Saturday, July 13, 2013

Chapter 57: Memories of a Dead Man


For days after Elliot's funeral, Farrell and Delaney go to visit his grave every morning.


"Laney, I know you feel bad about your relationship with your father, and that you wish you had more time with him after you reconciled," Farrell says, "I wish I had spent more time him as well. We were always so close growing up, and he was always there for me when I needed him. But after he married Claire, we just didn't have the time for each other, and a distance grew between us. But we were still brothers, and we always knew we could count on each other."

"I was so angry at him," Delaney sobs, "We didn't just grow apart, I didn't want anything to do with him."

"You had every right to be angry, you know," Farrell answers, "He did what he did out of love, but it doesn't make it right. The important thing is, you did reconcile before it was too late. Take comfort knowing that you did get to tell him you loved him one more time. You can't change the past, but the future is in your hands."


Despite her grief, Delaney finds a smile for her uncle. "You've always been there for me, uncle Farrell. I just want you to know how much I appreciate that."


Fergus took his uncle Max's advice and let the memories he absorbed from his medieval great-grandfather's journal into his consciousness. It helped some to face those emotions, those experiences, head on, but there were so many holes, so many gaps that left Fergus wanting to know more about Reinier Landgraab, and who he really was.

"I want to go on a spirit journey," he tells his father, hoping that direct contact with the spirit world could fill in the blanks.


All of his sons have inherited his gift for magic just as they've inherited the Hawksquill curse, but, like his sister, none of them have truly invested the time to develop it, instead treating it as a personal quirk. Part of Shadow is pleased and proud that one of them has finally asked for his help, but the fact that it's Fergus troubles him. 

"Becoming a shaman is a pretty big decision," Shadow says, "There's a lot of preparation involved..."

"I don't want to be a shaman, Dad," Fergus clarifies, "I just want to take a spirit journey. Just once. To see it."

"The spirit realm isn't a tourist resort," Shadow says, his slight frown about as stern as he ever gets, "When you ask to take this journey, you're asking for an experience that will change who you are, what you are, forever. You'll never live in just this world again, and you'll always be exposed to the other, and vulnerable to its influence." You're especially vulnerable, Shadow thinks but doesn't say, and wonders if that vulnerability would make Fergus an even greater shaman than he has been. Shadow knows his own feet are planted too firmly in this world to truly live between the realms the way a shaman should, but Fergus, born on the autumnal equinox, when the veil between realms is at its thinnest...his son could be what he is not. And that could be a curse as much as a blessing.

Fergus looks at the ground thoughtfully. All he wants is some answers he can only get from a long dead ancestor, not a life changing experience. "I guess I didn't know what I was asking for," he mumbles.

"That's all right, son," Shadow says, "Never feel bad about asking,. If you do decide this is the path you want to walk, I will help you. But it's not a decision you can make lightly."



That evening, Shadow tells Iola about his conversation Fergus.

"Maybe I should have been more supportive," he says, "I might have put him off something he truly wanted to do, just because of my fears for him."


"Do you remember your first spirit journey?" Iola asks him.

"Of course I do," Shadow says with a fond smile, "You were with me."

"You didn't ask anyone for help. You avoided telling your mother what you were planning, and you know that nothing would have put you off your path. I think if being a shaman was something Fergus truly wanted, he wouldn't be dissuaded so easily."

"You think he'll go off and do this on his own?"




"No, I think he was telling you the truth. He doesn't truly want to be a shaman."


"I still can't believe Dad's gone," Delaney sobs in her sisters arms, "I miss you so much, Cass. Our room seems so empty at night with just me there."

"Well, uh, sure," Cassidy says, long past the point where she thinks of her childhood bedroom as 'hers' anymore, "But we're grown up now. We have lives, children. It can't be like it was when we were kids."


"Kyle told me he ran into our mother," Cassidy continues, changing the subject, "He was playing a game in Storybrook County, and Mom insisted on seeing him, actually."

"Wow. I barely remember her," Delaney says, "What did she want?"

Cassidy rolls her eyes, "Kyle says she pretty much took credit for his success, doing the whole 'proud mother' thing. He said he couldn't get away from her fast enough, he was so creeped out. She remarried, you know. Some sports star. Jesse knows who he is, but I can't keep the jock stuff straight."

"So I'm guessing she didn't ask about us," Delney laughs.

