The Lurker

The Crane Legacy 4.21- Loose Ends

2009-02-27T15:41:00.002-05:00

New update is up, FINALLY!

Dorrigan confronts the head of KDI, and Pelles' life changes forever- but at what cost?

You can find the update here.

The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4.20- Say It's Possible

2009-01-18T18:21:00.002-05:00

New update is up!

Some more minor things happen in preparation for the Generation's finale. Dorrigan's worst fear comes true, and Dorothy makes a proposal.

You can find it here.

The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4.19- Agendas

2008-12-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

New update is up, here.

I know, I've begun posting at my LJ, but in reality, I send ALL my time there anyway, and it's easier for me. I'm sorry for those of you who prefer the updates here. :(

Have a Happy Holiday everyone! :)

Fail

2008-12-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry guys. No, really, I am. I wanted to apologize in person for the hot mess that I am. I wanted to (and tried) to do 10 updates in the month of November, but I failed at it- I did 5, right? UGH.

But, rest assured, I WILL do the rest of the updates this month, Holidays BE DAMNED. AND I'm going to work on the HUGE Spare update, though it will be posted over at my LJ. (It's going to be very, very huge.)

Next update is coming at you on Thursday, so look for that.

In the mean time, here! I've been retexturing numerous hairs like crazy, and making outfits (and started working on a skin, I'm so productive) and other Simmish background things, so I'm thrusting them at you as a form of apology! *thrusts*

"What a Mouthful!"- Easy/Lucky/Free Part Two by Phobia+Sarha on Maxis Sclera

"Simply Smiling"- XMSims 40b Retextured

"Body in the Basement"- XMSims 31 Retextured

So, I'm sorry guys. I'll see you all iun a couple of days!

The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4.18- Moving Forward

2008-11-25T21:42:00.002-05:00

Welcome back dear readers! To update 5/10- I have a plan to update every day (except Thursday), including a double update on Friday- I WILL REACH MY GOAL.

Anyway, when we last left off, Doris and Donato graduated, Doris proposed to Phobos, and Doris got married. With the graduation of all their siblings, Dorothy and Dorrigan were left alone at the family Greek House for another year until they graduate.

We start this update off with a quick look at the portraits that line the walls of the second floor of AOV:

First is Arthur, then Athena and Cornelius, then Arnaud,

Arnaud, Dorian, Donovan, Douglas,

Donovan, Douglas, Doris, Donato, Dorothy,

And Dorrigan. All 10 Siblings, plus Cornelius.

And NOW we start the update for real!

Outside of AOV, Dorrigan was doing what he did best: nothing. His life was so pathetic, he even knew what time the mailman came around.

“Hey Dorrigan!”

“Hey Legolas. What’s up?”

“Nothing new. I STILL can’t find another job.”

“Really? I thought it would’ve been easy for you, considering how dedicated you are to delivering people’s mail.”

“Haha. Thanks. But no, It’s still impossible. Thanks for the concern. See you Thursday?”

“I’ll be here. Nothing else to do, remember?”

With that, Legolas walked away, leaving Dorrigan with the mail.

Dorothy, on the other hand, always seemed to be sneaking around, usually when night fell.

“I think it’s time you came over.”

Pelles feigned shock.

“WHAT?! Over to… your house?!”

“Very funny. Yes, to my house. I wanted to make sure I invited you, in case that legend is true.”

“Well, you need not worry- unfortunately, vampires can very easily go wherever they please.”

“That’s regrettable- and here I was hoping if things ever turned sour I could just hide out in my house.”

Pelles laughed.

“What time do you ant me over?”

“Uh… can you come right now?”

“Sure. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

“Alright. See you soon.”

Dorothy hung up the phone and was quickly in front of the mirror in the hallway- it had been placed there by Doris so she could gussy up quickly in case Phobos ever came by. Dorothy sighed as she tried to fix her hair- it’s not like she ever cared what she looked like- Pelles made her feel so beautiful, no matter what.

Outside, Pelles arrived and called out to Dorothy.

“Dorothy! It’s me- let me in!”

From inside, Dorothy called back:

“I thought you were kidding about that legend.”

“I was. The door is locked.”

“Oh.”

Dorothy walked out of the house and smiled at Pelles.

“You’re looking gorgeous as ever, Dorothy Crane.”

“Thank you, Pelles. You look wonderful as well- which I imagine must be hard, considering that you don’t have a reflection.”

Pelles smiled widely, revealing his fangs, as he took Dorothy by her hands.

“I didn’t realize you noticed.”

“We were sitting in front of a lake- how could I not notice there was only one reflection? I’m very perceptive, you know.”

“I would imagine so.”

“Why don’t we take this inside?”

Once inside, Dorothy and Pelles sat down on the couch, and began talking.

Within minutes, however, their talk was interrupted by Dorrigan’s ridiculously loud gasp.

“AHH!”

Dorothy and Pelles both turned towards the sound.

“Is there a problem, Dorrigan?”

“Uh… no, of course not. I was just startled.”

“We could see that.”

Pelles giggled a bit at Dorothy’s crack.

“So, is there something you wanted to say, or are you going to interrupt my date some more?”

“D-date? You two are on a date?”

“Yes, Dorrigan. That’s what it’s called when two people who like each other spend time together.”

Pelles laughed a bit more, but then stood up.

“You may be the perceptive one, Dorothy, but I can sense the awkwardness in this room- I think I’ll be going.”

“But you just got here!”

Pelles spared a glance at Dorrigan, and saw the animosity in his eyes.

“I think it’s better if I go. You two have much to discuss.”

Pelles pulled Dorothy into a tender kiss before leaving.

He looked at Dorrigan for a quick second. “I’ll be seeing you around.”

Dorothy turned and glared at her twin before heading upstairs.

Like most other times when she was upset, Dorothy had retreated to her Rbot Station.

“Dorrigan is such a fool.” *bang* *bang* “How dare he try to interrupt my date- and he was so rude about it! I should show him…”

Dorothy continued her angry banging until she eventually decided to go get something to eat.

“Oh. You’re here.”

“Hey Dorothy! I was hoping we could talk.”

Dorothy sighed and prepared to hear an exact replica of the speech that Doris had given her the previous year.

“Dorothy, how could you?! I don’t understand it! I mean- I thought we where twins!”

“What are you talking about?”

“The fact that you’re dating someone and didn’t tell me! You know I have no life, I need to hear something- and here you are sneaking around without anyone knowing who you were with!”

Dorothy’s eyes opened wide.

“Wait, hold on- you’re yelling at me because I’m dating someone without telling you?”

“Yeah, why else would I be angry?”

Dorothy broke into a laugh, which soon spread to Dorrigan.

“What did you think I was angry about?”

Dorothy smiled, which was a rare occasion in and of itself.

“Nothing, D.”

Dorothy pulled Dorrigan into hug, smiling still.

“Nothing at all.”

The next night, Dorothy did her part in continuing the legacy by pledging Azrael Brooks, a Fortune Sim Dormie who had been friends with Winnipeg, Charity and now Dorothy.

“Aw, this is going to be so wicked D- trust me!”

“Well, I hope you can be ‘Wicked’ with my kids- I’m graduating in a couple of days.”

"Kids?"

"Yes, Azrael, that's the point of a Placeholder- living here until my children move in."

"Hey, then try to have girls- I'd love to-"

"I'll give that message to my uterus, thanks. And try not to make sex jokes about my future children, okay?"

"I'll try."

And they were- Dorothy and Dorrigan began spending all their time catching up on assignments they had brushed off: Dorothy for Pelles, and Dorrigan for painting. The days were stressful, but the annoying Lalma Mascot did nothing to help matters.

In the other room, Azrael was prepping for the Toga Party that was going down- a Pre Graduation Party for Dorothy and Dorrigan.

“Are you guys sure you’re ready for this? It’s going to be the Blow Out of the YEAR!”

And it was.

There was dancing,

Flirting,

Joking,

And family relations.

But it was all worth it, for the next day Dorothy graduated Summa Cum Laude, like all Heiresses before her.

As soon as Dorrigan arrived, Dorothy smiled and patted him on the arm.

“Congratulations bro!”

“Summa Cum Laude Graduates! We rock, don’t we?”

“Yes, we do. What are you going to do?”

“I’m thinking a nice, long nap, and then going home. You?”

“Azrael’s throwing another party.”

“Alright. See you later.”

And it was well deserved. After what felt like a lifetime, Dorothy was *finally* graduating and moving on to the main house.

“I’m glad you’re breaking free of this place!”

“I know, right? It feels like I’ve been here forever.”

Doris smiled at her siblings.

“Well, we all know what we’re REALLY celebrating here.”

Dorothy and Douglas looked at Doris oddly.

“Babies! Now that you’ve graduated you can marry that hunky vamp and give me some nephews! I bet Eleanora would love some cousins to play with.”

Douglas smiled and nodded.

“And Cybele and I are going through with an adoption, so when your kids grow up they can have a full grown cousin to teach them the ways of the world.”

Dorothy shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Well, I think I’m going to wait on the whole ‘get married, have babies instantly’ thing you guys have going on. Have things I want to accomplish before having children.”

Doris laughed. “Well, you better not wait too long- You saw that Mom didn’t live long enough to see any grandchildren.”

Dorothy shifted some more before finally getting up.

“Excuse me.”

Outside, she found one of her friends, Professor Eustace.

“Can you believe the crowd in there? I don’t know how Azrael managed to contact all these people.”

Eustace giggled.

“There’s been talk of a wedding coming up- will we ever get to meet the Groom? Is he here?”

Dorothy glared at Eustace and moved away from him, only to find her brother and co-heir, Donato.

“I had no idea you were here! Thanks for coming, Donato. I know I’ve been mean to you in the past, but it means a lot.”

Donato smiled blithely. He had come up to the college because of the girls, but he was alright with Dorothy thanking him and even more alright with her apology.

He pulled her into a hug, startling her- Dorothy very rarely hugged people, she felt it was letting them come much too close to her- but she wasn’t disturbed by the show of affection by Donato. If he ever mentioned it again she’d say she was drunk.

Gazing one more time at the Greek House, Dorothy smiled to herself. It had been her home for four long, eventful years, and she was definitely going to miss it- but time moves forward, and she was definitely ready to move on.

“I was hoping you would call me. I got wind of an ‘epic bash’ by what sounded like a breathless teenager, but I wasn’t sure how you’d feel if I just showed up at one of your parties.”

Dorothy laughed. “No, I want you here. Now hurry before I have to leave.”

While all the festivities were going on, Dorrigan had held true to his promise, and was fast asleep- thankfully Donato didn’t decide to use the bedroom, or he would have received a nasty surprise.

Downstairs, Pelles had arrived and was surprised when Dorothy started groping him.

“Dorothy! Not that I don’t like what’s going on here, but what’s gotten into you?!”

“Nothing! Can’t I just enjoy my man?!”

“Your what now?”

Pelles’s protests were cut off as Dorothy began kissing him even more passionately than before, arousing feelings in him that had been dormant for decades.

But the kissing was soon cut off as Dorothy transitioned in a burst of confetti, blew a kiss to Pelles, and left for Kodak.

When Dorrigan woke up, he was not pleased with what he found- or didn’t find. Dorothy was gone, Azrael was passed out, and the house was a mess.

But it did give him a chance to dome things he couldn’t do with his siblings hanging around- for the first time in his life, Dorrigan was alone.

“Hello, Legolas? We need to talk.”

What does Dorrigan have to discuss with the mailman? What will Dorothy do once she arrives at the house? Come back tomorrow to find out.

As always, thanks for reading!

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Notes:

This update was a mess. I think it went pretty well considering how rushed I was. I’ll try to be better about it tomorrow.

When Dorothy and Pelles kissed, it was their first kiss ever- like I said before, I had shot the Playing With Fire scenes in Pleasantview, which had somehow become my test hood.

Here are Dorothy and Pelles being all romantic and Falling in Love:

I love them together, they are so cute. ^__^

Also, I’m glad Dorrigan’s plot was finally introduced- it’s short, but we find out some important things. In this update I did sneakily throw in some plotlines that will be important for next gen, which feels delicious- now I know why people actually plan things out beforehand. :P

Oh, and here’s a shot of Azrael post-makeover:

Isn’t he adorable? He has the Stabby Death Nose face, but he works it. He also works that hairstyle- I don’t like it much, but he. Makes. It. Work.

If I hadn't gotten it into my head to hook up Dorothy and Pelles, then she would have ended up with Eustace. (Even IF he has the same face as Phobos.) Thankfully I decided against it!

And, as usual, thanks for reading and enjoy! :D

The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4.17- Branches

2008-11-24T17:54:00.004-05:00

Welcome back, dear readers! I know I promised 10 updates, and I’m only on 4, but I’m going to kick into overdrive to get it done!

When we last left off, Doris got engaged to her professor Beau, Phobos Clement, and she and Donato graduated with advice for their younger siblings, Dorothy and Dorrigan, the only two Cranes STILL at college.

We now pick up with the egocentric siblings at their new house. (The house was changed in 4.6.)

“You know, I kind of like the old house better. It was less…. Pink? Yellow?”

Doris laughed.

“I like it. It has a quaint feel to it.”

Donato looked at her strangely.

“Sis, just because you got engaged doesn’t mean you have to start trying to sound smarter.”

Doris laughed again.

“You do know I graduated Summa Cum Laude, right?”

As the two siblings joked around, Cressida walked into the room and paused to swoon over Donato.

“I do believe my circuits are overheating in the presence of Master Donato!”

Doris turned and saw that Cressida had arrived.

“Cressida! You’re here!”

“Yes, I am. Is there something that you wanted to inform me of before I go continue my Gardening?”

“Well, I wanted to thank you. You’ve been here, all alone since mom died, and I feel guilty. At least it’s only another year before Dorothy graduates!”

“I assure you, it is no problem! I am doing exactly what I was built to do- watch and protect your family in times of need!”

“Aww, thanks Cress!”

After their chat, Donato swooped in to speak to Cressida.

“So, Cress, where will I be staying? I know Mom spoke to you about this, and, did she mention I’ll need lots of privacy?”

“Mistress Charity did mention that you would be needing your own quarters, and I have made the necessary arrangements.”

“Sweet, let’s see it!”

Within minutes Cressida had shown Donato to his new Garage Apartment, where he would have everything he needed.

“This place is rockin’, Cress!”

“I was also in charge of the decorations, so I hope you are happy with them.”

Donato pulled Cressida into a tight hug.

“I love it, thanks! I can’t wait to call Evelyn over…”

The day of Doris’s wedding, Donato indeed spent the morning doing what he did best…

While Doris fretted about her wedding.

It just wasn’t right, thought Doris. She always imagined her wedding would be a huge affair, with dozens of people, and her parents beaming at her while she said her vow. Apparently the dream hadn’t died when her parents did.

Doris sighed, and ran her hands through her hair. She knew she would be happy with Phobos, he was her rock- he calmed her down, and helped make her into the mature woman she was now, and not some self centered girl.

But she still missed her mom and dad. Was that so wrong?

Later that afternoon, as the wedding time approached, Phobos and Donato sat down to have some lunch.

“So, you and my sister, huh?”

“Yes. It’s exciting, but I have to admit, part of me is a bit scared…”

“Why? Your marrying into a rich family, you’re getting an awesome girl- what’s there to be scared of?”

Phobos smiled widely.

“You’re right. It must be those cold feet, rearing their ugly heads.”

Donato looked questioningly at Phobos before shrugging it off.

As the day trudged on, the guests began to arrive- siblings, friends, professors and the like- all were invited to witness the wedding.

In the living room, Douglas was joking with Donato.

“I just can’t believe Doris is getting married to someone other than herself.”

Donato giggled “We’ve changed, you know.”

This statement caused Douglas to laugh even harder.

“Ok, Donato. Let’s go outside, shall we?”

Outside, the rain had cleared up and the guests were milling about. Doris and Phobos were already under the arch.

“You know, we can just call this whole thing off and run away together.”

Doris smiled sweetly.

“And resist the chance to show up my other sibling? No thanks.”

Phobos laughed a bit.

“I see the girl I fell in love with is still under there somewhere.”

“And that’s why I love you, Doris Crane. I love you, and I’m glad you’re my wife.”

(And you know I can’t resist some wedding spam!)

The wedding progressed as usual-

There were kisses…

Clapping…

Cake…

Conversation…

And a quick trip to a hotel on the other side of Kodak.

By the time they returned, Doris had a twinkle in her eye, and she was over the moon with happiness.

“I love you so much Phobos.”

“I love you too Doris. I can’t wait until we have our own little house, with a couple of kids running around…”

Doris giggled.

“That might come sooner than you expect…”

Outside, Donato had cornered one of his old professors, Olivia.

After some quick talking, they had retreated to his apartment.

“You sure you want an old bird like me, Donato? I pictured you as going after the young, sexy ones that can keep up with you.”

“Oh, don’t worry Professor Goldman, you’re the one who’s going to have to keep up…”

Olivia smiled.

“And you’re a shameless flatterer. But I can’t allow myself to be seduced so easily, can I? Used and abused like all your other playthings? I think I’ll be seeing you around, Donato.”

Donato just gaped as the professor made her way out of his apartment.

He had just been turned down for woohoo for the very first time in his life.

It was a challenge he was going to enjoy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning after the wedding, Doris awoke with horrible nausea- she had been expecting some mild stomach pains, but full on intense vomiting was NOT in the plan.

Nor was it pretty.

When Donato woke up, however, he had only one thing on his mind: Olivia. The feisty elder professor had taunted him, and he was up for the challenge- so to speak.

When Olivia came over, he quickly assaulted her with a sloppy kiss that shocked her more than anything.

“Whoa there, cowboy! Shouldn’t you buy me a drink first?”

Donato smiled wickedly.

“I would, but you’re already here and I’m already shirtless… Don’t you want to join me?”

Olivia smiled.

“Let’s talk about this upstairs.”

In Donato’s apartment, the two stared resumed their flirtatious banter within seconds of arriving.

“You should spend more time shirtless, you know. It suits you.”

Donato smiled his “Fresh” smile- he had her right where he wanted her.

Donato stepped closer to her and brushed a hand against her cheek.

“The offer stands- you can join me if you want.”

Before they knew it, the two were locked in a passionate embrace.

And before Olivia knew it, she had indeed been used and abused like she had feared.

And she enjoyed every second of it.

In the house, Doris’s pregnancy was becoming more apparent, especially when she decided to wolf down a plate of Macaroni and Cheese for breakfast.

And then couldn't keep it down.

When she returned from the bathroom, she was surprised to find Phobos waiting for her in the kitchen.

“Hey, honey.”

“Good afternoon’s more like it. The sun should be setting any second.”

“Oh, right. Well, I have to talk to you.”

“Oh?”

“How do you feel about kids? I know you mentioned it, but I know you wanted to be stable before we had any, and I…”

“Doris, you know I’ll be happy no matter what. As long as I have you, I can deal with whatever life throws at me.”

Doris smiled widely.

“Good.”

The couple hugged, letting their conversation flow into silence.

A few minutes later, Doris’s suspicions were confirmed: She was indeed pregnant! She was over the moon with happiness.

Allowing her happiness to fade for a bit, Doris paused to remember her mother. She would have been ecstatic as well: even though Athena, Arthur, Dorian and Donovan were already married, she would have been especially happy seeing her little girl grow up and have babies of her own.

Upstairs, Doris went to see Phobos.

“Holy cow Doris!”

“Are you calling me fat? You know this is your child I’m carrying.”

Phobos pulled Doris into a light kiss.

“No, this is AMAZING! I mean, I figured it out when you were talking downstairs, but I’m so…”

“Well, I have an idea!”

“What is it darling? Anything for you, and our baby.”

“Well, Douglas said that he and Cybele got married in a secret wedding, but were unable to have kids- he offered us a place to stay until we get on our feet!”

“Living with your brother and his wife? That sounds weird…”

Doris laughed.

“It isn’t! Dorian and Donovan live together! And plus, it’s a win win- we get to help him and Cybele out at the gallery, and they help us with the baby!”

Phobos smiled and nodded.

“Alright. We’ll move in with your brother.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The next morning, Phobos hummed to himself while packing- he was doing it! He was finally going to live happily ever after with his gorgeous wife, and their new baby.

“You ready to go, hon?”

“Of course. The baby is going crazy over here, I can’t wait to hold him in my arms.”

“How do you know it’s a boy?”

“I just DO.”

“Alright. I called the cab, so let’s hurry.”

“Let me go say goodbye to Donato first, okay?”

“Sure thing.”

Outside, Doris found her twin and pulled him into a tight hug- for the first time in their lives, they weren’t going to be living together.

“Be good Donato- I know Dorothy will graduate soon, so someone will be able to watch you and your fresh ways.”

Donato laughed. “don’t worry about me sis- I’ve done some growing too.”

“Oh?”

“Naw, I just said that so you could leave me alone.”

