According to Rory, fury is an ocean, and it’s no fun to stand and stare at an ocean if you never allow yourself to swim. Bit by a mutated dog as a child, she was abandoned by her family, who couldn’t fathom what she’d turned into, and while she’ll always appreciate Kristopher for taking her in, at a certain point, the Collective began to feel more smothering than nurturing. The Wildfangs were founded as an alternative, a looser, freer, and prouder pack that wouldn’t muzzle themselves for anyone. But Rory’s tendency to fly off the handle and deep prejudice toward other occults are at constant odds with her desire to be a confident and charismatic leader.
For most of her life, Lux was a perfect daughter, model pupil, and decorated girl scout. But one night, shortly after her 18th birthday, she took a wrong turn in the woods and ended up face-to-face with a feral werewolf. Everything she thought she knew about her future crumbled. In order to survive her new existence, she needed to reinvent herself. Eager to prove her newfound toughness, she pledged allegiance to the Wildfangs. After an intense trial period, she’s now Rory’s right-hand woman. And if you ever imply her bangs went white out of fright on the night she was attacked, she’ll kick your ass into next week.
Lou considers himself a go-with-the-flow kind of guy. His oft-uttered catchphrase: “I’m just here for the vibes, man.” He even took his werewolf transformation in stride and was more upset about blowing his chance with Celene. But at least she managed to save herself and they can still be friends. His major golden retriever energy makes him easy to get along with, though he’s also susceptible to trickery and keeps unwittingly getting caught up in Bianca and Kiril’s schemes. He always carries around a sketchpad (though he’ll only go so far as calling himself a “doodler”) and becomes a surprisingly good art critic when stoned.
As the owner of the Grimtooth Bar, Celene mixes an absolutely lethal drink, and she’s earned her place as an honorary Wildfang by allowing Rory to establish an underground training facility on her property. After all, better for new recruits to have shelter and support rather than being left to fend for themselves. She knows the terror of those first few days following an attack. She only managed to sweat the werebies out of her system by throwing back some fever-induced mishmash of hard liquor she no longer recalls. These days, when she’s not tending bar or wolf-sitting, she’s on a quest to rediscover that elusive antidote — and possibly an actual cure.
The Clawde to Bianca’s Wolfie, Kiril has been stacking petty crimes since he could run on four legs. After a couple prison stints, he’s wised up, believing he’s now got the art of small-time robbery down to a science. He’s tight-lipped when it comes to where he came from. After all, dwellin’ on the past never done him a lick of good. He ain’t exactly happy to be bossed around by an angry blue-haired wannabe hotshot who only just graduated from the school playground, but he’s simply biding his time until he can start a pack of his own. If he’s lucky, he’ll manage to poach a couple accomplices along the way.
The Wolfie to Kiril’s Clawde, Bianca ain’t exactly the brains behind their gas station hold-ups, but she’s more than once found herself piling on the lovably dimwitted charm to get the two of them out of a tight spot. Given free range of the trailer park she grew up in from a young age, she’s no stranger to sweet-talkin’ her way to exactly what she wants, and if it don’t come to her willingly, she’ll walk away with her claws firmly dug in anyway. Between bouts of her on-again-off-again relationship with Kiril, she’s down for a good time with just about anyone who asks, so long as they don’t mind parting with a few valuables after.
Chris is a bit of a werewolf of all trades. He’s just as likely to be filling the role of bouncer at the Loft as he is to be serving as assistant bartender at Grimtooth, hoping that his hustle and versatility will give him a leg up in the big, bad world of adult employment. At the same time, money has a habit of disappearing from his wallet the moment it lands there, and sometimes his mouth runs faster than his brain can shut it up, making gainful employment the least of his problems. For him, going beast mode is the ultimate way to blow off steam; in those moments, no one is safe from being swept up in his path of destruction.
She may still be a new recruit who’s yet to graduate from the training bunker, but Kenzi is the go-to source for the latest on Wildfang drama thanks to her stealth eavesdropping skills. She thrives on gossip and isn’t exactly known for keeping secrets. But if you don’t mind everything you tell her getting back to everyone else, she’s a blast to hang out with, a pro at pulling pranks, and a master of the mosh pit. You can usually catch her headbanging in the front row at the Loft, where she helps book shows. You know you’ve officially made it out of your mom’s garage when Kenzi comes calling.
