Test of Time Sims 2 Challenge by ivkafisik

I switched to daylight to capture this moment. Belladonna Hex was not a fan of Pyre’s new friend.

I imagine it all started like this: “Would you be interested in having the power to win fights?” asked the voice in the seashell.

“Watcher’s Chosen are not participating in the Colosseum matches,“ High Priestess Pyre Balefire replied. “And besides, I have 8 Body points. Is this a spam seashell-call?“ The voice ignored her remarks. “Then what about the power of magic?”

This, truth to be told, intrigued our High Priestess. Unfortunately for her, the call ended right here - but the thought wormed its way into Pyre’s mind.

Life became lonely after Priestess Lava Balefire died in a fight with her fellow priestess Charm Hex. But with both women gone, Pyre found herself frequenting the Gladiator Academy; something about the omnipresence of death appealed to Pyre.

When the snow melted, Pyre took in two more apprentices: Belladonna Hex (daughter of Marvel Hex and the scary gladiatrix Bloom II Leaf-Hex) and Magma II Balefire, Lava’s younger sister. Both came from Servant families and were chosen for their beauty.

Lava was still at everyone’s thoughts, mostly because she angrily haunted the grounds far more often than a polite ghost should; she, too, was still angry about her death.

Pyre was doing her best in keeping up with her priestessy duties. She thought of the matchmaking parties of old, now reduced to mere family reunions. She thought about the seashell call. There was nothing magical about her life now and it made her sad. 

Belladonna and Magma approached their duties with the same naivety as Pyre before, believing that marriage is still something they can achieve. But Pyre also knew how perilous life is and how easily it can be ruined - just think about poor Lava.

These thoughts tormented poor Pyre. Marriage. Magic. Lava. Death.

But the woman who called her two seasons ago observed it all and found Pyre worthy.

“I heard something about 8 body points,” she said instead of an introduction. “I like that in a woman.”

And this is how, on a cold spring night, High Priestess Pyre Balefire was turned into a witch.

Fearsome is the Gladiator Academy! Every step is perilous! Every meal is a fight! But Silver Kelpie Silver Dawn never falters - not even in face of mighty Jinx and his brood: Sympathy, Kindness and Compassion, named after things you need to kill in yourself in order to become a gladiator.

Reader, the Gladiator Academy is overrun with cats.

Guru Hex and Silver Kelpie truly hit it off after Guru joined the Academy at the beginning of winter. They are often found in the kitchen with Silver Kelpie imparting the forbidden knowledge of romance. Guru listens attentively; chances of getting married are very slim in this neighborhood and Silver Kelpie counts himself among the lucky few.

On the first day of spring - with the ground still marked with snow - I rolled the virtual dice to pick the next Servant for the Colosseum fight.

And this time, it was someone we all know: Marvel Hex.

Marvel had a long and rich life: when we first met him at the beginning of Year 4, he was a young bachelor helping his friend Tuna Scale to overcome the loss of her partner Gemma Stone. He adopted his brother's kids, married much younger Bloom Leaf who later died in the Colosseum, and then, just a few days ago, married Gemma II Stone. Nothing says eventful like six links in one paragraph.

But this day spelled Marvel's end. Goodbye, Marvel, and thank you for your presence in my story. Out of all the 10 children Orb Hex gave us, you were the most memorable and truly marvelous - but I would have also been quite angry at you if you had killed my star gladiator.

So Silver Kelpie returned to the Gladiator Academy. His first fight was over - two more remained. He was determined to win them all.

His determination inspired Guru as well - although his focus still needed some work.

In a truly romantic fashion, Silver Kelpie had a very good reason to push through. His wife Cinder Balefire-Silver Dawn gave birth to twins shortly after the first match. The Servant supply was running low in the neighborhood and the Leaf family which employed Cinder allowed her to stay at their house, which Silver Kelpie now frequently visited.

Summer came. The next Servant drawn was Charcoal Balefire, Cinder's cousin working for the main Leaf family. And this time, I was actually worried - Charcoal used to play with the kids in the household and she had 8 Body points. None of my gladiators have ever won two fights in a row and with 10 to 8 Body points, the chances were almost even.