Doris playfully punched her brother in the arm.

“Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Right back at ya.”

Doris smiled at her brother as she turned and got into the cab.

Phobos waved at Donato as he too got into the cab, and drove away to their new life.

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Notes:

I FAIL guys. I was supposed to do 10 updates, and this is my FOURTH. I’m thinking that I have to do one per day to catch up and met my goal. If Mao can do it, so can I!

I know this update is POINTLESS except to show that Doris got married and pregnant, but it was originally TWO! Updates. I’m glad I just jammed the whole mess into one.

One of the bad things about playing AGES before writing updates is that you can’t go back and add scenes- this was all back in Kodak One, so this house is GONE. While writing this, I always get ideas about what to do, but it’s too late. I’ll try to be better about it in Generation 5, where I have a focus and set plots rather than Legacy Happenings in Narrative Form.

I’m also thinking about doing an Epic Spares Post to catch them up as well. What do you think? Do you want to see the spares all caught up in a GIANT update? It’ll have to be over at LJ if it’s going to be as huge as I think it is. (150+pictures).

Anyway, have some outtakes!

I thought it was so cute that Atlas and Winne were haunting at the same time, being synchronized and angry.

I did get Phobos's Impossible Want point. But I'm not playing for points anymore, so oh well.

I really wanted to use this scene, of Phobos talking to Cressida, but it didn't make sense. *shrug*

I love Cressida's expression here too.

As always, enjoy, and thanks for reading!

The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4.16- Making It Work

2008-11-18T17:24:00.002-05:00

Welcome back dear readers! This update continues the blitz, and moves away from Dorothy for a little while to cover what her siblings are doing.

When we last left off, Dorothy and Pelles had met in the park and discussed their lives- however, when Donato confronted Dorothy, she rudely told him to mind his own business. Will her sibling continue to worry?

The day after her “fight” with Donato, Dorothy sat in the kitchen, rehashing everything in her mind. Why had Donato confronted her? He was too self centered to have even noticed she met someone the other night at Crypt O’ Night Club, so she knew he had to have had help.

Doris.

Doris had shown concern the night before, after Dorothy told her he was a vampire. Why would Doris tell Donato to ask her though?

Dorothy continued to think the issue over, before deciding to forget about it. She had recently completed a new invention, and was anxious to try it out. Doris could wait.

Outside, Dorothy smiled unpleasantly at the Cow Mascot.

“What’s that?”

“What?”

Before the Mascot could turn back around, Dorothy revved up her invention and began literally sucking the memories out of the mascot. The machine was complex, and extremely dangerous: one wrong move and Dorothy or the Cow Mascot could end up a vegetable.

“Whatttt areee yoooouuuu doiiiinnnngggg?????”

Dorothy set the invention down. Had it worked?

“Hello, flour baby. I will name you… Pam. Do you know where I am, Pam? Hehe, that rhymed.”

It hadn’t. Dorothy had only wanted to take away her memories of being a mascot, not make her forget everything. Back to the drawing board.

By the time she was inside, night had fallen, and Donato had met yet -another- girl.

Dorothy made a face and commented.

“Another one, Donato? Is this your plan? Get a new girl every night until you graduate?”

“Leave us alone, Dorothy. I’m BUSY.”

Bridget smiled blithely at Dorothy.

“Now, babe, where were we?”

“Oh right. Here.”

“Oh my gosh! Is that for me?!”

“It sure is baby.”

“You’re so nice, Donato! I didn’t know you were so generous.”

“I’m even more generous in bed…”

“Donato!”

Within an hour, Donato had Bridget tight where he wanted her- in his bed. He was aiming for Twenty Loves before graduation, and it looked like he ws going to make it.

In the craft room, Dorothy was working hard to improve the “SimVac”- it’s tentative name.

“Dorothy, we need to talk.”

“Not right now Doris. I’m trying to fix something.”

“It’s urgent.”

Dorothy turned around, and faced her sister.

“What is it? What’s so urgent you need to-”

Dorothy could not finish her thought, because Doris began yelling at her, apparently furious.

“Dorothy Ann Crane! I CANNOT believe you went out to see that- that vampire! After I specifically told you NOT to!”

Dorothy just stared at her sister as she continued her verbal assault against her.

“Look, Doris, in case you forgot- you aren’t my mother. Mom died, and she wouldn’t have even cared if I was dating someone, much less who- or what he was. So, you need to go date your professor and leave me the hell alone.”

“You--- You fresh girl!”

“Seriously, Doris? That’s all you can come up with? Not only are you in my business, trying to tell me who I can and cannot date, but you’re calling me a fresh girl because I don’t obey your every order. Get out of my craft room.”

“Fine.”

Doris turned to leave, while Dorothy glared at her.

How DARE she? Who did she think she was?! Dorothy continued glaring at the spot where Doris had stood, furious with her sister.

The next day was Doris and Donato’s final final, and Donato had spent the better part of the night…

Being Donato, of course.

That meant he was doing homework when Dorrigan was sitting down for his 3AM snack.

“What are you doing?”

“Homework.”

“Isn’t your final final today? Shouldn’t you have done that earlier?”

“Shut it, Dorrigan. Don’t you have better things to do than nosing around other people’s business?”

“I was just trying to help.”

“Yeah, well, don’t. Wait a second- you're smart right? Do you know what year The Rape of Lucrece was published?”

Dorrigan just stared at his brother.

Downstairs, Doris and Phobos were enjoying their final dance as Student and Professor- as per the University’s guidelines, he would be fired as soon as she graduated.

“Are you sure you don’t resent me for ruining your life?”

“No, I don’t Doris. I could never resent you.”

“Are you sure? I just feel like you worked so hard for this, and now here I go ruining your only chance at happiness…”

Sensing Doris’s unhappiness, Phobos touched her shoulder lightly and asked: “What’s going on, Doris? You’re never this unsure of yourself and your ability to make the world a better place. Why the self pity?”

Doris sighed lightly.

“I had a fight with Dorothy last night. We haven’t spoken since.”

“What did you fight about?”

“She has a boyfriend. One that just happens to no longer be alive.”

“Your sister is dating a zombie?!”

“No, silly. She’s dating a vampire. She goes out and meets him in the middle of the night and then gets rude when we ask her about it.”

“I don’t understand. So, he’s a vampire, and? If your sister likes him, she likes him. Let it be, Doris.”

“Are you sure?”

“If your sister is happy, let her be happy. From what you tell me, she doesn’t seem like the type who lets people in easily- just be happy she found someone.”

Doris pulled Phobos into a hug.

“You’re so smart, Phobos. Thanks.”

“No problem. Are we still going out later?” Phobos asked.

“You bet. I have a surprise for you.”

“I can’t wait.”

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Later that day, Phobos and Doris met at Londoste, the fanciest restaurant in SimCity. KDI had recently acquired a number of ferries, which allowed the members of Kodak to go from their small island to the mainland for certain activities that Kodak simply could not provide.
Extremely expensive dining was one of them.

“You didn’t have to bring me to the city, Doris. We could have gone downtown.”

“And miss the experience of fine dining? Yeah right.”

The couple hugged. It was amazing how balanced they were- Phobos’s compassionate nature outweighed Doris’s limited view of the world, making them one of the better couple of the generation.

Inside, Doris sipped her water to calm her nerves. As a Family Sim, she always knew this day would come, but part of her was struggling with the execution of it.

“So, are you going to tell me what this is all about?”

“What do you mean?”

“You take me across the ocean to the nicest restaurant on this coast, and then try to tell me nothing’s going on? I know you, Doris. You’re up to something.”

“Don’t be silly. Here, try this pie, it’s to die for.”

Phobos just smiled and ate the pie- it was delicious.

After the meal, was over, Phobos decided to try and broach the subject again.

“Are you going to tell me now, Doris?”

“I already told you! Well, I didn’t.”

With that, Doris pulled out a small box and put it on the table.

“Wright, it’s gorgeous!”

“Will you marry me, Phobos Clement?”

Doris’s face twisted into a hopeful grin, paying that the love of her life would accept.

Phobos put his hand on Doris’s and smiled gently. “Of course I will.”

“I love you, Phobos.”

“I love you.”

Needless to say, Doris and Phobos spent the rest of the night celebrating.

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At AOV, Dorrigan received a nasty shock- it seemed that yet another one of Dorothy's inventions was malfunctioning, and had attacked Dorrigan instead of an intruder.

The robot floated in front of Dorrigan, taunting him.

“Dorothy! DOROTHY! Your demonic invention is attacking me!”

When Dorothy finally found the Sentrybot, night had fallen and it refused to turn off.

“Damn it! What kind of machine doesn’t respond to DIRECT COMMANDS?!”

After the incident, Dorothy was back in her workshop.

“I don’t get it. It was perfect! Is this a trend? First the SimVac, and now the Sentrybot? Why am I so distracted?”

“Dorothy? Can you come out here for a second?”

Dorothy grumbled as she went out to the hallway to find her sister.

“I just wanted to apologize for yesterday.”

“Oh?”

“Ugh, don’t make this difficult for me. I was wrong, okay? I know that love can make you do crazy things- I’m dating my professor, aren’t I?”

Dorothy smiled.

“I forgive you.”

Doris feigned relief. “Oh thank Wright! I was so worried that Dorothy would be mad at me forever!”

The two sister hugged.

“I wasn’t lying though, Dorothy. I do worry about you. Maybe you should-”

“Don’t ruin the moment, Doris.”

“Alright.”

When the two women separated, Doris smiled brightly.

“So, do you notice anything different about me?”

Dorothy laughed.

“Besides that gigantic ring on your finger? No, not at all.”

The next morning, Donato and Dorrigan were preparing to say goodbye: Donato had decided to help his brother’s sex life by giving him numerous “tips”.

“So, when she’s moaning-”

“She should be more than moaning if you follow all the steps! She should be WRITHING in agony, D. WRITHING.”

“Okay, so when she’s writhing, I then… Uh-”

Donato covered his brother’s awkwardness with a laugh.

“Listen don’t worry about it- if the time is right, you’ll know what to do.”

“So I guess the time is always right for you, right?”

“Very funny. Come here.”

The brothers hugged.

“Be good- I worry about you, you know?”

“Really? I thought all you worried about was writhing.”

Donato laughed again and prepared to transition.

With a burst of confetti, it was over: he was an adult, ready to take on the world.

Donato scratched his head as he headed out for the cab.

“I sure hope I’m ready for this!”

And that, my friends, is where I leave you! Will the Women of Kodak be ready for Donato? Will Dorothy ever perfect her inventions? Will Doris get married? Will Dorrigan ever do something interesting? Stay tuned to find out!

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Notes:

I apologize for this update- it seems sloppy to me. I guess I'm just burnt out, only three updates in: I'm going to *try* and do a double update soon, I need to catch up!

Dorrigan really doesn't ever do anything useful. He just does his work and paints. *yawn* At least Dorothy has malfunctioning inventions.

The SimVac WILL be important in the future, which is why it was so awkwardly introduced. We might even see more of the poor Cow Mascot, and 'Pam'. ;)

I'm seriously considering making a montage of Donato and all his lovers (once I get to 30 here on the blog) set to 'Womanizer'. I LOVE that song. What do you guys think? Do you want to see all of Donato's lovers in a parade of freshness set to a delicious song?

As always, thanks for reading!

The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4.15- Playing With Fire, Part Two

2008-11-12T17:30:00.002-05:00

Welcome back dear readers! The blitz updates continue today.

When we last left off, Dorothy, Doris and Donato had decided to have a night out at the Crypt O’ Night Club to cheer themselves up. Once there, Dorothy met a mysterious, charming Vampire named Pelles. After he left, Dorothy excitedly recounted their chat with Doris, who went from skeptical to worried. Will Dorothy listen to her older sister? Or will she continue to flirt with danger?

The morning after their night Downtown, Donato was back to his old ways: he had met Bellatrix Ryenia at The Quad and had convinced her to come back to AOV with him for some “alone time”.

“Oh mah gosh! Is that for me?”

Donato just smiled. He had done this a million times, and it helped that Bellatrix wasn’t the smartest tool in the shed.

“Yes, it is. Do you like it?”

“Of course Ah do! It’s… It’s gorgeous Donato!”

Donato smiled again. “Now come here, I know just what you need to feel better.”

Donato nimbly moved into position, and began working his expert hands over Bellatrix’s tired shoulders.

“That’s the spot… How’d you know mah shoulders would be aching?”

Donato, never missing a beat, continued massaging Bellatrix.

“Why don’t we go upstairs? There’s a lot more space for me to massage you, and then maybe I can show you to my bedroom...”

Bellatrix giggled, sounding remarkably young for a Young Adult.

“Sure. Ah’d *love* to see your bedroom, Donato.”

The pair made their way upstairs, giggling like naughty schoolchildren.

Inside the kitchen, Dorothy was having trouble focusing on her assignment. She had been flustered by the mere thought of calling Pelles, and schoolwork and her inventions did nothing to ease her restlessness.

Getting frustrated with her work, Dorothy stood from the table. Why was this so hard for her? He had told her he wanted her to call, so why was she being so difficult about it?

Burying her face in her hands, Dorothy sighed. It wasn’t as easy for her as it was for Donato and Doris- they were outgoing and confident and while Dorothy did share the family traits to an extent, she was much more subtle about getting what she wanted. Could she really allow herself to lose her head over this guy?

Feeling familiar emotions rising, Dorothy decided that what she really needed was a shower- a nice, cold, long, shower. It would definitely help her think, and she would surely know what to do with a clear head, one rid of all foolish distractions like supernatural men.

However, Dorothy was wrong. Upon getting out of the shower, she found herself thinking about Pelles again.

“Screw it”, said Dorothy aloud. She was going to call him tonight, rules be damned. Dorothy may have usually been subtle, but when she wanted something, she was going after it, and after her… shower, she was very, very sure of what she wanted.

Upstairs, Donato’s massage had (predictably) turned into a steamy make out session between himself and the ‘Southern’ Cheerleader.

“When you said you wanted to see the bedroom, I had no idea you’d be this eager!” Donato was breathless, but he did enjoy a woman who took charge every now and then.

“Ah just know what I want, Donato. Is that your bed?”

By the time they made it to the bed (clothes still intact), Donato and Bellatrix were once again overcome with a fit of giggles.

“Ah can’t wait to see your (I)other(I) massage techniques!”

“Baby, you’re about to experience things you only dreamed of.”

Bellatrix giggled again as she and Donato plunged into their own little world beneath the sheets.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as Dorothy saw it was dark outside, she rushed out to call Pelles.

When he answered, Dorothy found herself smiling at the sound of his voice.

“I knew you’d call eventually, but I must admit- for someone with a lifespan as short as yours, I thought you would have called sooner.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I was just busy with school and working on a new project-”

Pelles interrupted her.

“Don’t worry about it- I know the lives of the living are filled with worries and obligations. How are you?”

“I’m-” Dorothy struggled to regain her nerve. Hearing his voice made her feel like a child, and that was not what she wanted. “I want to see you.”

The surprise was evident in Pelles’s voice.

“Really? I want to see you as well, but I was afraid it was too soon. Where?”

Dorothy blinked. In her haste to speak to him, she hadn’t even thought of a location for them to meet.

“Uh… Do you know the Maze?”

“Lost in Love Hedge Maze? I knew I was good, but I didn’t know you were Lost in Love after only a week, Dorothy.”

Dorothy laughed. It felt good to laugh again, she had felt like she was holding her breath for a week, and speaking to him was breathing in a gulp of fresh air: it was intoxicating, exciting and even a little dangerous.

“No, Pelles, you aren’t that good. Nobody’s that good. Well, maybe Donato, but he’s not relevant or pertinent to this conversation.”

“Hearing you ramble is wonderfully exciting, but I think you called me for a reason, Dorothy. Lost in Love it is. Meet you there at Midnight.”

With that, he hung up.

Dorothy smiled to herself again. They now had a date- their first real date. She was going on a date with a vampire.

Pausing, she thought of what her father would say. He’d be worried of course. Typical Family Sim reaction. But he would be ecstatic that she was happy. And she was.

Getting into the car, Dorothy smiled at the thought of her father. She had never admitted to her siblings how she missed them- Wright, how she missed them- even her mother, the woman who could be everyone’s best friend and mother, except for Dorothy’s.

Shrugging off the memories of her mother, Dorothy realized she had arrived at the maze, and that it had stopped raining. She was surprised to find she knew the way to the maze by heart.

Gripping the wheel tightly, she looked at her watch. It read 11:45. Plenty of time to kill before Pelles arrived. Part of her (the part that was similar to Doris) regretted not having combed her hair, or put on more make-up, but Dorothy knew that she was only thinking of excuses not to come. She and Pelles had chemistry, he excited her, and made her feel things she had never felt before- who cared he was a vampire? It was good doing something without Doris and Donato for once, and, this was something potentially dangerous- Dorothy had what every girl wanted in a relationship- excitement.

Dorothy sat in her car, happy with her thoughts and rationalizations, and waited for Pelles to arrive.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the house, Donato had wasted no time in kicking Bellatrix out of bed (literally, she had refused to leave, insisting she needed “her beauty sleep”) and was “meeting” with a Casual Buddy of his, Medea, who had been “referred” to him by another buddy, Sugar.

“Wow, Donato. Sugar told me you were hot, but I had NO idea you were THIS hot! Nice face, a hot little body, money- you’re every girl’s dream! If I were a Family Sim, I’d be on you like butter on bread!”

“Who says you need to be a Family Sim to be on me?”

Medea laughed, and pulled Donato into another passionate make out.

“Have you got anyplace to-”

“My brother’s upstairs, but I have a photo booth.”

“Sweet!”

Within seconds, Medea and Donato were in the basement, and when they were satisfied, climbed out of the photo booth.

“That was AMAZING. Sugar wasn’t lying, you sure know your way around a photo booth- I wonder how good you are in a bed.” Medea was flirting suggestively, and Donato was smiling again.

“Baby, I know my way around every surface you can woohoo on- you‘d be surprised at the kinds of things I get into.”

“I bet.” Medea laughed. “But I have to get going. I’d love to see you again. Call me when you’re bored, I’m sure we’ll find ourselves in an interesting position or two.”

Donato smiled at her.

“Sure thing.”

Donato watched as Medea walked out, and pulled out his cell phone to make another call.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Downtown, Dorothy found herself taking yet another sharp turn.

“How hard can it be to find the CENTER of a maze? Harry did it easily, I should be able to.” Dorothy’s grumblings were just her standard way of masking her true feelings- she was nervous as heck.

As soon as she turned the corner, Dorothy gasped when she saw Pelles. He was standing at the edge of the lake, looking right at her.

“I thought you’d never make it.”

Dorothy snuck a glance at her watch: 12:29.

“I thought time was of no importance to you immortal types?”

Pelles delicately lifted her hand and planted a kiss upon it- a greeting that Dorothy could definitely get used to.

“It isn’t, but a guy has the right to get antsy, doesn‘t he?”

Dorothy laughed a bit.

“I guess you’re right. Next time I’ll be more considerate of your feelings.”

Pelles smiled widely.

“So there will be a next time? I’m not usually one to make long term plans with girls.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Well, most girls aren’t comfortable with the fact that I’m no longer alive, while others tended to die on me.”

Dorothy didn’t know if it was a joke or not, so she ignored it.

“But, enough about me. How’s your sister? She must have freaked out when you told her about me.”

“What? How’d you know I was at the club with my sister?”

“I watched you come in, Dorothy. You have a real presence about you, I couldn’t help but notice you. It’s why I talked to you.”

“You’re right. She didn’t believe me when I said I talked to a vampire, but her disbelief quickly switched to worry.”

“Like I said, some people tend not to be okay with the whole vampire thing.”

“I’m okay with it.”

“I would hope so- it’s not often I get a beautiful, strong girl like you meeting me in the middle of the night.”

Dorothy placed her hand on her chest. He had called her beautiful and strong. She always knew she had a certain strength about her, but she never expected Pelles to pick up on it so quickly.

“You must be tired after all that walking. Why don’t we have a seat?”

Pelles gestured towards the bench overlooking the lake.

“Sure.”

Pelles smiled and they began their walk.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at AOV, Donato had just seen yet (I)another(I) one of his “friends” out, and was talking to one of his obnoxious frat buddies on the phone.

“Oh yeah, Medea was totally awesome. I was very pleasantly surprised, if you catch my drift.”

Doris glared at her twin. He could be such a jerk, and at times, she just wanted to slap him silly.

“Donato, we need to talk.”

“I’ll talk to you later dude, my sister is going crazy or something over here…Yeah, sisters, what can you do? Alright, see you.”

“So, what’s up? You wanted to talk, so I know you want something.”

“What? Can’t a twin sister want to talk to her twin brother about something incredibly important?”

“Well, I know you very well, considering we were BORN AT THE SAME TIME, so I think I’d know if you wanted to talk about something other than yourself or something you care about.”

