The Ratava Legacy [Requesting a Move to the Graveyard]

[imayu94]

Hello everyone! imayu94 here. As you can tell, I'm quite new to the forum, but I can assure you that I've been stalking everyone for quite sometime now. 

This is my first try to a posted legacy AND a Sims 4 legacy. I waited for someone to post the rules to a legacy challenge and I said to myself that I would do one. This legacy is something I've been wanting to continue for sometime now. I started it with the Sims 3, but since that crashed... well. I recreated the last heir of that family to start anew.

(10/30/2014: Found out that this is no longer an official legacy. But heck, I'm continuing it.)

Laws Implemented:
Gender Law: Matriarchy
Bloodline Law: Strict Traditional
Heir Law: Living Will*

*I chose living will to be a little bit more flexible, but my "heir" law involves a bit of tweaking similar to the "Exemplar" rule. The generations follow the seasonal pattern. (ex. If the current generation is set to be in Winter, the next heir should have at least one Spring trait. Summer in the next gen, Autumn after, then again Winter.) The trait guide is here.

I just really liked the idea that the personalities change in this pattern. It becomes a bit interesting to think of the Sims, story-wise. And so, the next will be the start of the Ratava Legacy.

Contents:
1.0   -   Introductions
1.1   -   A Great Day
1.2   -   New Friends, New Heights
1.3   -   An Interesting Town
1.4   -   Live, Laugh, Love
1.5   -   New Beginnings
Extra-   The Daily Life of Amber and Travis
1.6   -   Two Becomes Three
1.7   -   To The Limits
1.8   -   Friends and Family
1.9   -   The Girls
1.10 -   Growing Up and Growing Old
Extra-   Living with the Kids
1.11 -   Bad Omens
1.12 -   The Next
2.13 -   First Day
2.14 -   Bonding Time
2.15 -   Hellos and Goodbyes
Extra-   Bri's Logs
2.16 -   Crossing Boundaries
2.17 -   No Take-Backs
2.18 -   Resolutions
2.19 -   Warm Winters
2.20 -   Additions
Extra-   Alfredo's Day
2.21 -   A Day-Off
2.22 -   Children and Adults
2.23 -   Aspirations
2.24 -   D-Double Birthdays
2.25 -   That Thing Called Age
Extra-   Love Focused
2.26 - Hopeful Romantics

[imayu94]

Chapter 0: Introductions

Hello! Amber Ratava here. And I am born as Autumn.



Oh, Autumn, you say? Well, my family is pretty… complicated. We kinda have a blessing… no, a curse, well… I guess a blessing too, if you think about it.

When I turned into a Young Adult, my mom explained to me about the Ratava Line. We have what our family calls “Seasonality Gene”. We follow the pattern of the seasons. Corny, right? I know. Unfortunately I have to live with it.



Alea, my mom, was born with a Summer gene. She’s an outdoorsy, friendly, and a bit unlucky, but we still love her. She has a tendency to get mad at us for no reason, but we still adore her.



My older sister Alice was skipped by the gene, mostly like my mother but also taking in a few stray traits. But no, no autumn personality.

I got the autumn personality. It’s a bit random, and I just happened to be the child to get hit.

So, Amber here. Cheerful, Outgoing, Music-Lover. And I have to live with the Ratava curse. No, blessing. Oh heck, it’s a curse.

Autumn brings a different kind of attitude to our family, at least, since the my great-great-grandmother. I change my mind constantly, and even now I'm still struggling. So I asked my dad for some blessing from beyond the grave, and asked my mom if I could leave, to find myself better. Another thing I love about mom? She says yes to everything.



So, that very same night I looked at dad's old country maps, and packed my bags. As my sister went off to work, my mom was the only one home, and she saw me off, as loving as ever.



I tried not to look back. I was ready, I know I was.

Well, maybe not much. But I know where my next stop is. Willow Creek.

[imayu94]

Chapter 1: A Great Day

Am I happy? Or maybe a bit bored, I’m not sure. Still, I kept going.

Mom called me on the way, saying that she might know a place where I can stay in Willow Creek. A friend’s sister’s cousin’s teacher… or whatever. My mind wandered somewhere else while she was explaining.

In any case I have a place to stay in… or so I thought.



“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. Walls, maybe?”

“You said you wanted to make it on your own, so do it. Like how our foremothers did.”

So… Willow Creek, a spare amount of pocket money, and an empty patch of land.

This is gonna be great.

Even though my mind is going haywire, first things first, I bought a few things. Things that I need to survive (and can afford). I just hope no one passes by when I shower or use the toilet.



A sink, do I need a sink? Yes. But… I’d like a better bed.

No, sink first. Bed first?

Even with simply buying some stuff for myself I’m still being run over by my thoughts, changing decisions every minute. But when it came to choosing a job, it was really no question. Being a musician is my calling. My employer seemed as enthusiastic as I am in hiring me, but he said I need to master a few instruments to get promoted eventually. There I was, happy to find work, and then it came to me.

