Author Topic: The Middlemiss Random Legacy (Completed)  (Read 33581 times)

Offline Beks

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The Middlemiss Random Legacy (Completed)
« on: September 02, 2018, 01:24:35 PM »
Introduction

Hello hello, and welcome to the Middlemiss Random Legacy! And also my first story posted on this forum. I've read the stories here from the golden age of TS3 and I've been dying to post something of my own, even though I'm a few years late. So...here we are.

I’m following the “revised” Random Legacy Challenge rules (very similar to the classic rules, but with some updates for 2018), found here: http://randomlegacychallenge.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html.

I have Ambitions, Late Night, Seasons, Generations, and World Adventures installed, and I'm not playing with any mods. Update: As of Chapter 6, I am playing with NRaas Story Progression and Master Controller.

I'm using this random generator app thingy to do my rolls for me: http://randomlegacychallengeapp.weebly.com

Also, I decided to have a little fun with the names in this challenge. I created a list of names combining results from a Victorian name generator and a Hillbilly name generator, and used a random number generator to select my founder's name from that list. I intend to use the same method to pick future heirs' names. The family's last name, Middlemiss, came up in the Victorian name generator, and I liked it, so I'm going with it. (I strongly considered using the name “Askew” instead, because, well, it fits the challenge, but I just liked Middlemiss too much to pass it up.)

The name generators I used can be found here: http://www.fantasynamegenerators.com. It's a fantastic and hilarious resource that I highly recommend if you ever need a name for something. I don't know how accurate the names from various cultures are (they're probably hit or miss)...but the site is a lot of fun, if nothing else.

Chapter Links

Generation 1
Chapter 1 – Odile With It
Chapter 2 – Love & Garbage
Chapter 3 – A Wedding To Clap For
Chapter 4 – Bunnies
Chapter 5 – Dolls & Hillbillies
Chapter 6 – A New Normal
Chapter 7 – Inferno
Chapter 8 – Hauntings
Chapter 9 – Frogs & Potions

Generation 2
Chapter 10 – Love in the Snow
Chapter 11 – Pavement Pounding
Chapter 12 – Fallen Angels, Sprouting Herbs
Chapter 13 – At Your Leisure
Chapter 14 – IPTA
Chapter 15 – Toy Meets Toy
Chapter 16 – Star Search

Generation 3
Chapter 17 – Imaginary, Immutable, Intergalactic Love
Chapter 18 – Blues on Tattoosday
Chapter 19 – Lewobblin'
Chapter 20 – Life & Not Death
Chapter 21 – Golden Years
Chapter 22 – Sunset Over Twinbrook

Generation 4
Chapter 23 – Sunrise Over Riverview
Chapter 24 – Getting Lucky
Chapter 25 – Long-Expected & Unexpected
Chapter 26 – A Fruit, A Composer, & A Small Appendage
Chapter 27 – Out of Luck
Chapter 28 – Red Hair, Brown Hair, New Hair, Blue Hair
Chapter 29 – The Three Musketeenagers

Generation 5
Chapter 30 – Flight of the Peach
Chapter 31 – The Firefighter & The Pink Party
Chapter 32 – Flames & Babes
Chapter 33 – Doll's Heads
Chapter 34 – Ribbons & Chopsticks
Chapter 35 – A Grim Mistake
Chapter 36 – Grandfathers & Gran Parties

Generation 6
Chapter 37 – Villain & Villainess
Chapter 38 – An Empire Is Born
Chapter 39 – Welcome, My Pupil
Chapter 40 – Joyride
Chapter 41 – Feed the Yak
Chapter 42 – The Middlemiss Bachelorettes
Chapter 43 – With Fish As My Witness
Chapter 44 – Dances, Clones, & Two-and-a-Half Heads

Generation 7
Chapter 45 – The Farmhouse In The Middle Of Nowhere
Chapter 46 – Calming & Ordinary
Chapter 47 – Fawns Are Nocturnal
Chapter 48 – The King & The Fisherman
Chapter 49 – Party Like It's Chapter 49
Chapter 50 – Finally Moving

Generation 8
Chapter 51 – Love At All Levels
Chapter 52 – Stealing Hearts & Nothing Else
Chapter 53 – Pickle
Chapter 54 – Learn All The Things
Chapter 55 – But Was The Tea Worth It?
A Brief Interlude / Author's Note Type Thing
Chapter 56 – Inferno: Part II
Chapter 57 – Playground Promises
Chapter 58 – Cops & Robbers

Generation 9
Chapter 59 – Poison Apple & The Butterfly Dome
Chapter 60 – Struck
Chapter 61 – MMTFT
Chapter 62 – The Sparkly Blue Ship Has Sailed
Chapter 63 – The Lucky One
Chapter 64 – A Puff of Smoke
Chapter 65 – Pajama Pact
Chapter 66 – The Final Hunt
Chapter 67 – Two Weddings and a Vampire Silo

Generation 10
Chapter 68 – Falling Into Place
Chapter 69 – Skylie
Chapter 70 – Démodé
Chapter 71 – Two & Three
Chapter 72 – Beach Drama
Chapter 73 – Sandbox Mode
Chapter 74 – The Festival of Nothing
Chapter 75 – Bubbles & Bake Sales
Chapter 76 – The Missing
Chapter 77 – Encrypted Love
Chapter 78 – The Cusp Of Greatness
Chapter 79 – The End

Epilogue
The Beginning

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2018, 01:47:11 PM »
Chapter 1 – Odile With It

Our story begins in Twinbrook. I chose Twinbrook because it’s the town I’ve played in the least. I’m not very familiar with the townies here, so I figured it would be more “random”, in a way. Or at least I can’t be quite as strategic about spouses as I would be in Sunset Valley.

It’s time to roll for Generation 1. I’m nervous. All I’ve decided is that my founder is a lady. Everything else is up to chance. Here we go.

Name: Odile Middlemiss
Family Structure – Couple
Number of Children – 2
First Career – Author
Second Career – Dumpster Diver
Generational Goal – Perfectionist
Miscellaneous Fun – Gourmet

Thank God! This seems very doable. So Odile, our lovely founder, needs to find a spouse, and have two children. She will be an Author; her spouse will be a Dumpster Diver. Odile will also need to perfect (a.k.a. supermax) one skill. Naturally, that’s gonna be writing. And finally, Odile’s favorite food will need to be random, and one of the adults in the house will need to cook everyone’s favorite food at least once. Easy.

It’s time to introduce you to our founder. This is Odile Middlemiss.

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Traits: Bookworm, Perfectionist, Couch Potato, Neurotic, Good Sense of Humor
LTW: Professional Author
Favorites: Veggie Burger, French, Red

Odile picks a spacious but cozy lot on Sweetwater Loop, right between the Castors and the Greenwoods. It is big enough to build a nice home on, but not so huge as to be overwhelming.

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Okay, I took way too long to build this house. I also made it unnecessarily huge. I guess this lot is bigger than I thought? I thought I was making a smallish box, but I ended up making a hugeish box. To make matters worse, I spent half the household funds on pretty wallpapers and floors. Whoopsie doodle. I barely had enough money left over to put in the essentials, plus a computer (which I only remembered at the last minute). At least there’s plenty of room to dance to the stereo we might have one day.

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This might be a good time to mention that I don't consider myself to be an expert builder, or anywhere close. I tend to keep things fairly simple. As I get further along in the challenge, I'd like to make the house more elaborate and aesthetically pleasing, but for a while it's going to be a box. Just so ya know.

Ya like that door, Odile? Yeah, I thought you might.

