Hey was utterly blown away by the Passenger! I've got to ask though will Ara ever forgive Newman or has that ship now sailed? Also even though I romanced Jonny please tell me I can adopt Bruno please?
Hey, thanks :3 Ara would probably forgive Newman if it bothered Newman enough to bring it to Livvy’s attention. She would ask Ara to cut her sibling some slack, and Ara would do it for her, but things would still be kind of awkward. Newman would have to work to get her to be on friendly terms with them again.
You mean adopting Bruno like in, would Jonny and Fiama be alright with Newman being friends with Fiama while dating Jonny? And would Fiama let Newman and Jonny take Bruno to the theater or the playground? Yeah, neither would mind because Fiama trusts Newman, and Jonny doesn’t mind Bruno—I mean, he is sort of awkward around children, but he is sort of awkward around everyone, so...
Almost done! This is my 5th drawing for Pride Month!
When The Passenger was still just the demo version I must have played it 100 times over. I just love the whole concept of the game, and anything with Eldritch Horror like themes is just my sort of thing.
So here’s a little something I did for my MC Amara Newman and her love Fiama Brandle.
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I think I could do this forever
You wake up first of course. You always do. You don’t need much sleep, at least that’s what you tell yourself even when you constantly yawn halfway through the day. You open your eyes to the pale ceiling above you only visible thanks to the moonlight coming in through the window opposite the bed. Still dark. Too early. You let out a sigh and slowly sit up, being careful not to wake the sleeping form to your right. She’s facing you and you smile as you look upon her face, so serene when she’s asleep and you quickly slip out without disturbing her. Bare feet hit cold ground and you shiver as you look around for your pair of slippers, finding them finally half-hidden under the bed. You stretch, yawn, and tie your hair half up before you pad from the room.
Your stomach growls at you and so you head into the kitchen to grab something to eat and you spy the clock along the way. Ah. Not too early then. Just up before the sun, which, is not uncommon. If you were at your mom’s you’d probably have gone back to sleep to save yourself from the potential outcome of being asked question you couldn’t, and didn’t want to answer. But here? At Fiama’s? You don’t have to hide anything from her or Bruno. Not anymore. You allow yourself a smile as you open the door to the fridge and bend over to take a gander at its contents. You know for certain that there’s some leftover spaghetti in here, and you’re sure Fiama won’t mind if some of it goes missing…
“Amara?”
The flash of the kitchen light turning on and the tiny voice behind you takes you by surprise and you jump, smacking your head on the fridge and hissing out a quiet curse before pulling back and turning around.
“Kiddo!” you laugh as you rub the back of your head, “Did I wake you?” You ask to which he shakes his head.
“I was already awake. What are you doing?” he asks.
“Getting some food,” you turn back around, grab the bowl of spaghetti, and shut the fridge, “Want some?” you grin as you shake the bowl. You see his eyes light up and you chuckle, “Alright, go sit down and I’ll make you a plate. But be quiet!” you tell him as he scampers off, “We don’t want to wake your mom!”
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You sit at the table with only the light from the kitchen to illuminate your night time feast. You watch Bruno stuff his face as you readily enjoy your own meal and the only reason you aren’t actively shoveling it into your mouth as fast as you can was that you promised Fiama you’d try to teach Bruno some manners. Be a respectable role model. Well, as much as you can be anyways. And as you watch Bruno enjoying his meal you think you could just about do this forever, be a part of something like this. It wasn’t something you ever thought you would want but emotions can be fickle (as you have come to find out), and now you can’t see yourself continuing this life any other way.
Bruno must be able to sense you staring because he looks up at you and you wonder if he would be happy with you around for him as he grows. The answer comes to you as transparent visages split left and right of him and as his mouth stretches into a wide, food-filled grin, those to the left of him grin at you also. You shake your head, the images fading and you chuckle.
“Nobody likes see-food,” you tell him and he frowns.
“Sea food?” he questions. You grin and spoon some spaghetti into your mouth before opening and sticking your tongue out.
“See? Food!” He laughs at that, food spraying from his mouth and you have to lean to the side to avoid getting any on yourself. You watch as he claps his hands over his mouth and looks up at you. You swallow your food and snort a laugh but then you realize he’s not looking at you, but past you. You freeze and tense up, your shoulders bunching up to your ears as you slowly turn in your seat to see Fiama standing in the doorway.
“You two enjoying yourselves?” she crosses her arms over her chest and quirks an eyebrow as she looks at Bruno before finally settling her eyes on you.
“We were hungry?” you shrug and give a sheepish smile and she shakes her head as she laughs softly and walks to Bruno’s side.
“C’mon kid, lets get you back to bed. And you,” she turns her head to look at you as Bruno hops down from his seat, “Make sure you get all the spaghetti from the table okay?”
“Yes Ma’am,” you grin as you push your chair back and get to your feet. You lean in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek and then you head back into the kitchen to grab a cloth.
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“Sorry about eating all the spaghetti.” You murmur into Fiama’s hair as you lay together in bed a while later. The sun is up now, its light bathing the room in a soft golden glow. She laughs and snuggles up closer to you. You half sit up to wrap your arms around her and pull her close into your chest.
