1.13 Mustin, Babies, Lava & Family

“So what's our romance name?” Dustin asks one day.

“Romance name?”

“Yeah, the name we share as a couple. Where we combine our names... maybe Dughan.”

She stares at him blankly for a few seconds. “Shouldn't we be coming up with a name for our unborn child?”

“Yeah I guess there's that too. But we don't know the gender so let's just practice on ourselves. Megtin. Megstin. Dusghan. Hmm, Deghan. Nothing works.”

“You're going to keep saying names until you find one you like aren't you.” She states dryly.

“Yup. How about Mustin?”

He face describes how she feels about that. “Mustin sounds really dumb.”

“So what, we both know I'm dumber than you.”

“Why do we need one?” She rolls her eyes. There were plenty of dumber people around when compared to Dustin. “And wait, why are you saying I have to sound dumb by association?”

“Because I'm bored.” Then he changes tactics and frowns. “And because we're both awake and active at the same time for once.”

She shakes her head. “How are you bored? I thought you had a show booked for later, or you were going out to try a new place for your street performances or something?”

“Just hang out with me for a while.” He says. He doesn't want to explain that he's worried about her when he's not at home. Nothing weird has happened in the last few months, but he'd like to make sure things stay that way.

So they do hang out a bit. She indulges him by participating as he practices some of his new tricks and techniques (but does a horrible job of pretending she's never seen the tricks before)

And later studies some more motherhood books when he goes off to work. Turns out he had a show after all. He's nearly late for it.

Dustin prepares for his set at Rodeo, feeling as confident and excited as ever. Despite what happened last time, he's fond of the place and it draws a good crowd of people. Something about the feeling of an empty room waiting for him to fill up with people makes him glad he's doing what he loves.

Stepping onto the stage is particularly satisfying.

Less than a half hour later, the place is packed and he's getting the crowd worked up.

He grins from ear to ear when he spots a familiar face. There's a new twist to an old trick he can't wait to try out. Let the games begin!

It doesn't take him long to get the crowd involved enough to call for a volunteer. And he doesn't have to work too hard to get Cupp on stage as that volunteer.

This is his chance to make sure the old man is thoroughly impressed with Element's show. He wants to stay in this business, and it's true that it's been nearly impossible to book shows anywhere else around town, with the exception of a few small places.

He tries not to think about what could happen if he fails at this. It's a pivotal moment in his career, but that fact is only known to two of the people in the room. Cupp had made good on his promise to show up, Element will make good on his promise to have an answer.

Twenty nail-biting seconds later, two of the swords have successfully collapsed inside the box with his volunteer inside. Dustin checks the third and final sword (the one that locks open for better dramatic effect) and makes sure it's solid. He slides it into place and sends it quickly, without collapsing, straight into the box.

The room echos with the old man's yelp. The audience defaults to some sort of amused terror, they can't seem to decide if it was done on purpose.

It was.

Dustin smiles, pretending it was an accident, but inwardly laughing his ass off. Bullseye.

“I'll take that as your answer.” The old man growls as he exits the box, hand over his kidney where the young magician had stabbed him.

“You can take that as my answer.” Dustin replies through smiling, clenched teeth. Walk it off. Prick.

The crowd loves the show and demands an encore, seeming to decide that there was just an extra moment of comedy in the act. The old philanthropist looks generous, as if he was in on the joke. People at the bar even ask him if it was real or a mistake. 

Cupp takes a seat at the back and watches sulkily for the rest of the show. But Dustin notes, he is still watching.

After the show Dustin goes home and kisses his now very pregnant wife. She wonders why he's so happy, he just tells her he did well at work today.

He's brought home some new baby furniture, a high chair, and asks her why she's up and about. He was hoping she'd learn to stop pushing herself so hard and get some rest, but she tells him the doctor says it would be fine for her to work as long as it's not more than the usual. Then again, her usual is a lot!

A few days later, he's in bed and she's up working, when she notices this maker-awful picture of a bird on the wall. How much did this cost?! Can she throw it out, will Andrea notice? What if she doesn't want to look at a stupid male peacock while she's working?

It stresses her out so much her stomach starts cramping up.

Then again, there's no picture that's this horrible! She's quickly forced to admit that she's actually just in labor.

The growing puddle of fluid at her feet helps to convince her.

“Dustiiiiiin!” She calls in a shrill sort of scream in between EEs and OOs.

But he doesn't seem to have heard her, having just hit the deepest part of his sleep cycle, and so she calls a cab and stomps her way over to it in an angry eye-of-the-storm sort of calm.

He wakes up for a second, alarmed, and then goes back to sleep. Probably just some weird dream.

