Chapter 16 - Change is in the Air

Discworld LegacyChapter 16

Change is in the

Air

Welcome back to the Discworld legacy, this chapter is hosted by Druellae and her over-large family which can be seen above.

As the title of the chapter suggests there are going to be some changes, not so much with how I’m playing the legacy but more with how I’m telling it. I've decided to start to incorporate some plottyelements, nothing big and nothing overarching, just mini-stories every-so-often when inspiration strikes, that and fleshing out the character with things that go beyond what I see in game. But on-the-whole this should remain a fairly standard legacy (unless I get really ambitious).

Hello, dad told me about this. I understand that you will be wanting to hear about how I've been doing as head of the family. Why don't you come in and sit down.

So far life has been fantastic; I’ve got a wonderful wife and fantastic children (with more on the way). Dad and Amber are doing well too, making the most of their retirement. But I guess you’re after the details, I’d better start from the beginning.

When I arrived home dad and Amber welcomed me with open arms. He likes to pretend he doesn't care but I think dad was looking forward to have children in the house again.

But before there could be any children there had to be a wedding. I got on the phone and made the arrangements for a massive wedding party.

We set up the arch in the back garden, under a willow tree.

All my siblings were invited along with their spouses and the Time-Lords who'd lived next door to us at university.

But the guest of honour was, of course, my beautiful Roxanne, without her there would have been no wedding.

The guests took their seats, laughing and gossiping but silence fell as Roxy and I took our places under the arch.

I was pretty nervous as I stood there with so many eyes boring into me, it’s not a feeling I’m particularly used to but that day was the most important day of my life so far.

All my fears melted away when I looked into Roxy’s eyes and saw the love she held for me and I recited my vows with a steady voice.

Roxy never seemed to waver and we exchanged rings under a shower a petals.

Dad told me later that there was a thunderous round of applause when we had our first kiss as husband and wife but I don’t remember it at all.

My attention was all on Roxy.

I admit I may have gotten a little carried away.

After the ceremony came the cake.

Not for us any undignified cake smashing, I fed the first bite to Roxy gently not wanting to make any kind of a mess.

(Plus I could tell from the glint in her eye that Roxy would have killed me if I had even thought about smooshing the cake in her face).

Once we had finished feeding each other cake everyone else had a chance to tuck in (and we may have had another piece ourselves, hey, it was good cake).

The party continued all afternoon. It was a fantastic chance to catch up with everyone and for Roxy to get to know her new family.

The romantic atmosphere seemed to rub off on dad and Amber; they spent most of the party in each other's arms. You would have thought they were the newlyweds.

We didn't stay for the whole of the party. When everyone started dancing we snuck off to the bedroom to consummate the marriage.

Our first child was conceived that day (probably with that woohoo, but it might have been the one after that, or the one about an hour later, or... sorry you, I you don't really want to hear that bit do you)

After the wedding life settled into a routine. I rediscovered the joys of playing pirate in the bath tub (we hadn't been able to afford to have them installed in the Greek house).

Dad and Amber were, well, they were dad and Amber. My whole life they've been an extremely demonstrative couple.

Dad and I regularly studied together.

And Roxy had kept her job as a chef, and was doing pretty well too.

The routine was disrupted when Roxy's pregnancy started to show.

She was put on maternity leave and used the time off to find a job in Education, it was a pretty low position as a Teacher's Aide but it didn't take her long to start moving up the ladder (that was after she gave birth of course).

The prospect of my first child had me extremely excited, I must have spent hours each day talking to the foetus growing inside Roxy. She was highly amused by my antics.

I was also, perhaps, a little overprotective, but I think that's pretty normal in any new parent.

Before our child was born dad transitioned into an elder. Much to our dismay we didn't get to throw a party for him because he transitioned immediately after work and hadn't told a soul that it was due that evening.

Dad didn't mind really, his main concern was whether Amber still found him as attractive as she had that morning.

He really didn't have anything to worry about and Amber quickly proved it knowing that actions speak louder than words at times.

