As Ruby Shanley became a teenager, her relationship with her ill-fated father improved somewhat. Though she was nicer and more caring than Juan had ever been (or ever would be), she very active – almost hyper – and highly interested in sports, as he himself had been before his botched resurrection, and he was proud that they shared those characteristics.
“ROO-BEE! ROO-BEE! ROO-BEE!â€
Ruby loved her father and was glad to have him back, but she had to admit it was a little bit strange living with a zombie. She still hadn’t gotten used to it.
“I really need to get my own bedroom.â€
And then there was always that nagging guilt – in the back of her mind she knew she had done something wrong by bringing him back from the dead, and her relationship with him would never be what it once was.
“Oh, the follies of my childhood…â€
Juan, however, had settled rather comfortably into his old life again. Though he had but a fraction of his old energy and spirit, he was able to enjoy all the things he used to, and took a renewed interest in his wife, who didn’t seem to mind that her husband was a reanimated corpse.
*smooch smooch smooch*
As for the other Shanleys, Sierra was approached by a contrite member of the Goobi Goomba clan and got her old job back. Apparently one of the Goobis had been possessed by the spirit of Godzilla and was rampaging through the village, and they needed Sierra to exorcise the poor soul. She impressed them so much this time that they all decided to follow her, calling her their “leader†and chanting her name. Sierra was pleased with the promotion…but not so much with the following and chanting. When she got home that night, she decided to quit.
“I think I could use a nice desk job right about now.â€
Sierra’s daughter Ginger had her birthday and became a lovely young girl. She shared the extraordinarily nice temperament of her cousin Ruby but didn’t share her cousin’s neatness – she tended to leave messes wherever she went.
“Well, at least my dad’s not a zombie.â€
After spending days babbling to himself in front of a mirror, Grandpa Marcel finally reached that mysterious level of enlightenment which he called “maxing my skillsâ€, much to the delight of his wife Mia, who thought he was either a) going insane; or b) trying to become an actor. She didn’t know which was worse.
“I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse…â€
Marcel was overjoyed to accomplish such a feat, but afterwards he felt empty and aimless. What was he going to do with all of his time now? Mia suggested that he work on getting his granddaughters into private school, which Marcel agreed was a very worthwhile project. He called the headmaster and invited him over for dinner the next day. Once that all-important step had been taken, he wandered upstairs and fell asleep.
The rest of the Shanley household went about their business, assuming that Marcel would take care of the headmaster visit. But Marcel slept all morning and all afternoon, and when the headmaster arrived, Marcel tottered out in his pajamas to greet him.
“Who did you say you were? The hairmaster?â€
Mr. Walters, who hadn’t aged a day since he had admitted Delaney and Sierra into private school, remembered Marcel fondly and seemed more amused than offended by his forgetfulness.
He seemed less amused, however, when Marcel led him out to the patio and bid him wait for dinner. The headmaster waited for nearly an hour before dinner finally arrived – an appetizing display of salmon, potatoes, and peas. While the headmaster eyed him curiously, Marcel set out the platefuls of food, then disappeared, leaving poor Mr. Walters to eat all by himself.
“What, did I not put on enough deodorant this morning?â€
Just as the headmaster was scraping the last pea onto his fork, Delaney came out to greet him. Shocked that Marcel had let him eat all by himself, she tried to make up for the neglect by inviting Mr. Walters into the hot tub.
“What luck!†said the headmaster, his face brightening. “I just happen to be wearing my swim trunks today!â€
He shrugged out of his stiff suit and jumped into the tub. Moments later he and Delaney were comfortably soaking, talking about old times. They bantered amiably for nearly half an hour before they realized someone was hovering over them – someone…not quite human…
“So then you take the herbs and put them in the mortar…is it just me or are we being watched?â€
Delaney suddenly leaped out of the tub, pushing her husband out of view as she did so. The headmaster, looking rather stunned, craned his neck to watch her, but could only see the vast starry sky above the hills.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Walters,†Delaney called out as she dragged Juan towards the house. “I just remembered that I have dessert in the oven…warm apple crisp! I’ll be back!â€
As Juan let himself be pulled up the stairs (really, it was much faster than shambling), he reached out a feeble hand towards the headmaster, who was still relaxing in the tub. “Want…brains…†he moaned.
“Shhhh!†said Delaney.
Meanwhile Mr. Walters closed his eyes and basked in the rejuvenating effect of the bubbles. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so serene.
“Ah, this is the life…I should really marry a Shanley someday…â€
(continued on Page 2)
Jen, what a wonderful update! I can’t believe that so many sims passed away! And Niadon II is so beautiful! I especially love the picture of Sierra and Thomas’ wedding. It’s brilliant! I look forward to your future updates, for sure! Great work!
Woooooooo! :D Suspense! Drama! Thrilling action! ZOMBIES!