“That just means you’ll have to help me make more,” she replies and you smile as you lean back and look out the window.
“I’ll be happy to.” You give her a brief squeeze and feel her grab one of your wrists and gently wrap her fingers around your skin.
“I know you would baby.”
You both lapse in a comfortable silence and the warmth of the encroaching day threatens to lull you back to sleep. But a thought is stuck in your head, one that’s been there for a while but stirred more into awareness since you woke up this morning.
“Fiama?” You’re uncharacteristically hesitant and you know she hears it as she tilts her head to look up at you with a slight crease in her brow.
“Amara?”
“I was thinking…” You trail off a little, unsure of how exactly to word what you’re thinking, “I feel like I could do this forever. Being here with you and Bruno, being a part of this small family and I… I want to make it more official. As much as we can do and I know I’m not great with words or feelings but this here? Here and now? It feels good. It feels safe.”
You see her eyes water and for a moment your stomach drops and you think you’ve said something wrong before her mouth splits into a grin and her grip on your arms tightens.
“Amara Newman,” you hear the waver in her voice as she wipes the tears from her eyes, “I would love nothing more.”
“Good.”
You’re smiling now as well as you bend slightly to kiss her on the forehead before you wrap your arms tighter around her and lean back against the headboard.
It’s been some years since I did The Passenger crew in the sims. My original file didn’t survive computer transfer so I remade everyone from scratch.
We have Luna (my mc), Roach, Horizon, Jonny, Fiama, Livvy, and Ara.
I’ll probably go back and tweak a few things and I keep flip flopping if I like my design of Roach or not but for now they’re all relatively done. 🤔
My mcs always have to be smol so Roach gets to be taller than someone for once. 😂 I tried to stick with what I remember about their heights from an old ask although the sims has its limitations too.
okay i know not a lot of people talk about fiama but the way she was very quick to accept wtf was going with newman even though bruno could be at risk. and also fiama is just so set on what she wants, she knows it, she owns it.
and she calls newman BABY- HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TAKE ME NOWWWWW
Jonny and Newman being delightfully clueless about different things for about 1.5k words.
All from Jonny’s perspective.
Anything Indented is what the original creator wrote in the game and not my words, just to avoid confusion (☞゚ヮ゚)☞
Can be read on ao3 here if preferred.
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Sitting in a diner alone wasn’t exactly his idea of a great Friday night but it wasn’t like he had ever had one of those, really.
It was made all the worse by the fact he had been coerced into coming—alone, his mind provided again in a voice awfully similar to his friend as if to spite him—all because one of the only people he might care about had gotten hit by cupid’s toxic arrow.
Jonny had tried to get out of it, but Roach was relentless when they wanted to be and Jonny hadn’t had the patience to continue arguing between rewinding tapes and Roach’s dramatic declarations of love towards somebody he didn’t know existed until then.
C’mon, Jonny. Do it for me.
Jonny rolled his neck, tapping his fingers against the top of the bar and doing his best not to glare at the waitress chatting up the apparent object of Roach’s affections. Of course mini Brandle had to be one of the people that worked here, obviously avoiding him if the glimpses of distaste every so often were a sign.
The feeling was mutual, so he couldn’t care less. Compared to high school, a few flicks of her beady eyes were nothing.
The sound of a yelp caught his attention, the woman beside his target elbowing them. They didn’t move at all, no doubt eyeing the other in confusion about her actions. The two talk in hushed whispers until turning back to Brandle who looked a bit deflated. He couldn’t help the odd satisfaction that moved through him, wishing he had a coffee or something to hide the snort threatening to escape him.
Or maybe he wanted Brandle to know he saw so it could serve as some sort of karmic release.
If only he believed in that stuff.
Still, it had piqued his interest that this person had managed to get the attention of not only Roach but Brandle as well. With how they sat hunched over themself and scratching at the bar, it wasn’t as if they were screaming ‘notice me!’. The irony in Jonny watching them and attempting to figure them out wasn't lost on him, though it did prove their attempts at being lowkey weren’t working.
For a moment, Jonny nearly felt for them not being able to just up and disappear.
And then eyes connected with his own, sending a chill down his spine.
Got you.
He nearly lost all the air in his lungs, their eyes satisfied but brimming with skeptical curiosity. Jonny regained his bearings as best he could, refusing to become the prey here. He wouldn’t be the first to look away even with the way his heart thrummed from beneath his shirt. He picked at the sleeve of his jacket, pulling it forward before allowing that hand to rest flat against the bar.
They were perceptive as hell, something Roach had ever so kindly left out of their little debriefing.
When they look away to resume their conversation, he lets out a breath, hating the way he had nearly broken out into a sweat. He hadn’t expected someone so unassuming to be so…intense. He lifted his hand from the bar, scrunching his nose at the handprint left against the glossy surface and wiping it away. His jacket was beginning to feel uncomfortably stuffy, and yet a moment later he was shuddering where he sat.