But Silver Kelpie's fame grew and the attendees were mostly thinking about him.

Eventually, Charcoal perished in the summer fight. Silver Kelpie triumphed again. But there was one more fight ahead of him and the Servants ranks were getting pretty thin, with most Sims at 8 to 10 Body points.

Challenger alert - Year 6 approaches! It feels like yesterday when I started this challenge (March, reader, it was in March) and the babies who would trigger the Dark Ages are already here.

But would you like to know who is not here? Twelve Servants (!!) who died during the last year. I have only sixteen Servants (including babies) left, so let’s have a look at those unlucky souls.

In the Emperor's palace we have Sea Kelpie Silver Dawn, who started her career in hospitality when she was still a toddler. Her elder sister married and moved out and her elder brother moved to the Gladiator Academy after killing Granite Stone at the grand wedding.

There are five children in the royal household, so Sea Kelpie was joined by Allure Hex, one of the Scary Hex Triplets.

Sea Kelpie is valiantly taking care of Emperor’s children with her aspiration meter in red amidst so many marriages - a familiar sight for everyone in their twenties scrolling through a social media feed. I locked her wish to gain a skill point to give her a hope there is something she can achieve.

As for her elder sister, Pale Kelpie Silver Dawn married Scorch II Balefire. They moved to the Balefire Homestead which Scorch II inherited. They enjoy a rare privilege; the Empress sometimes pop-ups for dinner and free childcare.

Pale Kelpie is under a lot of pressure; Scorch II is so far the only male in the Balefire family. If either of them gets picked for a Colosseum fight before Scorch III enters the picture, the Balefre surname is in grave danger.

Scorch Balefire himself is well aware of this problem; that's why he recently re-married. Sadly, his two children with Jewel Stone-Balefire are neither boys, nor red-haired. A terrible blow for genetic diversity.

Next we have Charcoal Balefire, younger sister of the High Priestess Pyre Balefire. The Balefires are a very interesting family which somehow still manages to avoid all the story spotlight, but Charcoal's life is just plain boring. She is doing her best in not losing her mind while taking care of 7 children in the main Leaf household.

And now Cinder Balefire-Silver Dawn, who just married Silver Kelpie Silver Dawn. I like Cinder a lot; she is, in fact, the older sister of Priestess Lava Balefire, whose death would eventually lead to some interesting development this year, so she may be slightly overshadowed, but Cinder is carving her own path. She showed up at the grand wedding, saw Silver Kelpie in a fight with Granite Stone and then congratulated him.

She now serves in Senator Oak Leaf's household. Luckily, her and Oak are related (they share Magma Flame-Balefire as their grandmother), so there won’t be anything romantic between those two.

The Roman era wasn’t kind to the Hexes. Sigil Hex, the head of the family, lived just long enough to see the death of his son Astral Hex in the first Colosseum fight. His eldest son and heir died soon after. The last man standing in the main household - the cat lover Guru Hex - was then drawn for another Colosseum fight.

Marvel Hex, brother of Sigil Hex, first lost his wife Bloom II Leaf-Hex and then his twin sons. He remarried, but it's hard to say what the future will bring for his new wife; it certainly won't be easy.

Slovak only (sorry!) „Woo,“ prihovoril sa mi v roku 2007 duch môjho budúceho ja. „Stiahni si svoje obľúbené príbehy. Napáľ si ich na DVD. Odlož si ich. Keby niečo.“

Toto volanie som, samozrejme, vyslyšala, ale keďže mi duch môjho budúceho ja nevysvetlil, že fóra tu nebudú večne, vyslyšala som ho iba čiastočne. Ak si v rokoch 2005-2007 chodil na české Sims fóra (tagujem čumblr) a chceš si dať kvalitný nostalgia trip, tento post je pre teba.

