#dylan ember

A few days after prom came birthdays and graduation. Though the worst of the grief had passed, no one fully felt up for a big party or a formal graduation. The school understood given the circumstances, and the boys were allowed to get their diplomas in the mail.

To no one's surprise, the ever competitive Teddy got Valedictorian.

Phoenix and Finn, not far behind in school standing, both graduated with honors.

And Darrel? He graduated from his midlife crisis and was closer than ever both to Johnny and his family. The two were both proud of what the boys had accomplished, but also sad because they knew they would be moving out.

Teddy Zest-Charm added Loyal to his Hot-headed and Competitive traits. Despite how Jax could be, he never gave up on him nor did he try to change him. Jax Harjo couldn't help but to be a bit Romantic despite his Evil and Competitive ways by the whole thing. A lot of people in his life felt the need to try to fix him, but Teddy never did. He didn't hesitate to call him out on his bullshit and was the only sim Jax minded doing so.

Teddy moved in with Jax in Darrel and Johnny's old house in Copperdale. He is an eSports pro-gamer while Jax is sticking to streaming for now.

Phoenix Charm was already a Plant loving sim who Loved the Outdoors, but his decision to move to Simeon Silversweater's home in Glimmerbrook with his girlfriend, Lorena Volkov, pushed him into Mystical territory as well. Lorena was already a Geek who also Loved the Outdoors and became a Bookworm as well. Adjusting to this new life together has been a bit of a struggle so far. Dating a werewolf is quite a bit different from living with one, and Phoenix started noticing some things about himself that he wasn't sure how to discuss.

Couple's therapy hadn't gone well, Kristopher refused to give his blessing to marry Lorena, and even she seemed not interested in marriage. It's a lot to process and work through... will they pull through?

Finn Charm ever the Outgoing Creative type, decided to Bro it up with his "roomies" Dakoa Vatore and Leon Rocca. In addition to being Bros, Dakota and Leon are both Active. Dakota is Self-Assured, and Leon is an Art Lover. The three took their bromance to San Myshuno where they live in a penthouse in the Art Distract. Oliver the cat has been keeping an eye on them to make sure they behave!

Dakota, with big brother Alexander's help, scored a job as a body builder and personal trainer. Leon has a part time job as a life guard at the local gym's pool*, and Finn? Finn is an indie artist.

And with that, Darrel and Johnny are officially alone for a bit:

It kind of makes me sad since they've not been alone since they left Copperdale. I know Malcolm will be joining them in due time, but for now maybe they'll adopt a cat?

On Harvestfest early in the morning... he just came downstairs to have a bite to eat before working on the big family meal.

But what if I said no? Or at least "not right now"?

After spending time with her fathers and siblings, Celeste realized that she needed to reach out to someone for help, not only for her ailment and her grief, but also her midlife crisis. The ailment was the easiest thing to get sorted, but therapy posed her with an assignment that she wasn't sure how to process: Find love within herself.

It was also recommended that she start keeping a journal. Truth be told, Celeste already had a journal from her child and teen years that she hadn't touched in ages. Whenever she pulled it out, she found herself reading over old entries from years past.

There were so many about Dylan - their friendship as kids, her crush on him after seeing him as a teen for the first time, their first kiss... it hurt so much that she nearly threw the book away, but she saw something else. Her dreams.

She had dreamed of fishing; not just in the little spots around Willow Creek, but in bigger waters and places she had never been. She had really wanted a more adventurous life, but it never happened.

Celeste decided it was time to change this.

The first place she wanted to go was Sulani. Not only did being out on the open water feel healing, but the amount of fishing that she was able to do brought her joy she hadn't felt in quite some time.

Whenever she finally went back home to Brindleton Bay, she sought out a little fishing spot to try to quiet all of the emotions bustling inside of her. The therapist warned her that grief would likely make her mid-life crisis feel even worse, and that it was important to not make any hasty decisions based on those negative feelings.

She was starting to feel as though maybe the little life she had setup there in the Bay and her job as a scientist weren't really what she wanted; however, she opted to not act on those feelings just yet.

Her dads had always checked in with her to make sure she was okay, and Darrel in particular was very worried about his first born. He wanted to make sure that she was doing more than simply working and staying at home, and if that meant dueling in the Magical Realm, then so be it.

Celeste had never been able to beat her father before, but something happened that day...

If she could beat her father, one of the strongest non-sage casters she knew, then maybe she could overcome anything?

The two decided to visit a festival to celebrate.

Celeste took time to enjoy the water while the glow and the aurora proved to be very inspiring for Darrel who decided to play old songs on his guitar. It reminded her of how he used to play at home whenever she was still a child. They soon parted ways, but Celeste decided to check out a fishing spot she had heard rumors of.

Between the jellyfish and the glow worms, the little cove felt magical. However, it wasn't long before an unexpected familiar face showed up...