Squinting, he looked around to see if there was any sign of someone messing with the temperature only for his green eyes once again to meet a curious pair. He tilted his head, unsure of whether he should continue or up and leave the bar completely.
They looked away—why didn’t it feel like he had won?—and it is then that Jonny noticed the woman beside them walking off and leaving them to their own devices.
So much for leaving. It was game time.
Jonny stood, walking toward them as calmly as he could manage. He wasn’t good at this stuff, even his smile apparently being a nightmare for whoever was receiving it. If Roach really liked this person though, he couldn’t go scaring them off. Which was annoying in and of itself, because he didn’t do approachable. He had stopped caring long ago, yet he felt he was back trying to impress bullies and bystanders all over again.
Their eyes didn’t look away this time with no distractions around them, Jonny preparing for the worst.
Then they winked.
The act alone had him stopping where he stood, his brain unable to comprehend what had just happened.
He turned to look behind him, noting most of the patrons had all but left apart from some obvious regulars. No one near his age or theirs as far as he knew. When he turned back toward them, it finally hit him.
They had winked at him.
Why?
He hesitated, unsure whether he wanted to know the answer, but still took the final step toward them.
Had Brandle put them up to that? A joke they would laugh at once he was out the door, maybe?
“I know who you are.”
It wasn’t the most tactful conversation starter, but he was beginning to warm up for some reason that wasn’t because of the diner’s shitty aircon. Still, he feels a chill inside of him and can’t help how it makes him shudder. He borderline glares at them, wondering if their presence alone was enough to set off his body’s warning bells.
“Newman.”
“That’s my name,” they agreed, looking unimpressed, brow raising as they leaned a cheek against their palm. “It doesn’t mean you know me.”
The words slip out before he can stop them.
“Your father died in a freak accident.”
The wince was as visible as his shudder earlier, eyes creasing as they pressed their lips together firmly. Jonny wondered if an apology was in order until their expression faded, brows lifting as they leaned into their palm even more. Their mood change reminded him a lot of Roach, the aura of eerie calm after such obvious emotion polarizing.
“Not the best pickup line I’ve heard.”
Jonny held back a scoff. “That wasn’t—” he paused, crossing his arms and feeling his ears burn. They had been joking, obviously, but he was never known for his humor. “Jokester, huh? You must be a joy at parties.”
They didn’t answer, looking rather uncomfortable at the notion. Good.
I’m in love.
Not good, if Jonny was trying to be a half-decent wingman for his loud-mouthed friend.
Damnit.
“Look, you aren’t like these people.”
He could see their skepticism and even a bit of concern as he motioned around the diner. He had to get them the address and get out. He didn’t need whoever they were with coming back or worse, Brandle making an appearance to save Newman in an attempt to appeal to them.
Jonny wasn’t there to hurt them, if anything, Brandle was the one who could do that without batting an eye.
“What does that mean?” Newman asked, Jonny already grabbing a napkin and writing without an answer.
He pushed it toward them and hoped they had enough sense not to lose lest he wanted Roach getting on his case. If he went through all of this just for nothing he would seriously—
“What are you doing here?”
Jonny was glad he didn’t cringe at the voice, the woman speaking again and facing Newman before he could answer.
“He isn’t bothering you, right?”
“Brandle,” he said through teeth, eyes narrowing. “Still on the culinary career, I see. Oh look, they even gave you your own name tag. Good for you.”
He did his best to quell the nausea pooling in his gut with cool anger, her appearance so much like her brother’s he was glad he hadn’t gotten any food at the risk of it making a reappearance. If he had been warm before, he was practically overheating now, the urge to pick his sleeve growing but ignored.
“That barb would work a lot better if it hadn’t come from a clerk of all people.”
Jonny needed air, preferably some that a Brandle hadn’t also breathed in. Turning on his heel, he shoved one hand into his jacket pocket and used the other to wave dismissively.
“I think I saw a good coupon back there—get it before someone else does.”
“Freak.”
He doesn’t hear much after that, her soft tone as she speaks to Newman blurring into the diner’s chatter. He didn’t stop even as the cold air hit his face, fists clenched tightly at his sides and shoulders taut.
Freak. Freak. Freak.
Jonny stopped a few blocks out with a harsh exhale, but his jaw remained locked in place as he tried his best to calm his thundering heart. He didn’t care, truly, he had gotten over that shit years ago.
So why was he wondering what kind of vitriol Newman was hearing from Brandle? Why was he hoping they did show up at Hellbenders so they could actually talk with him without prying eyes and venomous tongues? Would they even care about what kind of person they were associating with if they did find out? It was so long ago and yet…they were all the same.
And he wasn’t, not from lack of trying.
With another breath, his heart now a steady beat and nausea from his youth long gone, Jonny began the walk back to his place wanting the privacy it offered. He had had his fill of socialization for the evening: a shower and music so loud he couldn’t remember that grating voice sounding pretty damn good at the moment.
No matter how reluctant he had been to approach them, Newman surprisingly was different.
Whether that was something to be grateful for remained to be seen.