"Kyle didn't say, so yeah, she probably didn't spare us a thought."


"How much longer?" Dlaney asks, rubbing her twin's expanding tummy. 

"Any day now," Cassidy sighs, "Aurora says it's another girl. I was hoping for a boy this time. Jesse of course says he's thrilled either way, but I think he secretly wants a son."


Farrell was having a one-sided argument with a guy on the History channel who persisted in claiming that aliens built the pyramids despite having no evidence to prove his theory when he suddenly felt himself lifted off his chair.


Death is a fascinating process, matter becoming immaterial, the body losing substance, becoming a shadow. It's too bad there isn't time to study this event more thoroughly.


Aouregan is just devastated to lose the love of her life.


For days after Farrell's death, Aouregan retreats into her greenhouse, keeping her mourning away from her family.


When the leaves begin to turn and fall from the trees, Delaney decides it's time to her daughter of their heritage.

"Dragons?" Jillyan asks, "You mean, like, actual dragons?"


"I know," Delaney says with a sigh and a wry smile, "I still have a hard time just accepting that. That's why I haven't told you about it before. But, I thought you should know."

"So, what does it mean? Do we get powers, like Uncle Shadow?"

"No, that comes from his mother. From the Brannon side of the family, we just get the dragon thing. There are abilities with that, I've seen Rory do some stuff, like teleportation. But he told me that only a very few people with dragon ancestry will manifest as true dragons, and even then it takes a long time to develop any powers that go with it."

"And that's why we went to China?" Jilly surmises, "So you could develop your powers?"

"Well, sort of. I have a long way to go just sorting myself out, I'm not really ready for anything more than that. But you're not like me, Jilly," Laney says, "I don't know if you're what Rory calls a true dragon, but I do know you're smart, and much more mature than I'll probably ever be. I know you want to go to university, and leave Drake's Hollow. I think that will be good for you."


Jilly and Fergus spend their Saturday at the coffeehouse.

"What are you going to do?" Jilly asks her cousin.

"Drink this coffee. Then I thought we could get in a game of pool?"

"Right," Jilly laughs, "I mean, with your life? Graduation isn't that far away."

Fergus takes a deep drink of coffee. He's spent so much of his time sorting through the memories of a dead man, he hasn't had time to consider his own future. "It's not so close that I have to decide today," he says when his cup is empty, "Do you want to play, or what?"


"I'm leaving this town," Jilly announces as Fergus lines up his shot, "I'm going to university."

"Yeah? And then what?"

Jilly shrugs, "I'll figure that out while I'm in uni," she says, "The important thing is, I'm going somewhere. You should think about it."

"About where you're going?" Fergus smiles at her as his ball falls into the pocket.

"No, silly. About where you're going."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

"Maybe that's what you should think about."


"Jilly," Fergus sighs her name, then turns away from her, "I've just got a lot going on."

"What? C'mon, Fergus, talk to me."




Fergus leads her to a couch where they can talk. He'd already told her about the Hawksquill curse, though he wasn't supposed to talk about it outside the immediate family. But Jilly was like a sister to him, and it didn't seem right keeping that secret from her. He was always more comfortable talking to her than even to his brothers. "I've picked up some strong memories," Fergus begins, telling her about the ancient journal his parents brought home, and the memories of his great-grandfather that came with it, how he's tried to process them so he can put them to rest. "But, it's like he can't rest," he sighs in conclusion, "I go over and over these horrible moments, his anguish, his despair, and it just won't go away. It's especially hard because I see it all from his perspective. He did some really horrible things, Jilly, and I have to feel both his side of it and my own revulsion for him at the same time."

"Things were different then, right?" Jillyan says, "It was a more violent time."

"Primarily because of people like him," Fergus answers.

"I can't even begin to understand how hard it is on you, to see all that shit, live it, even," Jilly says, "But you can't change it. Whatever he was, he's dead and in the past. Your life is now, and you need to live it."

It's not that easy, Fergus thinks, but there is some truth in her words. He'll have to deal with these memories no matter what he does. Letting them take over his life would be the worst thing he could do. Following Jillyan into the world, going to university, experiencing new things, could what he needs to break this hold Reinier Landgraab's ghost has on him. If not, at least he's in no worse a position than he was before.


With that decision made, Fergus and Jillyan begin researching campuses.