Doris crossed her arms in irritation.

“Look, Donato, this is incredibly important. Can’t you quit talking about Sugar, or Medea, or Bella, or whoever your floozy of the week is for ONE second to hear me out?”

Donato smiled widely, a smile he reserved for when he wanted to scandalize his more conservative siblings with his exploits.

“Oh yeah, Medea was wonderful. She seemed pretty uptight, with her little suit, but I dove right in, if you know what I’m saying.”

Doris made a face which she reserved for Donato’s exploits.

“Please, Donato! Can you be a little less sleazy? Where is Dorothy? I saw her drive off after an eternity on the phone, and we have to find out where she went!”

Now it was Donato’s turn to make a face.

“What? Why? Why are you so eager to find Dorothy anyway? It’s not like you paid attention to her when she was upstairs playing with her workbench.”

Doris smiled.

“Donato it’s not about what I did before. It’s about what I do now! I’m concerned for her! Did you know she met a vampire at Crypt O’ Night Club? I didn’t believe her, but now I’m worried…”

Donato smiled too.

“Are you serious? Have you met our sister? Dorothy’s one of the strongest people I’ve met, she can take care of herself, D. Trust me. Don’t worry- she’ll be fine.”

Doris sighed.

“I hope so. The future of the family is in her hands.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Maze, Pelles and Dorothy were seated on the bench, talking about their lives, hopes, and in Pelles’s case, death.

“Are you sure it didn’t hurt? I mean, you did die after all.”

“It wasn’t that dramatic. Vampires have a special form of magic, and one of the times they use it is during transformations- they put the person in a sort of hypnotic trance, and then bite them. It’s not as gorey as the movies would have you believe.”

“But vampires can kill, right? I mean, what’s the point in being big and dangerous if you can’t manage to kill a Sim?”

“Make no mistake, we’re very capable of killing a Sim. Sometimes we bite without the trance- it’s next to impossible to survive a bite without it.”

“Wow. I never knew any of this. All the learning I did as a teenager was for practical things, like cooking and cleaning.”

“Didn’t your mother cook and clean? I didn’t think that taking care of oneself was a necessary requirement for being a teenager. Then again, times have changed since I was a teen…”

Dorothy thought for a minute. Could she tell him her entire life story on their first date? She was no expert, but she was pretty sure that first dates were mostly for small talk and talking about where one went to school, not talking about how your mother was too busy for you and played favorites.

“Well, my mom and Dad were very… traditional. I’m the youngest of 10 kids, so by the time I was a teen, my mom was an elder, she didn’t really make time for cooking and cleaning for me and my brother- she had done it so many times before, we could do it ourselves, right?”

Pelles looked at Dorothy closely and see that this was deep wound. Most girls had Daddy issues, but Dorothy appeared to have some troubles with her mother.

“Do you speak often?”

“It would be kind of hard, considering she’s been dead for a while now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, forget about it. I’m over it.”

Pelles could see she was lying, but decided not to press the issue- it was time for something a bit more romantic than death and maternal problems.

Instantly, he was standing over Dorothy with a smile on his face.

“You know, it really isn’t endearing when you do that super speed thing. I would prefer to have notice, or something.”

“My apologies. I was only standing so that I could ask you to dance with me.”

Dorothy raised her eyebrows and put on a tone of voice as if she was talking to a child:

“In case you didn’t notice, there’s no music. And, in case you couldn’t figure it out after talking to me for a couple of hours, I. Don’t. Dance. At all. Like, dancing and I DO NOT get along- I have NO rhythm, and it would just be seriously gruesome if you were to watch me try and do anything remotely like dancing.”

Pelles smiled.

“Well, it’s a good thing that only you and I are here then.”

Dorothy grumbled and stood up, allowing Pelles to guide her.

“What is it? Why do you have such a goofy expression on your face?”

“I’m just trying to figure out why such an intelligent, charming young woman like yourself is so angry all the time. Isn’t this nice? Dancing, with the cool night air surround you- it’s the most romantic thing in the world, Dorothy. Let yourself go, enjoy this.”

Pelles pulled their bodies closer, and Dorothy seemed to melt into him.

“I’m… I’m not angry. And I AM enjoying this. It’s just weird, you know? I’ve never done this before, and… ” In a small voice, she seemed to whisper: “I don’t know why you’d choose me, to be honest.”

When the dance ended, Pelles stood before Dorothy and looked her up and down.

“What is it this time?”

“Nothing. It’s just… You’re amazing, Dorothy.”

Dorothy made a face.

“What?!”

“You are. You’re smart, and gorgeous, and the heiress to a large house and you’re going to inherit an absurd amount of money, but you seem to have all this self doubt. I chose you because you’re you, Dorothy.”

Dorothy smiled and tentatively reached for his hands.

“Thanks Pelles.”

Pelles smiled, his fangs gleaming in the moonlight.

“I’m just telling the truth. I’m lucky you chose me.”

In that instant, all of Dorothy’s self imposed barriers seemed to melt away. She took a step closer to Pelles, and they kissed, allowing their attraction pull them closer together.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Dorothy sat to eat a but of jello just as Donato was finish up.

Donato just looked at her, expecting for her to say something.

“Really, Dorothy? You’re going to give me the silent treatment?”

“What on Earth are you talking about, Donato?”

“Spill! Where were you last night? Why’d you get back so late? Or should I say early?”

“You know what I want to know?”

“What?”

“How it’s anything I do is any of your business.”

With that icy statement, Dorothy stood up, leaving her plate behind her and a stunned Donato.

“And make sure you clean up the table, you wouldn’t want us to get roaches.”

Dorothy continued walking, and was soon gone from the kitchen.

Donato just stared blankly ahead.

“Whoa. If she got some, it must have been the worst woohoo EVER.”

With that, he left the kitchen, grumbling about his sister's renewed attitude.

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Notes:

And the blitz updates continue! This update didn't really follow up on what happened with Donato and his... elderly friend, but I feel that it did a good job of advancing the budding relationship between Dorothy and Pelles. Make no mistake, he is the Generation 4 spouse, no matter what her siblings say.

As with the previous update, this was shot in Pleasantview: I used MATY's Lot Debugger to make sure that they had the place to themselves. :P I removed the ugly pool (really, Maxis? I'm going to go into a maze, find my way to the center and take a swim?) and placed a lake and a bench. I also added a bunch of lights, but I still apologize if any of the pictures were a bit dark.

You can see that I made use of the corny puns offered to me by Maxis. "Lost in Love Hedge Maze" is a really nice place. I LIKE IT.

The 'Southern Cheerleader' thing was totally based off my obsession with True Blood. I just modeled her speech after Rogue's (from X-Men) and BAM! Instant Southernization. Or not, whatever.

I also dove a little bit into Dorothy and Charity's relationship, or Dorothy's side of it anyway. I really like exploring family relationships, especially viewing them from only one side: Dorothy feels like she never really connected with her mother (which is true) but we'll never find out Charity's side of it, will we? (Although, from 4.5 and 4.6, we can kind of see that Charity didn't like Dorothy very much, which is also interesting- parents are supposed to love their kids unconditionally, but they say mothers have "a sense" about things- did Charity know that Dorothy had serious problems with Dorian being heir? Once again, we'll never know. Well, I'll eventually post a meta about the heiresses, but it'll be a long way before I do that.)

The line where Dorothy says she doesn't dance is an actual quote by me. I said it at a friend's party when he asked me to dance. I DON'T WANT DANCE OK? I guess it's easy for me to relate to Dorothy. *shrug*

And, as a final note, this picture is one my favorites. Even though I fail at picture taking (you can see some of them are of center, and messy, I APOLOGIZE) this one is really nice. I wish I had zoomed in and gotten a closer shot. I don't even remember what animation I used for this!

Aren't they adorable? I SURE THINK SO. I love them together. ^_^

As always, Thanks for reading, and have a good night!

The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4.14- Playing With Fire

2008-11-07T18:22:00.002-05:00

Welcome back dear readers! I’ve taken on a new mission, and that is to catch up to where I am (gameplay wise) in the month of November! That means, in the next three weeks, you can expect 10 updates! Exciting, no? Well, they’ll all be Main House updates, I have NO idea what I’m going to do about the Spare Stories, but don’t worry about that- continue reading to see more delicious Crane action, and the start of a new plot!

When we last left off with the college kids, they were reeling from the loss of their parents, and trying to avoid the pain by distracting themselves with creation (Douglas), women (Donato) or their significant others (Doris). The only child not visibly affected was Dorothy, the Generation 4 heiress, and eventually, her other siblings started to worry about her.

It's been pointed out to me that my pictures are a bit distorted, and I apologize in advance. I had no idea, and unfortunately, the original pictures are gone, so no resizing them now. It's only for a bit longer, so I ask you to bear with me for a while until the pictures are less odd. Thanks!

We pick up with Doris and Dorothy getting ready for a night out on the town with Donato, their womanizing brother.

“You know what your problem is?”

“Enlighten me.”

“You don’t want to have any fun, ever. We get that you’re dark and depressing, but at some point you have to just let go and do something other than play with your robots!”

Dorothy smiled mirthlessly. “Doris, please. You know you only want me there so you can have someone to blather to about your relationship to, and watching Donato pick up yet another girl is not going to be fun. Count me out, Doris.”

“Come. On. Dorothy, it will be fun! We’ll meet cute guys and, you’re the heiress, you need to find someone to marry- it’s a win/win!”

“The magnitude of your ignorance astounds me, Doris. I'll find a guy to marry in my own time, trust me- I don’t need my brother and sister there with me when I meet him.”

“Dorothy, please? We haven't spent any time together since Mom and Dad died, and... I'm worried. Please come with us?"

Dorothy glared at her sister. She knew that she hadn't yet dealt with the deaths of her parents, and bringing that up was a definite cheap shot.

"Alright, fine."

"Yay! I'm so glad you decided to come, we're going to have so much fun, Dorothy, trust me!"

Dorothy sighed audibly and followed her into the car.

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By the time they arrived, Dorothy had changed her mind, and was unavoidably furious with Doris.

“I hate you. I can’t believe you made me come to this loser club- Crypt O Night Club? Seriously? They couldn't have thought of a less tacky name?”

Doris gave Dorothy a dirty look. The things Dorothy did like were few and far between, so she wasn’t at all surprised that she had regretted coming to the club. But Doris was determined to get her to enjoy herself for the first time in months, no matter what her snarky sister thought.

“Shut up Dorothy. Let’s just go inside and have a drink.”

“One drink, and that’s it. I’m leaving without you guys after that, if you don’t want to leave that's on you.”

Doris rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in irritation . She was NOT going to let Dorothy ruin this night. “Alright. You can leave if you want, but please, can we at least go inside?”

Dorothy managed a laugh. “Fine, Doris. I’m sorry I’ve been so-”

“Bitchy?”

Dorothy smiled again. “Yeah, bitchy. You know I just haven't thought about Mom and Dad, and you bringing them up guilt me wasn't exactly fair.”

"I know. I'm sorry, Dorothy. It's just... you've been so... unpleasant lately, I knew you'd need something to cheer you up. I'm sorry for using their deaths against you."

"Thank you."

The siblings finally walked into the club, where Doris smiled widely.

“Welcome to the Crypt O Night Club!”

“Check out all the ladies!" Donato had always had a one track mind, and tonight was no different. With a quick "See you later!" he was gone.

Within seconds, Dorothy was angry again and Doris was giggling to herself. “Donato is such a dork. I can’t believe he thinks he has a shot with that lady.”

'That Lady' turned out to be the Garden Club leader, which Donato was now dancing with.

Even though she had been mocking her twin, Doris soon joined him and his friend on the dance floor, where the DJ was playing some “ Non-Contemporary Modernized Techno”.

Dorothy, however, was a woman of her word and quickly went to the bar. An odd expression crossed her face, and the hair on her arms stood on end- for a quick second, she had felt like someone was watching her.

She laughed to herself at the thought. It had to be just a feeling. After all, who would be watching her? She wasn’t beautiful and confident like Doris, and she wasn’t as outgoing as her brother- she always had been a loner, the only person she could trust was her twin, Dorrigan, and she wasn't exactly a warm and inviting person, either. She was sure she had been mixed up, and continued to sip her drink.

Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t being watched.

Almost instantly, the “man” was sitting beside her, and Dorothy turned to give him a look.

“Oh Wright…”

“You- You’re-” Dorothy couldn’t find the words- he was a vampire! A real, live (well, as alive as he was going to be) Vampire!

“A vampire”, he offered. “Yes, I am. Does that bother you?”

Dorothy frowned. “Why would it bother me? I’m a Knowledge Sim, I think it’s the coolest thing ever.” Upon hearing herself say “coolest”, Dorothy grimaced. She was making a fool of herself already, and he looked confused- why was he sitting next to her?!

“Why yes, it is rather ‘cool’, isn’t it?” He smiled at her, he must’ve sensed her awkwardness in dealing with a member of the undead- and such an attractive one at that.

They let the awkward moment pass, and sat in silence. What would she say? What could she say? This was a member of the undead, a man who could kill her with his bare hands, who could grant her immortality, who could… she was over thinking it. Things would progress naturally, and she would let them… Right?

Her thoughts were interrupted by his order:

“I’ll take a glass of water, thanks.”

Dorothy turned away, her brain working at a thousand thoughts per second. Water? Why was he drinking water? Why wasn’t he drinking blood, or some other substitute? Was there even a substitute for blood?

While Dorothy was thinking about vampires and their feeding habits, Pelles was sneaking a glance at her. She was beautiful, and it was obvious she had never been with a man- the way she spoke to him, with all the hesitation of a teenager excited him. He had always been sought out by curious Sims, but having one be so uneasy around him was something else entirely.

Did he mention that she was gorgeous?

“You never mentioned your name.” Since she wasn’t trying to speak to him, he would have to be the one seeking her out- a nice reversal of roles, and one he would enjoy immensely.

“Oh, I didn’t, did I? I’m so silly. I’m Dorothy Crane. Yours?”

“Pelles.”

“I see.” Dorothy took a gulp of her drink- she would need the liquid courage if she was going to spend time with Pelles, especially after sticking her foot in her mouth so deliciously earlier.

Pelles smiled at Dorothy.

“So, Dorothy Crane, what do you do?”

“I’m in college right now, at Sim State. I would ask the same thing, but being confined to night only tends to limit your job opportunities.”

Pelles smiled lightly. So she was witty as well? This could be interesting.

Pelles stood quickly, and Dorothy followed suit.

“You’re a fascinating young woman, Dorothy. I’d like to get to know you, if that’s alright.”

“Why of course it’s alright- not every girl gets noticed by handsome young men like yourself, Pelles.”

“Trust me, I can hardly be considered young.”

The two smiled at one another. The banter was quick between them, and the chemistry was almost palpable in the short space that separated the two.

“I was serious, Dorothy. I really like you- it’s been almost 20 years since I felt this way about a woman.”

“You do know I wasn’t even born 20 years ago, right?”

Pelles gently lifted her hand and planted a kiss on it.

“I’ll be seeing you again, Dorothy.”

Dorothy giggled, feeling like a giddy schoolgirl with her first boyfriend.

“How are you so sure of that?”

“I left my phone number on the bar, and you won’t be able to resist calling me.”

Dorothy laughed again. “Is that so?”

“Yes, yes it is.”

Pelles turned away from Dorothy, smiling brighter than he had in centuries.

“Good night, Dorothy.”

With that, he transformed into a bat in a puff of purple smoke and flew away.

As soon as she was sure he was gone, Dorothy swooned. He had an unnatural effect on her, and she was a bit scared to admit that she liked it. He was charismatic, attractive, and they had great chemistry. Dorothy smiled to herself- Doris had wanted her to find a husband, little did she know who Dorothy had chosen.

After finishing her drink (and quietly retrieving Pelles’s phone number) Dorothy headed to the dance floor. Upon spotting her siblings, she had to wonder where all the good dancing genes had gone.

No, seriously- they danced like crazy people.

As soon as the music stopped, Dorothy grabbed Doris and began talking excitedly: “Doris, you will NOT believe who I met!”

“Oh Wright, Who?! Was it Julien Cooke?! Malcolm Landgraab?! Ooo, was it Dina Landgraab? She’s so glamorous, I wish I could look as wonderful in clothes as she does…”

“No! It was a vampire! His name is Pelles, and he’s ridiculously funny and exciting-”

Doris stopped her quickly.

“Woah woah woah, what? A vampire?! You spent all that time with an undead creature?”

“Well, he’s not a creature, Doris- he’s just a little different from us.”

Doris giggled. “Different as in having a taste for Sim blood, right? You didn‘t like him, did you? Dorothy, you know you‘re in charge of the family and you CANNOT have a thing for some vamp. You didn’t, right?”

Dorothy smiled at her, but underneath the surface she was furious- how dare her sister judge her? She was dating her PROFESSOR, she had no right- but Dorothy pushed her anger down, and smiled.

“I’m heading out, Doris. I said one drink, and I had one drink- I’m leaving.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay? The night is young I’m sure everyone will be showing up soon.”

“No thanks Doris. Thanks for the night out.”

“Alright.”

Doris pulled Dorothy into a tight hug.

“Be careful, sis. I know you, and you definitely like that guy. I’m just looking out for you, alright?”

Dorothy nodded.

“Sure. Night.”

“Goodnight.”

Dorothy looked back quickly and saw that Donato and the Garden Club lady had been dancing for a while now.

“Some things never change”, she muttered to herself as she walked out of the club and into the cool night.

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Notes:

So, Dorothy's future spouse is FINALLY revealed! I've been wanting to post this for AGES, considering I played it back in May. I cannot wait to be all caught up!

Pelles is one of the Grand Vampires generated by my game, and it was either him or a Blond one with the Korey Jitsomakul face- NO THANKS. I do want some recessives though. I do enjoy writing the two of them together, their romantic banter is so fun to write, even if I did have to edit it a couple of times. (I need a beta so bad!)

Speaking of writing Sims, Dorothy is incredibly easy for me to write, because she's partly based on myself: the sarcasm to protect herself, the cold exterior (Although I'm not sure there's anything warm inside Dorothy), the slight awkwardness- they're all things I have. Dorothy isn't all that awkward though, and that's where the similarities end- Dorothy is a whole bunch of other things that I'm not getting into here. But writing her and Pelles is very enjoyable for me.

I kind of wish I had made more time for Donato as well, poor thing only had about a line or two and then went off.

Oh! I almost forgot the IMPORTANT things: The ~Behind the Scenes~ stuff. Silly me! :P

This wasn't shot in Kodak, and it's pretty obvious: none of the Sims seen in the background (aside from the Garden Club lady) exist in Kodak. This was shot with clones in Pleasantview, because I didn't want to rush things between Kodak!Dorothy and Kodak!Pelles.

It's also why the twins were dancing so badly- all 10 Crane kids earned the Dancing Scholarship, so I don't know why it slipped my mind- I felt so silly when I saw them dancing though. (Dorothy didn't dance because Dorothy DOESN'T dance- another trait we share).

Some of the lines in this were definitely influenced by one of my favorite new obsessions, True Blood (Dorothy wondering if there was a substitute for blood and Pelles moving incredibly quickly to sit next to Dorothy are two that come to mind). I did try to retain some of the Maxis Vampire with it though,k as evidenced by Pelles turning into a bat. I can warn you now that the Vampire thing won't be really described or talked about, not for a while anyway (and not by Pelles).

As always, thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

Spare Stories: Full Circles

2008-10-27T14:50:00.002-04:00

Welcome back, dear readers! I know I said I was working on a Thornn update, but I have to try and fight off this huge backlog, and voila! You get a spare update!

When we last saw Athena May, first child of Charity and Othello via adoption, she and her former dormice husband, Cornelius, were living the high life: Athena was a bestselling author and a high powered director, Cornelius was well on his way to being The Law, and everything was perfect in their house with the birth of their daughter, Minerva Belle. But will their happiness continue as MB grows? Or will their money minded ways keep them from true happiness?

Athena and Cornelius were both extremely busy with their respective careers, but they always found time for their little girl: Minerva Belle was their pride and joy, and she knew it. When her birthday rolled around, she got a huge party, but only Uncle Donovan made it into the bedroom to watch her grow up.

But MB was extremely inquisitive, and wanted to know everything. One morning, she asked her parents why Mommy always screamed before going to bed.

Needless to say, they lied.

And, she had inherited more than her father’s dashing looks: she had gotten his love of sports as well. Not only was she intelligent and inquiring, she was extremely proficient at sports of all kinds. She loved to play Basketball with her father at night before bedtime.

And of course, she did her homework every night under the watchful eye of her father.

Not that Athena was too busy for her daughter: She had made it to the top of her career, and was now being called an Icon by magazines- she now worked better hours, and would be able to devote that time to her daughter.

