Life After Death Part 6: Heimdall, Building a Bridge

I am Gate Keeper, I am Toll Collector, I am Guardian, and I am Watcher.

I am Heimdall, the guardian of Bifrost, and my tale began eons ago. But this particular story began on my 16th birthday, when the mother of this incarnation - herself an incarnation of the fertility goddess - decided to hand over responsibility for our family to me.

Those who had come before had achieved much, but conversely we still lacked much. There was a plague of Hel's Walkers that attacked regularly, and while civil defence had been restored, there was no standing army to take the fight to them. The lord of all things dark and cold - my brother Hod - would take on this task.

The education system was flawed, and incomplete. Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. My brother Bragi would end this deplorable state of affairs - he would learn many things, never to great depth, in order to teach them to others.

Our incarnated bodies were made of spiritual essence that was poorly understood. This could not be allowed to remain. There are those amongst us that know more - remnants of old gods. My sister Snotra will gain their trust, and discover their secrets; we will master our forms.

All of Midgard was affected by Ragnarok, and communications had not yet been restored. With our generation, this would end; Zisa would ensure it.

It seems like weeks since the last time I played the Ectos. Heimdall (the heir) is a teen, with 10 days to go until he's a YA. Theodore (his dad) has 1 more promotion - probably 4 days though - until Master Thief is lifted. That's plenty of time; Theodore is just barely an elder. On the other hand, with a mere Writing 2/Painting 0, Theodore is not likely to make his Illustrative Author LTW.

Mortal father Theordore ended much of the corrupt black market business - not all of it, but much of it - such that the mortal labour laws now permit us planning. My power of vision is key - those who came before me could not see far enough, but I am Watcher.

And what of me? The bridge to Asgard must be restored. Mortal and Asgardian science alike must be advanced to permit its construction. That is a task fitting for Gate Keeper, and it is my chosen role.

Week 17, Day 7, Master Thief lifted. That's the reason I'm making these grandiose plans. While I cannot "officially" start lifting restrictions until I get to YA, one should note that nothing prevents you frontloading such things as Education, Gamer, and Paranormal as a teen. A teen cannot make the lift, but they can theoretically set it up so that the restriction is lifted as soon as it is "taken".

Freya returns to the Netherwold; I get Theodore to start training his mates. Three of the teens pick up the part time jobs that are part of their lift requirements.

Before we could begin, we had to wait until our bodies had fully matured. We did not waste our teenage years completely, but with little responsibility or authority, we focussed mostly on improving our minds and bodies.

Insultingly, Hod was forced to clean toilets while we pondered the best way to unify the scattered militia into a standing army.

I applied for various technical positions, but was informed I was overqualified. The only job I could get was as a test subject. I took it, but know this - nobody tests Heimdall. Heimdall is the tester. And those who refused him have been found very much wanting.

Mortal father Theodore was given the task of improving the flabby bodies of his former colleagues. Though they are of Loki's brood, nonetheless such contacts are useful to have only if they are physically capable.

Having trained all his friends to the physically demanding requirements of Watcher, I sent Theodore to recruit new mortals into our fitness regime.

Week 18, Day 5, now I have YAs. I've trained two NPCs for 10 hours each, and have 2 more in progress, so I'll be pushing along with that until Theodore dies.

Bragi is Absent-Minded, Genius, Loner, Over-Emotional, and a Supernatural Fan; not bad traits, though far from ideal. He has Athletics 10 (still needs the Body Builder challenge, but the other two are complete), Charisma 1, Logic 8, Painting 5, Writing 4 (with 1 non-fiction best seller already - called, amusingly enough, "1", because I often accidentally blast the default novel titles with numbers). On the bright side, that means that the only Education requirements that remain are to master Writing, to get 2 more best seller Non-Fiction novels, to reach Handiness 2, to get the Body Builder challenge, and to get to Bookshop level 3 (he's already at 2). On the other hand, there is no way for him to qualify as lifting Education until I lift Military (when I'll have Military + Journalism and can declare Education). I give him Illustrious Author as his LTW, which is a mistake - I should have taken Professional Author - but no matter.

Heimdall is Easily Impressed, Evil, Family-Oriented, Frugal, and Handy; he has Athletics 10, Charisma 1, Handiness 2, Logic 9, and Painting 6. That's good progress along the way to Science and then Alien Technology. The paper doesn't have Science in it today though, so he decides to wait (and it turns out he gets it the next day). His LTW is to become a creature/robot cross breeder.