However the message on his phone that wakes him a dozen minutes later is explicitly clear. '@ the hosp having baby without you. Get your @ss over here!'

He runs into the building, frantic. She left by herself! Why didn't she wake him up!?

And comes out several hours later, looking blissful and amused. Does anything phase him? That was one of the funniest things he'd ever seen.

Apparently.

He shuts up quickly when he sees the look on his wife's face though. She can't believe they're sending her home the same day, and in the daylight, where her baby's sensitive skin will immediately be exposed to the summer sun's radiation. She is livid.

“Uh, Meg? The house is this way.”

“What, I should let my baby get a freaking sunburn, too? We're walking in the shade.” She heads towards the back entrance of the house.

“Okay. The floor is lava, except we're outside. Got it.” He mutters under his breath. He doesn't think his wife is going to let him hold little Jyoti any time soon.

“I can't do this.” She tells him frankly when they're both inside. “She's fragile, Dustin, and I'm exhausted already. We're- I'm going to mess this up.”

He laughs at her. “Okay, keep telling yourself that.”

“Sarcasm isn't what I want to hear right now.” She grumbles, and opens her mouth to give him a piece of her mind. Something in the patient look on his face stops her though.

“Meghan, I know you're worried because you can't be perfect, but your daughter is healthy and you are the strongest woman I know. You should be able to rest now, and worry later. We'll take things one day at a time, okay? Don't worry, I'm here too. Can I hold her yet?”

She shakes her head, she's still not ready to let go of her daughter.

“See?” He quips. “I hope you'll get some rest, I'm going outside to work on the car while there's still some daylight. I want you to put her in her crib, and lay down. I'll come in to check on her every hour. You have nothing to worry about, okay?”

“Yeah fine.”

“Fine.” Usually she loves how much he smiles at her, but today it's producing some other feeling. She can't deal with it.

In the end Meghan really does need the rest and puts the fragile little girl in her new crib along with the toy she'd gotten out a claw machine so long ago when she was still a teenager, on one of her and Dustin's non-dates. Her fairy bear was precious to her as a little girl, she wants Jyo to have something to make fond memories with later too.

When it comes time to let the baby sleep, she can't quite put her down yet, and brings her back up to snuggle closely one more time.

I am a mother.

I am a mother.

I am a mother.

I can DO this!

Ugh, she looks to heaven for inspiration. Why can I do this again?

She's so darn cute though!

Jyoti means 'light' which was how Meghan felt about her little girl. She may be terrified of being a mom, but there was already a heady feeling of celebration about having her. She brightened the world, and Meghan couldn't imagine the world revolving without her.

Just ONE last snuggle before Meghan lays down herself to sleep.

True to his word, Dustin's in the room every hour to check up on the new baby. It sort of... a talent how she manages to soil her infant diaper every other time he comes in here.

But nothing can spoil the moment. He has a little girl!

Kind of hard to tell who she'll take after, babies eyes are always bluest when they're born, but this looks like Meghan's eye shape.

Baby kisses

The room, oddly decorated. But for now it works.

The next morning is something like business as usual, except for the fact that everyone gets less sleep.

They also had enough money for this great new chair, which feels especially awesome against naked butts. It's Dustin's favorite color, and so it's his.

True to his word Dustin gets a gig at the coffee shop too, probably because Cupp doesn't want to own any part of a 5 simolean average sale business. It's also pretty much a geriatric hangout where elderly discounts combined with early and late hours draw an older crowd. But Element does not discriminate and simoleans are simoleans. What matters is that word is getting out, Element is gutsy and fun to watch.

He doesn't actually stab anybody here.

Family time is something of a loose term in this house. Gotta pay the bills, gotta feed the baby, gotta crash when you can't keep going.

Mushroom omelet because reasons... delicious reasons. Also something about being a super dad.

I have no idea if this chair thing is considered cheating, but I've never used it in my game so I try it out. I'm on a quest to see all the cute animations.

Less cute, be less cute!

Maybe don't menace the baby.

She doesn't seem to find it as scary as expected, having heard his voice from the womb. He's familiar and talks gently to her.

Peak a boo! Aww.

Then she's had enough. A shrill cry escapes and he quickly scoops her up, noticing how fragile and weightless she is.

And he comforts her, making all kinds of dad promises in his heart. Nobody is ever going to hurt his little girl.

The new parents are kind of jumpy the next few weeks, always thinking they heard that the baby needs something.

It's hard to focus on anything other than her. Meghan's been studying again, this time researching her others. She wants to remember her time with Jyoti as much as possible, so that seeing a doctor thing is beginning to have more merit than she could have imagined. Her daughter is a making a very compelling case for it.