He seemed unsure of talking to her at first, but she wanted to try to salvage their friendship if possible. They didn't get to speak very long, but both seemed happier for it. She knew that they would never be romantic partners again, but maybe not losing a life long friend was more important anyway.

Once Dylan left, Celeste decided to take another vacation day to both process her feelings and also visit a place she had always wanted to go: Granite Falls.

The fresh air and time alone... well, not fully alone, the cats came with her... gave her new perspectives on life. What she wanted was more clear than ever.

A couple of phone calls and some packing later, Celeste had a new job and a new home on the beach.

A few months later...

Celeste found herself the happiest she had been in a long time. Things weren't perfect, and there were still relationships that needed mending, but she finally felt like her life was going in the right direction. Not only that, but she realized that she didn't actually hate children... she simply had grown to resent parenthood because she had lost sight of what she wanted to do with her life.

Morgyn Ember, their sons Dylan and Terrence, and Dylan's son Erick got to enjoy a little Harvestfest together in Strangerville!

Young adult Kevin jamming out with infant Dylan enjoying the show vs now with him as an elder playing for his grandson, Erick.

Dylan and August's son Adrian was a relatively calm baby by newborn standards. Winter had been far more fussy... mostly because she had a very healthy appetite and frequently wanted bottles.

August was still in awe of the little boy. They had never imagined that they'd ever have a child that would be a full alien like themself; and while they never felt truly alone with their little family, having Adrian in their arms made them realize that the newborn filled a part of their life that they didn't know were missing.

The feeling of being the only one, the only undisguised alien they had ever seen, had been buried for years under layers of forced half-hearted acceptance. And now here they were, alone no more.

[WN: If August ever travels to Windenburg, then their whole worldview's going to be rocked by the sheer number of aliens in the Villareal family tree alone.]

Erick was simply happy to have another sibling. He reflected on how he went from figuring he'd never have any actual ones to now having two! He was also glad that Adrian came as quickly as he did so he'd have time with the boy before he graduated. He was still debating on if he wanted to go to university, but there was plenty of time to worry about that... now was the time to finish up high school and hang out with family.

In seemingly the blink of an eye, it was time for Adrian to age up...

When we left off last time, Dylan was having a revelation:

It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling*, and he and August had decided to actively try for a baby. Still, he was surprised that it happened so quickly.

August was excited that they were already expecting, and the two exchanged name ideas for a while. The two also discussed the best way to explain things to Winter. There was no way she wasn't going to notice her daddy getting "fat", and they didn't want her to be caught off guard with a new sibling either.

As much as August wanted to be there for the discussion, they had to go to work, so Dylan soloed the discussion. He tried to keep it simple, not all daddies could have babies but he could. Her renny and daddy love her very much, and also wanted their cozy little family to be a little bigger. The baby would need a lot of attention whenever it was born, but they would make sure that Winter didn't feel left out.

By the time their talk (and a snack) was done, the unmistakable sound of people coming home could be heard downstairs. There was one other very important person that needed to hear the news.

Dylan was pretty confident that his son would be happy to hear the announcement, but he was touched by how excited ended up being. He really enjoyed being a big brother to Winter and now not only would he have a new sibling to be a big brother to, but he'd also get to teach Winter how to be a big sister.

Everyone made sure to give Winter extra love and attention while answering any questions she may have.

As the pregnancy progressed, Dylan reassured August that he was okay and even invited them to feel the baby knowing they never got the chance to do so with Winter.

August: "You seem so calm... Celeste was tense and angry the whole time."

Dylan: "I suspect that was more of a her thing, but also this isn't my first time so I know what to expect."

It wasn't long before go time was here, and a very panicked August accompanied a more subdued but very uncomfortable Dylan to the hospital. Wait... who's that in the background?

Why, that's Doctor Axel Frost, husband of ace attorney Stephen Landgraab! It's like the game knows we'll be rotating to them soon!

Axel seems very confident in this procedure...

Unfortunately, this is only his second time delivering a baby. It was at this point that August made a hasty retreat to the bathroom to avoid passing out.

Despite a couple of hiccups, the delivery went smoothly and a new nooboo was welcomed into the family.

Dylan had learned with his online research that there would be a chance the baby was a full alien, so he wasn't surprised whenever got to hold Adrian and heard the familiar echo in his little voice.

Once the couple got Adrian home and settled, Winter was eager to meet her little brother. She toddled her way upstairs and happily introduced herself:

Winter: "I'm Winter! I'm your big sister, and we're going to be best friends!"

We've got one more post with our little family here before rotating! It should come out this Friday, 12/5/2025!

*Dylan and Celeste used "magic" (aka the Watcher changing some settings in CAS) to make it to where she could get him pregnant as she didn't want to, so Winter was her first experience with pregnancy and this is Dylan's second time.