…I forgot to buy instruments.

Thinking quickly, I asked around the neighborhood of where I can find musical instruments. I met a neighbor (well, my only neighbor) Alice Spencer-Kim-Lewis. She didn’t allow me in her house, but she told me that the local bars and nightclubs usually had instruments, and suggested that I visit the hotter region that is Oasis Springs. So I went there in a heartbeat.

 

There was a guitar and a violin, and again I was confused on which one I like. But the instant I touched the violin I knew that it was the instrument for me. So I practiced, and practiced late into the night, and with my face being red from being embarrassed about my horrible playing, I was able to learn a few things about my new musical best friend.

When I went back home (or what was--what will be my home), I called my mom and told her that I'm having a great first day.

"That sounds great, Amber. Any new friends?"

"Well, there's my neighbor, she's very nice... and... that's it."

"Oh honey, you should find more people. Maybe some 'he's."

"...Mom, is that a subtle way of telling me I should start dating?"

"You know me so well, dear."

I slept that night with a smile on my face, and for once in my life, I slept soundly. Maybe I'll get on to meeting more people some other time. Or maybe as early as tomorrow. We'll see.

[Brooke.]

Hello!

Amber is beautiful, I like the idea of having seasonal genes.

[imayu94]

Hello!

Amber is beautiful, I like the idea of having seasonal genes.

Thanks!  I'm thinking it adds more to the personality of the sims other than their three/four traits available. Thanks for reading!

[imayu94]

Chapter 2: New Friends, New Heights

Work, work, work. My boss was really impressed about my determination to perfect my craft. After two days of observing my performances, he approached me, saying he underestimated me. Maybe he has a “changing minds” habit like I do. And so, I was promoted on the spot after my last show of the day.

I said my thanks with smiles, received my promotion bonus, but before I left, my boss granted me another mission to do.

“I admire your perseverance Amber, but to be an entertainer, you shouldn’t just be skilled, you should be a bit popular.”

“Popular?”

“Make a few friends then we can talk about your next promotion, okay?”

Everyone keeps saying that lately. Meet new people, make connections. I am getting pretty lonely with my hollow home. For some reason I tend to get lonely faster, so I decided to dedicate my time tomorrow (immediate day-off, woo!) for meeting a few people around town.



I thought about going to The Solar Flare, but people probably won’t hang around during mornings in a lounge, so I decided to go to the park instead. Besides, the idea of heat was not a good thought today.

I saw my neighbors and also a few new faces in the neighborhood. The Goths (I like the look, but when Bella talked about their house I didn’t want to see it), the Pancakes (these two are amazing at keeping their relationship together after all these years) and the Landgraabs (who are so sweet with each other it’s kind of awkward to watch) are the ones I met today.



The residents are all very accommodating, and they gave me a warm welcome. It was so warm that I had to take a little break from all the attention I was drawing (around five people were talking to me at the same time, it was crazy!) and went to a more quiet place.

With the all-around chatter that was happening in the park, I noticed someone who was quite down. He was alone, and honestly, he looked kind of tired.

Should I talk to him? Yeah well, you might be able to at least brighten his day. Or worsen it. Hm. He looks like he needs sleep, maybe I should just leave him alone. Or maybe he’s sad because he’s lonely. Ugh, stop it, Amber!

I tried to sneak out of the area before I could disturb his aura, but he noticed me and asked, weakly, “Hi. You’re the one who just moved around here, right?”

I stopped on my tracks and turned around. Oh, what now? “Uh… yeah.” I sat across from him. “Sorry if I disturbed you.”

“Not really, I like the company,” he said, and smiled.



I was distracted for a moment. His smile was very comforting, more so that the 7 to 10 people that I just met. Next things I know I just opened my mouth, and started to talk, badly.

“I didn’t catch your name yet. Your first name. Or your last name too if you like. Or-or, just tell me your whole name. If you’re comfortable--”

I covered my face in embarrassment. I hate my brain sometimes. But his light laugh saved my already red face.

“Travis. Travis Scott,” he said. “It’s a bit of an elegant name. People think I’m kidding when I use it for online usernames. And you are?”

I looked up, met his stare, and can’t help but smile too. “Amber Ratava. Pleased to meet you.”

[LenaLJ]

I really like your seasonal gene, cant wait to see what happens

[Brooke.]

I'm really liking Amber's personality and the first screenshot is really gorgeous.

[Playalot]

Aww, Amber and Travis are too sweet together. It has to happen!

[Lunarpixels]

Wow Amber reminds me a lot of myself. It's kind of crazy. I love how you write it, and I'll be reading!

[imayu94]

I really like your seasonal gene, cant wait to see what happens

Thanks! I'm working on making the seasonal personality more significant to the writing style.

I'm really liking Amber's personality and the first screenshot is really gorgeous.

I really like taking landscapes and scene-scapes. Sometimes even if my Sims aren't really in the shot, I just love them.