Aubrey grew up on a steady diet of supernatural young adult novels and urban legends passed down by her trucker father, who always claimed he’d seen more of the world than was visible to the average eye. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be a werewolf, and now that she’s dating Alyssa her dream is closer than ever. But the Collective has a stick up its ass about who can be turned and when, so Aubrey’s been cozying up to the Wildfangs, whose hands aren’t as tied by longstanding norms. So far, Rory isn’t convinced she can cut it, and Alyssa is too nervous to get involved, but Aubrey is nothing if not persistent.
(One more shout to @charsimsalot and @ethicaltreatmentofcowplants for talking werewolves with me!)
Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 298 (Moving In Or Moving On)
The San Myshuno Ballet Company ended another successful season, and Coppelia's final night marked the end of principal dancer, Connor Kibo's, illustrious career on stage. Often playing second to his prima ballerina partners under the lights, tonight the dancers gave him the stage for an encore, to thank the audience one final time for giving him a reason to perform.
But Pearl had seen it time and again - injuries had a way of stacking up over a career, and most dancers' bodies knew when to quit well before they fell out of love with dance.
For Connor that time was now. He was met in the wings by his wife, Autumn, whose career as a singer-songwriter would see the pair relocate permanently to Del Sol Valley. There, Connor would lend his expertise to teaching young dancers on the precipice of their own professional careers.
Saying goodbye was never easy, but Connor encouraged everyone to look him up in DSV, and they sent him off with warm hugs before he and his wife caught a flight to their sunny new hometown.
Uptown, Ash Landgraab was moving into his own city dwelling before starting work at Landgraab Engineering. The palatial two-story apartment was a gift from Ash's grandmother, Nancy, who got him a place in the same building where her brother Johnny lived with his wife and kids.
Eva, son Deven, and the twins, Noemi and Cristal, were all over to help welcome Ash to the building, and they marveled at how different the place was to their own. Heather could hardly believe her son would live in a place like this, but he was a Landgraab, after all, and this place had 24/7 security.
She congratulated Malcolm on the birth of his new daughter, Catherine, just days earlier, wishing Miko and the newborn well. Heather had nothing to complain about, and she even got along with Nancy for the night for her son's sake.
Pearl made her way over after post-show drinks with the crew, finding everyone still milling about Ash's new apartment. The TV alone was bigger than her bathroom at home!
But for all the space in the apartment, it was only listed as a one bedroom. Ash planted a kiss on her cheek and invited her on a tour, leaving his family downstairs to start a dance party in the kitchen - just like his grandfather Geoffrey would have done.
They moved from room to room - from the luxurious bathrooms to the bedroom with full walk-in closet. Pearl was awestruck by the space, until Ash led her to one last door across the upstairs hall from the main bedroom.
Inside they found Ash's second cousin, Cristal, at his robotics workstation, set up near a desk at the other end of the room from a ballet practice space. "Oh, hey, guys! I was just tinkering, but I'll leave you alone," she said, heading downstairs and leaving the lovebirds in the room.
"I had the same guy who works on the equipment at your studio come in to install the barre this afternoon."
"You installed this for me?"
"This is a big apartment, and I don't want to live here by myself."
"You want me to move in?"
"I do. This room works great as an office for now, but some day this could be the place we raise a family."
Pearl smiled at the thought, but she pushed back. "Some day, like, years from now, right? I know Daniela raised four kids while dancing as prima ballerina for the company and she's done an amazing job at it, but I just don't think I'm made of the same stuff, you know? I don't want my kids to compete with the time I have to give the company."
"I understand," he said. "That's why, for now, this room is an office and a studio."
With a beaming grin, Pearl agreed to move in. She packed up her things at her home across town, bringing a few photos before hugging her family to say goodbye.
Saving the longest farewell for her mother, Pearl held her close. "I'm sorry things were so difficult between us over the years. I should have trusted your instincts that Charlie was bad news."
"I fought you too hard," Dylan conceded warmly. "It was the wrong way to convince you to see things a different way, but it's in the past now. I'm so proud of the woman you've become, and Ash is great for you. That boy was always the right choice."
While Pearl made peace with her mother, two of her coworkers were at home in the trendy Fashion District - where making peace was the last thing on their minds.
"I thought you said the poster was a weird gift for him to give you," Lando Nymph said to his younger sister, Ari. "But if that's true, why is it hanging next to your bed?"
"I mean, she does kind of look like me," Ari protested. "I've given worse gifts than that."