Vďaka môjmu nadčasovému, hoci neúplnému kroku v tomto archíve nájdeš: ○ Chocholouškov aneb blázinec v Novém Bambinotu se vrací! 001-005 ○ Jsi na řade 001-006 ○ Kamilin příběh 001-014 a 060 ○ Květoluky 001-004 ○ Láska na první pohled 001-094 ○ Nelehký úděl 001-069 ○ Nelehký úděl II 001-002 ○ Neviditelná Marusja 001-007 - od polovice bez obrázkov ○ Osudy krasohlídkovských simíku 001-007 ○ Osudy rodiny Prescottovy 001-010 a 100 - recovered cez Waybackmachine, bez obrázkov (ak sa viete dostať k zvyšku, prosím, Veronika Prescottová bola môj život) ○ Osudy rodiny Hendersonovy 101-147 ○ Phoenix 001-016 ○ Přátelé 001-011 ○ Příběhy Rusovlásky 001-007 ○ Sofiin deníček 001-074 ○ Třicet aneb Jak Božena ke štěstí přišla 001-005 ○ Životní etudy LÍZA 001

MEDIAFIRE

Granite Stone for the Most Mentioned Side Character; I generally try to limit the number of named characters, but he just happened to be relevant again and again without ever having his own story.

Charm Hex for the Most Misunderstood; I feel like there was something lurking just below the surface when it comes to Charm Hex. She leaves me forever wondering.

Marvel Hex for the Most Unlucky; seven Hexes died this year, Marvel's wife and two children among them. Is it already over for poor Marvel, or will the next year bring more suffering? (Spoilers: both).

Picture of the Year: The Hexes really hate my idea of becoming witches.

Gemma II Stone, named after her aunt who perished at the beginning of the Year of Death, was always one of my favorites. She somehow maxed her Mechanical skill at the age of, like, ten, and I always imagined her as a girl with a curious mind which often wandered to unusual places.

Maybe that’s why she ACR-kissed Marvel Hex, currently one of the oldest and most skilled inhabitants of the neighborhood; for science, reader.

Marvel didn’t waste any time after his wife Bloom II Leaf-Hex died in a Colosseum fight; he just rolled a wish to marry again. Heartless, Marvel, but who am I to say no?

However, Gemma was a Plebeian, Marvel a Servant. I believe she was a little angry at herself for getting into this delicate situation.

I decided to throw a small party to celebrate their engagement. I invited some other Servants, Gemma’s siblings and, after some deliberation, both Leaf brothers.

The thing is, the Leaf family got pretty interwoven with the Hexes. There were only three children born in the Leaf family before Ember Flame-Leaf died: Persimmon, Bloom II and Oak. 

Persimmon married Marvel’s niece. Bloom II was, of course, married to Marvel himself, and you may remember Oak got into a relationship with Bless Hex, one of the children Marvel helped to raise, currently working as his live-in servant.

But maybe Bless failed to communicate the nature of this relationship to her family. Tensions were running high after Bloom II died in a Colosseum fight and maybe all that Marvel's first-born son Malus Hex saw was Senator Leaf, a rich Patrician, taking advantage of a poor girl.

Reader, Malus died. I loved his name - a perfect blend of witchcraft, botany and the staple of every Roman name, the -us ending. But he picked a wrong target and he paid for it. And his family paid too, namely a fine of 5000 Simoleons for attacking a Senator. A hard blow for my poorest Servant family.

So when the wedding came, I was much more strict with the guest list. Only the Hexes. The rest of the kids: Pyrus, Brugmansius and Belladonna. The two surviving Scary Hex Triplets and their younger brothers. Gladiator Guru Hex in red.

And one more person, Marvel’s niece Rune Hex-Leaf. I should have known this is a bad idea, but she was a Hex by birth, even though she married that cheating, ghost obsessed, piece-of-fruit Persimmon Leaf.

Because the moment the ceremony ended, Pyrus Hex decided to avenge his twin brother.

And he lost. So many fish had to be sold.

With all that happened, one thing was certain: there would be NO fraternizing between the Leafs and the Hexes. Marriages won’t be allowed anyway when Emperor Kraken Scale kicks the bucket, but no Hex would be serving the Leafs as well. 

But what about Bless?