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First things first. Odile is going to be a writer, as per the Income roll. Since we have approximately forty simoleons left at the moment, it's time to get cracking. Odile sits down at her late-1990s IBM and starts her very first novel. (I’m also using generators from Fantasy Name Generators for the book titles––some titles will come from the, ahem, Book Title generator, while others will come from generators yet to be determined.) Novel number one is called Rat of Rainbows.

Did I seriously not take a screenshot of Odile at her computer? Apparently not. I will be better about screenshots next time, I promise.

Odile writes until she gets nice and stressed, and reaches Level 1 of the writing skill. Then I remember that she needs to join the Writer career. Off to City Hall we go. Maybe we can even meet some people while we’re out? Odile doesn’t know a soul in Twinbrook, and she needs to find a spouse before long.

After completing her employment paperwork, Odile spots a handsome young bloke from across the park. It’s Justin Kayes! (Okay, I’m not totally unfamiliar with the Twinbrook townies. I know that I like Justin Kayes.) Odile runs over and introduces herself.

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As they’re talking, Wei Keane, Justin’s roommate, dumpster dives in the background. Hmmm…we DO need a spouse who’s willing to dumpster dive for a living…

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Odile meets a few other townies—men specifically—and then heads home to make herself some mac and cheese for dinner.

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She’s got a long way to go before she’s able to cook her favorite food, Veggie Burgers. Like, for real…she burns her first meal. The Autumn Salad turns out slightly better.

Odile spends most of the next day working on Rat of Rainbows. She also creates an online dating profile. And, by the end of the day, she finishes her first novel…which is a Best Seller?!

I think I underestimated this Perfectionist trait.

On Tuesday, Odile goes to visit Lincoln Baker. They met that first night by the grocery store. Odile decides to head over and chat with him. Or, I decide to send her over there, for no particular reason. None at all.

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What's that you're thinkin', Lincoln? Hmmmmmm?

The Baker’s front door is set, for some reason, to the garage / laundry room door. Classy. It’s a very nice house, though. Lincoln meets Odile at said front door and invites her in to chat by the washer and dryer. By the end of the evening, they are friends, but nothing more.

On Wednesday, we’re in dire straits—the bills are due, and we don’t quite have enough to pay them. Odile is going to have to write until her bum is numb in order to keep the lights on. She starts her first Humor novel (I guess she unlocks it early because of her Good Sense of Humor trait). It’s called Gods & Butchers.

Odile writes all afternoon and into the evening, but she doesn’t submit any chapters. We only needed, like, two of those mini-payments, and she gets nothing. Time to move things along. Odile calls Lincoln and invites him over.

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A couple hours later, the two have become good friends, and Odile asks Lincoln to move in. He agrees. He gets a bit of a makeover—grows his hair out, realizes he actually has 20/20 vision and doesn’t really need the glasses. He’s really not bad looking—his eyes are especially lovely. Hopefully he’ll pass those on to the next genera…wait, what? Is THAT why he moved in with us??

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Lincoln’s traits, by the way, are Good Sense of Humor, Flirty, Commitment Issues, Green Thumb, and Friendly. His traits are essentially why I picked him––mainly the Green Thumb trait, which will help with the four times he'll have to cook favorite meals for his family members. He won't be able to sell any of the things he grows, unfortunately, but at least he can cook with them. I also like that he has a Good Sense of Humor, like Odile. And Friendly is always a nice trait. All in all, he'll do.

Lincoln brings in more than enough funds to pay the bills and buy a washer and dryer. He also purchases himself a bed to sleep in. I’m not anticipating an immediate marriage in this case. Lincoln has Commitment Issues, which I’m not super familiar with, but I do know that it’ll take some work to convince him to settle down and start a family. But I’m confident that it can be done. We’ll bribe him with a nice garden or something.

And that’s it for now. We’re off to a slightly wobbly but okay start. Next time we’ll see if Odile can manage to woo Lincoln, and if Lincoln can manage to woo some valuable goods out of the Twinbrook dumpsters. We will also see more screenshots, because those are, in fact, important. Toodle-oo!



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Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2018, 12:21:25 PM »
Chapter 2 – Love & Garbage

You know how I said last time that Lincoln brought in enough funds to pay the bills? So like, it turns out that you have to actually remember to pay the bills in order for that to apply. And I did not remember. So, on his first morning in the Middlemiss household, Lincoln wakes up to a lovely surprise––the repoman! (Whose name is Ree Treave. I love it.)

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Ree sucks the bathroom mirror into his suction thingy and runs off. I replace it immediately, because we have money now. Aside from a bad moodlet, no real harm has been done.

Lincoln calls in and quits his job. He’s no longer allowed to make money through the Science career. Congrats, Lincoln! You’re a dumpster diver now!

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Odile wakes up and settles herself at the computer for a long day of writing, while Lincoln heads out to dive into his first dumpster. He mostly just finds gems and a cheapo dining room chair. It's a start, I guess.

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That afternoon, there’s a pool party at Lincoln’s family’s house. He showers quickly at the gym, which is close by, then zips over to the party. He is very happy to see his mum again. Awww.

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While they’re talking, the option to “throw a peace sign” comes up in Lincoln’s interactions. Say what?! I check Lincoln’s info and, yep, he went to the School of Peace and Love, apparently. I haven’t sent many of my sims to boarding school, so I’ve never seen this before. It’s pretty sweet.

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Lincoln heads to the backyard and jumps in the pool. I try to get him to splash his younger brother, Newton, but some sort of routing issue prevents him from, you know, getting around a certain patch of water to get to that other patch of water. Or something. Orrr, could it be because Newton and Lincoln are enemies?! Lincoln gets a negative “Enemy!” moodlet just being near his brother. This is new information for me. I’m learning so much about Lincoln’s background at this pool party!

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At some point, Newton sneaks over and splashes his brother—no routing issues there. I still can’t get Lincoln to splash him back, though. Maybe Newton has the upper hand in this loving brotherly relationship. Oh, well. I send Lincoln home soon after that—but not before he gains his first celebrity star, somehow.

Back at home, it’s time for Lincoln to start learning to cook. He attempts to make his favorite food—mac and cheese.

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The key word here, of course, is "attempts".

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The next day’s work is far more successful for Lincoln—he finds several hundred dollars’ worth of discarded furniture. But it’s also far more traumatic for him. He seems to realize, for the first time, how disgusting this work actually is.

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After tackling both dumpsters behind the restaurant downtown, Lincoln heads to none other than his mother’s house to rummage in his childhood garbage can. I love his face when he looks around to see if anyone’s watching.

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“Newton, if you sneak up on me, you’re gonna get more than just garbage thrown in your face!”

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After vomiting into the hydrangeas, Lincoln heads home, where Odile is sloooowly working her way through her second book. Yes, it’s still Gods & Butchers.

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So, I’ve been dillydallying when it comes to the romantic side of things. While I’ve been perfectly content to force two sims to fall in love many times in the past, for some reason I feel weird about it this time around. I always prefer it when sims fall in love of their own accord. However, that doesn’t seem to be happening at all here. Odile and Lincoln weren’t instantly attracted to each other when they met. I neglected to have Odile ask Lincoln for his sign before he moved in, and now the option doesn’t come up for either of them, so I can’t see if they’re compatible in that regard. I’ve been hoping that one of them will roll a wish to do a romantic interaction with the other, but so far, I’ve been disappointed. It’s almost one week into the challenge, though, and while there’s certainly no rush to have babies…I’m kind of in a rush to have babies. For my own personal fun factor.

So I start pushing things forward a little bit. I have Lincoln tell Odile a dirty joke—that interaction is available under his “Flirty” trait interactions. She thinks it’s amusing, but that’s about it. Sigh.