She wasn’t the only one being promoted: when Winter rolled around, Cornelius had been promoted to the top of his career as well, and was now The Law- he made laws for Kodak, and tried numerous high profile cases as well as working one on one with the Attorney General of the state.

Athena had been contacted to do a Tell All about her climb to the top: growing up in an orphanage and then being adopted by the wealthiest family in Kodak, her struggles in College, and her ascent to Icon status. It sold incredibly well, and The May family was once again rolling in cash.

But it didn’t mean that they weren’t a family- Cornelius loved to read Athena’s novels once MB was asleep, and gave Athena feedback when she was working on her novels. They were a rich, and happy family.

In a way, they were not unlike another branch of the Cranes- Xavier’s business was doing wonderfully, but what was bothering Daisy was that he hadn’t chosen an heir. Not to mention the fact that he still owed about 20,00 Simoleans to the Bank of Motherlode, Kodak Branch. She enjoyed pondering what she would do with the business if she were heir, and as usual, came up blank.

Her brother, Dwight, obviously didn’t have such concerns: he and his girlfriend, Kali Peeter, had gotten serious. They could be seen hanging out every night outside the house after school.

It was apparently getting very serious, seeing as how they were now exclusive.

As the days went on, and Dwight and Daisy began preparing for college, Xavier began spending more time outside, fishing. It was his quiet time, and he had a very tough decision to make.

“I hope you’re going to study economics, Dwight. You’re my heir, and it’s up to you to take this business above and beyond what I’ve done.”

“Do you mean it, dad? Am I it? What about Daisy?”

“Your mother will talk to her. But, Dwight, I’m serious. If you don’t want-”

“Of course I want it! But…”

Xavier pulled Dwight into a tight hug.

“Don’t worry about it, son. I love you, and I want you to know that whatever you choose to do with your life, even if it isn’t the businesses, I’m proud of you.”

In Xavier’s bedroom, Atlanta was talking to her daughter before she was to head off to college.

“And, beware of the streakers! They might let you see it all before you know what, but that doesn’t mean they’ll make good husbands!”

“Husbands? Does that mean I’m heir?”

“Well… no, honey. Your father and I decided that Dwight would be better equipped to handle the businesses, and…”

“Why? Because he’s a guy? A Family Sim? And he has a girlfriend?”

“Daisy, you’ll be able to do anything you’d like! Running two thriving businesses is hard work, and sometimes you just need to-”

“Don’t worry mom- you’re right. I’m going to have fun! Dwight can handle all the responsible type stuff, I’m-”

Daisy was cut off by a fierce hug from her mother.

“Be good, Daisy. I know you always mean well, but you van go about it thee wrong way.”

“ Love you too Mom.”

As soon as Daisy stepped out, Xavier was there to comfort her.

“Are you ok Daisy?”

“I’m fine, dad. Don’t worry about me.”

Xavier pulled Daisy into a tight hug.

“I love you, Daisy.”

“I love you too Dad. Now let go, I’ll miss the cab!”

Before long, the two Crane kids were climbing into the cab that would take them to their futures.

“You know…”

Atlanta giggled as her husband began to plant kisses on her neck.

“We have the house to ourselves now…”

“Xavier Crane, you are insatiable!”

And rich! With the kids gone, Atlanta and Xavier were devoting all of their time to the businesses, which soon meant that they had accomplished their goals of Earning $100,000 Simoleans.

But, at the end of the day, they were still as in love as they were when they first married.

But would their love survive a Three Bolt Relative? Stay tuned to find out!

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As you can see, I'm trying something new: combining separate posts, and having Spare Stories featuring two families! I'll try to keep them relevant, I promise. This one is called Full Circles because MB is just growing up,m while Dwight and Daisy are heading off to UNI- corny, I know, but it made sense to me three months ago when I played it. I REALLY need to catch up!

The Sim in the last picture is Darissa Ives, a cousin of the Main House Cranes. She and Xavier are First Cousins Once Removed, and are Three Bolters. (!!!) If I had known that a long time ago, I would've hooked them up, but now, I wouldn't- I like their kids too much, and I married them to interesting spouses. (You can just peek at the Family Tree so I don't sound crazy.)

Here's a close up of MB:

She really is a little clone of her father, she doesn't look a thing like Athena. I don't think she got ANY of her features.

And, I have to do another Spare update before I post the next Crane update, and I really don't know when the Thornns will be updated. D: I'll try to do it in a couple of weeks, but the Cranes are the main priority right now- sorry to any Thorrnn fans out there, but I just cannot do it all!

As usual, thanks for reading!

The Crane Legacy: Chapter 4,13- Learning to Trust

2008-10-21T14:54:00.002-04:00

Welcome back dear readers! I know, it’s been a ridiculously long time, but… I’m sorry. The neighborhood had to be rebuilt, and I had a lot of fun with the Thornns (which I will continue) but the Cranes come first. So, what happened since we last left off?

In chapter 4.11, Charity and Othello passed away, leaving behind 10 devastated children. In chapter 4.12, the children all dealt with the deaths in different ways: Donato began sleeping with even more women, Douglas retreated even more into his shell, Doris finally realized she had to grow up, and Dorothy hardened even more. At the end of the chapter, Douglas graduated and moved home, where Cressida was staying with Dorian’s ex girlfriend, Prof. Cybele.

We now pick up with Douglas at the Main House.

Douglas had been at home for a while, but he was always shocked when one of his siblings showed up. He didn’t have a good relationship with any of them, so he didn’t exactly jump for show when they knocked. But he did his duty as a sibling well, and comforted everyone who came to the house.

Cressida had been dealing with the deaths in a much more productive way. She had been a gardening fanatic for years now, and had decided to join the Gardening Club to show off her skills.

“Your garden is very impressive Ms. Crane, I must say I am very pleased with the numerous decorative elements you seem to have in the yard.”

“I aim to please your Optical Sensors! I am wondering if I am now a member of the club, or so I have to perform any other actions to ensure that I have successfully joined your ranks?”

“No, there’s nothing else. Welcome to the club! I would like to give you this gift to show our appreciation for having such a wonderful gardener in our midst!”

The gift turned out to be a Wishing Well, which Cressida had no use for. But she was happy about it anyway.

After the garden club had left, Cressida went right back to her gardening. It was one her new favorite activities, not only was it fun, but it was extremely profitable as well.

Douglas, on the other hand, preferred painting. He would spend all hours of the night and day with a paintbrush in his hand, trying to make sense of all the things he felt- he even missed his mother’s first haunting.

Also in the house was Cybele Brentwood, the scorned ex girlfriend of Dorian. She had been unceremoniously dumped after an incident with a werewolf, but she had been moved into the house as an apology by Dorian. She had enjoyed her stay, but once she maximized her skills, she knew it would be time to go.

However, Charity had different plans- she sensed the mutual attraction between the two, and did not want Douglas’ shyness to lose him his soul mate.

“DOUGLAS!”

“Mom! What the hell?! You’re dead! What are you doing?!”

“The girl is going to leave! You must speak to her! Please, Douglas! For me!”

Douglas just stared ahead at the space where his mother had just been. Could it be true? Was he really meant to end up with his brother’s ex?

Cybele stared at the portrait of Charity Crane. She had been so beautiful, so strong. She had raised 10 children, she truly was an inspiration. Cybele felt another presence and turned quickly- it was Douglas. Seeing that she had seen him, he turned around and began walking away.

“Douglas!”

Douglas turned and smiled timidly at Cybele.

“Cybele! Hi. Are you… doing okay? Did you finish with your studies?”

“Yes. It was incredibly exhilarating to realize that I’ve finally found out everything about everything, but, like they say, all good things must come to and end.”

“Yes. Well, I just wanted to talk to you for a bit. I hope you sleep well.”

Inside, Douglas was slapping himself. How could he be so awkward? Well, it wasn’t like he had any experience with women, it was to be expected. But still! Praying for release, Douglas smiled again.

“I’ve seen your paintings.”

Douglas looked at her.

“I mean, they’re amazing- simply wonderful! Your… emotion is very evident in the paintings, in the colors you select… You’re amazing.”

“Well, they are… alright, I guess. I’ve never really shown them to anyone.”

“You should think about it. They’re true works of art.”

“Bah! You’re flattering me!”

“I’m just telling the truth. Plus, does flattery count for anything with such an amazing man like yourself?”

“You’re not so bad yourself, Cybele.”

Cybele blushed slightly, before letting a girlish laugh.

“Why thank you, Douglas Crane. And here I thought I was tainted meat because of your brother.”

Douglas and Cybele laughed again, and then stared at one another for a brief moment, letting the playful conversation slip away while they stared at one another.

In an instant, they were locked in a passionate kiss, letting the chemistry they both felt guide them as they kissed.

Eventually, they pulled away, Cybele looked expectantly at Douglas, but it was too late- he had already fled back upstairs to his paintbrush.

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The next morning, Cybele had woken up early to have some breakfast, and some time to herself. Cressida was outside, as usual, and Cybele jumped in surprise when Douglas sat down next to her.

“So- what happened last night- I’m sorry. It was an accident, it will NOT happen again.”

“Doug, relax. I know you wanted it, I felt it- your passion- it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay! I… I’ve never…”

Whatever Douglas was about to say was silenced as he and Cybele once again found themselves in an embrace. The two rolled around on the couch for a short time, but the embrace was cut short as Douglas quickly got off of the couch.

Cybele followed him.

“Look, I think I now what your problem is- you don’t trust anyone enough to let them in! I bet you aren’t even close with your siblings- the only person you were ever close to was Mommy, right?”

Douglas glared at her.

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Alright then, prove it. We’ll use a simple trust exercise, that’ll definitely prove if you are able to trust other people.”

“You’re on.”

Without warning, Cybele flung herself into Douglas’s arms: he was caught off guard, but he caught her.

After she was down, Cybele complimented him.

“That was amazing! I can’t believe you caught me!”

“Wasn’t that the point of the exercise?”

“Yes. But I’ve never done it with anyone, so I can’t attest to it’s success.”

“Alright.”

Suddenly, Douglas was in the air, and surprisingly, was caught by Cybele as well.

“You… You did it, you caught me!”

“Yes. Did you doubt me?”

Douglas smiled, and pulled Cybele into a tender kiss.

Before they knew it, they were yet another embrace, letting their passion guide them to places they had never explored.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Cybele was immersed in her Murder Novel when she saw Douglas come into the room.

Cybele quickly got up, and put the book back.

“Hey, Cybele, can we talk?”

“Sure.”

“I thought about what you said, about my art.”

“Oh?”

“I’m going to open a gallery!”

“What?! Douglas, that’s amazing! I can’t believe it! I’m so proud of you!”

“Really? Thanks Cybele, it… it means a lot to have someone believe in you.”

“Of course! You’ll be huge, Douglas- your art is amazing, people will come from the city just to get it.”

They hugged passionately. Cybele smiled at Douglas once more. “I cannot believe you followed my advice! I guess you really are learning to trust other people, huh?”

“I guess so.”

Before they both knew it, Cybele was in his arms again.

“I love you, Cybele.”

“I love you too, Douglas. I can’t explain how, or why, but I know it’s true.”

Douglas put Cybele down, and got on his knee.

“Douglas! What… What are you doing?!”

“Cybele, even though I’ve only known you for a couple of days, Ive fallen deeply and passionately in love with you. I love you, and I need you by my side at the Gallery.”

“Oh, Douglas…”

“Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”

The next couple of minutes were a whirlwind of plans, hopes and dreams. Douglas had already bought property in Bluewater, and wanted to move immediately, while Cybele thought he should at least tell Cressida first.

“Cressida, I just wanted to thank you. You’re amazing, for letting Cy stay, and… Thanks, Cress.”

“I am moved by your gratitude, Master Douglas! I thank you as well, and I wish you the best in your romantic and business prospects.”

Douglas pulled Cressida into a hug.

“See you later Cress.”

Before Cressida could say goodbye, Douglas and Cybele were in the taxi, moving to their new life.

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I know, when I said I was working on a Crane update you expected actual Cranes, not just Douglas, but I’ve had this played since like March, and I’m determined to catch up! This was all fluff, and I’m sorry, but I wanted to get a sense for Douglas’ character: he’s the only single child ever born into the Main House, everyone else is twins. He doesn’t really interact with anyone, and it was high time he found love. Sure, it was with his brother’s ex girlfriend, but you can’t help who you love!

I also realize that the "unexpected" kissing was incredibly corny and cliche, but I am terribly bad at the romantic stuff- so I kind of rushed it. I apologize if this chapter makes you die of corny non believable freshness. xD

In hindsight, I should’ve tried harder to find him someone, but I like the way things work out for Douglas plot wise. And you’ll notice I very rarely call him “Doug”, he’s so stiff it will always be Douglas to me and everyone else.

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and here’s the wedding! It was very private but cute nonetheless:

Thanks for reading! The Thornn update will come soon after this, I promise!

The Thornn Legacy: 2.3

2008-10-03T18:01:00.002-04:00

Welcome back, dear readers! I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been fighting a dastardly cold and I’m just starting to feel better.

Last we left off, Silvia had twins, and got pregnant AGAIN. She moved in her best friend, Michelle Kosmokos, who helped take care of Willard, the adorable and nerdy eldest child, and the twins, Margaret (Mags) and Roman. Wyatt finally became head of the SCIA and was given a Special Edition Robot Jerard by one of the criminals under the employ of The mysterious Boss, who has become notorious in Sim City for stealing priceless works of art, and other nefarious criminal civilities. Will Wyatt ever find him? Or is he closer than they think? Stay tuned to find out!

I was tired of the hodgepodge house they had been living in, so I FINALLY built them a new one. I’ll post a House Tour on my LJ tomorrow. I like it, it fits in with the other houses in Desiderata Valley.

As you might (or might not) know, Michelle got pregnant at the end of the last update by one of her boyfriends, Cole Tse, the gardener. She knew she couldn’t take advantage of her friend’s hospitality, so she felt compelled to tell her.

“Silvia! I’m loving the new house, it’s really looking fabulous. I love what you’ve done, and it’s so big! You know what they say about growing families!”

“No, what?” Silvia was extremely intelligent, so as soon as Michelle started rambling, she knew there was something up.

Michelle sighed. “I’m pregnant, Sil. I took a test yesterday, and it’s true. I’ve only been with Cole recently, so at least I know who the father is.”

Silvia smiled gently. She knew her friend had needs, hell, she had three kids of her very own with another on the way, who was she to judge?

“Listen Michelle, everything will be alright. They’ve put up some lovely apartments over by the farmlands, I hear they’re beautiful. At least you‘ll be able to go somewhere.”

Michelle smiled wistfully. “I’m so sorry, Sil. I know I screwed up, I can’t believe it happened… I thought we were being careful…”

Silvia pulled Michelle into a tight hug.

“I know, Michelle. Everything will be alright. You were invaluable while the twins were growing up, I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“Barefoot and pregnant?”

The two women laughed at the joke.

“I’ll see you around Michelle. Maybe our kids will be friends?”

Michele smiled brightly.

“Count on it.”

The taxi drove away in the rain, taking Michelle away from the only support she had ever known- but everything would be okay. Things had a way of working themselves out.

(Michelle’s DV Short will be up this week as well. Her kid is SO Cute, you’ll see!)

Wyatt walked out of the bedroom.

“That must’ve been the hardest thing you’ve ever done.”

“It is. I can’t believe she felt she had to leave…”

Wyatt touched Silvia gently.

“She did, honey. We barely have enough room as it is, and with things they way they are at work, it wouldn’t be wise to have unnecessary roommates.”

Silvia sighed and walked into the kitchen. Michelle made her feel human- like a real person. Wyatt was always busy with work, it felt like she was pregnant for most of her life- she missed being Silvia, not Willard, Margaret and Roman’s mom.

Suddenly, Silvia felt a familiar pain.

“Wyatt!”

And that’s where we end that little string of action! It turn out I don’t have ANY pictures of the baby, It was such a common occurrence I didn’t even bother. :P

Mags and Willard are the most creative (or nerdiest) of the kids for sure. They’ll race one another for the chess set or the easel. Willard usually wins, he doesn’t even cheer his A+’s any more, he’s so used to getting them.

Roman is definitely a case of the “points lying”, he only has 5 outgoing, but he’ll spend more time playing with his friends that he brings home than playing chess or skill building.

I made some painting recolors to hang around the house, I think they came out wonderfully.

But it’s obvious Mags is a huge daddy’s girl. As soon as he gets home, she’ll rush out to greet him.

But she has a touch of oddness about her: she has an unusually high interest in the paranormal and supernatural…

“Roman, I think it’s so cool that Witches exist. Isn’t it? I mean, it must be awesome to be able to stop time and put out fires and summon people and…”

“Can you move, Mags? We need to do our homework and you’re wasting time!”

And she talks to bricks.

“Hee hee, Mr. Mortar! You’re so amusing! I love hearing that story about the art theft!”

“Well, goodnight Mr. Mortar. Sleep well!”

Silvia saw her daughter playing with the block, and rushed to kiss her. Okay, she didn’t, I just wanted to see the Kiss Kiss Darling with children. :D

In other news, the baby grew up! His name is Harrison, he’s definitely the most unique of the kids. He has S3, and predictably, Brown hair and dark blue eyes. He got most of Wyatt’s features, but he’s still cute.

Seeing as how both Silvia and Wyatt worked, they had to hire a nanny. Little did they know that the nanny hey hired was not who they thought…

Ericka Phelps frowned as Sierra ran into the place, in costume of course.

“What the hell are you doing here, old woman? It’s my job to watch the house!”

Ericka gave Sierra a venomous glare. “I’m doing my job, Sierra! I’m a nanny, just because he pays me doesn’t mean I do what he tells me!”

“And further more, how dare you barge into this house?! Wyatt is the head of the SCIA, he probably has every inch of this place bugged! You’re a stupid girl, letting your foolish desire for his attention control you!”

“You even wore a skimpy outfit hoping he’s watching! You’re pathetic, Sierra. Get the hell out of here.”

Sierra was stunned, and speechless. She shot Ericka a vicious look before running out of the house, not bothering to retaliate against the elderly corrupt nanny.

Of course, they were both right, in ways: the house was bugged, but not by Wyatt…

We leave that mysterious tidbit to see Silvia, who finally got her LTW by becoming Media Magnate! I’m so happy she finally got it, she really has been pregnant for most of her adult life. (Don’t worry though, no rules here, so I elixired her a couple of times. She and Wyatt are the same age, but not fertile enough to have any more kids, thank Zeus!)

But there was no time to dwell on the happy occasion, as I invited the headmaster. I’ll admit, I’m a big cheater, usually I just use InSim to put them in Private school, but Wyatt rolled the want. Harrison was the only one who wouldn’t get in, so I went for it.

“Mrs. Thornn! It’s so lovely to see you, congratulations on your promotion!”

“Thank you, Headmaster. Would you like to see the inside of our home, it’s kind of chilly out here.”

“Why yes, thank you Mrs. Thornn.”

During the tour, Wyatt came home. Sil had failed horribly with the schmooze, so I had Wyatt try it and they got 19 points instantly. Suck up.

“Why, if it isn’t Mr. Thornn himself! I am honored to have met you today!”

“Oh, hello Headmaster. I’m sorry I’m not dressed more casually, I wasn’t expecting company.”

“It is of no importance! I’m just glad I was able to see the head of the SCIA in uniform!”

Silvia turned around to avoid rolling her eyes- weren’t they the ones who were supposed to be sucking up to him?

As soon as the dinner was over, the headmaster pounced again.

“The meal was exquisite, I cannot believe the things you do with spices!”

“Well, I did almost win a cooking contest, but that was a long time ago.”

“I’m not surprised. Mrs. Thornn, I would like to welcome your children into our fine academy. It will be an honor to have them.”

“Why, thank you, headmaster. It really does mean a lot.”

As soon as the headmaster left, Silvia and Wyatt sat down for a real dinner. The kids were asleep, they usually went to bed as soon as they got home from school.

“I don’t know Wyatt, could that guy have been more sycophantic? It was unnerving.”

Wyatt chuckled.

“Honey, you better get used to it. You’re in charge of all media going in and out of Desiderata Valley, and I’m head of an organization that ensures the safety of this country. So yes, we will be getting adoring admirers now and again.”

Silvia smiled and warmly held her husband’s hand.

“I’ll get used to it, don‘t worry.”

That night’s discussion ended in a very familiar place, and unbeknownst to either Silvia or Wyatt, they had an admirer of a different sort that night.

(Is it not insanely creepy that Harry was watching them….Do it? Ugh, Harrison!)

Apparently crazy is starting to run in the family. Willard was doing this autonomously when I went to get him to do his homework.

“I cannot wait to play chess against Sel tomorrow in school… Maybe I’ll open with a Latvian Gambit…”

The next morning, Wyatt was up and about at an unusually early time, and Silvia was instantly suspicious. In the living room, she struck.