Meghan bought that right? Yeah, Meghan likes science, and the new mobile is practically made of science. He breaths out a careful breath. She's been in control more than ever, nothing to worry about.

After a quick trip to sell some insects, Meghan lingers and finally sits down to see someone. Not about the personalities, no that's probably never going to get 'professional help'. But it would be nice to not have so many things to worry about for once. So she explains her fears of the sun, swimming, omelets and germs.

There was a well-proven drug for anxiety, she leaves the doctor's office with a hefty bill and even more reason to give the medication a try. She hates wasting money.

After fifteen minutes of casual to manic internal deliberation, she just goes for it.

It doesn't go down easily, but the rest of the week is better afterwards. Maybe there is something to this. Her fears of the sun, rashes, the cold, the heat, or that she's going to break a bone while working out are not only diminished, they're practically non existent. Maybe she had been dealing with a chemical imbalance all along!?

And the weeks sort of fly by. Nothing can keep her from worrying about being the perfect mother, but she's finally able to resolve that jumping in whole-heartedly is the way to go about it. Just like she's done with everything else. She's gradually winning some of her confidence back and it feels amazing.

All of a sudden, Dustin is able to book the park again. No explanation is given about why, but Dustin knows why. Cowards almost always back down when you stand up to them.

After the show one day he meets a newcomer to Starlight. “Welcome to town.” He says, shaking the fairy's hand.

“You don't seem surprised to meet one of my kind. I didn't think I'd have to hide them from a magician.” Dannigan Shift says of his inky purple wings. “Your show was good.”

“Thanks. I know some fae don't like to be public about their... status. Is this a secret you're keeping?” Dustin wants to know.

“That depends. Do we need to?”

Dustin laughs. “I'm not in charge of the town man.”

“Well then let's not be too public about it. I think I'd like my family to just blend in for a while.”

“Well then I'm flattered. And of course nobody'll hear about it from me.”

“Great. Well met-”

“Call me Dustin.”

“Dustin.”

Not long after the proprietor of MN8 finally admits Element has talent. “Maybe you can open for someone...” He says, giving in slightly. Dustin grins. “That would be fine.”

Down time is rare, they make the most of it when they can.

Meghan has been doing better and even has enough energy to work out, without fear of breaking something. Her husband comes in and does his own thing, it seems like it's been forever since they were in the same room together.

This probably doesn't count as a date though.

“So, Eugene called a little bit ago. Said he has something of an announcement, and we're invited to visit.” He tells her over his shoulder.

It doesn't take much convincing. The new parents have been something like stir crazy lately. They jump at the chance to reconnect with extended family.

Meghan explains how they're doing in their careers, and that they got married and have a baby at home.

Eugene is not surprised. Well, pleasantly not surprised. A part of him thought they'd be living out the lie that they were cousins forever. It's good that there's no wasted time from denial.

It is surprising that Dustin runs around naked sometimes now. Even more amusing is the fact that Meghan seems to find it a little weird.

Being inappropriate, Eugene sees nothing wrong with this topic of conversation and is merely intrigued by it. Good ol' juicy gossip!

Dustin explains the nuances of a trick to Lize carefully without revealing his secrets. It's all in making sure you know where the audience is looking. She doesn't get it at first.

But they come to an understanding.

Stimulus response test.

Hah! Hard to surprise a genius.

Dustin starts something he may not be able to finish.

But it's fun getting to reconnect.

(this is the best picture that has been taken of a pillow fight in this game, possibly ever. Looks like she literally knocked him into having some kind of epiphany)

Right?

No one had aged since they left, so it almost felt as if no time has passed.

As for Eugene's big announcement? He's been offered a higher paying job in journalism in Starlight Shores, so he's preparing to move his family there. They're going to be neighbors in a new town, and all the cousin's kids can grow up together!

Meghan is excited for this, but also feels the need to explain how some northern climates with large bodies of freshwater experience slowed aging effects, probably due in large part to the magic produced by mythical creatures that live hidden and sequestered within them. Aurora Skies also has the added effects of being so near a magnetic pole, and viola! Nobody appears to have aged outwardly, although on the inside it can be a different story. The effects of that magic on Eugene's family (which she can totally explain with science!) were likely going to be reversed once they move away.

Eugene appreciates this assessment with his normal level of cynicism. “What am I, Benjamin Button?”

Meghan just shrugs. “Is that a movie, or something?”

Lize asks more personal questions. She wants to know how he proposed to Meghan and when he realized she felt the same way about him. She reads a lot of romance novels these days and wants a good story.