But then! Aha! Lincoln rolls a wish to give Odile a gift. It’s not exactly romantic, but it’s something. I look through his inventory and he happens to be carrying a pretty rare book (and one worth something like 1k)—The Legend of Queen Nosylla and King Nayr. He gives it to Odile. Of course she loves it, because it’s a book.

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Then, I take things a step further and have Lincoln give Odile flowers.

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Theeeere we go.

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There’s that flirty face I know you’ve been hiding somewhere, Lincoln!

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I let things play out naturally for a while. The two of them do a mix of flirty, friendly, and funny interactions. Not quite what I was hoping for, but at least they’re good friends who feel comfortable throwing some flirtatious jokes around. We’ll see how things go tomorrow.

The next morning, Odile decides to go in for the kill, so to speak. She flirts with Lincoln. Several times. He reciprocates by giving her an amazing massage, and at last! They start rolling wishes to go on dates with each other. Fiiinally.

They head out to brunch at the Boxcar Diner. They have their first kiss afterwards.

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Allistair Pine, who’s become a paparazzi, decides that the girl making out with Lincoln Baker is pretty hot. (Back off, dude. Just because you’re a random guy hitting on a legacy founder doesn’t mean you’re worthy of getting with a random legacy founder.)

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Then Odile officially asks him out (right as Lincoln’s mother walks by), and they’re a couple. Zing zang zap.

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At home that night, after cleaning all the filthy appliances around the place and starting a load of laundry...

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...and after Lincoln does a round of trash rummaging, Odile finishes what she began at the diner. At least, she tries. Both parties have to stop mid-wooing in order to shake water out of their ears (in Odile’s case…how she got soaked just from doing laundry is beyond me) and/or throw up (in poor Lincoln’s case). But after that’s out of the way, Odile kneels down in her puddle of laundry water and asks Lincoln to marry her.

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And…amazingly, he says yes!

I actually forgot about the whole Commitment Issues thing. I just went about things like I normally do. It probably helped that Odile and Lincoln were best friends before they were lovers. Other than that, I have no idea how it went over so smoothly.

Next time, it's wedding time. Until then, toodle-oo!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2018, 12:48:52 PM »
Chapter 3 – A Wedding To Clap For

The next day, Sunday, is the wedding day. Lincoln finally gets around to starting a garden—just a tiny one for now.

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Odile puts on her pretty white dress and freaks out. That’s what you do on your wedding day, right? It’s certainly what I’m going to do on mine…

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I’ve added some flora to the lot to make it prettier. It’s the first day of fall, so everything is tinged with red and gold—absolutely lovely.

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The guests arrive in midafternoon. The guests are mostly men, since Odile only really knows men. Many of them were potential spouses at one point. The rest of the guests are people Lincoln knows, and of course his mother. (I don't think Newton showed up at all.)

The dancing starts up right away. Odile dances with Goodwin Goode, whom she met online but never in person until now. He was a contender for a spouse until he turned into a vampire. They would make some pretty beautiful babies together…

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The young’uns, Shark Racket and Jade Greenwood, are entranced by the mixologist Lincoln hired. She really knows her stuff.

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Odile and Lincoln meet under the arch as the sun sets and dusk gathers under the trees.

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Apparently I put the chairs for the audience too close together, so only like three people can sit down, but the others seem content to stand around and weep, as is appropriate.

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Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Middlemiss! Awwww.

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Afterwards, Odile cuts the cake and the guests begin to trickle out.

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This is the point at which Lincoln starts showing signs of stress over the fact that he’s married. He’s not Neurotic like Odile is, so he doesn’t officially freak out, but he does a very freak-out-like action autonomously several times throughout the evening. Also, instead of taking a slice of cake, he heads straight for the bar and makes himself a drink.

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Take it easy there, Lincoln. It’s going to be okay.

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I didn’t get a screenshot of this, but Odile spends a little time getting to know her new mother-in-law, which is sweet. Mary Baker has a Good Sense of Humor as well, so they get along swimmingly.

Odile eventually sees her husband imbibing at the bar and comes over to comfort him. She assures him that he made the right choice in saying yes.

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Then she (autonomously!) gets frisky with her new hubby, and they head to the bedroom that they now share.

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Now that's a man (and woman) in love. I hope.

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It’s late. The guests have dispersed except for the mixologist, who has made herself at home and is using the Middlemiss family computer to check her email.

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Oh, and Marc Brandt, who is this particular wedding’s Guest Stuck Clapping For Eternity. It's not a Sims 3 wedding without one.

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Maybe he’s applauding for the pieces of cake lying uneaten on the grass? We’ll never know.

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Normally I use resetsim to, well, reset whatever sim is stuck clapping at the end of a wedding, but this time I decide to let the glitch run its course. Maybe we’ll have an undying, unaged, perfectly preserved Marc Brandt applauding the family’s every accomplishment in the front yard for the rest of the challenge. Wouldn’t that be beautiful? I certainly wouldn’t mind. I don't know why people say everyone in Twinbrook is ugly. Mm-mm.

Alas, Marc only claps until dawn, when he pees himself. Then he starts cheering again as the rising sun casts a golden glow on the green of his armpit stank.

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Finally, he announces that it’s time to go home and takes off into the sunrise.

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Bye, Marc! I’ll miss you :(

Offline hazelnut

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2018, 01:36:43 PM »
This looks like a fascinating challenge.  I've seen a few random legacy rule sets before but this is much better (and nearly as mad as the Apocalypse Challenge).  *Adds to Sims 3 'to do' list.*

I was going to suggest getting their relationship high first and then making Lincoln propose - with trips to City Hall to change surnames as appropriate - but it seems to have worked out fine anyway.  Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Middlemiss!

Reallly enjoying this so far.  Good luck with the remaining nine generations! :)

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2018, 01:57:29 PM »
Thanks so much, hazelnut! I actually considered doing the Apocalypse Challenge, but it's soooo incredibly complicated...this seemed much more doable, and also more fun. I hope you do give it a try sometime!

I didn't even consider having Lincoln do the proposing, for some reason––I guess because Odile is the founder, I figured it should be her doing the asking. Having Lincoln do it would've been smart, though. Noted for future sims with Commitment Issues!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2018, 03:30:20 PM »
Chapter 4 – Bunnies

Odile doesn’t feel well. She spends the day after her wedding intermittently writing her book and throwing up. Actually, the first time she feels nauseous, she runs outside instead of to the bathroom—and has one of her freak-outs, which cures the nauseous moodlet. She doesn’t even have to vomit. Weeeird.

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A few hours later, she runs outside again and throws up for real. Must’ve been a glitch.

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We all know what this means, but Odile has no idea. She keeps anxiously banging away at her keyboard while Lincoln makes his dumpster rounds. (Lincoln finds a hunk of mummitonium in the junkyard dumpster today. Um, wow.)

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That night, Odile can’t sleep. She climbs out of bed whilst Lincoln dreams of divorce next to her.

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And…surprise, surprise!

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Odile immediately rolls a wish to have a boy. Lincoln, still unconscious, decides he’d prefer a girl. I myself am hoping for a boy (I have a great list of boy names I can’t wait to dig into). However, this is in fact a Random Legacy, so naturally I have no control. *crosses fingers*

Odile spends the next couple of days preparing for motherhood. She goes to the spa, then heads to the library to read up on pregnancy. Lincoln joins her there and reads a cooking skill book, because it’s about time we got past normal quality mac and cheese, thank you. (I don’t even have to eat it, and for some reason I care.)

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Odile swells up quite beautifully. Lincoln sells some salvaged furniture and gems and I’m able to add a little living room area to the house, and also buy a crib.

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I never get tired of these interactions. They’re just so sweet.

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I think Lincoln is going to make a good father. Time to work through your commitment issues, ma friend.