"Are you talking about the times you tormented our younger siblings by doing spells on them for fun?"
"It wasn't just for fun, it was practice. But it doesn't even matter because I picked ballet, not spellcasting."
"Why did you pick ballet?"
"Because you weren't going to audition if you had to come here alone, and even though I'm here you're still afraid to tell the Landgraabs you're Nancy's dead husband's secret lovechild."
"Right. Because that's so easy to say."
"You're the one who said you wanted to know more about who you came from."
"I said that before I knew he was dead. I just remember that guy in the skeleton suit that used to come around when we were all really little."
"Do you think our mom made our dads do that so we wouldn't get attached? She did say they came over to provide extra childcare while she went out to get pregnant again. I don't think she really wanted us to know them. I don't even remember my dad's name."
"Whatever her reasons, it's not like we can ask her now."
"I just think you should get what you came for. That rich witch Nancy will probably throw her money at you just to hide the scandal."
"Who says I want money? Are you going to take your own advice and call the homeless guy?"
"He's not homeless. He lives in Moonwood Mill with his dad and sister."
"He said he sleeps in dumpsters sometimes, Ari."
Ari frowned. "And you're asking me why I haven't called him," she groused. "I think he might be a werewolf."
"So?"
After a minute, Ari steeled her nerves. "If I call him, you can't go anywhere. I don't know him well enough yet to be alone in here. I saw this weird thing online that someone might've been killed in this building." (Link goes to a lore video on YouTube, not by me.)
"It's San Myshuno. If it's true, it's probably not the only apartment with a story like that. Have you even smelled the air in the Spice District?"
When Lou arrived at the Nymphs' apartment, they buzzed him in and he walked through the front door with a wide grin. "What's up, city dwellers? I beat six lanes of traffic to get here; hope you're as excited to see me as I am to see you."
He glanced at Ari and they both blushed a little, leaving Lando to shake his head with a laugh. "Hey Lou. I'm not more excited to see you than Ari, here, even if I look it. How've you been?"
"Not bad," he announced, making himself at home in the living room. "Got a job digging graves recently. Apparently I'm the fastest digger they've ever had, and I've never been the best at any job before. I've never really been good at other jobs, come to think of it."
"That's great! I thought maybe you'd practice barre enough to join us in the company, but digging graves is good work."
"There's lots of it, too," Lou agreed. "Everyone dies eventually - except bloodsuckers, some werewolves, spellcasters..."
"What do you know about vampires, werewolves, and spellcasters?" Ari pressed.
"I know vamps can't do anything right," he scoffed.
"Do you know any?" wondered Ari. "Vamps, wolves, and witches, I mean?"
"I know I'm a werewolf," he admitted easily. "And I think I caught your coworker, Katrina, do a spell once to clean the showers at the studio."
"Katrina is a spellcaster?" Ari gaped. "I couldn't even tell!"
Lou cocked his head in confusion. "How could you tell unless you'd seen her do a spell?"
Lando laughed. "Because she's a spellcaster, too. Ari was training to be a pretty good mage before she auditioned for the ballet company."
"I know some spells, but I'm not that good," Ari said.
Lou Howell hated vampires, but other occults didn't bother him, and Ari's skill with magic just intrigued him more. "That's cool," he said, with a look that made the redheaded dancer blush. "Maybe you can show me some of those spells, sometime."
Lando glanced between the young wolf and his sister with a supportive smile. "I'll order a pizza," he said. "Do wolves like veggies, or do they just like their pies covered in meat?" ->
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Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary
Thank you for your service to my stories, Connor and @changingplumbob. It's been a pleasure having him to lift up his dance partners, literally and figuratively, throughout his professional career. May his retirement from the stage in Del Sol Valley be both sunny and sweet.
NOTE: In @hashimasims' 100 Baby Save, where Lando and Ari were born, Lando and his twin, Akkar, were fathered by Geoffrey Landgraab cheating on his Nancy in that universe, but I'm using that lore in my own save because it's drama to throw at Nancy, especially with Geoffrey no longer here to answer for himself.
It's also not canon in her original save that Ari doesn't know her father, but since it's Darrel Charm and the Charms haven't been introduced to my universe yet, *something happened* and she woke up in another save file with new memories, in a world where Darrel is not her dad. She could be a distant Charm relative/ancestor, I haven't decided yet, mainly because I'm still not sure how important her spellcaster status is going to be. My focus for Ari right now is seeing where things go with Lou.