Oak Leaf’s household was the last one in my winter rotation, so I had a few days to think it over. One thing was certain - Bless and her daughter would move out. But where? There was definitely some free space in Marvel’s house… 

It also meant no more fooling around for Oak himself; it was the time to pick a wife.

So Oak asked out Marble Stone, younger sister of his late wife. Everything went as expected; Oak gossiped (about the Empress cheating on the Emperor), joked and tickled his date, just as the ancient ritual of the Watcher demands. But THEN, as his wants rolled to a new set and I expected to proceed to dancing (…just as when the Empress cheated on the Emperor), THIS set appeared.

And in a shocking turn of events, Oak wished to marry his mistress Bless.

It was a tough choice for Bless who really didn’t want to get married. She could either go back home and risk the Colosseum, or stay here, marry and give birth to three more children as the rules for the Patricians demand.

But staying would mean she would never be welcomed among the Hexes.

I believe that - despite the lusty beginning - Bless and Oak truly loved each other. Oak adored their daughter. If Bless left now and Oak married Marble Stone, they would not stop seeing each other. It would lead to nothing more than tragedy.

So Bless stayed. And the Emperor of Love graciously allowed this marriage.

I imagine that Silver Kelpie Silver Dawn arrived at the Gladiator Academy convinced that his life was over. He was very far away from being fit, the only other person in the Academy was really imposing, and frankly, there was nothing to live for.

But then two things happened: first, Cinder Balefire took a sudden interest in him. Unbeknownst to Silver Kelpie, she also took interest in the heir of the Stone family, but the Watcher approved; with all the fights, flu and frights, it was wise not to put all your woohoos in one hot tub.

Neither Silver Kelpie nor the Stone heir knew about Cinder’s relationship with the other boy. They both repeatedly asked Cinder to go steady, but they were both refused. But something changed following the autumn match and Cinder finally - although reluctantly - said yes.

The second thing that happened was the arrival of Charm Hex. Charm fought in the autumn match and she would be fighting again in winter, which meant more time for Silver Kelpie to get fit.

However, it also meant more time with Charm herself, and it was not her 10 Body points that made Silver Kelpie afraid of her, but her apparent lack of social skills.

Truth to be told, Charm started to grow on me. One of the Scary Hex Triplets, forever interchangeable with Allure and Bless. Watcher’s Chosen, despite not being more special than her sisters. Cold and aloof, or pensive and stoic? Were her failed attempts to kiss Silver Kelpie just a pathetic attempt at getting closer to someone?

These were my thoughts on the morning of the winter match. Charm had 10 Body points, so I wasn’t really worried - there was nothing I could do to improve her chances and I knew that the other Servants averaged somewhere around 3 Body points. So I just rolled the virtual dice and got my lucky victim: Charm’s cousin Guru Hex.

Guru came from the primary Hex household, which had so much fun in the Roman era so far. First, Astral Hex died in the first gladiator fight. The rest of the household missed his death because they were all lying in beds with the flu. At this point in time, I was sick of the flu and refused to risk spreading it again, so the Hexes literally didn't leave the house for two whole seasons.

As the last man standing in the household, Guru - former middle child - became the new heir. With no one to marry, he at least adopted two cats.

And then he got chosen for the fight. With one Body point, because he spent the last two seasons in bed.

As always, Emperor Kraken Scale attended the match. As it turns out, gladiator matches really bring people together - they certainly did so with the Emperor and Bless Hex.

Charm and Guru started to fight and I really didn’t pay attention; I was too busy thinking about Charm’s future. Would she get closer with Silver Kelpie? Would they fall in love? Would they be forced to fight together? The future was so enticing.

But in the shocking turn of events…

…Charm lost.

I had no words. Charm Hex, the strongest Sim alive, lost to a random nobody. Guru just wiped the floor with her like it was nothing. Allure Hex, the gentlest of the Triplets, silently went mad.

Poor Charm was dead. So Guru moved to the Academy - together with his cats.

My plans - to have Charm fighting in the spring match to earn her freedom - went out of the window. Now it would be Silver Kelpie who would be fighting next.

With death looming on the horizon, he asked Cinder Balefire to marry him.