Sidenote: Just after feeling his wife’s tummy, Lincoln rolls a wish to join the Education career. That caught me off guard. Or maybe it’s fairly common for a sim to wish that after encountering a pregnant woman. In any case, it’s not going to happen, unfortunately. Maybe next generation…

We need to pause the story for a second. This is the new maid. Her name is Anne T. Septik, she wears knee-high stockings and protective glasses, and she is here to clean your toilet. Watch. Out.

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Well, turns out she’s pretty good at her job. She discovers an old slice of wedding cake that was hiding behind the house and has been rotting there since the wedding. I wonder how long that would’ve stayed there with just me on cleanup duty...

That evening, Lincoln burns dinner twice in a row. He switches to veggi rolls, which don’t require use of scary things like stoves, and does better. I think he's at Level 5 of the cooking skill by now? What's the problem, man? (Although really, I feel like none of my sims start cooking decent food until level 7 or 8 of the skill. Which is stupid. I could rant about this all day, but I won't.)

It’s after 10 pm when Odile finally gets around to going into labor. (She took a shower shortly before this and was a victim of the post-shower-makeover glitch, which blessed her with octopus hair and clacky high heels. At least she got to keep her socks.) Since it’s so late in the day, I have Lincoln take her to the hospital in hopes that it will speed things up.

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FASHUN.

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I wait very anxiously after the Middlemisses disappear into the hospital. They go in just after 11 pm, and I’m hoping they’ll be done before midnight so we skip a day of infancy. I’m also still holding out hope for a boy.

And...NOPE! I get neither of my wishes. A baby girl is born at 12:02 am. Time to roll a name! Yippee!

I end up rolling one of the least repugnant names on the list: Roberta. Honestly, I don't mind this name at all. I was hoping for something really wacky, but oh well. Roberta it is. I also roll traits for her, at least initially. She gets Neurotic and Heavy Sleeper. I decide to keep Neurotic, since she inherited it from her mother, but I replace the other trait with Genius, for no reason in particular.

Some further facts about Roberta Middlemiss: While the popup with her name didn’t appear until after midnight, she was apparently really born the day before, as I’d hoped! She’s already a whole day into her infancy by the time she gets home from the hospital. Phew! Also, her favorite food (which is important because of the Gourmet requirement) is Frogs Legs. Which means a trip to China is on the horizon, sometime before she becomes a Young Adult. Finally, Roberta likes Indie and Turquoise, and she’s cute as a freaking button.

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I know all nooboos look the same, but like, LOOK at her. There’s something particularly cute about this little pink bunny bundle.

The next day is Spooky Day, and Odile gets invited to a costume party at DeAndre Wolfe’s house. She heads down into the basement and WOW?? There are windows looking into DeAndre’s pool?!??? It’s amazing. It’s absolutely amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. (Of course I forgot to get a screenshot, I was so flabbergasted.) This game was created almost a decade ago, and I’m still discovering the wonders it holds. Anyways, here’s a picture of Odile dressed as a bunny signing an autograph for a very excited hot dog. (She and Lincoln are both four-star celebrities now, mostly just from dating, engaging, and marrying each other.)

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Roberta’s baby days pass quickly and without any hiccups. (Wouldn’t it be cute if nooboos actually hiccuped, though?) With a little prompting, Lincoln and Odile are good parents. Lincoln in particular makes the cutest little cooing sounds when he’s playing with the baby. I’m excited to see how both of them take on the challenge of toddlerdom.

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Saturday is Roberta’s toddler birthday—and, incidentally, Lincoln’s adult birthday. A cake magically appears overnight on the kitchen counter, and when everyone is awake, it’s time to see some sparkles.

Look at this cutie! She’s absolutely adorable, and looks to be a lovely combination of her parents.

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Lincoln starts on the potty training right away.

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It looks like the bunny costume thing might have rubbed off on Roberta a little bit. (On a side note, that bunny toy looks TERRified.)

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And now, enjoy some toddler spam.

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Roberta gets an Imaginary Friend in the mail, and it's even more imaginary than usual...

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That night, Lincoln ages up in the middle of eating his nightly bowl of mac and cheese. (We’re up to nice quality now, by the way. Getting there…) Lincoln promptly falls into a Mid-Life Crisis after aging up.

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The next day, Odile rolls a wish to have another child. At almost the exact same moment, Lincoln rolls a wish to divorce Odile. I chalk it up to the Mid-Life Crisis and not his commitment issues. He’s been perfectly happy up till now—hasn’t even rolled a wish to flirt with someone else. Just sit tight for about thirty more years, Lincoln, and this will be over before you know it!

Lincoln does roll a couple of helpful wishes, though. He wishes to work out until fatigued, and with just a few hours on a treadmill he slims down quite a bit. He also wishes to plan a new outfit. He comes out looking pretty snazzy for a middle-aged guy with two kids.

Wait, two kids? Is that what I said??

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I'll have to show you all Lincoln's mini-makeover next time. Along with some more toddler spam. Toodles!



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Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2018, 12:55:41 PM »
Chapter 5 – Dolls & Hillbillies

Odile is up to level 6 of the writing skill and is hard at work on her fourth novel, another humor one called Dolls & Robots. Her last book, a biography of Bill Racket that she wrote for an opportunity, was titled You’re Making Quite a Bill Racket. Since switching to pregnancy clothes this time around, Odile has insisted on typing while wearing gloves. I know it’s cold out, girl, but it’s not THAT cold.

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The good thing is that, with her Perfectionist and Bookworm traits, Odile consistently writes good books that sell well. She’s already made a few thousand dollars altogether, and that’s only going to grow the more she publishes. Hopefully she’ll complete the Speed Writer skill challenge before too long, and everything will move along quicker. (I can’t believe it’s taken her this long to write four books. Ugh.)

Lincoln continues to slowly level up in cooking. He is a big fan of this plate of pancakes he made. Like, possibly too big a fan. Excuse me, do you ever look at your wife that way?

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Lincoln loves his little girl. His favorite thing to do is tickle her—sometimes he’ll pick her up and do the tickle interaction multiple times in a row. Roberta giggles and giggles. It’s really convenient having Lincoln around all the time—he can watch Roberta and teach her her toddler skills, and Odile can focus on her writing.

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Odile’s second pregnancy goes smoothly—she pretty much just writes the whole time, and reads when her fun bar is low.

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On Wednesday, she gets invited to yet another one of DeAndre Wolfe’s parties. I have a feeling she’s not going to be there for very long, but I send her anyway to get her out of the house. She’s had the Stir Crazy moodlet for days now. Lincoln tags along this time, too.

Odile lasts a couple of hours at the party, much longer than expected. Then she goes into labor while talking to Gala Ball.

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Unfortunately, Lincoln is down in DeAndre's aquarium-like basement discovering the magic of guitar for the first time, so he has no idea when his wife leaves to go to the hospital. (There, I got a picture! See? See?!) Eventually he gets the memo and meets her there.

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Meanwhile, back at the ranch, poor Roberta is having to deal with one of the worst babysitters ever. He ignores her crying for a good hour—she’s hungry, tired, and needs a diaper change—and instead of taking care of ALL her needs, he just plunks her in the crib. Great. When she continues to cry, the babysitter moves her to the high chair to feed her, but then leaves her there while she has an accident. Oi. Hopefully Odile’s birth is, again, a quick one.