“What’s going on, Wyatt? It’s seven in the morning on a Saturday.”

“Honey! I didn’t expect you to be awake! Why don’t you and the kids go down to the museum, maybe pick up something nice for us!”

“What’s going on, Wyatt? Don’t lie to me, just spill.”

“Alright. I’m having some of the members of the Police Force over, as well as John. We’re going to discuss the situation in SimCity.”

“The police men are coming here? Are you sure that’s safe?”

“I’m the head of he SCIA, honey. Of course it’s safe.”

Wyatt pulled Silvia into a soft hug.

“Don’t worry, honey. I’m just doing my job.”

“I know. That’s what worries me.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon enough, the men arrived and were seated in the kitchen. Wyatt began to speak quickly and earnestly.

“Men, it’s been over two weeks and still nothing. I’m starting to get worried. The robberies have been getting bolder, and a security guard has been killed. We need to step up our investigation. We need to find this monster.”

Alvin was quick to speak up.

“I understand the pressure you’re under, Wyatt but you have to bear with us. All we know is that The Boss is what he goes by, he lives here in Desiderata Valley, and the burglars work for him. It’s not much to go on.”

Wyatt sighed loudly.

“You think I don’t know that, Alvin? I get a phone call every day from the Mayor, he wants this resolved, and now. How am I supposed to tell him we have next to nothing?”

John piped up.

“We have to do something drastic. I’ve suggested it before, but we should either raid the homes of Desiderata, or begin to use listening software to listen to peoples calls’, and read their e-mail. it’s the only way we‘ll be able to find him without him fleeing, or worse, coming after us.”

Wyatt got up. He was trying desperately to control his anger.

Alvin began to speak for him.

“John, I’m sure that’s his… rather tactless way of stating that it’s a bad idea to infringe upon the privacy of our citizens.”

Wyatt sighed again. “Guys, you should go. I’ll see you again on Monday Thanks for coming, but we‘re not going to resolve anything sitting here.”

The men got up, and left the house one by one.

All except for Tucker Gray. Tucker was an up and coming star in the Police Force, even if he was relatively silent during the meeting- but who could blame him, he was meeting with the people who held his career in their hands. Alvin said he was extremely intelligent, and had wonderful sources.

Wyatt looked politely at the man.

“Um… I’m sorry to bother you Mr. Thornn sir… I uh..”

“Just spit it out, son. It’ll get better once you start talking.”

“Well… I have a hunch. A very well placed hunch. I think I might know who the Boss is, or I have… I can find out who the Boss is… I’m meeting my source soon, and I think I can do it.”

“What is it you’re asking for?”

“A chance, sir. I would like you to wait before the raid, or planting security devices in peoples homes.”

Wyatt stared at the man. He was obviously eager for this opportunity, but who wouldn’t be? If he managed to find an elusive criminal, it would do wonders for his career. And Wyatt really needed another option, one that was better than barging into peoples homes.

“Alright, Tucker. You can do it. You have two weeks. If not, I’ll have to consider John’s proposal.”

“Thanks so much Mr. Thornn sir, you won’t regret this, I promise!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day, Roman found his brother reading and decided to have some fun.

“Willard! I saw your painting, and I loved it! How’s about a handshake?”

“Why of course!’

Willard stuck his hand out to meet his brother’s, but it was a trick: Roman pulled his hand back at the last second.

“HA HA! I can’t believe you fell for that!”

Willard laughed along.

“Yeah, me neither! I am kind of silly, aren’t I?”

In the kids room, Wyatt pulled Silvia aside.

“Hey, Sil, thanks.”

“For what?”

“For earlier- you let me meet with the guys, I wanted to thank you. You’re amazing, Silvia Thornn.”

Silvia smiled. “Thanks. It’s not every day you’re told you’re amazing.”

Wyatt laughed.

In the living room, it was a joyous occasion: Willard was becoming a teen! The first teenager of the legacy, what would he roll?! I was super excited, but it’s obvious what he rolled.

Willard grew into his features a bit more, except for his nose. But I think he’s adorable. By the way, he is wearing an argyle outfit made by me.

After his transition, the rest of the family (minus toddler Harrison, of course) sat down for a family dinner.

“Daddy, I LOVE the Robot Jerard you bought me for my birthday! How did you know it was my favorite show? I wish we had a real robot, I heard that people can build them! Maybe you can go buy one for me.”

Roman scoffed. “Don’t be silly Mags! Everyone knows robots are only on TV, which you watch too much of. I’d rather play with something AWESOME, like a wolf with glowing eyes.”

Margaret looked at her brother, and said very quietly: “Roman, robots DO exist. Everyone knows it, and you’re stupid for not believing it.”

Wyatt and Silvia gasped. They were mildly surprised at Margaret’s passionate discussion of the robots, but shocked that she would call her twin stupid for not agreeing with her.

Silvia stepped in.

“Margaret, your brother is entitled to have his own opinion. He doesn’t believe robots exist, and you have to let him. Not everyone you meet will believe the same things as you- you have to be tolerant.”

Margaret sighed. “Yes mommy.”

After dinner, Silvia and Wyatt went outside to spend some time together. Winter had ended, and spring was casting its warm spell over Desiderata Valley.

“You did a good job in there, Sil.”

Silvia looked up at him. “Really?”

“Yeah. I know you worry about being able to raise all of the kids properly, but you do a great job- Willard’s looking to learn as much as he can, Margaret is a tad assertive, but a great kid. Roman is kind of mischievous, but also a great kid, and Harry’s quiet as a mouse. He doesn’t bother anyone. We’re doing a good job, trust me.”

Silvia leaned into Wyatt’s chest.

“I guess you’re right. But I worry, you know?”

Wyatt smiled, more to himself than to her.

“Yeah. But once I catch The Boss, everything will be fine, don’t you worry. We‘ll be the safest place in the country.”

Family skilling day! I found it so odd that Margaret rolled the want to learn Couple’s Counseling. WTH?! Okay, I guess. Maybe she’s worried her parents will divorce because of her passionate views. :P

As you can see, the Thornn family really did spend that Sunday skill building. It was delicious.

And, Harrison becomes a child! He looks a lot like Wyatt, and kind of like Willard. He definitely got Silvia’s eyes, and Wyatt’s nose.

And the twins are as cute as ever! I only included this picture because it reminded me of Ripp and Johnny continually waving at one another.

“Hey, Mags! I just wanted to let you know that I forgive you for yesterday. I know I’m not stupid.”

Margaret listened intently, before whispering back: “I know you aren’t stupid, Roman. Just ignorant. Wanna play catch?”

The twins were soon outside in the snow, playing a fierce game of catch- Margaret was a powerful pitcher, but a not so great catcher. Roman was bad at both.

But how can you resist this face? I’m glad Margaret is the heiress, I love her.

Picture of creepy Wyatt is creepy. It actually kind of reminds me of Ripp and Ophelia, only more domestic.

And, it was only a matter of time before Willard made a ~lady friend~. He never once brought home friends when he was a kid, but I was glad he brought her home. For those of you without AL, this is Gabriella Newson, who was a child, but got aged up. (You can read about that here.)

Anyway, I was surprised they had two bolts together- instantly! And they were all over one another- thanks, ACR.

“You know, the sweater vest looks really good on you, Gabby.”

“Aww, that’s sweet Willard. Thank you.”

“You know, I was thinking…”

“What?”

“You look very professional…”

“Do I?”

“Almost like a teacher…”

The nerdy flirting scored him his first kiss. By the way, I’m randomizing all of the kids gender preferences as soon as they become teenagers, so no forcing relationships here.

A couple of hours later, Roman brought home Georgia Newson. Wow, as soon as they come to the neighborhood, they invade! Nice work, Newsons.

This is just to show you how cute Willard and Gabriella are together. I’m debating growing her up to marry him- he had a precious recessive red that I can use…

See?! Gallagher came along as well- out of control Newsons!

I did allow him to stay for dinner.

“I know what you mean Gallagher. My sister’s on this kick that ghosts and witches and robots exist- it’s really annoying.”

Gallagher looked at Roman incredulously. “Everyone knows that Robots and witches exist, dude.”

From the living room, Margaret smiled. “Thanks Gallagher!”

Later that night, as they were doing their homework, Roman decided to apologize for real.

“You know, I’m sorry, Mags. I guess you are right. I draw the line at believing in people with magic powers though.”

“Okay, Roman. Just you wait.”

Outside, you’ll see that Willard is really a Knowledge Sim. He maximized Body in three days, in the Spring.

Poor Harrison is pretty quiet. He hasn’t really done anything special yet, to give himself a personality. I feel kind of bad for him.

But, that night it was finally TEEN TIME! I’m going to regret wanting them to be teens so badly, considering how long the period lasts.

“Here goes nothing!”

And the verdict is: she’s beautiful. Margaret is the spitting image of her mother, except for the cheekbones, of course. She got her father’s cheekbones, which aren’t THAT bad on women. She rolled Fortune, with a delicious LTW which is relevant to the plot. (And will remain secret, at least for a little while.)

Roman also transitioned, and… wow. I think he’s pretty good looking. Very different from Willard in looks, it’s obvious he takes after Silvia more than Wyatt. He rolled Popularity, like his mom, and his LTW will also remain secret.

I thought this was odd/amusing. Only a couple of second after I say he does nothing to distinguish himself Harrison goes and “shows off” to Willard. It seems Harry’s a bit of a show-off, something none of his siblings have done.

Silvia’s relationships were suffering, so I had her throw a party and invited over all of her friends. I thought it was amusing that Julien Cooke refused Lexie’s flirt, considering he slept with Michelle on his wedding day.

I also found this amusing: the very next day after getting himself a girlfriend, Willard also has two bolts with townie teen Amaya Wilson, hippie chick. I like him with Gabby more than Amaya, considering they both have awesome fashion sense.

But Silvia did get to reconnect with Julien.

“Julien Cooke, in the flesh! I feel like the only way I see you I when I watch the television!”

“Haha Silvia, very funny. I’ve been busy, as have you- aren’t you in charge of the channel on which my TV show is aired?”

“Clever man. How’s the wife and kids?”

“Good, good. Selwyn just transitioned as well, as did Lycidas. They should be Roman and Harrison’s ages. And Althea is working her way up the cooking ladder just like I had to.”

“That’s good to hear, Julien. Keep in touch.”

After the party, Margaret, Roman and Silvia decided to play a little pinball.

“Don’t you ever get tired of pinball, Roman? It seems like since we’ve been children, all you want to do is play.”

“Margaret, be nice to your brother.”

“Whatever, Mom, we know it’s true.”

“Shut up Mags, I just beat my high score!”

The next morning, Silvia and Roman were the only ones up early for breakfast. Silvia decided to take this opportunity to speak to Roman about his sister.

“Roman, I’m worried about Margaret. She’s… well, she’s too outspoken. I t seems like she doesn’t know when to stay quiet, almost to the point where she’s rude about getting her opinions across.”

Roman nodded. “I know. She’s always been that way. She even does that at school.”

“Well, keep an eye on her. Not that it’s a dangerous quality, but I don’t want her to get in trouble because of her opinions.”

“Don’t worry about it, mom. I’ll watch her.”

I’ll leave the Thornn house with this adorable picture of Margaret being… conceited. Nah, she did it autonomously and I snapped a picture. But we do have another stop- it’s time to reveal the Boss!

(Trust me, it’s not as dramatic as you think.)

See? Not as dramatic as you think. Anyway, what is Geoffrey (the salesman) so shocked about…?

Rick Contrary sighed. He was tired of having to tell his foolish employees what he wanted over, and over. They just didn’t understand his motivations- his plans much too big for small minded pawns like Geoffrey, Allyn and Sierra.

“Are you listening to yourself, Allyn? Do you honestly think that leaving Desiderata is the answer? No. This is my home. This is where my business is run, and I’m not going to pack up and leave because some cop has a hunch.”

Sierra piped in.

“Yeah! Sheesh Allyn, your ideas are so juvenile.”

Allyn and Geoffrey both looked at Rick, choosing to ignore Sierra. She fancied herself second in command, but they both knew who was really in charge.

“Well? Aren’t you going to punish her? She-”

“Be quiet Sierra.” Rick’s voice has a dangerous coldness to it, it was the voice of a man who didn’t care about human life- all of his employees knew he would kill them in an instant. Allyn was lucky she hadn’t actually done anything wrong, or they wouldn’t be having a conversation at all.

And then, he exploded.

“I’m tired of the three of you. Sick and tired. I can’t even give you simple jobs anymore, you’ve all been compromised. Sierra barged into the house, like an idiot, when I already had an agent in place, Allyn is wanted by the police, and Geoffrey can’t even plant a simple camera correctly.”

“But you said it was clever, selling it to them!”

“I changed my mind.”

Suddenly, Rick was on his feet. He was getting tired of all the spying, and making sure that Wyatt didn’t know who he was. He was going to take matters into his own hands.

“The three of you are on standby. I’m going to do this by myself from now on.”

Rick walked out the living room, leaving three very confused criminals.

As soon as Rick left, Sierra pounced.

“Look at what you made him do! Now he’s furious with us, and it’s your fault.”

Sierra rushed out of the room after Rick.

She found him standing in front of his bedroom thinking.

“Aww, Boss, I know. Here, let me help you…”

“No!”

“What the hell is wrong with you, Sierra? You’re my employee, I am NOT attracted to you in that way. Try to control yourself next time.”

Sierra’s hopeful smile faded instantly. “But I thought…”

“You thought wrong. Get out of my sights.”

Sierra slinked away, defeated. She had finally made her move, and she had been rejected. She thought this was going to be her chance, and she was wrong. She walked out of the house, defeated.

Meanwhile, Rick smugly looked at himself in the mirror. He couldn’t send anyone else for this particular job, it had to be him. And it was just about time…

And that’s where I leave you! Although, I do want to hear your thoughts: who did you think it was going to be? Rick had made an appearance before, but I didn't made any suggestions. Tell me what you thought! And, what is he planning? Will Wyatt catch him? Will Tucker? Stay tuned!

Michelle Has her Baby

2008-10-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

As you know, in 2.3, Michelle Kosmokos, one of Silvia's best friends, was forced to move out of her home when she got pregnant unexpectedly. Her story can be found here.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

The Thornn Legacy: 2.2

2008-09-20T18:21:00.003-04:00

Welcome back dear readers! It’s been awhile, and I apologize. I’ve been busy. (No, not really, but moving on!)

Last we left off, Silvia had given birth to her first child, Willard Thornn, and at the end of the update, popped again. In other news, Wyatt was promoted, and decided to find he Criminal Mastermind who had been stealing from the Museum, all the while being watched by one of the criminals, Sierra, who had also infiltrated the wedding.

We now pick up with Silvia Meeting Someone New. And it’s Natasha Una! I LOVE this girl so much, she’s amazing. I’m glad she met Sil.

This picture is just to show how intelligent Sil is. Yes Silvia, Woohoo did lead to your current state. *eye roll*

But even while pregnant, Silvia spent a lot of time with Willard, singing the Nursery Rhyme she taught him.

This picture is just to show how beautiful Nat is. I had her conjure Grilled Cheese, just to see it, and I love her.

She then did that creepy I SEE YOU thing that some Sims do. *shudder*

Wyatt eventually came home, and instantly got struck by lightning. (He also brought home John Mole, the only person he EVER brings home.)

He then tried to go to the bathroom, but Nat was in there and he wet himself. Poor Wyatt.

I then decided that I needed a nanny: Silvia was pregnant, Willard was a toddler, she wouldn’t be able to handle everything:

So I moved in Michelle Kosmokos. She’s a Romance Sim, but kind of uptight at the same time, so I think the makeover suits her.

She was rolling fresh wants (and had 2 bolts with Wyatt) so I used the Find a Mate Crystal Ball, and she met the Hobby Leader guy, Larry Owens. They had a wonderful three bolts.

She quickly seduced him.

That night, Wyatt got his LTW! I missed the +25,000 one, but here it is!

Wyatt thinks about his promotion- yay!

Even though he was busy all the time with skilling and work, Wyatt did this autonomously: he played with Willard. Willard also does a lot of skilling, he continuously rolls wants to skill (it’s not even fall) and he LOVES it. (Future Knowledge Sim!)

Eventually, Sil got HUGE. Have you ever seen such a baby bump? It’s like she’s carrying three or four watermelons under that shirt. (And Sim!Babies aren’t even that big.)

Michelle was getting restless again, so here she is meeting Cole Tse, gardener.

However, at that exact moment, Sil went into labor.

It’s a girl! Yes!

You can see the excitement written on their faces, can’t you?

/sarcasm

I LOVE this picture, Silvia is walking towards him to hand him the baby, and he’s like “Argh! Why did you have to go and get pregnant!”

“But she sure is hot!”

And, it’s a boy! TWINS. I used the Pregnancy Scanner on ACR, so I was prepared, which is why Michelle was moved in. Two babies and a toddler? Haha, yeah right.

Anyway, the boy had Silvia’s skin, Dark Blue eyes and Brown hair.

The girl, Margaret, had S4, Brown hair and dark blue eyes as well.

I named the boy Roman. (I named them after characters in a movie I saw, Dead Again, I loved it, so they got named after them. The names also fit with the “Old” naming scheme, so, there you go.

It was eventually time for Willard to grow up:

He also had a full audience. Michelle and Cole also have three bolts, yay.

This just about broke my heart. Willard went to give his dad a hug and Wyatt was all “NO TOUCHING!” Poor Willard.

They did go to play chess though.

“So, Willard, did you hear I got promoted? Your old man is now the head of the SCIA.”

“Yes, father, I did.”

Since Willard is my geeky knowledge boy, I imagine him as having a hint of a British accent, or at least perfect diction.

But it wasn’t all fun and games- you can see Silvia didn’t always know how to handle baby Margaret.

Thankfully Michelle was around to help with Roman.

But Silvia would always spend some time with him as well.

I gave Willard a makeover, it suits him very well. I love Argyle, I’m glad I put him in some.

That morning, Willard and Silvia ended up having breakfast together.

“Hey, son, did you hear about your father’s promotion? I’m so proud of him. He really deserves it.”

Willard smiled reluctantly. “Yes, mother I heard all about his promotion. It was all he talked about when we played chess. I’m glad, though, it did make up for the fact that he refused to hug me.”

“He what?”

“Oh, it’s nothing mother, don’t worry about it. I’m a big boy, I can handle it fine.”

Silvia was furious, but she didn’t want Willard to see it. After they finished breakfast, she asked Wyatt too relax with her so they could talk in private.

“I cannot believe you, Wyatt Bear. Willard told me this morning that you refused to hug him. He’s our son, how could you?”

“Oh Sil, don’t take it so hard- he didn’t.. It was character building. I wanted to see if he would cry, and I’m glad he didn’t.”

“It’s not nice, Wyatt. He was upset about it.”

“And where did you get these crazy ideas about raising kids anyway?”

“My father used character building exercises on me all the time. How do you think I grew into such a strong man?”

‘Well, I guess you’re right. I love you Wyatt, and I love our kids. Please, no more character building exercises on them?”

“Okay, I promise.”

The cuddling eventually lead to a kiss, which as always, led into more.

When Silvia left for work, she had a huge smile on her face.

Which left Wyatt home alone with the twins, and Michelle.

Wyatt is as good father- he doesn’t spend a lot of time with his kids, but when he does, he makes it count.

That night, it was the twins birthday! Roman went first…

WHAT DOES HE LOOK LIKE?

I found this amusing: Willard is all “Now I have more children to compete with for attention!”

Anyway, Roman looks like Silvia! He got her general face shape and nose, but got Wyatt’s eyes and mouth.

Next it was Margaret’s turn:

She’s adorable! And, she didn’t inherit a single thing from Wyatt. Besides the skin tone and eye color, of course. I knew this could be a possibility, from my genetic tests, Silvia’s face is incredibly strong for a pretty Sim, but I’m glad Margaret was the one who did. To further make her wonderful in my eyes, she has the best personality out of all of them:

Willard has 7-4-5-3-6, Roman has 9-4-5-1-6, and Margaret has 10-8-3-1-10. The only downside is the active, but I’m encouraging her ASAP. Anyway, I think I have my heiress! :D

Since Wyatt was perma plat, I had him immediately teach Margaret to talk and walk.

Also, I don’t have a nickname for her yet: I call her Margaret. I don’t want to call her Marge, it ages her, but Maggie is too… frivolous. I’ll think of something, I’m sure.

The next morning, I GET THIS. Silvia looks OH SO SMUG, I don’t know why. ARGH! This is my first Risky Pregnancy, so I was a bit excited as well, but ARGH! I set the lot’s Risky Chance to 25%, which is essentially a 1 in 4 chance to get pregnant every time they woohoo. It’s a bit high, so I changed it. (After the baby was born, of course.)