"Evansdale University has a great art program," Jilly says. 

"Doesn't that seem a little weird?" Fergus muses, "Evansdale, it's so similar to Avendale."

"Where's Avendale?" Jilly asks, not getting what he's referring to.

"It's my grandmother's family name, and the village she was from," Fergus answers, "It's probably just a coincidence."


"I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when your Dad passed," Jack apologizes again.

"It's okay, you would have been here if you could," Delaney assures him again.


"My contract is up," Jack tells her, "They're asking me to sign on for another tour."

"Jack, I know how much it means to you, to be out there, doing what you need to do, and I know how selfish this is of me to ask, but, I want you to turn them down, and stay here with me."



"Baby, it's not selfish to ask that," Jack answer, pulling her down into his arms, "It's what I want, too."


"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jack asks.

"Of course it is," Delaney answers with a mile, "It's Spooky Day. We have to have a costume party."


Jesse and Cassidy arrive early. There second child was another girl, just as Aurora promised.


Aurora and Jaybird's son Dexter is a teen now.


Max;s wife Judith is expecting their first child. Any minute now.


Cassidy's oldest daughter, Laurie, looks jut like her.


After all the guests have arrived, Jack and Delaney get on to the real purpose of this party, their wedding.




"We could think about having another baby," Jack suggests.

"Seriously? At our age?"

"Why not? Jesse and Cass just had one. And your father was older than we are when Danica and Corinne were born."

"Or we could buy a boat and go adventuring," Delaney counters.

"The pirate thing is just a costume," Jack laughs.

"Oh, c'mon. It would be fun. Captain Jack. You know you love it."


After the wedding is over and everyone has gone to bed, the rocking chair shimmers as it sways, back and forth.

_____________________________________

Okay, so this is the end of Gen 3. I've got another chapter coming soon that will wrap up a few things with Rory and the dragon tooth, and Geoffrey and Peridot. Then I can finally get Gen 4 started.
This chapter turned out a little jumpy and all over the place, because I really just wanted to push everything forward. I was already finding the 10 Sim household difficult enough to put me off playing a lot, and then after IP, this town started giving me problems. So, I decided to just buckle down and get to a point where the teens all made honor roll so I could pick traits on age up.
I am going to be kind of cheaty and age Fergus and Jillyan up early so I can move them out to a new town to start Gen 4. While this town is playable, I'm getting constant errors on pretty much everyone in town and it's annoying, and distracting. So it's time to move on.

A couple of final outtakes:



Farrll pretty much refused to materialize. That didn't stop Jack from coming down to have a conversation with him.


Or stop Farrell from responding.

30 comments:

  1. Haha, Farrell! I'm going to miss him but I'm glad the last pictures of the chapter are funny ones that seem to fit him.

    I loved that Delaney and Jack got married on Spooky Day. It's so fitting!

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    1. I'm going to miss Farrell, too.
      When I realized how perfectly timed Spooky Day was for Jack and Delaney's wedding, I hadf to do it as a costume party. I know a few people who've done Halloween weddings in RL, and it just seems so fun.
      Sadly,in Sim costume parties, if you make your own costumes, everyone yawns. So you have to listen to the annoying sound of several Sims yawning in unison.

      Delete
  2. Oh. RIP Farrell. Though judging by those last shots I'd say he's just as active as ever. Ha!

    Loved the Pirate Themed wedding for Jack and Delaney. It was perfect for those two!

    And Yay for cooperative thought bubbles for Delaney's talk with Jilly! That was awesome.

    I'm assuming Fergus is going to forget about taking the Spirit Journey, which is awesome and I hope for the best. But how much longer will Reinier be content to only be in the background of Fergus' life? The warning they got when he was born comes to mind easily. I can't wait to see what happens with Fergus and Jilly in a new town.

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    1. Farrell did come out again very soon after he died, which was nice.
      I loved doing the pirate costumes for Jack & Laney's wedding. I just couldn't see her in a traditional gown. Though I'm sure Jack would have rocked a tuxedo.
      LOL, it's hard to get a shot where Delaney isn't thinking about dragons, actually.

      Fergus has dropped the spirit journey idea. He really doesn't want to take on that responsibility. But, yeah, that doesn't mean Fergus' problems are over.