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It’s a repeat of last time, aside from the snow blanketing the sidewalk outside the hospital. The practically-midnight hour. The hoping for a boy. And…hooray! A boy is born about twenty minutes before midnight. Time to pick our first boy’s name of the challenge…

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YES, our first hillbilly name! Everyone say hello to Joe Bob Middlemiss. I’m laughing as I’m typing this. His name is Joe Bob. I’m dying. (Joe and Bob are perfectly normal names, but when you put them together…)

I roll traits for Joe Bob. He is an Artistic Genius. That will work out very well for next generation. (I’ve done the generation two roll, but I won’t reveal anything until our heir ages up. Also, I haven't picked the heir. For now, they are both eligible and will have to impress me with their accomplishments.)

At this point, I use pretty much all the family funds to tack an addition on to the house. No more cribs-in-the-living-room nonsense. I build a nursery with two cribs, one for each little Middlemiss.

Odile has her adult birthday in the nursery and demonstrates the fact that I forgot to put lights in.

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Here’s the nursery WITH lights. And with two little nooboos.

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Let’s fast forward to Joe Bob’s toddler birthday, because we all agree that’s the most interesting part. Right? Right.

Oh. My. Gosh.

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I’ve seen a lot of cute toddlers, but few are as cute as this little guy right here. I’m just saying. He’s a copy of Lincoln in a lot of ways, but CUTER. (I bet Lincoln as a toddler was pretty darn adorable, though.)

Joe Bob ages up to toddler just after midnight and is fully awake at that point, so he spends the entire night playing in the living room while everyone else is asleep. Eventually I have to drag Odile out of bed to teach him to potty before he has an accident, but other than that, he fares well on his own for a while.

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He’s a little cutie.

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Joe Bob’s toddler birthday also happens to be Roberta’s child birthday. Finally, another self-sufficient person in the house!

She’s beautiful. I roll her third trait, and it’s Bookworm. I couldn’t have picked a better one myself.

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That Sunday, after Odile gets a nice round of royalties, I build another addition onto the house. I really want to start expanding it for future generations, but funds are still very limited. The most the family has ever had is about $8,000, and I blow it all immediately on a laundry room and second bathroom. I also rearrange the kitchen a little bit.

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Roberta spends most of her childhood playing. She loves to play princess.

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She also plays with her Imaginary Friend, Buddy. Buddy is one of the least annoying IFs I’ve had. He stands around and watches more than he interrupts, and his voice is really cute.

I’ve never seen this before—at one point, Buddy watches while Roberta presides over the royal court (and Odile eats lunch, oblivious to what’s going on around her). And then he sweeps into a bow!

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I love how Imaginary Friends run. It makes me crack up. And when one of them is being chased by a T-Rex, it’s even better.

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One evening, I notice that Roberta hasn’t come home from school yet. I right-click on her portrait and the camera pans over to the cemetery, where she is swimming in one of the lily pools! I forgot that she had a field trip there. I guess she just stayed there after school. And her homework is already done, too.

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Here's another thing I've never seen before––a child (or toddler) playing with another child's Imaginary Friend doll. That very night, Joe Bob is once again being nocturnal. Buddy has returned to his doll form while Roberta sleeps. And Joe Bob goes over and starts cuddling Buddy like a teddy bear.

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I think Buddy really does act like a teddy bear in this instance. Joe Bob doesn't get any of the IF moodlets, since it's not his doll. He just gets the "Having a Blast" moodlet. Super weird. Makes me wish he'd gotten an Imaginary Friend of his own. :(

Lincoln, meanwhile, continues to dumpster dive like a champ. I send him out for hours at a time to dig in the same dumpsters over and over again. He has Simmunity, so he doesn’t get nauseous anymore, but he still gets very dirty and cold. I really feel bad for him. He had so much potential as a scientist, and I had to drag him out of that career and into this one. Ugh.

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At least he makes beautiful, beautiful babies.

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Next time, we'll see Roberta become a teenager and Joe Bob become a child. And hopefully, one day soon, we will pick the heir.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #8 on: September 07, 2018, 11:49:08 AM »
Chapter 6 – A New Normal

Odile is really starting to make it as a writer. At last! She writes her fourth bestseller (a satire titled Bags Program—yes, that was a randomly generated book title) and completes her lifetime wish when I’m not even looking. Congrats, Odile! (She’s not satisfied, though, because she’s only at level 5 in her career.)

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On her last night as a child, Roberta plays chess with Buddy.

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I enjoy watching the pieces on the chess board move around seemingly of their own accord.

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Lincoln is finally able to cook his wife’s favorite dish—Veggie Burgers. He can also make his own favorite food, Mac and Cheese, and Joe Bob’s favorite, Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce. That just leaves Roberta’s favorite food, Frogs Legs. Note to self: Do not forget to take a trip to France.

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Oh gosh, it's a floating mop! No, wait, it's a ghost. But...no, wait. It's...it's the most helpful Imaginary Friend imaginable! Thank you, Buddy!

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Okay, things are getting a little weird with Buddy. He seems to be less imaginary than he’s supposed to be. For one thing, he cleans up around the house without being asked. And secondly, Lincoln rolls a wish to “Give a Friendly Introduction to Buddy”. Buddy’s portrait is there and everything! But Lincoln still can’t see Buddy, of course. It’s like he’s just aware of his presence. Weeeeird.

The kids’ birthdays roll around. Joe Bob ages up first—he gets a cake, because I’m more anxious to get him out of the toddler stage. Toddlers are tiring.

His daddy brings him up to blow the candles while Buddy, always wanting to be in the middle of the action, looks on. (Buddy is like my dog. Always needs to be right smack in the middle of the highest concentration of people in the house at any given time. It's an endearing characteristic, but also annoying as heck.)

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This boy is going to be a looker when he grows up, I’m JUST saying. He rolls Lucky as his third trait.

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Between the agings-up, I do a bit of building and renovating on the house. There’s a new bedroom for the kids to share (sorry, Roberta), and I’ve added a half wall to the living area to make it a little more separate. I like this house overall—it’s one of the better ones I’ve built, I think, but I still don’t love the whole “great room” concept. I’d also love to fit a library/office in here for Odile, at some point.

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That evening, Roberta ages up while experimenting at the new lab station.

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She just keeps getting more and more stunning as she grows. She rolls the Slob trait, which seems to conflict quite severely with her Neurotic trait. She's in for an interesting life.

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Buddy, of course, ages up as well. The first time he and Roberta interact after aging up, little pink hearts fly up. (Of course I didn’t get a screenshot of it.) Buddy seems quite taken with Roberta. He constantly wants to dance with her. It’s kind of adorable. It’s the most physical interaction they can have, I guess, besides a friendly hug.

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Roberta, in turn, seems particularly motivated to discover potions. She does need to get her logic skill up for potential future careers and such, so I let her go at it as much as she wants. And then some.

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Life takes on a comfortable sense of normalcy now that both the kids are in school. It's the weekend, so the family can hang out together. The bookworms read in amiable silence on the couch.

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Roberta tries her hand at cooking on the big girl stove.

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She also tries her hand (er, tongue) at licking plates clean. She tries to do it when her father isn't looking...he clearly does not approve. Which is funny, because he pretty much embodies the slob trait for a living, even if he doesn't have it himself.

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Roberta and Joe Bob have a really sweet relationship. Joe Bob asks her to read him a bedtime story the first night she's old enough to do so. She chooses a cooking skill book, because she cares so very much about his skill development. What a good big sister.

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Yes, things are quite peaceful around the Middlemiss household right now. Hopefully it lasts forever.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #9 on: September 07, 2018, 12:28:28 PM »
Chapter 7 – Inferno

First, a lil update. I've given in and installed a couple of mods: NRaas Story Progression and Master Controller. I'm hoping that Story Progression will make future generations more interesting and provide some more varied genetics as well. I'm already enjoying the drama that's blossoming around town.  ;D Master Controller is super fun, but feels a little bit cheaty (so far I'm just using it to find out nosy details about various sims around town, not make any actual changes). I may end up uninstalling it. But for now...being able to read the town's population like a book is kinda great. We'll see how long I feel like––

WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM WITH A BREAKING NEWS ANNOUNCEMENT.