Hod is Athletic, Genius, Good, Never Nude, and Vegetarian (which is nasty without Culinary, but he can still eat PB&J or Veggie Rolls). He has Athletic 10, Charisma 2, Handiness 1, Logic 8, Painting 9. The paper has Military in it, so he immediately gets the job. A lot rides on Hod; the quicker he can clear Military, the quicker that Bragi can clear Education. His LTW is to become an astronaut.

Unfortunately I had failed to account for Theodore's weak fragile body, and though he was but 90 summers old, he passed away in the park.

Perhaps that is how he would have wanted it. He will certainly not lack for company in the Hel's realm.

Week 19, Day 1. Dead on 90 days. I didn't send him to the park to die, I sent him there to Charm a stranger, bring them home, and train them - but die he most certainly did. While the lack of a LTW meant he never got near a platinum tomb, he did manage to train 4 Sims for 10 hours each, and with his passing goes the only one that can cook (easy enough to remedy of course, and I have lots of stashed food still).

Zisa and Snotra are both of age. Though merely half-godlings, they are very much an important part of our goals. Their 18th birthdays coincided with our ending of the tradition 2 years of mourning for the passing of our mortal father Theodore, of whom Bragi was the least consolable. This was curious to me, as Bragi had barely spoken to Theodore while he was alive. Perhaps it is because unlike most of our family, who are interred here at our home and visit us regularly, Theodore's remains were taken by the state and interred at the park.

This outrage will not be allowed to stand, of course, but first we need the results of Zisa's research.

Zisa is Athletic, Heavy Sleeper, Hopeless Romantic, Unlucky (boo! hiss!) and Vehicle Enthusiast. Her skills are Athletics 10, Charisma 2, Logic 7, Painting 5, Writing 6, with the LTW of Swimming in Cash. (She's very nearly already there). She's already level 3 as a Book Store Clerk, but she needs 10 points of Handiness (she's no Computer Whiz); she can start the other careers, but until Military is lifted she's not "officially" in Gamer and can't count as completing.

Snotra is Good, Insane, Loves the Outdoors, Mean Spirited (and yet Good? Weird) and a Slob (yay! this was her YA random trait). She has the skills Athletics 9, Charisma 1, Logic 7, Painting 5, Writing 6. She has already beaten 3 ghosts at chess (Freya, Heimdall, and Hod - note that nothing says those ghosts have to be unplayable) and she's friends with Freya, so there's decent progress along Paranormal here. She's only at level 2 of the Mauseoleum career, but she can switch to qualifying for Paranormal as soon as Fortune Teller comes up in the paper (she does not need to actually take the career - just be able to do so). It took 3 days for that to happen, but that was fine.

Hod managed to find common cause with the fire giants of Muspelheim, and the zombie humans burned and they burned. While there were still occasional outbreaks when the moon was full, on the whole Hod's forces had made the streets safe.

The scaffolding of the bridge is begun - the first bricks are fire, from the ancient enemies of Asgard making common cause with us.

Week 22, Day 2, Military lifted. This is a big deal; it means that my Gamer and Education lifts are now officially in progress. (Paranormal already was).

Now, I could just get rid of Hod at this point - but I might as well get a jump on some of the collecting.

Bragi's learning was complete. A god of poetry, he found the muse in the arts of minor technology, in painting, but most of all in verse - the fact that the verses were of Jormugandr still qualifies his texts are non-fiction, for we are anything but myth.

The scaffolding of the bridge continues - the next bricks are earth, as now all growing children will know the taste of wisdom.

Week 22, Day 4, Education lifted. This is a big deal too, of course, as now I can select traits. Every one of my Sims that has sufficient LTR points immediately cashes in with Mid Life Crisis to do just that.

A mere year or two later, my own path reached its half way point. I had mastered mortal science, but I still needed to fuse it with our own Asgardian mysticism. The bridge remains incomplete. I needed more information - perhaps a few short ventures into other areas, such as military, law enforcement, or medicine.

Week 22, Day 6, considerably assisted by his new trait selection (Ambitious, Gatherer, Handy, Slob, Workaholic), Science is lifted. A television for my Technophobic Bragi to sabotage so that Heimdall can fix it.

Building the bridge would not be sufficient - it would also be necessary to cross it. My descendants would be assigned this task - and thus, I needed descendants. I picked a likely mortal woman Karie, and though she attempted to resist my seduction with claims of already being in a committed relationship, she soon swooned to my charms. We were married within the year, and pregnant immediately.