It was a few days later that Roxy gave birth to our first child.

She had been feeling some discomfort all day so it took a moment to realise that this was really it.

But when I did I was right at her side trying to help her through it, not that I think I was that much help.

After what seemed like ages (but Amber assured me was only a few moments) our first child was born - a daughter we named Esmerelda.

I loved her as soon as I laid eyes on her. She had by eyes and skin but her mother's brown hair and even at that age there was a look in her eye that reminded me so much of Roxy.

Esme's birth wasn't the end to the excitement that evening; it was Amber's turn to grow old.

She grew up well

And dad was quick to provide the same reassurance she'd given him a few days before.

Before Esme's birth I had done a lot of reading on parenting and what to expect, I thought I would be ready to handle anything a baby would throw at me. I couldn't have been more wrong, nothing can prepare you for parenthood, it’s something you have to learn as you go.

In time it became easier

Dad and Amber helped out a great deal, Amber even retired so that Roxy would be able to go to work (in between pregnancies) and would have help while pregnant.

As life settled down we decided it was time to try for a second baby.

As ever life rarely stays the same for very long. To celebrate Esme's first birthday dad threw a family party, all the siblings were invited to see my first child become a toddler.

The first thing to do was to introduce little Esme to her aunts and uncles.

She was a great success and everyone wanted a chance to hold her.

Even Dee (who at that point was the only one of us without children) cooed over her little niece.

Although she felt a little out of her depth.

While Esme was being passed around the rest of us did what we Discworlds do best - dance.

Until it was time for the main event

Dad had the honour of taking Esme to the cake, a role he adored.

She transitioned perfectly.

Into a gorgeous, playful toddler.

Even then I could see so much of her mother in Esme's face and her expressions and I adored her for it.

But there was also no denying she was a Discworld, she insisted on being allowed to join the dancing just like everyone else.

The party was also when Roxy's second pregnancy was confirmed, much to her delight.

Now I'll admit we Discworlds can be a noisy lot

But was there really any need to send a police officer to break up the party? We don't even have any neighbours! (Yes I am still a little bitter about that).

Anyway, despite the police intervention the party was a great success.

I had thought that looking after a baby was time consuming but it was nothing compared to the toddler years.

Esme was like a little force of nature. Everyday she learnt something new and everyday she became more of a handful. From the moment she said her first word she regaled us with endless questions, which got less incomprehensible as time went on, her curiosity was never satisfied. After we taught her to walk she’d get into everything, we had to watch her like a hawk to make sure she didn’t get her hands on something she shouldn’t.

She adored dad and Amber and would often wander off to find them even if Roxy or I were closer.

Aside from causing havoc and asking endless questions Esme's favourite activity was playing with her blocks, she built elaborate constructions and seemed to find an enormous amount of pleasure in knocking them down so she could start all over again (those blocks went everywhere, we were forever picking them up).

Seeing her smile made all the running around and sleepless nights worth it.

There were times when I'd sit by her crib just to watch her I think about how lucky I was.

Thought there really wasn't much time to sit quietly as Roxy's pregnancy was progressing smoothly and there would soon be another little Discworld to make our lives more interesting.

Before the new baby arrived I took the oppurtunity of what would probably be the last peaceful moment until the kids left for uni to rediscover the joys of the piano, something I hadn't touched since I was a teen.

I also managed to reach the top of my chosen career. For a time I was a Space Pirate – the galaxy’s most feared and noble pirate, I knew every wormhole to use and moon to hide on (still do), I had some fantastic adventures.

The birth of our second child brought me back down to earth with a bump. I wasn't home to give my support to Roxy when she went into labour, fortunately she had Amber there to help her but that didn't change the fact I felt like a terrible husband.

I returned from the latest (and last) of my adventures to find that I was the father of a little boy we named Edward. In colouring he was the complete opposite of Esme with his mother's skin and completely black eyes that can only be a product of my alien heritage.