It's a normal Tuesday in Sunset Valley. It's fall. The air is crisp and cool, and the kids are off to school. Odile settles herself at her computer and starts working on her current book (another satire, called Vampire Pancakes). Lincoln heads across town to the junkyard to dig up some furniture to sell.

He’s there about ten minutes—not even halfway through his first dumpster dive—when that notification appears. About the sky going dark, or whatever.

Another sim wanders over and looks up into the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun. Lincoln, waist-deep in garbage, doesn’t notice anything.

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I realize what is about to happen and cancel Lincoln’s action queue. I'm more excited than nervous at this point. I've heard of this happening, but I've never seen it in any of my games. I'm thinking, Is this because I installed Story Progression? Wow, why didn't I do this sooner?! So much drama is happening!

I am waiting to see a shadow. That’s what happens, right? A shadow shows you where the meteor is going to fall so you can run away?

I pan the camera up into the sky. There's something there, all right. Or is that just the sun?

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But I don’t see anything on the ground––no shadow. Or I miss what is there. It all happens so quickly. Lincoln pulls himself out of the dumpster, at my bidding. He finally seems to realize what is happening and looks up.

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Two seconds later...

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Cue absolute and utter shock.

At first, I'm like, Oh, it's fine. Lincoln got away, right? It probably just fell next to him...the explosion is humongous, of course, but that doesn't mean it killed him. He probably just got singed, right? Yeah, he's gonna be fine!

Lincoln...?

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I have never been more wrong.

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Lincoln Middlemiss has been crushed by a massive rock from outer space.

AND I LEGITIMATELY FREAK OUT.

Grim comes and does his work. Lincoln begs for his life, because duh, it wasn’t over yet?? He still has so much to live for?? Etc. etc.?? But Grim, as always, remains firm. He reaps Lincoln like a sheaf of corn. And that is that.

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I’m pretty sure my mouth stays wide open for about five solid minutes as all of this is happening.

I’m quite devastated. I really liked Lincoln! He was a central figure in this story, and Odile loved him, and his two kids loved him. Hey, yeah, he left behind two kids! How cruel can fate be?? I suppose the timing was as good as it could have been…Odile can make enough money to support the family now, and the kids are old enough to take care of themselves. But like…WHY???

Odile learns of what happened and runs to the junkyard as fast as she can get there.

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She reaches the site of the impact. She looks at where her husband was standing, at the rock that destroyed him. She looks at his gravestone in the grass on the other side of the fence.

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She weeps. Because it ISN’T FAIR.

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Then she takes the grave home. The kids get home from school. They know. They’ve heard. Joe Bob’s plumbob (if this wasn’t such a sad scene, I’d laugh at that phrase) is already in the red. Roberta copes by burying herself in her book; Joe Bob just cries, over and over again.

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My heart is actually breaking for these kids. And for Odile. Just…wow.

Roberta gets into bed around 6 pm. I like to think this is because she’s too sad to face the world right now, and not because she was up until 2 am discovering potions. Joe Bob finishes his homework like the good little boy he is, and then crawls into his parents’ bed. Well…Odile’s bed. She’ll be sleeping there alone now. :( Joe Bob asks for a bedtime story. Odile chooses to read him Murder in Pleasantview. Really, Odile? This is, like, not at all the time to exercise your sense of humor.

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The only good thing that comes out of this is the meteor itself. Odile collects it, because I think she deserves that much, thank you very much. It ends up being worth over 5,000 simoleons. Definitely not worth losing Lincoln…but at least it helps a little with the absence of our second source of income.

GUYS. I AM SO SAD.

I swear Odile’s neuroticism intensifies after her husband’s death. She checks the sinks and the stove a lot more, and freaks out more often. It’s only sensible. Her world has been turned upside down in the worst way possible. The universe might seem to align with itself most of the time—until a meteor drops out of the sky and kills your husband. I mean, what are you supposed to do when that happens? Get ten times more anxious than usual, that’s what.

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I realize soon after this that there is one thing Lincoln didn’t finish doing for the challenge. Not only was he a major source of income—he was the family cook. For the Gourmet requirement of this generation, someone in the family needs to cook everyone’s favorite dish at least once. Thankfully Lincoln got through three out of the four favorite foods in the family, so we don’t need to repeat those. But he did not get to make Frogs Legs for Roberta. He didn’t even get to France. Now Odile has to get her cooking skill up enough to make the last favorite dish for her daughter. Luckily, you only need level 3 cooking to make Frogs Legs, and Odile is already on the high end of level 2. She will need to fish as well, though. I’m not sure if she needs a certain level in order to catch frogs…hopefully not. We’ll have to get ourselves to France and find out.

The next couple days after Lincoln’s death are difficult for everyone. Odile pours herself into her first ever drama novel, which she has titled A Meteor Killed My Husband And I Am Not Okay With It. I still haven’t seen Roberta cry—except the one time she cries on Buddy’s shoulder.

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Joe Bob, oddly enough, is one of the most bookwormish non-bookworms I’ve encountered. He reads autonomously almost every chance he gets. I also have him work on his logic and cooking skills as much as possible. Roberta, too. One of them is going to be the heir, so they both need to get their skills up in preparation.

I feel even more reluctant to choose an heir now, though. I need to decide before Roberta reaches her Young Adult birthday, because if it ends up NOT being her, I have to move her out within 24 hours of her aging up. Right now, I just don’t want to lose another family member. This is really affecting me a lot. I think I need a glass of nectar.

So yeah, we'll continue next time. RIP Lincoln. I'll miss you more than you know.  :'(



Offline hazelnut

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #10 on: September 07, 2018, 03:11:53 PM »
Oh no!  My Sims are meteor magnets but I've never actually lost one  :'(.  Poor Lincoln!

On a happier note, frogs are easy to catch.  You don't need any fishing skill at all, although it helps to have Cherimola Blan grapes as bait.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #11 on: September 07, 2018, 04:02:19 PM »
The Middlemisses appreciate your sympathy in this difficult time. And thanks for the tip about frogs! Good to know that it can be a quick and easy trip to France. That'll happen in the next chapter, I think. Thank you for reading  :)

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #12 on: September 08, 2018, 01:09:45 PM »
Chapter 8 – Hauntings

The mourning period ends eventually, and everyone slowly finds their way back into normal life. There’s still a shadow of doom and gloom cast over the family (or maybe that’s just me being sad), but life goes on, as it always does.

Odile takes up the mantle of the garden. There’s not much of a reason keep it going, really (Lincoln’s lifetime wish was The Perfect Garden, which is the main reason I had him start it), but it’s in full bloom (or the fruit-and-vegetable equivalent of that), and Odile hates the idea of seeing it all wilt and die. Plus, Lincoln’s gravestone is there. He deserves to be surrounded by healthy, beautiful plants.

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Roberta gets singed while working at the lab station. Don’t, Roberta, you’re giving me flashbacks!

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Everybody wants to sit on the last couch that Lincoln salvaged from the dumpster. Or was it a celebrity gift? Either way, it is everyone's favorite couch. (That’s the new butler, Allison. I hired her in the hopes that she would do laundry. She does not do laundry.)

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Thursday evening is prom. The evening starts with some more weirdness from Buddy. The second the limo pulls up outside, Buddy absolutely BOOKS it out the front door and…disappears into the limo. I zoom up close just to make sure. Yup. There he is, sitting inside, waiting for Roberta to join him.

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Uh…okay?

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Well, here’s Roberta, looking absolutely smashing in her prom getup.

