A Slice of (Un)Life

When night was falling again, Gavin knew what he wanted. Or rather, what he HAD to do, because that new path of his wasn't exactly one that he wanted to pursue:

GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
(Reach Charisma 3 and Donate 5 times)

Selfish Gavin didn't wish to become a community benefactor. He was simply worldwise enough to know that this was how stories went. You died, but didn't quite end up in hell, so you turned around and did some good deeds, bamm, back to life it was! It was worth a try, he thought.

Problem: Gavin still suffered from the +99 Uncomfortable from Overheating moodlet that killed him. He couldn't use the mirror or library books to raise his Charisma and to level that skill naturally, he needed to be in a Happy mood to unlock "Brighten Day" or "Heartfelt Compliment".

The only means left to get Charisma up was a party. A gold tier party.

His first wish, a life in all comforts, had whisked him away to London, so Gavin assumed that he could will himself back to Detroit to work on the second wish. It worked, sort of at least, because the ghost found himself not in a trendy party location, but in the house of Hank Anderson. 

Whatever the universe had been thinking, Gavin was confident that he could work with this new situation. Couldn't be too difficult to send out invitations to a Kava party in Hank's name and make it a roof-raiser, right? Hank was well-liked and he, Gavin, was competent! 

I play Gavin as invisible and silent. Sims will notice the air growing colder and a tiny gust when Gavin moves, but only those that can speak Death Dialect will be able to meaningfully communicate with him. Therefore nobody noticed the ghost in their midst, except for Hank's skilled in Thanatology son.

Sixten: "What's with the floating cup in the kitchen? It looked as if it toasted you?"

Hank: "If you'd seen double, you'd been in trouble now for sampling something you shouldn't have, junior. But seeing something that isn't there in the first place? I have to believe you."

By now Gavin's +99 Overheated moddlet had lessened to a more regular +1 that he can easily override. 

The moment he could think of something other than the temperature, Gavin asked a dark fairy to teach him wordplay and tricks. A fairy in black ninja robes! It was real weird what floated around the aether, now that Gavin was able to see beyond what mortal eyes were able to!

The party could have went better, but at least it ended at Silver tier and didn't destroy Hank's reputation. Sweaty and hungry, Gavin decided to linger in Hank's house after the event. The ick-factor of a low on hygiene ghost was something, especially for that ghost. A shower was called for!

Hank: "Alright, that's strange. I've seen dripping showers before, but this stream looks as if something is bathing under it. STOP THAT, creature of the nether! You're not welcome here!"

Hank also repeatedly shoo'd Gavin from the stove when he was trying to make himself a toast.

What was this man thinking who he was? People like the Tico family freely sheltered those down on their luck, they shared what little they had, but this man with his house and the five digit savings begrudged a homeless ghost a sandwich? Maybe, just maybe, there was something to this "give back to the community" thing, after all... If only because right now Gavin found himself at the receiving end of cold heartedness. 

Gavin's frustration manifested in the form of a crimson aura and flickering light, but that was already as far as it went, because all of a sudden he found himself tossed out and unable to return even with his ghost powers. One would think such things happened to vampires only!

An encounter with a ghostly merchant and a little grave robbing later, Gavin had amassed 455 simoleons - time to get to donating to complete his soul journey!

Sixten: "Huh? The computer switched itself on? Must be the ghost again. - Hey, that's neat! I can see what you're typing! We can communicate that way!"

Gavin (typing): "Like this?"

Sixten: "Yes! I hope for your sake that those simoleons you just gifted away weren't ours."

Gavin (typing): "A little generositiy hasn't killed anybody."

Sixten: "So what did kill you?"

Gavin (typing): "I was too hot for this world."

His off-hand joke made Gavin painfully aware of his absent fiance. Yes, he had vowed not to look Daniel into the eyes again before he had his body back and become "someone", but then again, it hadn't been a real vow in the first place. More like... a suggestion. 

There is a cooldown on donating, so Gavin will have to fill the time between the five attempts he needs with something else (preferably more soul journey goals). I picked the woohoo-category of the journey goals and got "Under a Waterfall". 

If he could type, Gavin thought, then he could also caress his boyfriend and whisper into his ear. He wanted to hold Daniel so badly, tell him that he had things under control, that everything would be alright! 