You can see Willard s an artiste now. He already maxed Logic, so he started painting autonomously. Good for you, Willard. *pats*

You’ll also see Wyatt potty training Roman: I think Wyatt taught Roman all his skills, and Margaret 2 out of 3. He did good with them.

Meanwhile, Silvia was sitting on the couch thinking about her recent promotion to Investigatory Journalist, and she was getting ever closer to her dream of being at the top of the media food chain: a Media Magnate.

She jumped when she saw Wyatt sit next to her.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Well, I feel like you don’t notice me anymore. I got promoted again today, and you haven’t said a word.”

“Well, honey, if you didn’t notice, I’ve been busy with the kids. Roman finally uses the bathroom on his own, and Margaret is always playing with her logic toy, getting smarter, and Michelle is never anywhere to be found…”

Silvia sighed. “You’re right. I guess I’m just sad I don’t get to spend more time with the kids.”

Wyatt smiled, and beckoned her over.

They cuddled on the couch happily. “I love you, Silvia. The kids love you as well, don’t worry.”

“Thanks Wyatt.”

That night, Silvia found Margaret and made sure to cuddle her.

“I love you, Margaret.”

“I ove you Mama.”

Wyatt also made sure to spend more time with the kids: he helped Willard with his homework…

And when he asked for it, gave him the hug he had been wanting for so long.

Confession Tiem!

Wyatt was originally in the Criminal Career Track, so when I moved him in, he already had the reward in his inventory. When I checked his LTW, it was to join the SCIA (How conflicting), so I switched him.

Anyway, Silvia needed Creativity for her career, and here she is getting some.

Also, I realized how lazy Eaxis really is. The Head of the SCIA’s uniform is the same as Military- shouldn’t he be more, I don’t know, discreet?

Later that day, Silvia found why she had been so tired lately: she was pregnant. Again. With her FOURTH child.

She quickly sat down Michelle to tell her about it.

“I just wanted to thank you, Michelle. You’ve been a tremendous help with the twins, and.. You’re amazing, basically.”

“Aww, thank you, Sil. I try to be good with them, you guys are so busy. Plus, you’ve given me a place to stay… You’re more amazing than I am.”

“Thanks Michelle. Well, as you can see, I’m pregnant again, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to stay a little longer? I promise, this is my last kid. Let’s just say that something that should have been preventing this did not.”

Michelle smiled. “I’m a Romance Sim, Sil. I know exactly what you’re talking about, and I’m pretty much counting on those when I invite over my… friends.”

The two women shared a laugh. Michelle really had been a tremendous help, it was nice to know Silvia thought so as well.

Veering away from female sentimentality, Willard is ecstatic to know he got an A Plus. I know all Sim!Kids do this, but I thought it was so fitting when Willard did it.

See, he really is a nerd. Instead of painting, he decided to read the newspaper for fun. He’s a hoot, that one.

And Silvia FINALLY maximizes Charisma. I feel so bad for her, she’s about halfway through her adulthood, and she still hasn’t gotten her LTW.

This picture is just to show how adorable Margaret is, and how Wyatt likes spending time with her on Free Will.

Silvia also likes spending time with Roman.

A note about the odd sleeping arrangements in the house: in this picture you can see Michelle sleeping in Sil and Wyatt’s room, while Willard sleeps in the kitchen. It’s because there is no space in the house for beds! I only built a nursery, and didn’t account for the fact that Sil would have more than two kids (Thanks ACR and Twins!) so, I have a shortage of space in the house. So, when Willard sleeps in the bed, I usually have Michelle meditate, but this time I messed up.

This picture is just to show how ADORABLE Margaret is. She’s exactly what Silvia would have looked like if she had been a toddler, so it’s nice.

Silvia popped again, and she’s huge. I immediately used the Pregnancy Scanner, and it’s only one baby. *phew!* I was scared there.

Outside, Wyatt finds an odd salesman interrupting his work…

“I’m sorry you had to come all this way, sir, but I really don’t need any of those… things.”

The Salesman laughed. “Oh don’t worry sir, you do! It’s an authentic Robot Jerard Replica, from the set of the show! It’s even signed!”

“And, I’ll give it to you for free!”

“For free? Now you’re talking!”

“Well, of course, there’s a small fee, but for a very small price you can have Robot Jerard.”

Wyatt pondered this. “Well..”

The salesman jumped on his indecision and handed him a package, all warped up in a pretty red bow and everything.

Wyatt looked at it.

“It’s pretty heavy for such a small robot.”

“It’s a Special Edition!”

“Alright then…”

The two men shook hands, and the salesman smiled broadly.

“You won’t regret it.”

Moving away from that bit of plot, we see that The dog doesn’t even trust the “salesman”.

The salesman whistled as he walked away from the house.

Immediately pulling out his phone, he dialed and waited for The Boss to pick up.

“Did you manage to give it to him?”

The Boss was not one for pleasantries, and preferred to get right to it , especially when speaking to his subordinates.

“Yes, I gave it to the man. You’d think the head of a powerful Spy organization would be more careful.”

Yes, you would. Alright, get out of there. Now, we wait.”

“Whatever you say, Boss.”

Once again moving away from plottiness, we find Willard being an art critic. I finally built them a bedroom, until the baby is born. Then I’ll build them a real house, instead of a hodpodge of additions.

And we have a walkby from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt’s son. He rocks the Komei face well, but that’s probably because he has some Remington face in him- that face is the most wonderful of ALL FACES.

Then, finally, it was the twins birthday again. Roman up first:

He’s cute, in an odd way. He’s obsessed with playing, anything: he plays with the toys in his room, with the pinball machine, with his sister, he’s a little ball of energy.

Then Margaret:

She’s also cute. She looks a bit odd, but we’ll pretend it’s the awkward stage all girls go through.

“Hey, sis, I was thinking, we should go outside. And play! Do you want to play catch? Or Football? Or pinball?”

“Um, we just grew up. Like five seconds ago.”

“So?”

“You’re right, let’s go.”

We will know end the update with this little bit of freshness: Michelle’s timer was apparently getting low, so she made a Booty Call. !!!!! Thankfully, her One was Cole, the gardener and not Wyatt. Or Julien. (She slept with him in the DV Short where he gets married.)

Except, they had nowhere to woohoo. So I bought a hot tub for quick useage.

And NOW we end the update with this little tidbit:

NICE, HUH? I love the little exclamation point at the end. Like, LOL The condom broke, have a baby! -_-

Anyway that’s it! Thanks for reading! Will Silvia find out about her live-in nanny’s unexpected pregnancy? Will Wyatt find out about what Robot Jerard really is? Will we ever find out who The Boss is? Stay tuned!

Apartment Life Thoughts

2008-09-16T15:59:00.002-04:00

Hey guys! I know I'm behind with the Thornn update, but.. I have no excuse. Well, yesterday I did, because I was working on a special project for Ann, but... yeah.

Speaking of Ann- she rocks. She told me that she had an extra copy of AL, and if I wanted it, and I was like OMG YES PLS, and she sent it! Ann- you're awesome, you rock! *waves at Ann!*

(Ann is the owner of Bold and Simful, home to the Orion Bay stories- they are also amazing, you should check them out.)

/plug

Anyway, I got Apartment Life in the mail yesterday, and I tested it out- without downloads, of course.

Let me start off by saying that I love the Kiss Kiss Darling Gesture- I know it was already in the game (when Sims have like 60-70 Daily Relationship, it's how they greet each other) but I like that they can do it whenever you want now.

They also added the High Five option to the Gestures menu.

I was testing out the new socials, and even though I had already seen it (thanks ST!) it was really sweet.

I like how it was the guy whose foot popped. *snort*

Spiral stairs! I wasn't really all that excited for them, but they're here. I wanted to see if multiple Sims could go up them, and, as you can see, they can. They look really cool too.

I also like the new decorative features. I wasn't really creative with the moving items up and down the walls, or placing multiple items on the walls, but it is an awesome feature. I like the vents too, they add a touch of realism that is cool in apartments.

Speaking of apartments, you can see I didn't really take a lot of pictures of them, or even keep my test family in one. I dislike the fact that a lot of them are too small for more than 3 Sims (the painted townhouses really could NOT house a family of 4, which I used to test this expansion). I like the idea of them, and some of my Sims will be living in them (which you'll see shortly) but the actuality of it was just "eh" for me.

I LOVE that teens can hang out on the playground items- I don't love that they don't talk to each other on them. She just kind of sat there blankly.

The playground items are really very cool. I love the way they look, and the fact that teens can play on them as well.

Also, I see EAxis was sneaky with their outfits for this EP. They converted a lot of outfits (poor cloudlessnights, I won't be needing a lot of her stuff anymore) from previous eps for teens/adults/elders. I don't have the K&B Stuff Pack, but it was nice to see my teen wearing the delicious argyle from the pack. I'm going to convert it for adults.

I'm also going to do some Alpha Edits for some of the outfits- I like most of them, but they are a bit fresh. I downloaded HP's Modesty Default Set, which is good, but some of the really nice outfits are revealing backs and stuff, so I'll try my hand at that.

This picture is pointless, but I find her adorable. Isn't she? She's the product of the Marylena Hamilton face with the Dorian Kauker face, and she's lovely.

I REALLY like this interaction, it's just too cool. I love the way they just hang. If only they could, you know, interact while they did, it would be perfect.

WITCHES! This was the main reason wanted the pack, and they did not disappoint. I dislike the fact that they feel the need to bring roaches and lighting everywhere they go (I'm looking at you, evil witches!) but they are cool.

Prepare for Witch Picspam.

The Infallibly Good Witch isn't so Infallibly Good- she started poking the Atrociously Evil witch as soon as she saw her, and making her cry. No, I'm lying, she poked her right back! This went on for a while.

Since it was the premade Cordial sisters lot, it was pretty easy to get them to be witches. (Random, but did anyone else get the Pleasant Sisters vibe from them? One of them is good, one of them bad, and the layout of the house was similar, as well as the kitchen and the bedrooms- it was creepy.)

I like Samantha a lot more than I like her sister. She has a very original face, reminiscent of the Stabby Death Nose face, but not quite. She's definitely going to Kodak.

Kimberly became a witch too. I think I like the bad witches better, if only because they look cooler and I like green more than blue.

As soon as she became a witch, she cast Beautify Lot. It looks very, very awesome. I need new adjectives, y/y?

The poking finally evolved into an all out brawl. I don't know why they didn't just duel. :P

I had Sam study her Dark Magic, because she is awesome. I also noticed she started out with a lower alignment than her sister, but I assume that's because she was "pre-programmed" to be witches.

Also, you can see they have carpets on the ceiling. *cough* I REALLY need help with this: what is appropriate for ceilings? Carpets are a no, obviously, but the wood all looked weird up there, and... yeah, I suck.

Kiss Kiss Darling is my favorite of the "new" interactions.

I then played the premade family with all of those kids that comes in the Bin (random, but I HATE Bin families. If I *wanted* more families, I would add them, don't you think? They're going to be added to Desiderata, but I'm aging them up and making them townies in Kodak.)

Oh, and I moved them into the trailer park because I'm cruel like that.

Georgia is pretty, but kind of bland. And retatreded, apparently, she didn't have any of the teen interactions: she couldn't teach any of the toddlers a single thing, and couldn't get a job. WTF?!

I couldn't NOT see the Huggle, could I?! This is adorable.

I'll leave you with this shot of the creepy guy watching the kid play on the playground.

All in all, I like the pack- lots of new features, lots of new interactions, new clothes, it's cool. I expected more from the Apartments, but, whatever. Thanks for listening to me ramble! :D

DV Shorts: Julien Cooke Gets Married

2008-09-13T14:29:00.002-04:00

I posted this a few days ago, but I forgot to let you guys know here.

I'm planning on doing a couple of these as the Thornn Legacy progresses, updates about random people that don't fit with the regular updates.

As you may know, Julien Cooke was once an admirer of Silvia's, but he stopped when he met Althea Verity in 1.2. They got engaged in 2.1, and now they're getting married!

I didn't want to post it here because I like keeping this clean for only regular Legacy (both of them) updates so I posted it on my LJ. I spend WAY too much time there, but I've met really great people, so here's the link:

Julien Cooke Gets Married.

Enjoy. :D

The Thornn Legacy: 2.1

2008-09-09T17:09:00.004-04:00

Welcome back dear readers! I know, this one is really soon after the last one, but I’ve been on a roll with this. (Not going to school and being unemployed also helps, sigh.)

Last we left off, Silvia got engaged to Wyatt, and a Criminal was on the loose- who is she working for? Are there others? We’ll find out soon enough! It’s time for a wedding!

Wyatt Bear moved in last update, and he’s Silvia’s fiancé. (Stats.) I like him a lot, even though he’s very Stereotypical Fortune Sim in his wants, he’s adorable with Silvia, and they have three bolts- match made in heaven. I’m marrying for chemistry this time around, no arranged marriages here!

Anyway, here’s Silvia, sporting the hair I made for her. She’s very pretty, insert comment about beauty here, you know the drill. She needed more charisma for her LTW job in Journalism, and here she is getting it! This is all sounding so dirty…

But don’t worry, Sil and Wyatt are very much in love, despite the fact that they have busy jobs- Wyatt hadn’t yet told Silvia what he did for a living, but he’s going to.

“You know, I’m really glad you moved in, Wyatt. I was so scared you would say no…”

“Why would I give up the chance to live with the girl of my dreams?”

“You flatter me, Wyatt.” Even as she said this, Silvia could feel herself begin to blush.

Wyatt dipped her into a kiss as he said “No, I don’t. I just tell the truth.”

A few moments later, Wyatt brought Sil to the couch.

“Well, Silvia, you know how I never told you what I did for a living?”

“Of course, you said you would kill me if you had to. I really am curious to know what my future husband is going to be doing for money, you know.”

“I completely understand, and I wouldn’t lie to you- are you ready?”

Silvia discreetly rolled her eyes- what was all this secrecy for? What could it possibly be?

“I’m a Spy. I mean, I work for the SCIA, I’m an agent.” Wyatt braced himself for her reaction- this was the first time he had ever told anyone what he did, and he was very scared to see how Silvia would react.

“Like… a spy spy? You go to foreign places and neutralize people, or…?”

“It’s nothing as insidious as that- we mostly just look for Crime Bosses who mysteriously disappear, people who might be too dangerous for the police to handle, that sort of thing. We collect intelligence, that’s our mission first and foremost.”

“I understand. Wow. No wonder you were scared to tell me. But, it’s okay Wyatt- I understand.”

“I’m glad.”

The two pulled close together. “I can’t believe it- I’m sleeping with a Spy. Does this make me a Bond Girl?”

Wyatt laughed. “No, it doesn’t. Shouldn’t we be getting ready for our wedding right about now?”

Wyatt was right- today was the wedding! So you get this hideous picture of all the people I summoned- since everyone else does it, I decided to try it. I did still Throw a Party and only invite one person though, Silvia had a want for it.

As you can see, everyone is obsessed with Sharon Wirth.

Franklin Roosevelt, John Mole, Victor Aspir, Julien Cooke, Alvin Ruscewiz: “Sharon’s a Popularity Sim!”

Also, by this point I had installed ACR, the infamous Autonomous Casual Romance- I had always wanted to use it, so yay!

Although it did cause the guests to be a little amorous with one another.

Seriously, they spent a couple of minutes just flirting, making out and the sort: I summoned Spouses as well as friends of the couple, to ensure no freshness went on.

In the bedroom, there wasn’t any romance going on, just serious nervousness.

“Wow. Silvia, you look amazing!”

“You think so?”

“Hell yes. I wouldn't lie to you. Now go out there and get yourself married hon, you deserve each other.”

“Thanks Michelle.”

“I guess it is time to get married, huh?”

Prepare yourselves for epic wedding spam, I really can never control myself.

“Wyatt, you were on the first people I ever met here in Desiderata Valley, and I’m glad. You make me immensely happy, and I cannot even begin to imagine my life without you in it.”

“Silvia, you are an amazing woman, and I’m honored to be marrying you. I can’t wait to begin our lives together, and I love you.”

Aren’t they cute together?

The guests on the other hand, were ALREADY TOASTING, and the wedding hadn’t even ended yet! ARGH.

Obligatory shot of guests. There was one person there who wasn’t invited, and her fresh self is sitting in the front row!

But, wedding time! They kissed, and now Wyatt Bear is officially Wyatt Thornn.

You can see that the toasts continued, but this picture is gratuitously showing off my beautiful new default eyes. But other stuff must happen…

As Sierra watched everyone gathering around for the toast, she decided to quickly inform the Boss of what had just happened.

Running, she hoped that there wasn’t anyone in the bathroom, so she wouldn’t have to explain little things like who she was and what she was doing there.

Outside, Silvia and Wyatt were in complete bliss on their Big Day.

“Are you ready?”

“Sure, why not?”

The crowd gave a loud cheer as Silvia and Wyatt kissed again, they had practically demanded that they do so. But it was all in good fun, married people id these things, after all.

Meanwhile…

“Boss! Yeah, I’m here.. You know why Allyn couldn’t come, she’s a wanted criminal, nobody knows me here…”

“Well, yes. It’s official, Silvia Thornn is a Married Woman… Yes, everyone is here…”

“You know, we could just squash her…. Ok, ok, no more killing jokes…”

Sierra listened more closely as her Boss gave her a few more instructions.

“Ok. I’ll leave, and then see what I can do.”

Sierra proceeded to sneak way from the festivities, not realizing that the guests were more than half drunk thanks to the onslaught of toasts.

I ended up having to put up a wall of toilets so that the guests wouldn’t leave- the things I do for my Sims. You can also see that some Sims take advantage of ACR anywhere, even in front of the toilets.

Doesn’t it seem like she’s talking about her husband?

“It’s THIS BIG, I swear!”

“Really?”

*shudder*

I took this picture because I noticed how attractive both of them were- wouldn’t they make adorable children together?

Meanwhile, Silvia served up the buffet and began having dinner with the guests.

“I just hope it doesn’t snow.”

Immediately afterward, it began to snow. Good work, Silvia.

“I jinxed it, didn’t I?”

It was a Great Party nonetheless.

Wyatt and Silvia also did that creepy “We are now one” thing. It’s really scary, I dislike it when they do that.

IMMEDIATELY afterward, I mean, as soon as they stepped out of the Limo they were on their way to the couch, where they promptly tried for baby.

They succeeded, of course. I know they’re naked, but it looks like she’s hugging him in this picture, doesn’t it?

“I love you so much Silvia.”

“I love you too Wyatt.”

And thus began the real legacy stuff.

Wyatt got promoted the next night, and was bringing in some serious money now. I love how he’s still wearing his color through his career, it makes me think that it’s just even more perfect.

He and Silvia had agreed to try and have Dinner together on most nights, and tonight was no different.

“I have some news for you, Sil. I got promoted! I can’t say to what, row what I’ll be doing, but I got a significant pay raise. Maybe we can expand the house soon, or…”

“That’s wonderful, honey. I have some news of my own.”

“Really, what is it?”

“We’re having a baby!”

“Really? That’s wonderful Sil! Although, we’re going to have to use my promotion money for a nursery instead of expansion, but it really is great!”

Wyatt never rolled the want for a baby- Silvia rolled it as soon as they were married, but he never has.

As soon as she told him, Silvia stood up and “popped.” This made it even more real: they were going to be parents.

With this promotion, Wyatt finally got his career reward, which is completely amusing to watch them use.

“Maybe if I point it at the ground I can figure out where the Criminal Mastermind is hiding…”

“Or maybe he’s above us…”

Sil’s motive decay wasn’t as terrible as with other pregnant Sims, so I had her paint- I decided I wasn’t going to “waste” the three days by having her meditate, she could use them to build skills for her job.

What is Wyatt so happy about?

I finally gave in and bought him a Blue Car! It’s his color, and it’s an upgrade over the truck! :D

But Wyatt was a good daddy to be: he went and did this autonomously.

“Who’s my little baby? Who’s going to be a productive member of society and not a criminal?”

“I love you Silvia Thornn. More than anything.”

“I love you too Wyatt. Did you see my present?”

“I loved it.”

You can see Sil is a perv too, right after they finish kissing she looks right at his… package.

Eventually the house got too messy for the pregnant Silvia and always skilling Wyatt, so I had to hire a maid: her name is Joy Tan, and she’s adorable. I installed Face Templates for some faces (the ones that I hate) and The Hideous Pong Carmen Patch face was one of them. When I saw poor Joy had it, I gave her surgery, and here she is! Beautiful.

A side note, I used Terrakosmos’ faces since all of Selzi’s looked exactly the same. It was only for some faces (13, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25) and they stay true to the original face, which I love. They are less ugly versions of the original face.

After his promotion, Wyatt found that he needed to discuss some new information with a friend, so he quickly invited him over.

“I need to speak to you. Get over here as soon as possible.”

When Alvin arrived, Wyatt had already been waiting for a few minutes.

“It's about time, I told you to get here as soon as possible.”