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But then, as soon as Roberta gets into the limo, Buddy gets back out. And sprints into the house. I guess the sight of such a pretty girl made him lose his nerve? I don’t know. Guess he's not going to prom after all.

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Roberta has a mixed experience at prom. She’s elected prom queen, because I don’t know if I’ve ever had a sim who is NOT elected prom queen (except siblings, maybe), but she also gets into a couple of fights and is rejected twice for a dance—once from a popular guy, once from a loner guy. Ouch. See, this is why Buddy should have come along with her. They would have danced the night away, and he would’ve made sure Roberta was having a great time.

On that note: I have never seen so much evidence of attraction between a sim and their Imaginary Friend before they are made real, as I have with Roberta and Buddy. It’s mostly on Buddy’s end—he follows Roberta around, talks to her, dances with her. He even jumps out of his little doll form a few minutes before she wakes up, then waits at the foot of her bed and greets her with a wave and a hello. Like he misses her while she’s asleep. It’s the sweetest thing. And Roberta, while she is of course a normal sim and lives her own life accordingly, seems to value his friendship greatly. There’s a closeness between them that I’ve never seen before. I might ship it.

But we'll see.

A few days pass. Fiiinally, on Saturday night, the night before his son becomes a teenager, Lincoln makes his first appearance as a ghost. (Meteor ghosts are pretty cool looking, by the way. All fiery orange and stuff.)

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The first thing he does is take a shower, probably because when he died, he was reeking of garbage. (I’m so sorry, Lincoln!) Then he goes and looks at his sleeping kids.

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And then…more weirdness. Lincoln drifts around the lot a bit, and then he goes next door. On the way, he rises high up into the air and floats in through the second story wall. It’s actually really creepy and this screenshot doesn't quite capture the eeriness (or the full height he reached). I’m probably going to have nightmares about it. Scrolling down now. *shudder*

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Anyway. Lincoln goes next door, to the Castor household. Because I have Master Controller now, I can do things like see into other houses. (Woot!) So I open up the Castor house and watch what Lincoln does. Well, it so happens that his brother Newton, of all people, is hanging out with the Castors at four in the morning. Ohkay. He actually looks relatively excited to see his brother. Or maybe he’s just happy that he’s dead? Who knows.

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Lincoln and Newton have their first civilized conversation ever, probably.

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It doesn’t last long, of course—these guys are enemies, after all. Lincoln tries to crack a joke and Newton shoots him down, and then Newton starts talking trash (literally) about him.

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“Man, you smell like GARBAGE. You…you ARE garbage!”

“Oh, wow, I’ve never heard that one before!”

Or something.

Anyway, Lincoln takes a very brief nap on one of the beds in the house and then vanishes at sunrise. I have no idea why he felt the need to go to the Castors. Maybe he wanted to try and make peace with Newton? It didn’t work, unfortunately. Maybe someday.

Sunday is Joe Bob’s birthday. Odile, wanting to liven up the household after such a dark week, decides to throw him a birthday party. This is a nice idea, except for the fact that there are no townies Joe Bob’s age. They’re all homeless sims and newspaper deliverers. So while there are several teens and plenty of adults for his mother and sister to talk to, there’s nobody for Joe Bob to play with. He spends much of the party practicing chess by himself.

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He ages up outside in the rain, and rolls the Light Sleeper trait.

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Not bad. Not bad at all.

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A couple nights later, Lincoln returns. This time, he soars right through the kids’ bedroom and wakes them both up by getting sort of stuck in the corner behind their bunk beds. (I know this looks like a picture of Roberta's butt, but if you look below the top bunk, you can see our friend Lincoln hanging out in Joe Bob's pillow.)

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Fortunately, Odile is still up doing laundry, so she gets to see her husband for the first time since his death. It’s a touching reunion.

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Odile asks Lincoln to watch the stars with her. I only realize afterwards how inappropriate a request that is, considering it was star-like matter that killed him. But he obliges, and they nestle together near the garbage can (Lincoln’s comfortable there, I guess) to stargaze.

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They stay out there until almost 5 in the morning. I try to get them to woohoo (because how many chances does one sim have to woohoo with a man who was killed by a meteor? NOT VERY MANY), but Lincoln is oddly skittish. He kisses her one last time and heads back to his grave. Dawn is coming, and Odile is about to fall over from exhaustion. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

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Next time, we'll venture to France in search of frogs, and also find out who the Generation Two heir will be! Toodles.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #13 on: September 09, 2018, 05:16:35 PM »
Chapter 9 – Frogs & Potions

A few days before her Elder birthday (what), Odile books a flight for her long-awaited trip to France.

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Ahh, I love France. The scenery, the music…especially the music. It gets stuck in my head and I don't mind it at all. I apologize (to you all, and to myself) that my graphics are so meh. I do wish I had a more powerful computer expressly for the purpose of traveling in the Sims. *sigh*

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It's still beautiful, though. So beautiful that Odile freaks out the second her feet touch European soil.

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Anyway! Odile heads into the bookshop first thing and buys the Frogs Legs recipe for 900 freaking simoleons. (Luckily she’s a celebrity, so she gets half off.)

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Then she heads out to one of the local fishing spots and tries fishing for the first time.

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@hazelnut was right––I needn’t have worried about Odile's fishing skill. She catches her first frog in about .2 seconds. By nightfall, she’s caught ten of them. I was going to send her home as soon as she got a handful of them, but since she's having such success, I decide to have her stay out her three days. May as well stock up the fridge. It is Roberta’s favorite food, after all. (Weirdo.)

Odile fishes dawn to dusk the next day. There's nothing like a French sunset over a French pond in France.

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On the third day, she buys some cherimola blan grapes at the general store first. These allow her to catch much better quality frogs than the previous two days. By the time she goes home, she’s reached level 5 of the fishing skill and has caught nearly thirty frogs, along with a handful of other types of fish. She has also decided that frogs as big as footballs are NOT particularly disgusting. Whatever, lady.

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Odile returns home with her progeny (frogeny?). The next day, another much-anticipated event finally happens: Roberta figures out the formula for the Imaginary Friend Metamorphium potion.

These two have been best friends ever since Roberta was a toddler. Roberta has tried to find a townie worthy of her attention, but no one has come close to meaning as much as Buddy means to her. It's high time we make this relationship real.

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The second she discovers the potion, Roberta turns right around and gives it to Buddy, who has of course been watching her this whole time.

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“I’ve been dreaming of this for so long…”

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Buddy is a good looking guy. Actually he looks exactly like another IF-made-real I had fairly recently…but whatever. As soon as he transforms, he wishes to kiss Roberta for the first time. All right, bud. Keep your pants on. Let’s fix your mullet first.

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Here’s Buddy after a bit of tweaking. His traits are Ambitious, Star Quality, Shy, and Daredevil—a surprisingly nice mix of traits for an Imaginary Friend. An interesting mix, too—those last three seem to almost contradict each other. I think he and Roberta will do well together. She’s a completely contradictory Neurotic Slob, after all.

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The following day is Spooky Day. No school—a perfect opportunity for Roberta and Buddy to get to know each other as girl and boy, not as girl and toy.

Buddy has plans. He gets up early and makes a plate of waffles for Roberta. (Do you like his boxers? I like his boxers.)

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Roberta really enjoys those waffles. Look at those crumbs fly!

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Then, when they’ve both eaten, he asks her out on a date.

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They take a cab across town, under a glistening rainbow.