Just like the times before, when a whim had struck the ghost, he had gotten whisked away to the place where it could get fulfilled. When Gavin felt the familiar tug, he fully expected to re-emerge on the balcony of Culpepper 19.

Instead, he found himself next to a waterfall in Sulani. How was Daniel to follow him to Sulani! The Chen household didn't have that kind of money.

Gavin seduced a very confused conservationist, who had come here to study the frog population but found something entirely different.

(I made sure not to give them romance bar, strictly "woohoo partnership". Did i mention that Daniel has both the Loyal and Jealous trait? This could backfire on Gavin so badly, lol.)

Sixten: "Look, who's back! Our do-gooder house-spirit, and it's making a family serving of pasta, haha!"

Gavin: "It's something Daniel would have done. You wouldn't undersrstand, not even if you could hear me."

Sixten: "But I can! Hear you, I mean."

The language the boy used for his reply chilled Gavin to the bones. It somehow bridged the realms of the living and the dead, a thing that was neither here nor there, irritating to both the undead and the living. And all of a sudden Gavin knew how to speak like this, too. 

Gavin: "Alright, newsflash for you, then! I understand now that your father's banishment of me was aimed at evil spirits in general, not me personally. So I won't let any further yelling get under my skin. Like or not, you're stuck with me!"

By now Gavin could afford "Always Welcome", so no more kicking him out of the house.

Sixten: "Nah, man, I still say you have goodie two shoes written all over you. What are you? A valiant wildwest marshall who died heroically in the line of duty or something?"

Gavin: "You wouldn't recognize any place or name I told you. I'm ancient and my goals are unfathomable for your kind."

Sixten: "You speak english..."

Gavin: "So do you, what should tell you that's it's not a difficult thing to learn."

Sixten Anderson was convinced that the new house ghost was a bleeding heart doormat type of person. Meanwhile all the good deeds Gavin had performed so far had served two purposes: Trick the universe into giving him back his body and honoring his memory of Daniel. Alright, that last one was a bit silly, after all, it hadn't been Daniel, who had died, but Gavin. Still, doing things the way Daniel would do them felt... right. As if they were still together.

Daniel couldn't see Gavin now and the universe didn't seem impressed, either. Maybe more do-gooder stuff was in order?

Quite literally: Gavin's next soul journey goal is to do five good deeds with ghost powers. 

So far Gavin had used his ghost powers to spread fear and confusion. Adjusting to creating benevolent effects would take some time. 

The ghost needed to learn to become more at ease with his state of being in-between the worlds. The more he admitted that he wasn't a part of the living anymore (regardless how dearly he wanted to return to it), the better Gavin would be able to manipulate that sphere. Or, long story short, to learn how to do good deeds through ghost powers, Gavin had to use his annoying powers A LOT.

Not that he would have minded...

Who better to practise on than those who employed and exploited the love of Gavin's (lost) life as their "secretry"?

John and Caroline Phillips lived in a penthouse, from where they often called Daniel even after his work hours to help with the chores.
Daniel couldn't refuse. For one, there was the risk of getting laid off and for two, caring for other people was what made him Daniel in the first place. A two-legged capybara, Gavin had used to call his partner, everything he himself wasn't. How Daniel managed the balance act between being a nurturer but no doormat was beyond Gavin. He only knew that his man was about the most precious thing in creation, while also perfectly able to bare his fangs when the situation called for it. 

So Daniel didn't want to complain about his job situation and Gavin hadn't been able to in life. It sure felt good to release all his pent up frustration in his new form!

Leave it to Gavin Reed to haunt a toddler potty... Sylvia was entertained, but that didn't count as a good deed.

Emma: "Not fair of mom to leave her empty plate just like this! If only I could STARE it into a clean state!"

Gavin: "i hear you, kiddo!"

Emma: "Wow! Did I do that? I hope I didn't."

For a moment Gavin wondered why the girl wouldn't want to get credit for the good deed. Then he noticed that he hadn't so much as cleaned, but desintegrated the plate. Some more practise was on order.

Ingame he managed the five helpful uses of his powers at this point, of course.

Gavin's next desire was heart-warmingly in character: Hug five cats!