“Calm down, I’m a bit late, sue me. It’s a long walk.”

Once the two men were inside, Wyatt began to brief Avin on the new situation.

“I’m sure it’s no big deal, Wyatt. What could be so important that you need to summon me over in the middle of the night?”

“Are you not listening to me? The Criminal Mastermind, whoever he is, is right here in Desiderata Valley! His base of operations is close, that’s the only explanation we have for how he knows when we’re going to strike!”

“Now, listen to me- you’re head of The Vice Squad, but not for much longer- you need to be the one in charge, then we can coordinate the attack.”

“Wait a second, you know where he is?”

“No, but we have a plan: We’re simply going to wait until he calls another meeting with the criminals under his thumb, and we’ll strike.”

“Do you have enough manpower to watch every residence in Desiderata?”

“No, which is why we need the local police fore- your, involvement. It’s the only way we’ll be able to find him.”

“Alright, I’ll see if I can pull some strings to move up the ladder quickly. I’ll see you around, Thornn.”

“Good night, Ruscewiz.”

Little did the two men know that right outside the cottage was one of their suspects.

“You were right, Boss. They are working together… Cancel the meeting? Alight, I’ll tell the others.”

Inside the cottage, Silvia was pleased to discover that she had “popped” again.

“Alvin! What a nice surprise!”

“Silvia! Don’t you look… dazzling!”

The two old friends pulled one another into hugs.

“So, I see you’re getting humongous! When I knew you, I must say, you were rather obsessed with exercising, but you manage to pull off the gargantuan look as well! It must be a gift.”

Silvia laughed. “Alvin, you’re so silly. I’m pregnant! I just entered my third trimester a couple of minutes ago.”

“Oh.”

Despite the misunderstanding, Silvia was indeed pregnant- they used Wyatt’s money to build the nursery. I decided to decorate it in green, since I have the worst luck with babies- when I decorate in Blue, I get a girl, when I decorate in pink, I get a boy, so I kept it asexual with the decorations.

“I sure am glad I got that promotion.”

“Oh, me too. The fact that we were able to build the nursery was an added bonus. I cannot wait to have this baby, Wyatt. Have you thought of any names?”

Wyatt walked over to his wife and brushed his hand against her cheek.

“I’m sure you have the best names, darling. Have I told you that you’re beautiful?”

“You’ve mentioned it once or twice, yes…”

“Good. Because I meant it.”

Later that night, it was baby time!

“Uh… This hurts.”

I have to admit, I’ve never been more excited for a birth- I really, really want to see how her genetics mixed with his.

And, it’s a boy! I named him Willard, for two reasons: For this Legacy I’m using an Old Naming schemes, using names that were popular back from 1800-1900, and I decided that the first born child must always have a “W” name to honor Wyatt. So, Willard it is!

You’ll notice Wyatt is nowhere to be found- he never stopped Playing Chess. It never dropped out of his queue, he did not watch his wife give birth at all.

He has brown hair, Dark Blue eyes, and Silvia’s skin tone. Huh. I know there’s a 25% chance that he would get any skin tone between hers and Wyatt’s, but I did NOT expect him to get hers. On the first try, too!

Wyatt did come Congratulate Silvia on the birth though. God work, Wyatt!

But Silvia was a good mom, as good as can be expected: she gave him his bottle whenever he was hungry, whenever she was hungry she would give him one too, and changed him, cuddled him, blah. Babies are boring.

But here’s a shot of him in his crib anyway!

I’ll admit that Silvia was very busy feeding Willard, so I never noticed this:

BUGS. Someone must have kicked over their trash can and I never noticed, thereby creating this problem. Of course, they cried about for days afterwards.

The exterminator I got was attractive: Legolas Face, AND RED HAIR. Where are you in my other legacy, huh?!

“How am I supposed to know, I’m only an exterminator?!”

We now take a break from the Main House to visit with Silvia’s onetime admirer and now friend, Julien Cooke. I enjoy playing him, so I decided to come catch him up with the cottage.

Of course, I invited over his girlfriend Althea, who is the freshest thing ever since I installed ACR. *sigh*

I decided to make it official and have Julien propose.

She said yes, of course.

I didn’t write down her stats, but I do know she’s an Aries like him, a Popularity Sim with the LTW to be Celebrity Chef. No wonder they got along so well, they‘re practically the same person.

She had a want to get fit, so I indulged her. I really want to see what their kids will look like, him being so good looking, and her having the Flat Faced Brandon Lillard face. Fun!

Of course, when I set ACR to Allow Unmarried Try for Baby, she got pregnant immediately. Ok, I guess.

It was winter, so it snowed, and Julien built a Snowman on Free Will. I have never seen one in my game (ever) so this was shocking to me.

And I saw the penguin for the fist time too! I’m happy.

Next time I play this house, Althea will have the baby and they will get married. No offense to anyone, but I thought it was kind of trashy for her to get married *while* pregnant, so I decided to wait until Spring.

And we’re back at the cottage! It’s not going to be a cottage for much longer, they way Wyatt gets those promotions.

Silvia is talking to Julien on the phone, congratulating him on the engagement.

And we have a walkby. This picture could be considered random, I have no idea why he decided to walk by here, he knows no one…

After that randomness, here’s Wyatt getting another promotion. I promise, I’ll try to skip the “classic Legacy stuff“, with endless cycles of birthdays, promotions and births. I’ll try to avoid that.

Wyatt brought home John Mole from work, apparently he really is a member of the SCIA.

“Look, I’m telling you this plan is flawless.”

“What if they change their meeting place? I have to say, it’s careless of us to be stationed all over Desiderata when we don’t even know who we’re dealing with.”

“Well, your opinion doesn’t matter, Mole, I’m your superior and that’s what we’re going to do!”

Wyatt eventually went into the bedroom, where Silvia was relaxing.

“I heard you guys arguing. Can you talk about it?”

“No, it’s… gotten to the point where I can’t share my work stuff anymore. I’m sorry, Silvia. I would if I could.”

“It’s okay… I know what’ll calm you down- Willard’s asleep, we have a few minutes.”

Wyatt began kissing Silvia passionately- “that’s enough time for me!”

They actually tried for baby again there, autonomously, but they failed. Silvia’s rolls are getting fresh, her probability has already dropped to 365! I may have to force a pregnancy on her if she doesn’t want to do it herself.

The good thing about having lots of friends, is the babysitting of course! Wyatt and Silvia both had to work, and I don’t trust the nannies, so I had Michelle come over (and made her selectable shhhh) to take care of Willard.

“I’m home!”

“Here you go!” Michelle was only too happy to give the baby to Silvia- as a Romance Sim, babies were not her thing, and they never would be.

“You’re a lifesaver, Michelle.”

“No problem, Sil, call me anytime.”

But I did make the mistake of hiring a nanny, and she ad to be fresh. GRR.

“Oh, look, someone’s getting a bit of a tummy!”

“Really?”

“Haha, NO! Silly girl, can't believe you fell for that!”

I had Silvia “Dismiss” her, and then she Irritated her, and left. That whore…

But it was soon time for Willard to FINALLY grow into a toddler. (I need to time these pregnancies better.)

WHAT DOES HE LOOK LIKE?

Whoa. He’s cute, in his own way, but I hope I don’t have to deal with that nose on all the kids, or in future generations- DO NOT WANT.

In genespeak, he has Wyatt's eyes, nose and mouth, while getting Silvia's cheekbones. I think he got Silvia's brow as well, making him look different from his father. (Yes, I aged him up to gve myself a sneak peek of what I was dealing with.)

He’s given a makeover, and he looks adorable.

I plopped him down so I could send Sil to the energizer (low needs, I wonder why) and I got this cute shot of Father-Son skill building. Wyatt is wither doing something Plotty for me, or skilling, and almost always the latter.

This is also random: Silvia apparently got more Music and Dance enthusiasm, so she started whistling.

And so began the Toddler skilling marathon. Ilard is apparently going to be one of those difficult toddlers, I might need to lock the bathroom…

But he gets it, and looks adorable while looking at his Aspiration points.

He also learns to walk, how much do I love Smartmilk? LOTS.

We interrupt this Toddler Skilling Marathon to bring you Silvia vomiting and wondering if she’s pregnant: she is. The morning after they failed, I upped her Risky Chances and had them Woohoo again- success! Even if it was underhanded and sneaky.

And, to complete the Toddler Skilling Marathon, Willard learns a nursery rhyme as well! I’m not dealing with fussy toddlers, since I can, I just filled his inventory with Smart Milk and let him go to bed with the toddler blanket- I love that thing.

I felt bad that all is skills were taught to him by his mom, so I had Wyatt Potty Train Willard. I think Willard had Silvia had like 11/75 while Wyatt and Willard have 82/41. This needs to be remedied, now.

We end this update with Silvia popping again- baby number two soon? Stay tuned to find out!

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NOTES:

As soon as Alvin arrived, I made him selectable, and I saw this. Aww, Poor Alvin! You can't get engaged to Sil, she's married and pregnant.

You would think that a COP would immediately jump on the enemy? Alvin is a gentleman, he prefers domination through subtle means. *eye roll* Speaking of Jumping, they have TWO BOLTS! he kept trying to flirt with him (she does that with The Boss too, it's really annoying.)

You also get this extra shot of Silvia in her NEW maternity wear- her everyday! I gave in to the cries and the wails of the valley below, and downloaded the Wear Anything While Pregnant hack, along with themysticalone’s Maxis Pregnancy clothing, so Sil gets to keep her everyday outfit! It put me dangerously close to 2 Gigs of CC, so I think I might be doing a purge soon. (Of clothing, mostly.) We’ll see. Thanks for reading!

The Thornn Legacy: 1.2

2008-09-06T17:24:00.003-04:00

Welcome back dear readers! I’ve been having all sorts of fun with this new legacy, as you’ll soon notice!

I just wanted to clarify that I am NOT done with the Cranes- I’ve worked too hard on them to give up now. If anything, I’ll stop playing the spares and finish it quickly, but the rebuilding isn’t going at all, so I’ve been working on this.

Anyway, last we left off, Silvia received a mysterious phone call from Julien Cooke, a man that had rebuffed her. We don’t know how that conversation went, but we pick up the next day with Silvia skill building.

Obligatory shot of Sil being adorable is obligatory.

But seriously, Silvia was taking her promotions hard- she was always hungry, tried and needed moar fun. I wanted to leave her in Dance, but I knew that I had to switch her to her LTW job, so I began looking for it.

While Silvia was at work the next day, look who stopped by? *snicker* THAT doesn’t look desperate at all, Julien. *eye roll*

But seriously, Silvia was always in a bad mood those last couple of days, even when she was getting promoted.

I decided to get her one last promotion before switching her, so I had her work on her Charisma.

And it was time to get some more Creativity, to more shots of her being adorable! I seriously love her.

After that, she was rolling the want to Meet Someone New, so I decided to send her to the store. I don’t remember the name of it, but it isn’t The Frippery Frock or The Museum of Art and Coolness, so idk. *shrug*

Once there, we saw Linda Chin, and I right then decided it was time for Silvia to get a makeover. Hair? 15 dollars. Dress? 78 Dollars. Not having the same dress as someone else? Priceless.

She rolled the want to play chess, so I sent her upstairs, and she met The Mole Guy, John Mole.

“Silvia is a Popularity Sim.”

“John is a Popularity Sim.”

I sent her to talk to him, and guess what? TWO BOLTS. Where were you when I was doing the Spouse Poll?

“We may have two bolts of chemistry. But I’m Just Not That Into You.”

Poor Sil- she seems to have the worst luck with Maxis Made Sims.

I then (finally) sent her to play chess- sorry I keep going and then, then, and then, guys, but it’s hard yto say anything else when everything is so sequential.

Shot of Sil being adorable is adorable. (And I’m stopping that too.)

“You come here often?”

“No, I’m new. In the town, I mean. I’ve never even been here before.”

“How are you beating me already?! The game JUST STARTED.”

“I guess I’m just three moves ahead of your three moves.”

While Sil and Franklin Roosevelt (from my Freetime Test family) were getting acquainted and playing chess, The Picaso guy came and watched them. I didn’t even know that was possible.

“Alright Silvia! You can do it!”

O__o

“Are you sure you want to move there?”

“Um… I’m pretty sure…”

“No, I’m positive.”

“You play very well, for a first timer. We should play again sometime.”

“Sure.”

Silvia really did win her very first chess game- she has NO playful points, so while they played, she got SEVEN Logic Points- in one sitting.

Serious Sims FTW.

And she’s so pretty!

While Silvia was playing chess, there was a familiar face downstairs- Wyatt had come to the same store, and was enjoying some breakfast, unaware of the fact that Silvia was upstairs.

Just as Wyatt was finishing up, Silvia saw him.

“Hey Wyatt.”

Silvia quickly followed him into the kitchen.

“Wyatt, I didn’t know you would be here! It’s so great to see you.”

“Thanks Silvia. I wanted to grab a bite before work, and I decided to come here. Good thing I did, right?”

“Always the charmer. You never did mention what you did for a living,”

“Haha, I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. Here, let’s play a game…”

Silvia and Wyatt soon found themselves playing Red Hands, a wickedly fun game that involved a lot of touching between the two.

“No fair, this is your game, no wonder you’re winning!”

“I didn’t take you for a complainer, Silvia.”

“I’m not. It just…”

“Ha! I beat you! At your own game.”

“I guess you did.”

For a moment, Wyatt and Silvia just stared at one another.

“You know, “ said Wyatt, getting close to Silvia, “I could think of numerous games that would be more fun than Red Hands…”

“Wyatt… That’s so inappropriate!”

“Well, I really do have to go, but I hope I see you again Silvia.”

“It was very nice seeing you.”

As Silvia left the store, she couldn’t help but notice something odd, it looked like a burglar, walking around in Plain Daylight!

“That’s odd,” thought Silvia, as she turned away.

Meanwhile, the burglar, Allyn, wasn’t thinking about odd things- she was thinking about consequences.

“I can’t believe I bungled that job so baldy! What is the boss going to say? I need to find someone to blame it on, or something to distract the boss…”

“Oh… Silvia’s A Popularity Sim! I know exactly what to do now…”

Cue Ominous music…

But life did resume for Silvia as normal- she went to work as a Dancer for the final time, angry about is as usual. I’m not liking how this job is draining my bb of all her energy and good cheer, so I’m glad I made her quit.

That day, she brought home Sharon Wirth from Work- Popularity Aspiration FTW.

They get to talking, and Silvia discovers something about Shannon!

“Yes, actually, I do know John Mole- I’m his girlfriend.”

“Really? He seems kind of socially awkward and creepy. But whatever floats your boat, I guess.”

After taking a shower, Silvia went to The Frippery Frock (I love the name) of the store, gosh!) to buy her awesome new outfit. I could’ve just used the Clothing Tool, or The Wardrobe Adjuster, but Sil wanted to Meet Someone New, so this worked as well. Plus, everything is in the same hood, so no extra loading screens.

Anyway, once she got there, we saw yet ANOTHER Familiar Face- there he is, playing chess with some random lady.

Once Silvia started buying her clothing, Julien decided to make his grand entrance after her.

“Silvia.!”

“Julien Cooke, if my eyes don’t deceive me- I thought you were too busy to hang with your groupies?”

“Oh poo. I was irate that day, but I’d love to talk know. Consider my earlier rebuttal a mistake- I’d love to get to know *you* better, Silvia.”

“So I’m just supposed to jump on you now, because you aren’t pissy?”

“That’s the idea, yes.”

“Well, don’t be ‘irate’ if I don’t. I have to go , so, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Wait, so you’re saying you won’t go out with me?”

“Yes, Julien, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Julien just stared after Silvia as she left.

When Silvia got home, she went to sleep, and when she woke up Shannon was. Still. There. GTFO SHANNON. (That must be the Couch of Creepiness, Victor Aspir stayed for a couple of hours as well!)

Note the Special Guest Appearance by Ball of Stink.

Silvia does not approve.

After Shannon of creepiness left, I gave Silvia a delicious makeover- Another Raon hair, H & M dress. She looks amazing. It also helps that it’s ~all natural~, since she doesn’t wear make-up. I Love her.

This is just to remind you that Silvia is indeed half Family Sim- she has Family as her Secondary, so she does this sometimes.

And after that last promotion, Silvia finally finds that job in Journalism, with her new friend, Lady Who Looks Exactly Like Shannon Wirth looking on, except one of them is a Townie and the other is a Playable.

She started off pretty low on the ladder, so her pay took a dip. And she didn’t even get the Dance Reward! Oh well.

“I wonder what the weather will be like tonight… It’s the perfect time for a Cooking Contest…”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We switch gears to find Julien Cooke worrying about how his new Salmon Recipe will go with the judges- he really didn’t *need* to worry- he was a Celebrity Chef in his own right, and he was sure he would win- that didn’t stop his from worrying of course.

Julien: “Tucker, get away from here! You don’t know what you’re doing!”

Tucker: “Silvia’s a Popularity Sim!”

Silvia: “Julien’s a Popularity Sim! :D!”

Food Judge: “Silvia’s a Popularity Sim!”

Julien looked over, and saw Shirley worrying. He shrugged. She had the best Lobster in all of Desiderata Valley, she had no reason to worry. And Silvia, for someone who didn’t want him, she sure did seem to show up wherever he happened to be.

But Cooking Contests were always worrisome, even the Bartender (and her pop tarts ?!) was participating, and apparently it was neck and neck.

But nothing could kill Julien’s winning streak, and he sure was happy about it.

Aww, isn’t he adorable? Part of me wishes he could have won the Spouse Poll, he’s very good looking, I love his personality, and his career, and his bio… But everything worked out fine.

As Julien sat with a bite of his own Prize Winning Salmon, he couldn’t help but notice Silvia coming over. She had changed her hair, and she looked even more gorgeous than ever.

“I just wanted to say Congratulations, Julien. You salmon deserved to win, it was very delicious- you really seem to have a knack for using seasoning to help beef up the dish itself, it‘s amazing.”

“Thank you Silvia. Your Spiced Burgers were very good as well.”

“Yea, but they couldn’t stand up to a Celebrity Chef’s, could they? I’ll see you, I guess.”

As Silvia turned around, Julien flashed a brilliant grin in her way. She was an amazing woman, and even if he couldn’t have her, he wished her all the best.

“Silvia, listen. I may have come on strong and been hot and cold with you, but I hope we can stay friends- you’re amazing, and I don’t want to regret having lost someone like you.”

“Aww, Julien. There are plenty of wonderful women out there, I bet you’ll meet her soon. Who knows she might be in this very club, right now.”

Julien just smiled and went to buy himself a very stiff drink.

“Hey Althea, I’ll have the usual.”

Althea smiled at Julien; she couldn’t help it. He was smart, funny, great in the kitchen and…he was a Celebrity Chef- she was a bartender. Her chances with him were zero to none.

As Julien went to grab his drink, he noticed something in Althea’s face- he had never noticed how beautiful she was, and she was always there… Was it possible this could be who Silvia had meant?

“Althea, I’ve never noticed how beautiful you are! I’m… mesmerized, by your beauty.”

This had to be a dream- Julien Cooke did NOT just compliment her, a lowly bartender- “T-Thank you, Julien.”

Things progressed quickly from there.

The next morning, creepy stalker Julie Pong showed up. *shudder* It’s not even the face that bothers me, it’s that she’s so transparent in her stalking!

Back to my bb Silvia! You can see her new hair here, I made it just for her use. You can read about that here.

You can also see that a light snow has fallen in Desiderata Valley- it might seem like things are moving fast, and that’s because they are. Silvia was getting older every day and I did NOT want to let anymore time pass.

Plus, Silvia had a very important phone call to make.

“Hello? Wyatt? Yes, it’s me… I’d love it if you could come over…Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

Soon enough, Wyatt arrived, and Silvia went out into the snow to greet him.

“I’m so glad you could make it in this weather. Is my house far from where you live?”

“Nah. I’d come through a lava storm if I had to, to see you.”

By the time the two finished their cheesy flirting, the snow had really piled on.

“I really am glad we could do this, Wyatt. Ever since we first met, I knew there was something special about you.”

“Really? And here I thought you wanted me for my money and dashing good looks.”

“I really, really like you, Wyatt.”

“I really, really like you as well as Silvia.”

And with that, Silvia had her very first kiss with Wyatt Bear.

Which she had had locked for a while. I know, it’s weird for a grown woman to have her first kiss as an adult, but it’s the Sims, so we’ll ignore that. : )

After their first kiss, Silvia and Wyatt went on to have many more- it was a natural evolution of their growing feelings for one another.

You’ll notice that Wyatt is a perv- right after they finish kissing, he goes and stares at her boobs. NICE.

But Silvia did fall in love with him, which is a plus- the legacy can move forward!

Silvia quickly changed into her outerwear- she had forgotten she had to work.

“I’ll be back tonight, so you can just make yourself at home. I’m sorry. If we don’t meet, I’ll call you, kay?”