I think Cinder was waging a war of her own. Life would be nice if she married the Stone heir - but there was something about Silver Kelpie that drew her in. Maybe it was his determination, because Silver Kelpie asked her again. And again.

So eventually, Cinder said yes. She knew the rules: if Silver Kelpie survives three fights, he would become a Plebeian. Brave, considering none of my gladiators have won more than one fight so far - but if it wouldn’t work out, the Stone heir was still single.

And this is where we leave the Gladiator Academy at the very end of Year 5: with our newlyweds smooching and Guru befriending local cats.

And, well, Rune Leaf-Hex having a family crisis, because there is one more dramatic story in store this year.

Killing Priestess Lava Balefire was a crime which could not go unpunished. However, Charm Hex was a Watcher’s Chosen as well, so I thought it would be only fair to give her a fighting chance.

She was sent to the Gladiator Academy, which now had three inhabitants: Bloom II Leaf-Hex, who was chosen in the Servant lottery and won her summer fight; Silver Kelpie Silver Dawn, punished for killing Granite Stone at the grand wedding; and now Charm.

Each of my three gladiators had a varying level of fitness. Charm started her gladiatrix career by asserting dominance by regularly jogging through the neighborhood.

Silver Kelpie arrived at the Academy in a rather unfortunate state. You see, Emperor Kraken didn’t have much to do during the first season, so he threw parties. Parties mean buffet food and buffet food goes bad really fast, so the palace servants were tasked with the duty to prevent any unnecessary food waste.

In other words, Silver Kelpie’s fitness meter was very low and his Body points nonexistent. Luckily, he had Bloom to help.

Granite Stone’s death didn’t go unnoticed in the neighborhood. Cinder Balefire, the Servant impostor whom I accidentally invited to the grand wedding, was especially impressed. Silver Kelpie, who was lowkey crushing on her, didn’t mind this new interest she took in him.

It was decided that punishing Charm Hex should take the foremost priority, so no Servant was drawn for the autumn match. Instead, Charm would be fighting Bloom, the strongest gladiatrix in the Academy.

It was a bittersweet moment, but, like, without anything sweet about it. Charm, one of the children in Marvel Hex’s care, lost her parents when she was still a toddler. Marvel was like father to her and then, when she was nearing her teenage years, Marvel married Bloom. Bloom understood the danger the Hexes were in and trained the kids to get as many Body points as possible.

She just didn’t expect they would be used against her.

I knew it would be close. Charm had 10 Body points, Bloom had 8. The chances were almost even. 

The match began. Emperor Kraken Scale was present and enjoyed the match wholeheartedly. High Priestess Pyre Balefire came too; she would not miss the chance to see Charm suffer.

But it was Charm who triumphed. The scary gladiatrix Bloom II Leaf-Hex lost her life.

The autumn match was over. I decided I would be drawing a new Servant for the next match and it would be Charm who would be fighting again for the chance to have her transgression forgiven.

Pearl Stone-Leaf was the hottest girl of her generation. She was wildly popular in terms of chemistry (with like all three men she was not related to) and I found her really pretty, especially in her green palla and stola reserved for rich married women.

Her downfall came upon her on the Day 3 of the Roman era when she - enticed by the prospect of finally eating something other than fish - attempted to cook spaghetti.

When I started to play this secondary Leaf household, I didn’t plan to move in a Servant. The lot was quite small and I thought this young Patrician family could manage on its own. 

But, as you can see, Pearl didn’t even start a proper fire in the kitchen - she just tried to cook and died.

Bless Hex, one of the Scary Hex Triplets, moved in the following morning.

I picked Bless because I saw some tension in the family - all kids under Marvel Hex’s care were now teenagers and if you happen to be a Romance Sim like Bless in a neighborhood where everyone is related to you, well, you won’t be happy. Unhappy Sims make questionable life choices and I didn’t want any sibling fights, so Bless left the household.

However, I failed to realize that the recently widowed Oak Leaf is a Romance Sim as well.