Dustin becomes unusually tight-lipped. “I feel that she and I are really fortunate to have each other...” He dodges the questions as best he can, few things make him uncomfortable, but he doesn't like talking about romance.

Later that evening they light a bonfire for old time's sake. Meghan immediately experiments with it.

The neighbors look like they have a lot going on too. This looks like the scene from a dumb reality show. Hope that charred looking kid gets away, or whatever.

Still very much a jock, Eugene manages to make everyone around him a bit more loose morally. Dustin has a lot of opportunities to party as he gains popularity, but it's not his thing. Family parties are different so he feels himself relaxing.

He doesn't drink a lot, and it starts to show pretty quickly when he does.

Meghan gives up on not doing science and does some science.

Lize can't believe how big that whiny kid has gotten. Maybe she has aged after all.

Dustin proceeds to play an entire round of gnubb while his wife teases him that he's not walking straight.

“I'm an artist, and this is a performance. I cannot fail.” He reasons back.

Well this explains a lot about her childhood. Maybe her dad had PTSD.

(Not to make light of it. Just a theory. I had no idea she could salute!)

“I shall stand by your side until you fall on your ass. And then I shall stand by your asses' side.” She tells her husband loyally.

“Shanks.” He slurs.

He doesn't like being even a little drunk, though. It makes him feel as though he's being watched.

Meghan joins the game after all. She ends her turn by clonking herself on the head with the baton. 

This reminds Dustin of fond memories of Meghan (Andrea then) in gym class back in middle school. Try playing catch with a girl who KNOWS how many species of germs are on the ball.

It doesn't matter who wins in the end. This was a good trip and they've managed to reconnect after so many exhausted nights staying up with the baby.

Eugene and Lize have gone to bed, the bonfire has died down and there are adventures to be had, just like when they were kids.

But the kind of fun they have now is completely different.

They probably had a little too much fun, considering they hadn't brought any protection. But neither one can muster up any regrets about it.

He traces a finger over the blush on her cheeks afterwards, tells her how enticing she is. “I didn't know you could be so fearless.” He admits with a tender smile. He didn't think she'd come sit in the treehouse with him, let alone do something like that.

“Mister Sparrow if you think about me and imagine someone afraid to have a little adventure then I'm afraid you need to spend more time getting to know me."

“Every day is an adventure, huh? Chasing anything that's new. Was that another experiment, to see if you liked it?"

“I'll show you another experiment.” She promises, leading him back up the ladder. The splinters she gets later are worth it.

Dustin makes an incredibly late dinner and fries up some flying fish. Meghan has some without worrying about how well he cooked it, or whether it's been processed in Shang Simla, or what it ate when it was alive. The medicine really had helped to alleviate some of her worry.

They snuggle together for a while before going to bed, exhausted and happy.

“I wouldn't want to share my life with anyone but you.” He whispers. She murmurs an incoherent response followed up with a soft sigh.

Before he can get further lost in marveling at how much he loves her, her foot falls alseep and she jerks awake. “S'go t'bed.” She mumbles.

So he climbs up to the top bunk for old time's sake and falls asleep immediately.

He dreams of days that had been forgotten, when he realized that he would follow this woman to the ends of the world.

They really have come a long way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let's just ignore the part where they left their kid at home with a babysitter to visit. I'd forgotten we weren't allowed to have strangers over, and we needed to go rescue Eugene's family, so~o I'm not sure how else I could have resolved it.

I love the way they glare at the furnishings around the house.

So the hypochondriac trait comes with the giant pill (which I'm sure is sourced from somewhere else in the game seeing as it has its own animation) that can be purchased from the hospital for a whopping 1,000 simoleans. But it makes all the moodlets go away and they don't come back for a least a sim day, if not a few days. It was a pretty cool addition. She also gets an occasional wish to visit the hospital and is rewarded with Lifetime Happiness Points for doing so. The trait can be glitchy sometimes because her tasks get interrupted by sneezes or nausea, so it's not for the simmer who hates that kind of interruption. Unfortunately for Meghan, the pill does not also resolve insanity.

I had my game set to the standard 90 day lifespan, and when I get a game message saying Eugene isn't going to live forever I though HELL NO, and sent Dustin & Meghan to Aurora Skies to port the family over to Starlight Shores. I had calculated his & Lize's ages and they should have been a few days from elder, so I concluded that the message pops up at the first day a sim is an elder, possibly? But either way I set the game up for 130 days because I couldn't bear to lose people and it's so much fun to play in between updates that I want some play time that isn't so limited. I went with Convicted Dreamer's lifespan break down I believe?