Seeing him made me resolve to find a career that I could pursue closer to home.

Roxy had told me while we were dating that she wanted lots of children and she wasn't joking. As soon as she had recovered from Edward's birth she almost dragged me to the bedroom and we started trying for the next one.

Not that I'm really complaining, trying can be a lot of fun.

By the time Esme's birthday came around I had quit my job as Space Pirate but had yet to find another path that I found appealing but while I was jobless I did not care as it allowed me to be present for my little girl's birthday.

We did not throw a party for Esme as she seems to fear them for some reason, in the future we will try and work out the reason for this fear and help her come to terms with it.

Despite the lack of party and extended family we had a good time that evening and Esme seemed very happy with just her parents and grandparents.

She grew up into a happy energetic child who, despite her shyness, takes an interest in everyone and everything.

Esme's curious nature has not changed now she's a child, it just means she has access to the internet and can come up with increasingly more complicated questions, I couldn't be more proud of her.

Not long after Esme's birthday I found my new calling, I became a Specialist in alien physiology at the local hospital, an important role as have been an increasing number of alien births in recent years, it seems dad was just the beginning.

While my hours are still fairly long I'm much closer to home now and I don't have to be gone for days at a time and Esme always greets me with a hug when I get home.

With my new job I was perfectly able to be at Edward's first birthday party. Once again dad did the honours.

Over the years he's become pretty good at helping babies transition and little Edward's birthday went smoothly.

My son is much more of a mix of my and Roxy's looks than Esme, he's definitely got my nose and her eyes. He's quieter than Esme (which is somewhat of a relief) but no less curious, unlike her he is content to watch and work things out for himself.

Oh, and Roxy's definitely pregnant again.

So that's what's happened so far. It's late, I guess you'd better be going, don't wait too long to visit again I'm sure I'll have a lot to tell you.

[That's the end of Dorfl's narration but don't stop reading now, I've included some more pictures that didn't fit into the narration along with extra information on Roxy, Esme and Edward.]

Roxanne is Taube or fraulineTaube writer of the Vermachtnis Legacy. She is a family sim with the life time want of becoming Education Minister. She's an Aquarius - 5 neat, 3 outgoing, 5 active, 7 playful and 7 nice, her one true hobby is tinkering.

Esme is named for Esmerelda Weatherwax (usually known as Granny Weatherwax) who is considered (not least by herself) to be the best witch on the Discworld. She is the resident witch of Bad Ass in the kingdom of Lancre, but she tends to regard the whole kingdom, and indeed absolutely anywhere else she happens to be, as her rightful domain.

There’s a lot I could say about Granny Weatherwax - she is a very major character that appears in a number of books but I’ll just give you the potted version here. She is a very powerful witch who uses a mixture of ‘real’ magic and headology (a sort of folk-psychology) and while she is considered one of the good guys she isn’t necessarily a very nice person, believing that it is better to be respected than to be liked.

My Esme is a Pisces - 4 neat, 2 outgoing, 7 active, 5 playful and 7 nice. Like her mother her one true hobby is tinkering.

Edward is named after Edward d'Eath, an impoverished aristocrat - the 37th Lord d'Eath, and an assassin, the first person ever to pass the post-graduate course at the Assassins' Guild with full marks. His obsession with the royal succession of Ankh-Morpork led to the events in Men at Arms.

This Edward is an Aquarius - 5 neat, 3 outgoing, 6 active, 10 playful and 7 nice.

This was the reality of Esme's birth, Cas and Amber abandoned their lunch to watch the birth, Dorfl insisted on finishing his sandwich.

I know he's done it before with his own kids but I wish he'd look at Esme while throwing her in the air.

This is just more evidence that good with kids = sexy.

(For more evidence check out chapters 13-15, Cas has a tendency to get heart-farted over while he's with a child)

I'll leave you now with one of my favourite pictures of one of my favourite couples. Casanunda may be a romance sim but as he's got older he's become much more focused on his family and much less interested in romance with anyone but Amber.