With everything ticking along, I figured it was time to get Heimdall hitched. Karie was one of two YA females he knew; I picked her because he was already best friends with her. The bad news is she got married on her birthday, so she's already an adult - but the good news is that she's in Science, and so I have her assigned to Naturalist. (After she has a few kids, that is).

Finally Snotra made certain discoveries about the properties of our ectoplasmic forms. It seems our connection to the netherworld fades with time, but there is some hope that it could be restored with appropriate fusion of science and magic. The zombie outbreak is entirely ended, and there may even be a way to bring back those who have left.

The scaffolding of the bridge nears completion; the next bricks are air, the primary component of the ectoplasm that forms our bodies in life and in death.

Week 23, Day 5, Paranormal lifted. It took me quite some time to get three best selling Drama novels. Of course, the first thing she does is scoop up all the tombstones on the lot, and then I set the lunar cycle to first quarter, non-rotating.

My daughter Iounn will succeed me. She will cross the bridge that I will build, and she will show the mortals that there is still joy to be had. Perhaps she will be an actress, or a juggler - or a bard of some kind.

Her brother Ullr lacks the spark, but he can serve nonetheless. Life is not good when it is all about survival; the creature comforts that my technology and magic can offer will not be freely available due to cost. He will work on that, he will make luxuries widely available to the mortals.

With the house now full, Hod leaves to continue his military career elsewhere. Unlike our predecessors he does not need to return to the spirit world to free up room.

Two more kiddies, that I've earmarked for Entertainment and Architect.

Hod's done well for me collecting, finding all the unique space rocks I need for Alien Technology. As he's a ghost though, he's never going to have a platinum tombstone, so now that I'm on 8 Sims, he's the one that I kick out.

I'm going to need 2 more kids. Since I cannot guarantee either of those will be human, I will need all five of my know humans to live platinum tombstones. Bragi is no problem; he's a lock. His sisters are far from 150k, but they can feasibly get there. And Karie and Ullr are obviously going to have to work hard.

But that means Heimdall is for the chop. As soon as he lifts Alien Technology, he's going to have to leave.

The same could not be said for Bragi. Those without the spark are still required to give their lives for the rest of us. At least for a time. Bragi's death was gentle, swimming in a pool I constructed purely for the purposes of his gentle death.

I am assured his screams were of joy, rather than horror.

Week 24, Day 2, first platinum ghost. I was trying to electrocute him, but after several failed attempts I conclude that Technophobes cannot die of electrocution. If anyone has a counter example, by all means drop me a comment here or on Facebook.

Mead, ambrosia, and other earthly delights - these are minor problems compared to what we have endured. But life without pleasure is Hel's domain without the address; my daughter Lofn will discover the means to make good things to eat, even in the toxic environs of Midgard.

It is long since we have been troubled by the mortal mobsters. We hand them a pittance each week, with all our wealth tied up in investments that they lack the sophistication to claim. And yet it is a thorn that Mimir will remove - by blood, if necessary.

The last two kids are born. Both are ghosts, meaning that every human still alive must die platinum if I want the points.

And finally my fusion of Asgardian and Midgard science is complete. The bridge is now finished; the final bricks were water, without witch rainbows would not be possible. I feel the pull towards the nether realms grow stronger, but I can still contribute. I will Watch.

Week 25, Day 5, Alien Technology lifted. Heimdall is fresh from a tour of the various bases. I did it with 16 unique rocks, never having seen a Plutonium, Pink Diamond, or Rainbow Gem. Heimdall is also an elder on the same day.

My heir is now a teen. Still I Guard, and Watch.

Week 26, Day 1, the first set of twins are now teens.

And now Snotra has chosen the Golden Path. I see her in the nether realm; she is an angry spirit. But now there are rules for when she may cross back, and I will be the one to ensure she does not break them.

Week 26, Day 4, Snotra dies. This is a Transmutation ghost. I was trying to electrocute her but could not succeed - leading me to wonder whether Technophobes really are immune to dying this way, or whether I have some weird glitch.

Zisa chose the path of Muspelheim. Our giant allies will watch over her as she travels through the Netherworld.

And I couldn't kill Zisa this way either. I am sure I have killed via electrocution on computers before, but weirdly not with these guys. No problem; I only need two more deaths, and old age/starvation should do it. Fire is always reliable (except for Brave Sims of course).

My bridge is built, my children are preparing to cross it. Still I Watch, but Iounn is now the voice.

Week 28, Day 1, my eldest twins are now YA. Iounn gets a job in Music, Ullr is already max Painting and is working on Handiness (for Architect). Time to switch to Iounn, to close this off.