And romance. The ‘First Kiss’ thing made me squeal. ;)
(I wrote this comment in notepad as I read the entry, so, er, if anything seems a little out of place in comparison to what happened later… just blame something.)
“Apparently one of the Goobis had been possessed by the spirit of Godzilla and was rampaging through the village”
XD Oh, man. The spirit… of Godzilla. That’d be kind of cool! Just like *RAAWR. IMMA EATCHOO. And save the environment!* Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Godzilla movie from start to finish, but I have watched a Mothra movie. I wonder… is he in a suit of himself?
I never thought about how Sims just “happen” to be wearing their swimsuits when they visit. I say they /know/ about the stuff, and are just trying to take advantage of the water.
Water-taker-advantagers-of-…ers…
The “I should marry a Shanley someday” line is foreboding, if you ask me. >_>
But the shot of Sierra doing a little dance with her ex being all sad is funny. In a sad way. But, spork, that doesn’t stop me. >_>;
The wedding looks like it was lovely, though. Man, I love that fountain. I need to find one to put in my Sims’ backyards. *makes a note to go through Modthesims2* Furnitureeee.
Mia’s move-busting face looks silly. XD It was odd, though. I read that line when I was turning on a song from a Bust-a-Move game. (Not the Bubble Bobble one, the one with dancing. And Kitty-N. Woo.) But the Grammanator (she’ll always be the Grammanator in our hearts. *teartear*) is kickin’ it, yo! :D
XD I do wonder how the teams feel about having a zombie mascot. I guess it’s like saying “our spirit lasts even in the afterlife!”?
Wow. How odd. I’ve had a sim who WooHoo’d before he had his first kiss, before (he didn’t have a Want for it by the time he got a girlfriend *shrug*), but… it’s really odd, that he forgot that. Man. I hope he doesn’t have SimAlzheimers. >_<
It’s always kind of sad (for me, anyway) when a Legacy founder dies. But, man, I don’t know how I could take three sims dying all at once. (Marcel and the mozzerela sticks did make me hungry, though. >_>)
Man. I wonder if Sierra’s ever going to like Juan, anyway? Probably not. Ah, well. Do Zombies live forever, though? Unless they die by fire, or something. Just curious.
Yay, a new update on the Shanleys! Juan is hilarious if you ask me, Ive never had a zombie in my game before.
So many deaths and widows, but then, if you marry an old NPC, that’s what you get I guess :D lol
Hope to see more soon, and maybe a Brayton update too? :P
~kath
I love the humor of the shanley updates. I’m sad to see three of them go so swiftly. Did anyone in the house have a breakdown because of all the death? Also, I can’t get over how Juan looks in a thought bubble. My kids and I laughed for sometime upon seeing that again. Thanks!
So Ruby ended up as a fortune sim! I think that Thomas and Marcel were knowledge and Mia was family but I can’t remember Juan, Delaney or Sierra. Are they popularity? That’s what they seem like to me. The blonde streak is over! At least for this generation. So which line is going to continue the legacy? Will it be Ruby or Ginger? And who is the current legacy holder? Delaney or Sierra? That’s all.
Nevermind! Delaney and Sierra are both Sierra but I still can’t think of Juan’s aspiration!
Wow. Great update Jen. So many deaths but atleast they all died in platnum good work with that. The kids seem to be doing well too. :)
Hehe, I liked the update, though I must say Juan is beginning to annoy me. Zombies. hmph. But that’s just me…otherwise, keep up the awesome work! I was just wondering if you’re planning to do a Brayton update soon?
The poor Shanleys! The loss of 3 important people….almost makes me want to cry! Great job Jen!
Hey guys, thanks for the comments! (Or in the case of Blu, thanks for the novel! ;-))
Blu – Your comments made me laugh out loud a few times. :-) As for zombies, apparently they do live forever — that is, they don’t age — but they can be killed by electrocution, starvation, drowning, etc. And yeah, Sierra hates Juan, but only in my story — in the game they’re friends. Mia really did hate Juan, though — when she passed on, her relationship with him was in the negative. He picked on her a lot.
lil – I’m surprised no one in the house had a breakdown with all of the deaths — no one had fears of their loved ones dying! It was weird.
Nita – Yep, Delaney and Sierra are both Family. Juan is Popularity. Ruby will probably be the one to carry on the Legacy — her stats are better than Ginger’s (though both have a Niceness of 9, which is…nice!). That would make Delaney the 2nd gen Legacy heir. Or 11th gen, if you include the original Shanley Legacy.
For those of you who are wondering about the next Brayton update, I’m going to write a blog entry addressing that very question.
Yeah in my last comment I said “Delaney and Sierra are both Sierra” but I meant to say family. I hate it when I mess up like that. Sorry to distract you from your blogging!