“No problem, Silvia. I’ll be here.”

“Now what am I going to do…”

I think I fell in love with Wyatt when I shot this scene: all of the sudden he had a real personality, and he was attractive.

Tell me he isn’t the definition of handsome? I love how the blue in his shirt brings out the blue in his eyes, that’s wonderful. Blue is most definitely his color.

You can see Silvia is moving up in her career in the news world- yay! I wish it paid more, but oh well.

Townie: “Silvia’s a Popularity Sim!”

After changing Silvia called up her old friend, Alvin: she needed to make piece with him before moving on with Wyatt.

“Thanks a lot for coming, Alvin. I know it’s last minute, but you really have been a good friend thw short while I’ve been here.”

“Hehe… No problem, Silvia.”

“I just wanted to let you know that I’ve decided to move forward with Wyatt: I’m going to ask him to marry me.”

“So, you want my approval, or…?”

“No, silly. I want your blessing- you’re the first man I’ve ever been attracted to, and I felt kind of guilty that I had led you on.”

“Oh! No worries there, Silvia. I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. You really are amazing, you deserve to be happy.”

Silvia pulled Alvin into a hug. “Thanks a lot Alvin. You’re an awesome friend, I’m glad we’ll stay friends after all of this.”

Silvia invited Alvin to stay for dinner, where he presented his usual strong opinions about everything.

Poor Alvin. I liked him more as a spouse, but Silvia had more chemistry with Wyatt, and he won the Spouse Poll. I’ll make it up to him. And the entire purpose of his visit was to clear the crush flags that they had had from when she flirted with him. I’m glad I did, one more romantic interaction and they would have fallen in love.

You can see Silvia is amazing- a week here in Desiderata Valley and she has five best friends! It’s not that big of a deal, but I like the fact that she’s so good at making friends.

After Silvia finished up her call, she and Alvin began to play their favorite game, Pinball, and Alvin presented his views on pinball.

Little did they know that someone not so nice was sneaking around outside the Thornn Cottage…

Allyn stared inside, and saw exactly what she feared: Silvia and a man. She sighed, and prepared to make the call.

“Boss! You won’t believe who she’s in there with!”

“No, not him, the other one… I don’t know if he presents a threat… Ok, I’ll go.”

Allyn spared another glance at the happy people inside, and smiled wistfully- she wished she had been lucky enough to be born into a good family, and have the option to travel around, instead of having to work for the meanest man ever to exist…

She then ran off, her lithe body hardly making a sound as she sprinted across the grass.

Inside, Silvia and Alvin were unaware that they had been watched, and were gossiping about someone very close to the burglar who was just creeping around.

“It turns out that Tucker’s SISTER is the Burglar whose been seen wandering around these parts!”

“No way!”

“Yes. I would know, I supervised him back in the day.”

“What?”

“Oh, I guess I never told you- I’m a Cop. I work in the Vice Squad, I sa Tucker when he was just a rookie.”

After sharing that tidbit of information, Silvia hugged Alvin again. “Thanks so much for being a good friend Alvin.”

“No problem Sil. See you around.”

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The next day, Silvia and Wyatt met at Cooke’s Cooking, Julien’s new restaurant.

O HELLO THAR, SHANNON WIRTH. Ugh, she’s pulling a Rhea and ruining my tender moment. *pouts*

“I’m sorry I had to work the other day, but I’m glad we got to meet here. I didn’t even know Julien had opened a restaurant in the last week since I saw him.”

Wyatt laughed. For someone who works in the papers, you sue are clueless. I make it my priority to have all the facts before doing something.”

“Hey, I work in the photo department right now- this was not in the papers.”

“You’re right- Julien kept it under wraps, and today’s its opening night. Hopefully it does well.”

Silvia hugged Wyatt. “Who knew you were a well wisher of Julien Cooke’s?”

“He seems like a nice guy on TV, and I know you two have a bit of history, so I wanted to make it special.”

“Oh, this night will be special for other reasons, don’t you worry.”

Wyatt and Silvia pulled away and looked into one another’s eyes: they had been “together” for such a short time, but it felt like they belonged together, like some irresistible force was making them want to desperately be together despite everything else. (I call it 3 Bolts, but hey, whatever floats your boat.)

Inside the restaurant, Wyatt was making idle chit chat while Silvia was deathly nervous- she knew exactly what she wanted to do, but couldn’t bring herself to saying the words.

But all her fears were assuaged when she put her hand on the table, and he instantly went for it. He loved her as well, and that was all that mattered.

With one last nervous sigh, Silvia jumped into it.

She placed the velvet box on the table and looked at Wyatt nervously- would he take it? Would he let her down easy?

“OH, Wright! Silvia!”

Wyatt gently picked up the ring and looked at it, a look of adoration on his face.

“Oh Silvia.”

“Of course I’ll marry you!”

Silvia let out her breath and smiled wide. Everything was perfect.

They decided to spend the rest of their date celebrating their engagement all over the restaurant.

After that day, Silvia was on cloud nine- she had recently gotten promoted again, and was now working at the actual Desiderata Valley Newspaper! She was ecstatic, and invited over Wyatt immediately.

Aww, even when she’s being devious, Silvia is gorgeous.

“You know,” said Silvia, “You should move in here. The Wedding is really soon, you can get used to cottage while you’re here. What do you say?”

“Of course I’ll move in with you, Silvia. I’ve been looking forward to it all week.”

Silvia just smiled and pulled him closer.

Stats Time:

It turns out (like I didn’t already know) he’s a Fortune Sim, with a LTW to Become Head of SCIA. (You like how I threw in all those subtle hints right? Haha, I’m so clever!)

That night, after Wyatt had gotten cleaned up, and changed, he and Silvia relaxed in their new bed.

“I can’t believe it. It seems like just yesterday you were chatting me up in the dark at the museum. You never did tell me what you did for a living, you know.”

Wyatt cuddled close to Silvia. “Like I said, I’d tell you-”

“But then you’d have to kill me.”

“Exactly.”

“Would you really kill me?”

“Nah. It’s just fun to say.”

“You know what else is fun?”

“I have a few ideas…”

After their “fun”, Wyatt quietly relaxed on the bed next to Silvia. He knew he would have to tell her soon, but he would wait until they were married… He couldn’t wait.

And that’s where I leave you! Next time, Generation 2, Weddings, and more Plot Action! Stay tuned!

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NOTES: If you were wondering, Silvia’s OTH *is* Cuisine- it was originally Science, but it didn’t suit her, so I made it Cuisine using the Lot Debugger, and Simgaroop‘s excellent tutorial.

When I write the Desiderata Valley characters, I picture them all as either very intelligent, or sounding like it- in strange_tomato's story, she has different accents for all the different neighborhoods, and I've just followed that. I picture Wyatt, Alvin, Victor, Sharon, Julien etc. as having that "Middle America" accent, no extremes in their pronunciations, while Silvia has kind of a Seattle tilt, kind of Californian, but more defined. It's weird, but that's the way I write them. :P

The Allyn-Tucker connection was just me being silly- they both have the Marylena Hamilton Face template and Blond hair, and how delicious is that: two siblings, both from the wrong side of the tracks, one of them becomes a cop and one of them a thief? Wonderful!

The Criminal Mastermind will be revealed in good time, I shot his backstory today- it's kind of gruesome, but eh. He works it.

Thanks so much for reading!

Thornn Links

2008-09-05T20:40:00.002-04:00

Here's the link list for The Thornn Legacy:

1.1

1.2

2.1

2.2

2.3

The Thornn Legacy: 1.1

2008-08-31T18:59:00.002-04:00

I’d like to say hello again, and yes, it has been a while, and yes, this is a new legacy.

I haven’t mentioned it much around here because I’ve been spending all my time on LJ, but Kodak is gone. It started getting glitchy and (it’s all my fault, deleting Sims from the Bin, using deleteallcharacters, I KNOW) so I’m spending all my Play Time rebuilding it, recreating Sims, establishing families, blah. Long, boring, tedious work. To relieve my monotony, I decided to start a new legacy, a quickie, to finish as soon as possible- no editing pictures, no plot, just good, quick Legacy fun. Yay, right?

Here’s my Legacy Founder: Silvia Thornn. I’m doing things differently this time around, not only am I using Townies (for once) but I’m NOT playing for points, I’m using Free Will, naming themes and color schemes. You’ll see what I mean. Anyway, Silvia is a Scorpio (not an Aries FOR ONCE) with 7-6-6-0-6. So she’s extremely serious, and somewhat everything else. She’s also a Popularity/Family Sim with the LTW of becoming a Media Magnate.

Also, this picture is just for Dramatic Effect, I started on a 3x3 so she had enough money for this:

Delicious Landscaped Cottage! Since I’m doing this in Desiderata Valley (it’s the only neighborhood I haven’t really played in yet, except for Riverblossom Hills which got deleted) so I made it with the Neighborhood Theme in mind: a lot of the houses seem to be made with Brick Facades, so that works for me. It also has a backwards Seasonal Rotation: Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. Works for me! I’m not going to add a University (!!!), Downtown (!!!!!!) or Shopping District, Desiderata is good without them. ^__^

Silvia was obsessed with Bird watching, but that wasn’t cool enough, so I made her fish. I LOVE her face: I’ve spammed LJ enough with it, but YOU GUYS haven’t seen it yet: Silvia has traces of the Meadow Thayer Face, Marylena Hamilton face, and Stabby Death Nose face. The result is this wonderfully unique blend with hints of each. She’s beautiful, for those who aren’t paying attention. She’s not wearing any make-up either, so that’s all natural! I heart her.

You see she got the Aspiration Points for Meeting Someone New, but the Paperboy isn’t interesting: Face One ftl. I’m marrying based on chemistry, so Ugly Sims are in! I love all the pre-made faces, the only ones I HATE are the Cross-Eyed Josh Rueben Face and the Carmen Patch face. (I will live to regret this, just you wait.)

The Welcome Wagon eventually came with Slouchy Dude Victor Aspir and some other guy. I have an excellent memory for names, but I’m not used to D. Valley yet, give me time! *blushes*

I had Sil pounce on Slouchy (she’s Pop, she needs all the friends you can get) while Sports Lady does the “Silvia is a Popularity Sim!” thing behind her. I might regret making her Pop now. >>;

Being extremely serious does have it’s disadvantages, she didn’t want anything to do with his ramblings.

“But you’re new here! Everyone gets a hug from the Welcome Wagon Committee, it’s Policy!”

“No thanks. I’m not into hugging complete strangers.”

They eventually warmed up to one another through a game of Pinball- I’ve been using these fot years now, they raise fun quickly, and two Sims can play them together. (Yet another thing I can thank Bitsy for! ^_^ )

“I know it’s hard to meet Strangers, but we’re nice here. Where are you from?”

“I’m originally from Simcity, but I wanted to settle someplace quiet. Desiderata Valley seemed perfect.”

“The City, huh? That’s cool. I was born in the city, but my parents settled here when I was just a Toddler.”

“Have you gotten a job yet? I know just the place!”

This is a random shot to show how pretty Silvia is. I love her face, she’s so uniquely pretty! ^__^

I’m going to stop doing that soon, I swear.

Victor rambled on and on about his family, and Silvia had a sneaking suspicion about him.

“Victor, if you could have anything, anything in the whole world, what would it be?”

Victor laughed, and said “Why a Baby of course!”

Silvia sighed. Family Sim.

Eventually it was night time, and Silvia needed to work on her Body Point for her job in Dance. I’ve never had a Sim in that career before, and it pays well, so I think I’ll keep her in it. I know her LTW is to Top Journalism, but I like this more, and you can’t always get you want.

While Silvia worked out, Victor sat on her couch creepily.

(The one thing I HATE about the in game camera is that my pictures look so bad at night! GAH, you can barely see Victor‘s face, and she couldn’t afford lights for this part of the house.)

The next morning, Silvia left for work in her cute little Freetime Outfit. (Another thing, the ONLY thing I hate about my skins is the Belly Button ring. ARGH NOT ALL MY FEMALE SIMS OVER TEEN IMMEDIATELY PIERCE THEIR BELLY BUTTONS. >___> But it’s the only thing I don’t like about them, so meh.)

You can see Silvia is getting a little mean, and this is her face AFTER her promotion. Sims are so silly sometimes. *eye roll* But she’s still beautiful, even with a sneer on her lips.

She needed to get Charisma for her job, and I immediately bought her a mirror and watched her skill build. I LOVE fall, but I’m glad D. Valley has all 4 seasons.

Also, if you’re wondering where her steady stream of money is coming from- *points* Dream Catchers. Some people say they’re cheating, some say they take the challenge out of it, and you know- they’re right. Sil started on a 3 by 3 and had lots of money left over, but I still bought 5 or six Dream Catchers, and the next morning, I sold them for 1,670 EACH- that’s $7,260 Simoleans right there. Cheating money, but I did it for a couple of more days before I stopped. *hangs head in shame*

I also bought her an Exercise Bike- I LOVE these. I’m glad Freetime added them, I think they get Body easier, it’s small, and It looks pretty freaking cool.

You cal also notice I gave her a different hair for exercise, I always do it, but I forgot to do it in CAS since she was made in Bodyshop. I love that hair by Nouk, I’ve been dying to use it.

And now, it’s time for the most delicious LOL U SO FUNNY part of any fledgling Legacy: The Spouse Hunt. Where you make fun of ugly Sims, Scope Room, and basically hope someone decent matching your Sims turn ons comes by and they have chemistry and they hook up. IT’S TIME TO BEGIN.

Also (aren’t you getting tired of me doing the Also things? It seems like I’m doing it a lot. IF I AM TELL ME TO STOP, GUYS.) prepare to see badly edited images ahead! Or deal with my whining. I choose the former.

As soon as she got to the Museum Art Place of Coolness and Art, she headed toward the Swings. WHY DOES A MUSEUM NEED SWINGS? I’m deleting those as soon as I can, gah! She also gets “Silvia is a Popularity Sim!’ed by Lady Aspir, Victor’s wife. Her name isn’t Lady, I just called her that.

Silvia then meets Shrouded in Shadow guy.

“Hey, are you new here?”

Instead of rebuffing him quickly, Silvia found herself answering:

“Yes, I am. I just got a job at that Dance Studio, near the ocean.”

“That’s amazing! I love to Dance, I have skills that you wouldn’t believe! Why don’t we go inside and talk?”

Inside, Silvia found herself assuming her normal, defensive stance. She had felt some sort of chemistry with this guy, and she needed to find out more about him.

His name’s Wyatt Bear. (Rawr, right?) He’s a Townie, ad they had a Single Bolt. *sigh*

Eventually, I had Silvia sit down to make friends with this Face One Townie (Maxis is getting lazy in D. Valley, the Pre-Mades all seem to be edited Face One [except for the Contraries, *shudder*] and I’ve already seen two Face One NPC’s and now a Face One Townie? GRR. GENETIC DIVERSITY- TRY TO HAVE SOME.)

“I’m all for recycling, it sucks that it took so long for everyone else to catch up.”

“Um, it’s 2008, recycling has been In for a while now.”

Despite their differences, Silvia and Michelle sat and talked for hours, even after they were disturbed by Creepy Pong Faced Townie. (That was terrifying, she literally followed her around, trying to talk to her! NO, GTFO UGLY SIM TOWNIE, MY BB SILVIA WILL NOT SPEAK TO YOU.)

“I didn’t know you weren’t from around here! I could have sworn you had a Desideratan Background, you speak just like us!”

“Haha, no. I’m from SimCity, But I really like it here, I‘m glad I decided to stay.”

Eventually Silvia and Michelle got hungry, and went out back to have some Hot Dogs. They were chatting normally until some guy joined them.

“Ugh, no. You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about, everyone knows we went in for the Oil.”

Michelle and Silvia stared at the fresh man who had not only interjected himself into their conversation, he was opinionated as hell, and had something to say about every topic the women wanted to talk about.

“Well, obviously Inflation is going to go up! The way we get ourselves in debt with these silly wars, I’m surprised we haven’t gone broke yet!”

Silvia found herself inexplicably attracted to this man- Alvin Ruscewick. He had an odd sense of style, and was extremely headstrong, but there was something about him which fascinated Silvia.

Silvia soon found herself upstairs, with Alvin seated next to her- she had gotten him up here with the pretext of chatting some more about his Political Views.

“I know what you think about Inflation, Alvin. But what do you think about me?”

“Uh… I think you’re a Popularity Sim, as the way I can’t stop thinking about you suggests.”

Silvia laughed at Alvin’s witty sense of humor- sure he was ugly in the traditional sense, but she liked him. She decided to make a move.

“Alvin.. You’re so unbelievably intelligent, and opinionated, and…”

As she saw him fidgeting about, she discovered something else- “And you’re Shy! That just makes you the most adorable thing EVER.”

Silvia continued flirting with Alvin, even if he was uncomfortable, he was enjoying it just as much as she was- she had never been the Pursuer before.

“Oh, Alvin- you’re ‘fro, it’s so cute. I just want to touch it!”

Alvin blushed scarlet. “Well… I might let you, sometime, hehe. I work hard to keep it in it’s roundness.”

Silvia came even closer. “I’d like that.”

Alvin practically screamed. (I did too, AREN’T SHY SIMS FLIRTING ADORABLE?!)

Even if he didn’t have very much money (“I’m a Cop, but I want to be a Politician”, he had said) Silvia found herself asking him out on a date sometime, seeing as how she had spent the better part of the day at the Museum- and had made three friends while there.

On her way out. Silvia quickly found herself recognizing a Sim she had seen before… When she realized who it was-

“OH Wright! You’re Julien Cooke! You’re on TV!”

Julien was not only tired, but he had had enough of random fan girls stopping him to sign things- “I will NOT sign anything for you, If you’ll excuse me, I have to be on my way.”

Silvia just stared after the rude man, wondering what had possessed her to talk to such an asshole.

But he was a hot, hot asshole.

(TWO BOLTS WITHOUT MATCHING TURN ONS. *gah!)

As Silvia went into bed, it was obvious she was happy-she now had two prospective Sims she wanted to get to know better, and she couldn’t wait.

(You can see her collection of Dream Catchers here.) If you hadn’t already noticed, Silvia’s color is White. That just means her clothing will be white, as well as any possessions that are “hers”.

LIKE HER CAR. Thanks to The Money She Gets From Dreaming~~, she was able to get herself an awesome (White!) Truck. :D

Silvia is obviously happy about this fact. (And Thank you for the Hula and More hack, Squinge!)

That night, while Silvia was at work, Alvin stopped by- looking for her? No, for their date. She wasn’t home, however…

She did come home with a Promotion, a reason to smile for sure! She did that autonomously, too!

She had to get a Creativity Point, so I got her a Bass. She looks so cool in her Nightie, a Nightie wearing Bass Player! Silvia=Fierce.

Later that day, Silvia invited over both of her potential suitors: Wyatt and Alvin. (Both Red Heads, WOOP!) She found she enjoyed talking to Wyatt as well, but he just wasn’t as bold as Alvin, he was more content to wait Patiently for something, he told her.

The true test, however, came when Alvin and Wyatt decided to play Pinball together: They both knew they were in it to win, and Silvia’s heart (and Legacy Fame as the Ugly Guy who Got The Girl) was the prize.

“You know, I’ve studied Pinball before. The game isn’t really all that strategic, just making sure to press the button is enough to ensure you win.”

Wyatt didn’t pay attention, he was busy trying to win- he was focused and determined, and the fact that Silvia already had a crush on Alvin didn’t help.

As the game lit up, signaling Wyatt’s defeat, he just stared at the machine- it’s not like he was going to admit defeat. Wyatt always got what he wanted.

After the men left, Silvia was getting ready for an exercise routine, the phone rang. She decided to grab it, in case it was Michelle making corny jokes about being Abducted by Aliens.

“Hello, Silvia?”

“Yes? Who is this?”

“Don’t you recognize my voice, Silvia?”

“I asked who this is!”, said Silvia, getting exasperated.

“I was only joking- It’s Julien Cooke.”

And that’s where I’ll leave you guys! Comments are welcome and appreciated, and we’ll see how this goes. I know I said no Plot, but that little twist was TOO DELICIOUS not to include.

NOTES:

Silvia’s Turn Ons are Blond Hair and Hard Worker, and all the guys she has Chemistry with are neither Blond, nor a Hard Worker. I changed her Turn ons to Red Hair and Hard Worker, and she now has 2 bolts with Wyatt, but still one with Alvin. And she has 2 with Julien based off of pure compatibility, he doesn’t match any of her turn ons, obviously.

Also, (Last time, promise!) It really was Julien on the phone. It was too good not to happen. : )

And, Guys, I need your help! I DON'T KNOW who Silvia should marry: She has 2 bolts with Wyatt and Julien, but I want the recessive genetics, so, here's a Spouse Poll! Vote carefully. :D