Aww, Amber and Travis are too sweet together. It has to happen!

I've played a little bit into the game already. It's gonna be great.  Your Fox Legacy is amazing! I've been reading it.

Wow Amber reminds me a lot of myself. It's kind of crazy. I love how you write it, and I'll be reading!

I like that. I try to make the scenarios a bit more realistic with a touch of Simlike in writing. 

Thanks for your replies! 

[KTK10]

I love Travis!  I do find his genes very strong though - so beware.  Story is going really well and you are finding her voice nicely.

[imayu94]

I love Travis!  I do find his genes very strong though - so beware.  Story is going really well and you are finding her voice nicely.

Actually I didn't even know that Travis is that guy from the BFF household. I really just found him in the park and didn't pay attention to his name, let alone the fact that he lives with two perfectly okay women who like him according to the game description. His traits are pretty strong, but I use it to my advantage.  It's going to be an interesting ride.

Thanks for reading! I do enjoy exploring Amber's voice. 

[imayu94]

Chapter 3: An Interesting Town

I spent hours talking to Travis. I talked about the music artists and albums, he talked about Lord of the Swings and games. It’s refreshing to see someone with passion for the things they love. I listened to his badges and online achievements, and his dream to practically know computers inside out. He seemed to be very enthusiastic about being a master geek.

We moved on to different things, his transfer to the Creek with his best friends Summer and Liberty (for some reason that put me off), and for some reason we ended up talking about me.

“So what do you like about the town so far?” he asked.



I looked around. I like the trees in Willow Creek. They are mostly different, and the green land is dotted with pink cherry trees. My grandfather told me a story about how in the future, some trees naturally create cotton-candy colors. He was a bit insane, and there are times that I can’t even tell if he’s kidding or not.

Travis was staring at me and waiting while I look at the surroundings. I gathered myself and continued talking. “The trees are strange in town. It’s as if they’re not decided if they want to be pink or green. I know they’re just cherry trees but… you know. I like that.”

He smirked, as if he just found out some big secret about me. I worry about his expressions sometimes. “Some of the older residents told me a story about the trees. Is it okay if I tell it?”

“Does it involve wizard stones and space wars?”

He laughed. “Just let me tell the story.

“They said that some time ago there were no cherry trees in Willow Creek. But then an old gardener moved into town. He lived in town for a long time, planting in common town areas, researching about the land. Every time people asked what he was doing, that’s all he said, researching. No one really knew what for.

“He was a very busy man, and a very lonely man. Then one night, he just vanished. Some invaded his house, finding it open and empty expect for a large portrait of a woman surrounded by surreal plants and light pink cherry trees. Others claimed to see his ghost leave the lot that night. But everyone saw what he left in town: a huge tree that gave a strange aura near his house. From that day on, Willow Creek started naturally growing its own cherry trees.”

I sat back. “You’re playing with me.”

“I’m not! Well, that’s what the people tell me,” Travis said. “I looked it up online, and some visitors claim to find the tree, and they said hanging around it for a long time opens a door to a different world. They called it Sylvan Glade, where all the cherry trees in town came from. Like how it was in the woman's portrait. Almost like a fantasy game. Even the air is different. ”

Raising my eyebrows, I thought of the idea. I wasn't as creative as my sister, but even I can imagine the wonder.

“I’d like to see that. I mean, if it was real.”

He raised his head in confidence. “I’ll take you there when I find it.”

“You mean if you find it.”

“No. When I find it.”

“But why me?”

Travis hesitated for a moment, and I swore I saw him blush before regaining himself. “I thought you wanted to see it.”

Right.

I excused myself to go to the toilet. Apparently my bladder doesn’t have the capacity to last long conversations. When I came out, Travis startled me when I saw him just outside the stall.

“I have to go. Liberty just texted me about asking for help with her computer.”

“Oh. Okay,” I said in disappointment. But then a part of my brain took in his exhausted figure. “You should head home. Besides, you look pretty beat.”

He sighed. “Not like it would help.  I can’t really relax at home either. Not since Summer and Liberty started ignoring each other for some reason. But oh well, I do still have to go home.”



I smiled. I made an awkward gesture, but I found myself in a hug. I've already forgotten if I've washed my hands or not, and it worried me. “Thanks for talking to me today. Even if it was a bit weird. Nice, and interesting! But weird.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

I wanted to remember that moment when I made a first friend in Willow Creek, so I asked for a picture with him. He has a pretty strange face, but then again it might just be my phone.



I said my goodbyes to Travis, and headed to Solar Flare for one of my personal performance nights. And on the way there, I find myself glancing at our picture from time to time, planning to see him again sometime.
Hello! Sorry about the long narrative on this one. I didn't have much shots to fill the gaps, but I just really liked the idea.

[Brooke.]

I liked how you tied the story in about the Sylvan Glade. I can finally see Travis' face and he's just so handsome