cool, Aunt Olive...with Uncle Fergus and Hector's fiancée both being vampires, we sure have a lot of supernaturals in the family now. Maybe Lethe can become a werewolf next or something."
"Well, I'm not too sure she'd like that, Lorens..."
"Yay for supernaturals! Can I get Dad to turn me into a vampire now, Mom? Me and Pomp have had that want since we were teens. We can handle it now. At least I can."
"Phlox, I've told you - college is hard enough with a Bad Apple around. Adding one or more vampires to the mix is a recipe for disaster. Maybe after you've graduated."
"Awww..."
In his little room, Darryl felt annoyed as he watched everyone having fun outside. Maybe Olive would let him out when he started feeling better...
Once again, Olive was able to add a great house party to her list of accomplishments.
Shortly afterwards, Darryl recovered from his illness (which was met with extreme frustration from my part). After he was infected for the second time, he was locked in his little room again, and I crossed my fingers hoping for a lethal outcome.
This is as good a place as any other to conclude this chapter - see you next time, as generation 2's adventures at ALT continue (hopefully with less unexpected deaths), Darryl hopefully dies of his mysterious illness, and Olive tries to make the best of her life as a plantsim. Until then, goodbye and happy simming to everyone!
[Note: Ruthie has now been added to the "Download a Harker" entry.]
***
Current challenge stats:
Base Game Bonuses:
-Obtain an alien through a legit abduction
-Go one whole generation - from birth to birth - without getting any promotions
-Have a gnome to guard the flamingos [Glycogen, with Pheromone standing in for him at ALT]
Nightlife Bonuses:
-The heir(ess) for every generation must go on a date via gypsy matchmaker and see it through to completion [1st generation: Olive's date with Fergus; 2nd generation: Lethe's date with Sean; ...]
-Every heir(ess) is turned into a Grilled Cheese sim [1st generation: Olive; 2nd generation: Lethe; ...]
-A sim must be turned into a vampire [Fergus]
Seasons Bonuses:
-Throw a party once per season [spring: Nisha and Cody's wedding, Olenna's toddler birthday, 6 house parties (2 at college), Ruthenium's toddler birthday; summer: Börje & Bruna's toddler birthday, 6 house parties (2 at college), Ruthenium's child birthday; autumn: Olive & Oil's toddler birthday, 7 house parties (2 at college); winter: 5 house parties (3 at college), Olive's graduation, Olive and Fergus' wedding]
-Earn a wishing well
-A sim must be turned into a plantsim [Olive]
Story Bonus:
-Finishing the challenge and posting it online [work in progress]
"Boolprop Naming Scheme" Mini-Challenge:
-First generation: children resulting from the 3 mandatory pregnancies must have names starting with B, O and O respectively [Börje & Bruna, Olive & Oil, Olenna]
-Second generation: children resulting from the 3 mandatory pregnancies must have names starting with L, P and R respectively [Lethe, Peridot & Phlox & Pomp and Power, Ruthenium]
-Third generation: children resulting from the 3 mandatory pregnancies must have names starting with O, P and C respectively
"One Bad Apple" Mini-Challenge:
-Every generation, one child (chosen at birth) must be uncontrollable (they get 8 commands at day from college/adulthood onwards) [1st generation: Bruna; 2nd generation: Peridot; ...]
"Cowforbrains' Ghost Hunt" Mini-Challenge:
-Three sims must die every generation, and every cause of death must be different [1st generation: Dustin (death by starvation), Donna (death by fire), Reese (death by drowning); 2nd generation: Alani (death by cowplant), ...]
"Family Scrapbook" Mini-Challenge:
-Every member of the family must have their picture taken or their portrait painted and hung somewhere around the house [Nisha, Cody, Börje, Bruna, Olive, Oil, Olenna, Dustin, Reese, Donna, Fergus, Lethe, Peridot, Phlox, Pomp and Power, Ruthenium, Alani, Darryl, ...]
-The founder and each one of the 3 heirs/heiresses must write a novel [Nisha, Olive, ...]
"Workaholics Anonymous" Super Mini-Challenge:
-Earn all the career rewards available [16 out of 20: 2 earned by Cody, 2 earned by Reese, 2 earned by Börje, 2 earned by Bruna, 1 earned by Donna, 3 earned by Fergus, 2 earned by Olive, 2 earned by Oil]