      Delete
  3. I think it fits so well that Farrell didn't really materialize, it sets him apart from the other ghosts we see in legacies. He was no ordinary sim, and thus no ordinary ghost. LOVE the photo of the shimmering rocking chair. Just go steal my heart some more, Farrell. Don't worry, I don't mind

    I'm glad Del and Jack finally got married. The costume party wedding was the best idea for them ever. You're so smart. : )

    I'm really glad Jill will be joining Fergus at University (and the new town?). I like her.

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    1. I loved Farrell appearing as a shimmer as well, it did suit him.

      =D I thought the costume party wedding would be fun too, as soon as I saw it was going to be around Spooky Day.

      I'm glad you like Jilly. I absolutely adore her.

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  4. Oh Farrell. He was always my favorite. I'm glad he's still coming around (to an extent!) to talk to everyone.

    I like Jilly and Fergus. I expect lots of interesting Uni happenings!

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    1. Farrell is my favorite as well. And he's been around forever.

      I'm hoping to have a lot of fun with Jilly and Fergus.

      Delete
  5. FARRELLLL! NOOOOOOO!!!
    (Oh, the invisible ghost thing... Geoffrey did that when Ik really needed shots. Can't remember how I fixed it, possibly going into buy-mode and back to live mode.)
    Will really miss him, but at least he had a fitting end (arguing about aliens with the man on the History channel. I got the reference. Made me laugh, which helped with the death.)

    So Jilly will be going with Fergus? I'm wondering what your rolls are now ;)
    I'm pretty excited about Fergus, it will be nice to see how he turns out, because he has the potential to be pretty evil.

    Ok, now tell me where Jillys outfit is from, please. Just the socks and boots are the ones I want mostest.

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    1. I know, it was hardfor me to see Farrell die. But I figure he would be pretty calm about the whole thing. And he was actually watch The Halls of History channel when he died, so I had to put in the bit about the alien guy. because, aliens!

      I'm moving Jilly and Fergus together yeah. And I'm not revealing my rolls until I do. =P
      Fergus can go a lot of ways, and I haven't quite decided yet which way he'll go. Hopefully he'll surprise us all.

      I'm glad it the boots and stocking you want;those are free CC.The outfit is from the Store.
      Boots:
      http://acecreators.blogspot.com/2012/03/artemis-boots-by-anubis.html
      Stockings:
      http://www.simlicious.com/downloads/accessories/tf-ef-socks-wintery-warm-tights/

      Delete
  6. RIP Farrell, and I hope Jillyan and Fergus enjoy their time while at university. Sorry to hear about your town not acting right, I hopefully Evansdale is much better for you. I actually have Evansdale :D so it will interesting to see you play in it.

    Also, I love how you left the summaries for the first two generations, all I have to do now is start reading from the third generation and I will be all caught up! Great update can't wait to see what happens with the fourth generation.

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    1. Thanks, Nicky!
      I'm revamping a lot of Evansdale because I hate high rises and I'm getting rid of all the Showtime stages. I'm also going to cut down on the number of nightclubs, I just don't need that many, lol.

      Delete
  7. That's cooler than Farrell actually showing up, lol.

    Did you get plus help again? That'd be awesome.

    The smiley flower in the greenhouse... is really creepy. o.o

    I'll be a little sad to leave the shaman behind.

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    1. LOL, yeah, Farrell does make n excellent shimmer.

      I'm not revealing my rolls yet. =P

      I forget to notice the sunflower thing, it's been there forever, lol.

      I'm really sad to leave Shadow behind, too.

      Delete
  8. I didn't suspect their wedding until I saw the arch! That was cool though, something nontraditional fits Delaney, and I'm glad we could see their wedding before your save became too unbearable.

    RIP Farrell, I'm glad he came back for a last conversation, and I love the rocking chair pic!

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    1. I did want to pull a surprise wedding. =D
      And I made a point of getting the wedding in before I moved on.

      I'm going to miss Farrell so much!

      Delete
  9. RIP Farrell *cries* it was kind of cool that his ghost didn't materialise properly, especially the picture with the rocking chair.

    I'm glad Delaney & Jack got married at last & I hope they get to have a nice happy life in Drakes Nest while Fergus & Jilly go off to the new town. I'm still quite worried about Fergus and I hope Jilly will be able to help him through things

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    1. I'm happy for Jack & Delaney too. They've been waiting a long time. And it was weird to sudden;y have all of Laney's wish slots open, they'd been filled for so long with wishes to marry Jack.

