6.31 Existential

#sims3challenge #sims3legacy #sims3story #thesims3

Abby caught Sawyer when he came home from another long shift at the hospital. “Victoria told me what happened,” she said.

Sawyer scowled. “I figured it would be Dylan. He was ready to jump up and fight for Manisha’s honor. He and Andria think I’m a Neanderthal.”

“Why did you get so out of control?” Abby asked softly.
Sawyer stared at the floor. “She doesn’t want Gamora. She doesn’t even want to believe Gamora is real. She says I conducted the experiment without consulting her.”

“But’s not true!” he continued desperately. “Manisha and I designed that experiment together. I didn’t do anything she didn’t approve. Dylan is too small-minded to see the flaws in his white knight complex.”

Then he launched into a technical explanation of gene splicing that was way over Abby’s head.

“Hey,” she said, keeping her voice low and soothing. The last thing she needed was to give Sawyer any more sense of persecution. “You don’t have to convince me. I believe you.

“Look, if Manisha wasn’t expecting a baby, then this has to be a big shock. Maybe she just need to adjust to the idea. Give her some time.”

Sawyer paused, thinking about it. Then he hung his head. “I’ll try,” he said.

Abby had never seen Sawyer so forlorn. She wished she could give him a hug, but she knew better. “Look, Sawyer,” she said. “Ask for help if you need it, okay? I care about you.”

“Thanks,” Sawyer said. “I recognize your intelligence.”

Spring transitioned into summer, and the longer daylight brought a steady stream of children home to play with Victoria.

It was a party almost every evening.

Sometimes with extra entertainment.

Edmund continued to pester everyone around him with his musings on the natural of magic. Was it just another set of scientific rules? Was it a performance art? Was it something else? What did it all mean?

He even pulled the ear of some of Victoria’s playmates. Victoria complained later that he was boring her friends.

Middle age finally struck Andria.

She wanted a small family celebration. Victoria insisted on bringing a friend.

Sawyer did his best to take Abby’s advice. When he wasn’t caring for Gamora, he threw himself into his work.

Much to the dismay of his patients. It’s not like Sawyer had an inspiring bedside manner on the best of days.

Andria wasn’t doing much better than Sawyer. Ever since her birthday, she had been sour and short-tempered. She went about her work and tended her farm with the same dedication, but she didn’t seem to enjoy any of it.

She stood in front of the wardobe and tried on outfit after outfit, examining herself in the mirror.

It wasn’t clear what she was looking for. Even Andria herself didn’t seem to know.

Finally, Dylan called her on it. “You look miserable,” he said. “I’m worried about you. Please talk to me.”

“I don’t know what there is to talk about,” Andria said — in that tone of voice that said, I really need to talk about this. “I thought I was being so progressive when I decided to marry you over the Fae Council objections. I thought I was standing up for our right to make our own decisions without living in fear.

“But here I am. Half my life is gone, and nothing is any better. Now we have three children caught in the same wedge I am between the mortal world and the magic. They have no support to do anything but live in hiding the way I always have. All I’ve done helped pass my problems onto them. I’m helping the system deny magic.”
“You haven’t exactly been denying magic,” Dylan said. “You raised an animated skeleton to clean our house.”
“That didn’t exactly build a new world for our children,” Andria snapped.
“I don’t think you’re giving our children enough credit,” Dylan said. “They all seem to be happy, though it can be difficult to tell with Edmund. They’re strong sims who can make their own way.”
Andria turned on him. “You say that, but you’re afraid of them!” she cried. “I see the way you look at our children when they’re in fae form. You try to hide, but you think they’re monsters. How can they grow up believing in themselves when their father doesn’t?”

Dylan took a step back as if he’d been struck.

Andria caught her breath. “I didn’t mean it like–“


“You meant it exactly as you said it,” Dylan said. “I had no idea you thought such things about me.”

“I know you’re trying your best,” Andria said.



Dylan, who was never aggressive about anything, advanced on her with a glint in his eye. “I am not afraid of our children,” he said. “I don’t think they’re freaks or monsters. Our children have gifts I will never have. They go places I can never go. I wonder ever day how I can protect and nurture them when I will never be able to completely understand them. I don’t understand you either, and I know it. I am always two steps behind my entire family.

“So there it is. My inherent selfishness. I’m not afraid of them. I’m afraid for me.

Andria stared at him in silence for a long moment. Dylan wondered what she was thinking and whether he should say something more.

He took a breath, but she reached her hand to his lips to silence him.

Then she kissed him with a passion that rivaled their courtship.

She pulled him up to the treehouse and had her way with him.

Dylan didn’t argue, but he didn’t stop worrying about her either.

———-

And here we have it. Another midlife crisis. Dylan’s the only person who hasn’t had one so far. Sawyer’s still a few days away.

I had a lot of trouble writing this post. He had two really personal, anguished scenes in it. I also really wanted to get an idea of where Andria’s crisis was going to go before I tried to write it.

This last scene was entirely autonomous. Andria had a wish to break up with Dylan. Sheesh. If I followed every Midlife Crisis wish to break up, I’d have no happy couples in my game. I’ve heard that sims often wish to get right back together with the sim they just dumped, but that seems like a bit too much without a good story excuse.

At any rate, I decided the wish was a hint that Andria had built up resentment toward Dylan. I decided to pick a fight between them and then see how it fell out. They fought for a while on autonomy. Then Andria dip-kissed him and woohooed him in the treehouse. I decided that whatever troubles they had, they weren’t divorce grade :).

The scenes with Victoria were primarily from a party she threw that was supposed to be a sleepover. The game forgot that part halfway through and sent everyone home. I wanted someone to tell ghost stories, but the option didn’t come up on the interaction menu. ARGH.

Also, Bonehilda autonomously returned to her coffin. I gotta get her out again.

4 thoughts on “6.31 Existential

  1. I think your idea of explaining her break up wish by Andria being resentful of Dylan makes a lot of sense, and it is really neat how it worked out after you had her argue with him. Especially the part about the treehouse 🙂 When I was first reading her complaints about how nothing had changed, and she had failed her kids with the system, I thought, "this is a mid-life crisis!"

    It may have been hard to write, but you did a great job. I also liked the conversation with Abby and Sawyer at the beginning, and it was so funny how he said, "I recognize your intelligence!"
    Sims 2 always had a trouble with sleepovers too– with sims either trying to stay when you hadn't invited them, or sending everyone home when you had. At any rate, it looked really fun. I love the picture of her waiting for fireworks to go off.

  2. I was sure from the pictures that Andria was dumping Dylan…thank goodness for autonomous making up. Dude, your sims practically write themselves.

    Poor Sawyer really does look so forlorn…I could just hit that Manisha, even though, on reflection, I can kind of understand how shocked she must have been to wind up with a baby without any forewarning. I still don’t get how she could just deny her, but still…she didn’t grow her in either the traditional way, or the way that Sawyer, uhm, literally did, so I suppose for her, it’s not like Gamora is really her’s. And now I feel a little bad. For Manisha. Ugh.

    I had to chuckle at Sawyer’s “I recognize your intelligence.” Definitely Sawyer-ese for “I love you, too.” 😉

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