Of course they ended up in bed. Of course Bless got ACR-pregnant. I placed the wedding arch outside and started to think about the consequences this match would bring; with Kraken being the Emperor of Love, a Patrician and a Servant could marry, but what would the people say?

However, I was getting ahead of myself. Because then I noticed both Oak and Bless are terrified of getting engaged and married.

So I had my first household with an official mistress. The baby girl was born with her mother’s surname, Bless continued to live as a Servant and Pearl got really angry each time Bless cooked perfect spaghetti. Understandably, I think.

You know, I never unlocked the See the Ghost of Flint Stone wish on Persimmon Leaf’s panel. We all may have some different interpretations of what the wants-based gameplay looks like, so this is mine: Persimmon Leaf, recently named a Senator, spending his nights sniffing flowers.

The main Leaf household fell into a strange routine. Senator Persimmon Leaf starts his day by reading the newspaper and searching for either a Politics or Military job opening; for some reason, with no success. 

His wife Rune Hex-Leaf sleeps until midday, then she wakes up, takes out some ingredients from the fridge and disappears somewhere in the house. I have no idea what she is doing with her time, but she keeps providing children unprompted, so I let her be.

Their constantly overworked live-in servant Charcoal Balefire struggles to keep up with cooking, babysitting and gardening. At night, Rune sits down next to her bed and reads her stories, which probably isn’t as helpful as Rune thinks.

And Persimmon travels to the local graveyard and waits.

Each night, Persimmon mourns the death of Flint Stone. The ghosts leave their resting places and reenact their (mostly) untimely deaths, and Persimmon hopes that maybe this night he will finally see Flint’s ghost. No luck so far.

Maybe this unhealthy longing messed up Senator Leaf in the head, because instead of heading home, he usually ends up next door, at the Emperor’s palace, and in the arms of no other than… Empress Dark Opal Silver Dawn-Scale.

Let me tell you how this came to be: Dark Opal rolled a wish to dance. Not with Persimmon himself, just a generic dancing wish. My Sims spend so much time with the aspiration meter in red (blame all the deaths), so I am desperate for anything to increase it before they kill each other in random fights.

So when Dark Opal wanted to dance, I didn’t think twice - I directed her to the closest person, which really happened to be visiting Persimmon Leaf, and selected Classic Dance. Which, as I foolishly failed to realize, is a romantic interaction.

So Persimmon’s daily routine has become even more complicated; now he has to fit in both ghostseeing and embarrassing the Emperor by having a very public affair with his wife.

In any case, when he waits for the ghost of Flint Stone now, he has some juicy gossip to share.

The Gladiator Academy wasn't the only brand new building in the neighborhood; another ugly and windowless structure appeared just on the other side of the Colosseum.

It was the Temple of Watcher's Chosen, a place with the power to change lives. Up to six women from the neighborhood could be chosen to enter this hopefully flu-free and leisure place. The priestesses would be seen as honorable members of the society and would be exempt from the Colosseum fights - and if they ever find someone they are not related to in this big happy family of a neighborhood, they would be even allowed to marry.

For my first priestesses, I picked:

Pyre Balefire. Eldest child in the main Balefire family. A Gen 3 which doesn’t quite fit anywhere - considerably younger than the rest of the Gen 3, much older than the Gen 4. A 1996 Zillennial, basically.

Lava Balefire. Pyre’s cousin. There is a challenge going among my blond-haired Sims called “Gotta Collect All the F-Deaths" and at this point in time, they already had fight, fire, flu and fright. I was not risking poor Lava to check off the flies, or, you know, some other f-related activity she could die doing.

And Charm Hex. I liked the idea of choosing one of the Scary Hex Triplets and I picked Charm for her charming personality.

The temple was pretty bare; I used only 5000 Simoleons graciously donated by Emperor Kraken Scale. The High Priestess was allowed to have a job of her choice (the Watcher told her to pick Paranomal) but other than that, the priestesses mostly occupied themselves by throwing parties and talking with their cousins about the unreachable dream of marriage.

“Do you ever wonder about death, Charm?” Charm kept her thoughts to herself.

“I know we will die unmarried, but at least we can become besties.”