      I have some interesting plans for Fergus and Jilly, I can hardly wait to get started. =D

      Delete
  10. Traveler lets you move the family to a new town, yet keep all the relationships in the old town. Just a little suggestion, lol It's what I did with the move to DV, it kept my family tree intact (I still have Kona on there!), and if I wanted they could go back and visit.

    Farrell. *sigh* I can't believe he is gone now, he's been around for so long. He had a pretty amazing life for a sim though. I loved how he was around after he died, but yet he couldn't be seen. That and I loved the one sided argument about the aliens; the show Ancient Aliens is always good for a laugh, lol

    Laney and Jack---what a neat wedding. I had a cousin who had a costume party wedding, it was quite fun. They both make great (and believable!) pirates!

    I'm glad that Fergus was able to talk to Jilly about what was going on with him. It speaks to their closeness that he felt comfortable sharing that with her. I'm really looking forward to seeing what their generation gets up to, though I will miss Shadow. I'm also looking forward to your bonus chapter! =)

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    1. Thanks, Nirar.
      The problem with Traveler is it can only go to a 'fresh' version of a town, and I'm heavily editing Evansdale before I move them over. I like to do all that work when the town isstill empty, so I'll have to use the Porter method.

      I know, I'm really sad about Farrell, too. I've been more attached to him than any of the rest of them. He did have quite a fulfilling life, though.

      Jack and Laney are fun as pirates, and the costume party wedding was really perfect for them.

      I'm going to miss Shadow a lot too, but I am looking forward to the move and for the next generation.

      Delete
  11. Farrell! :( You shall be missed. Like everyone above, I love that he didn't materialize fully. Farrell would just be a shimmer that roams the house quietly. :P

    D'awww. The wedding was so adorable!

    I can't wait to see Generation 4 get started. :D

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    1. Thanks, Krista!
      It was pretty awesome of Farrell to be a totally different ghost from the rest, lol.
      I'm pretty excited about Gen 4, too. =D

      Delete
  12. Oh no Farrell!! :( :( :( *cry*

    Glad that Fergus has someone to talk with, but too bad his father sort of turned him away. Shadow should have been more inquisitive about the reason for Fergus' request.

    The wedding was definitely something I would have expected from Delaney. ^_^ Cute.

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    1. I know, losing Farrell was hard for me too. But in a way I'm glad he went before I moved Gen 4 out to a new town. It's like he got full closure. No one ever got to mpurn Heath, since he was alive when we moved towns.

      Yeah, Shadow really should have talked to Fergus more.

      I loved Jack and Delaney's wedding. =D

      Delete
  13. Awwww, I'm catching up with your legacy and I wanted to pop in and say that I LOOOVE the pirate wedding! Seriously, it's so great.

    Also, I'm sad Farrell is gone. :c

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    1. Thanks, Owly!
      The pirate wedding did really fit Delaney & Jack perfectly.

      I'm sad about Farrell, too.

      Delete
  14. Oh, Farrell. I loled at "Farrell was having a one-sided argument with a guy on the History channel" and then I was just sad.

    I couldn't figure out whether you were going to have Fergus or Jilly as the heir, I suppose it should have been obvious that you would drag along both of them. ;)

    I came back to sims 3 yesterday and installed IP, and I've been having some weird issues as well. Hope you got it sorted out/are getting it sorted out.

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    1. I did like to inject a little humor into Farrell's death scene. It was sad for me to see him go, I got really attached to him.

      I was grooming both Fergus and Jilly for their future roles, so they got way more face time than the others. I do try to develop the spares more than I did here, but I admit I was overwhelmed by the size of the family, and for most of the generation, the adults took the spotlight and the kids were just in the background. My next gen will be a smaller family so I will hopefully have more time for development.

      The LN professional bars are an issue. Any that were already placed need to be deleted and replaced, otherwise Sims just error at them. That was one issue I had.

      Delete
  15. I'm so late to the commenting party, but I laughed like a loon at Farrell's death scene. I'm sorry he's gone (he's an awesome character), but death by History Channel...that is great.
    *shakes fist at Aliens dude*

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  16. Ahw, Farrell. :( He'll be missed.

    But: yay for Laney and Jack getting married at last. So fun with the pirate costumes. :

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