Gavin: "Think this is a laser pointer, furball? Haha, nah! Pure spirit energy!"

The stray tearing with her claws into the beam he had created from his ectoplasm tickled. Gavin laughed! He really was getting the hang of manipulating his form and the world around him. This was actually fun!

During those nights of craving the company of cats, Gavin hung out a lot at the local vet. There were cats free for the taking here and they were all in need of extra cuddles, especially with their owners often being stressed out from worry.

And there Gavin finally met HER. Before he had known Daniel, the love of his life had been coffee and his coffee-related equipment took up a good deal of kicthen space in the apartment at Spice Market.

Oh, yeah, baby! Haunting a coffee machine was the ultimate comfort blanket!

Why didn't I think of that earlier, lol.

Gavin's next soul journey goal was in character, too: Cause mischief directed at sims five times.

By now he was well skilled in the mischief powers, unfortunately not in the tree that counts for this task. So that meant more practising on the Phillips family!

Later that evening the Phillips housekeeper arrived. He found the lights flickering and the lightbulbs' color changed to red - well, repairing stuff wasn't part of his duties. Strictly speaking neither was housekeeping. Daniel was officially employed as John's secretary in that one's car dealership. But with the job situation in the city was nowadays, one had to go the extra mile. 

(And even more strictly speaking Daniel was a two-legged capybara, who readily pack-bonded with every living thing and strived when he could care for others.)

John: "Daniel! You here?"

Daniel: "I've got a key, remember?"

John: "No, I meant... You absolutely certain that you want to work overtime so soon after your loss?"

Daniel: "Truth be told, I needed to get out of our apartment. Every seat I see Gavin sitting on, every plate I clean I cry over because he didn't lick it clean."

Daniel! Ever since awakening to unlife, Gavin had avoided his former fiance. Watching Daniel, yet being unable to touch, even whisper, would have been too much to bear. But now that Gavin was more at ease with bis new lifestate, he thought he could make himself heard.

He has "Ghostly Scream" now, unfortunately that's a fear-inducing power, so everytime he uses it in the story, it must be in a mean way.

Gavin: "I NEVER DID THAT! OKAY, MAYBE ONCE... OR TWICE...!"

Daniel: "And now I hear him complain. What is wrong with me that I can't remember my true love in a flattering light like normal people can?"

Caroline: "It's Gavin Reed we're talking about. Not even you could paint a nice picture about him."

Gavin: "SHUT UP, EVIL CRONE!"

His draconic, penny-pinching employer falling unsconscious from hearing a ghostly voice - how Daniel would have laughed at the sight before the death of his partner! But now all he could see in John's still form was dead Gavin. Everywhere he turned, there was only death and desperation, it seemed.

Gavin: "Don't worry, your favorite Scrooge is still breathing. - Ah, right, you can't hear me when I speak normally. And if I scream in ghost voice again, you might lose it, too. So what's left... A-ha!"

Gavin: *tickle, tickle*

Daniel: "Did I **bleep** myself on one of Caroline's art objects? No... I wasn't standing nowhere close enough. I wonder..."

Daniel reached out and sure enough, there was a strange quality about the air he touched.

Daniel: "I'm not imagining things. There's something under my fingers. It's almost as if... it's turning around?"

Daniel: "Ga... Gavin? Have you become a ghost, by chance? If that's the prize for being possessive, I never want to become a good person!"

Of course this wasn't about Danny, but himself. He, Gavin Curtis Reed, had to work on doing good deeds to come back to life. 

And so he did that. Creating chaos and removing it again until he felt the same tiredness and nausea he would have in his body. Feeling closer to the world of the living again than ever, Gavin also felt hope like never before.

As for the Phillips family, they sort of got used to living with a ghost.

(My favorite trick to render sims invisible: Pause the game and move into the sim until it fades, change into camera man mode, then slowly zoom out.)

The first november snow was covering the roofs already, when Gavin sent the final donation, that he expected would release him from his unlife. But when the money was away and no new whim appeared... nothing happened.

Gavin stood there in the chill early winter wind, feeling lost. Not just had he failed to "become someone", he seemed to have erred about his situation, wasted time with no clue what he should have done instead.

Daniel knew. The Phillips family knew. The first would be heartbroken, the latter amused. How much lower could one sink?