“… besties can handle anything, Lava, even Charm’s cooking.”

Unfortunately, to Pyre’s great dismay, being besties was not something Charm was interested in.

Just as with the first grand wedding, I invited everyone Emperor Kraken Scale knew, but only from the Patrician and Plebeian families (no free meals for the Servants). The guests arrived in an assortment of formalwear, but the Emperor of Love graciously pardoned this small oversight on my part.

One Servant, however, evaded my watchful eye, and Cinder Balefire was if not the talk, then at least the thought of the party.

One of the three surviving “Palace Kelpies” - children from the Silver Dawn family with their rather unusual names who moved to the palace as live-in servants - was also thrilled; Cinder was magnetic.

The ceremony began and the thoughts of the attendees turned to Roe Scale-Stone, the bride from the last grand wedding. Some of the guests also thought about Senator Orchard Leaf, who called off the “no-parties” ban for this special occasion.

Cinder Balefire, the Servant impostor among the honorable guests, was also thrilled to see Roe here.

Kraken and Dark Opal exchanged their rings and this time, I actually took photos of their faces, so you can see how the most important couple of this generation - maybe of the whole era - looks like.

The ceremony went without incident; Kraken was not left at the altar and the guests could proceed to chilling in the hot tubs (graciously paid for by the Hexes). But then I heard that sound. The caught cheating sound.

I briefly mentioned that Bloom II Leaf-Hex, who was also invited as a respectable gladiatrix, once ACR fell in love with a certain Granite Stone. This relationship didn't go anywhere, because Bloom married into the Hexes, but when I saw Bloom and Granite interacting, I thought: “Okay, her husband saw them flirt and Bloom got slapped.” 

But no, reader, no. It was Bloom who was slapping Granite, because Granite flirted with her brother Oak Leaf and Bloom, despite being married with four children, did not like it.

Scary gladiatrix Bloom glared at her former lover who defiantly stared into her eyes while the young palace servant tried to talk with the Servant impostor Cinder Balefire, only to realize they have nothing in common. The game recognised these undeniable similarities with a real wedding and increased my party score.

I rescued my playable Sims, directed them to the buffet table and observed the wedding guests some more, when I heard another sound. And this time, it was a fight.

My heart stopped. I didn't see who was fighting; was it Kraken - or worse, Dark Opal? I quickly checked and I saw them safe outside. I also saw all the Leafs, the bane of every party. So who was it?

It was Silver Kelpie Silver Dawn, another from the "Palace Kelpies", and no other than... Granite Stone. For reasons still unknown, everyone in the Silver Dawn family got mad at Granite Stone. Was it because he angered Bloom, an honored and very scary gladiatrix? Or worse - was it because he stole the wedding spotlight?

In any case, Silver Kelpie took the matter to his own hands. And he won.

If Silver Kelpie were an ordinary Servant, the punishment would be death; but he was serving in the palace. Granite Stone did not come from the primary, but from the secondary Stone household and he was only a Plebeian. A privileged Servant, a low-ranking Plebeian.

So Kraken Scale, the Emperor of Love, was merciful. Silver Kelpie packed his bags and moved to the Gladiator Academy as a gladiator. Granite Stone was dead, but his parents were no longer alive and his younger brother didn't mind this sudden promotion to the household heir.

While the Balefires may have entered the Roman era with more than 80k Simoleons, Emperor Kraken Scale, the Emperor of Love, declared that their wealth should be used elsewhere, and to the benefit of all. So the Balefires relocated to a humble farm and Kraken used their money to pay for this peak of my building skills: the Colosseum.

Emperor Kraken, being the Emperor of Love, also declared that each Servant sent to the Colosseum deserves at least a fighting chance. For that purpose, the Gladiator Academy was established.

I would describe the Gladiator Academy as something akin to a modern workplace: should you survive your tenure, you may be rewarded with a career advance. Any unmarried Servant wishing to improve their social standing may decide to join the academy. If they win three fights and the Emperor likes them, they are free to leave as a Plebeian, broadening their marriage options and general survival.

Needless to say, none of the Servants were too thrilled to join the Gladiator Academy, so it was declared that the first Servant drawn for a Colosseum fight will be considered a happy volunteer. 

And that first Servant was Astral Hex, the youngest boy from the main Hex household. Oh, if only he were born to a wealthy family! If only he could expect a nice and comfy life, just like Granite Stone here!

The first real gladiatorial fight was scheduled on the first day of summer as a part of the festive activities accompanying the once-in-a-generation wedding of Emperor Kraken Scale and the future Empress Dark Opal Silver Dawn.

So Astral spent the spring preparing for the fight with the next randomly drawn Servant. There was nothing to do at the Academy but to exercise and Astral made use of every second.

Emperor Kraken, who happened to be best friends with young Astral, was very supportive. “I can’t wait for your big performance,“ he said over a dinner in the palace.

“If only the future Empress would get sprayed by a skunk,” Astral muttered while glaring at Kraken's palace conveniently located just across the street.

Then the first day of summer came and I rolled the dice.

And it was Bloom II Leaf-Hex, that Bloom who basically lived on the monkey bars, because her brother was obsessed with exercising. She had only 6 Body points, but she already carried herself as a winner.

My life is so over, Astral thought.

And he was right, because the greeting they exchanged was the last polite interaction they had before Bloom wiped the floor with him.

When Bloom Leaf died so many years ago, I kept her grave at the Leaf Estate. I imagined that her twin brother Orchard Leaf would find it hard to part with his only… Well, I can't really call her a “living relative”, but you know what I mean, right?

In any case, Bloom stayed. But since she died of fright, she became a very angry ghost. Orchard’s life moved on and Bloom’s presence became quite dangerous for his young family.

I imagined that Orchard wouldn’t want to make his sister even angrier by a hasty relocation, so he decided to appease her ghost by naming his first and only daughter Bloom II. And then promptly shipped the grave away.

So when Persimmon Leaf vowed to kill Flint Stone, he had an imposing ally on his side. Not only was Bloom II named after a scary relative, but she was a constant background presence in his training montage.

When Bloom turned teenager, Marvel Hex couldn’t help himself. They were ACR-obsessed with each other, kissing, hugging and flirting every time they met.

I thought about this couple a lot, because they came from different generations. Marvel was the youngest son of Orb Hex, but Bloom was a grandchild of Bud Leaf. She also ACR-ed into love with Granite Stone, another grandchild from the Stone family, and this match would probably make much more sense, because their babies would be born without Orb Hex haunting the family tree.

There was a moment when Bloom and Granite flirted; Marvel saw them, slapped Bloom and stormed away, and I thought, okay, that’s it, Bloom will get together with the Stone boy, but then Bloom kept autonomously apologizing until all was good again.

So I relented. They obviously liked each other and if there was someone strong enough to handle five children in Marvel’s care, it would be Bloom.

Bloom moved into the Hex House and got really close with all kids, but especially the girls (as it happens when you share a hairstyle). Allure, Bless and Charm were uncannily similar - so much I never learned to tell them apart and just called them the Scary Hex Triplets.

Marvel and Bloom, both Family Sims, were great step-parents, and the kids had a happy childhood full of fishing, hiking, playing on the monkey bars and farming the Hex family vegetable, the humble eggplant.

There was just one tiny catch: the Hexes ended up as Servants. There were 28 Servant Sims by the time of the first Colosseum draw - 27 if you exclude our future Empress Dark Opal Silver Dawn who already moved to the palace - and most of them were from the Hex family.

You may be wondering about those two pictures with Kelpie on fire and Pale Opal panicking at the same spot with no Kelpie in sight - and yes, they do not match, because they come from two different moments.

If I know I'm gonna lose every teen/adult Sim on the lot, I quit without saving, play the household again, move the Sims to the family which will take the children, and then kill everyone who is supposed to die.

So the fire ruined everything, Kelpie and Pale Opal died, I quit without saving.

But can you imagine what happened when I loaded the household?

Yep. Kelpie started the fire again.

When they finally survived long enough to be moved to Kraken's palace, our glorious Emperor took their deaths surprisingly well.