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Willowglen Ampitheater is one of my favorite lots in the Sims 3. It’s like something out of another world. (Which I guess it is.) Buddy takes Roberta there, because it’s probably the most romantic setting one can find in Twinbrook. I thought I took a pretty screenshot of the lot as a whole, but it turns out I just took this:

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Not my best work. Anyway, Buddy and Roberta arrive. And the romance is not far behind. As rain drips down from the leaves above, Buddy confesses his attraction to Roberta, and before long…

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Awwww. Buddy gets his 1,000 point wish to kiss Roberta, and they make things official.

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And now, let's give them a little privacy...or sneak a glimpse from afar. (Here's a better shot of Willowglen Ampitheater.)

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And with that, it's announcement time: I’ve chosen the heir, and it’s Roberta! Not surprising, probably. I’ve sort of always thought of her as the heir, even though I made sure Joe Bob got his skills up just in case. I adore Joe Bob, and I’ll be sad to see him move out, but I know he’ll do very well on his own. And probably get married in a hot second, because that’s what all the townies are doing now that Story Progression is a thing.

So, congratulations to Roberta, on the boyfriend and on the heirship. (Heirdom? Heirness?) Next time, we'll see some big-time birthdays and watch Roberta take the helm of the Middlemiss Random Legacy. Woot!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #14 on: September 09, 2018, 05:57:56 PM »
Chapter 10 – Love in the Snow

We must begin this chapter with a bittersweet occasion: Odile's elder birthday.

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She ages up in the midst of writing, of course. She hardly does anything else.

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She's quite a lovely elder.

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Sunday is the first day of winter and Roberta’s Young Adult birthday—the start of Generation Two. It’s also Buddy’s birthday, of course, since his birthdays always match up with Roberta’s.

They celebrate by throwing a party for all of their friends and acquaintances. Jade Greenwood decides to tell a ghost story first thing, which means the first hour of the party is spent in the dark. Thanks, Jade. Very helpful.

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Roberta blows out the candles on her cake.

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Here is our new heir! She aged up with the Daredevil trait, a trait she shares with Buddy. Her final traits are Genius, Neurotic, Bookworm, Slob, and Daredevil.

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Before we continue with the birthday festivities, here are the rolls for Generation Two:

Family Structure – The Shake Up
Number of Children – 1
Income – Medical / Professional Sports / Day Care
Generational Goal – Career Student
Miscellaneous Fun – A Sim For All Seasons

This is a pretty fun set of rolls! The Career Student requirement just means that one of the adults in the household has to take 10 classes at different rabbitholes around town. (You can also fulfill the requirement by getting three University degrees, but I don’t have University.) And the Sim For All Seasons roll means that Roberta will enthusiastically celebrate every season and holiday by planning season-specific outfits, decorating the house, visiting festivals, and throwing holiday parties.

Speaking of which, here’s her first seasonal outfit for winter.

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I’m excited for this generation! And I’m excited for Roberta to take charge. I’ve very much enjoyed Odile, and I’m sad to see her as an elder already (where did the time go?), but it’s high time that Roberta take over. She’s ready. I’m ready. Lessgo.

But first, Buddy ages up:

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I don’t get to choose his trait since he spent exactly one day in school, but miraculously, he rolls Athletic. He’s going to be doing the Professional Sports career, so uh, yeah. Couldn't be more perfect. He grows out a bit of facial hair. (I could've made it pink to match his eyebrows, and I was tempted, but it looked just a little ridiculous.)

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Monday morning is graduation.

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Buddy graduates with merit and is voted Most Likely to Save the World––an impressive superlative to earn after only one day of school. And Roberta graduates with merit as well (though she should’ve received highest honors, since she got on the honor roll) and is voted…Most Likely to Take Over the World. Interesting. Interesting that these two are going to get married.

Wait, what? They’re getting married? Since when?!

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Roberta gets down right there in the snow at City Hall and asks Buddy to marry her. To the great surprise of everyone, he says yes.

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They get married that very afternoon, in the snow. The background really wasn’t cooperating for these screenshots—I don’t know why the lot is a purple square when it’s covered in snow.

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Congratulations, Roberta and Buddy!

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I should’ve turned the arch the other way…that’s MUCH prettier.

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The newlyweds make their way to their newly built bedroom (featuring their semi-clashing favorite colors, turquoise and red) to woohoo for the first time.

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Can we just admire these adorable faces for a minute?

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Meanwhile, Odile puts the finishing touches on her first romance novel, entitled Roberta & Buddy. It's completed just in time to give it to her daughter and son-in-law as a wedding present.

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Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #15 on: September 10, 2018, 11:52:53 AM »
Chapter 11 – Pavement Pounding

The next morning begins a new era––the era of Roberta. She starts the morning by heading to City Hall and suing for slander—apparently it’s gotten around that she was “seen woohooing with an occult”. (No, I want to say, she was woohooing with a FORMER occult, but of course that doesn’t make a difference to the Twinbrook Tabloids.) Amazingly, she wins the case, even though the accusation is, uh, true.

Afterwards, she applies for a job at the hospital.

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Buddy, meanwhile, gets a job at the stadium. Then he jogs home to start working on his athletic skill.

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The night before the newlyweds’ first day of work, an alien visits the house for the first time! I still find space-related events exciting, even though the last one proved to be very deadly. This alien seems fascinated by the chilly wet stuff falling from the sky. And by Roberta's car.

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I rouse Roberta from bed (unwisely, since she has work in a few hours) and she goes out into the snow to greet him. His name is Sezzad Vajjevoo. Yay, a name I can pronounce! They’re attracted to each other, which is…cute? Roberta really does like those occults, I guess. He takes off in his spaceship soon after.

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Roberta and Buddy have good first days at work, though neither of them gets a promotion. (Buddy is about as close as you can get. I hate that you can’t “Work Hard” in the athletic career.) Buddy also learns that one of his coworkers is none other than Newton, his…uncle-in-law? Is that the correct term?

After work, Roberta decorates the house a little bit for winter. There’s not a lot to work with, but she finds an extremely large icicle ceiling light for the kitchen (like really, it’s so large, these sims should be walking right into it) and a snowflake-shaped mirror. (This picture, I’m now realizing, is horrible. The snow from outside snuck into the house or something. Sorry about that.)

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Also, mistletoe! I remember trying to find mistletoe ages ago and not being able to find it in buy mode, for some reason…but this time I sort by collection and find it in the Seasons one. Hooray! Of course, as soon as Buddy gets home from work, Roberta corners him and asks for a kiss. Buddy looks a little spooked.

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Roberta's “kiss me under the kissy plant” face manages to be both derpy and sultry.

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Snowflake Day rolls around, and it’s time for Roberta to throw her first holiday party! A space is cleared for the presents and everybody dresses to the nines. A big crowd of people shows up this time—it almost looks like a bigger party than usual. Even Sezzad is there!

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A very pregnant Emerald Castor (née Greenwood) parties it up. I don't know how the schools are going to handle all the babies that are being born...

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Roberta puts some effort into getting to know her uncle at the party. He’s not rude, exactly, but he doesn't really make an effort, either. He pretty much just thinks the conversation is boring.

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The gift giving takes forever because there are so many guests. Roberta and Joe Bob both receive chess sets, because we definitely need more of those.

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Buddy gets a nice fishing painting or something. And Odile receives coal! I’ve never seen that happen before! She must have given someone a bad rap in one of her books or something…or maybe it was Newton. It was probably Newton.

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Buddy has the next day off, so he uses it to start taking some classes around town. (One of this generation’s adults has to take 10 classes, and since Buddy has a looser schedule than Roberta, he’s our chosen “Dilettante”.) I never realized how quick these classes are. He gets through handiness, charisma, and writing before lunchtime, and then guitar, painting, athletic, and logic before dinner. Good grief, man! We're gonna be done with this requirement by the weekend!

Joe Bob has an awards ceremony after school. He already has a trophy for being president of the Debate Club, and he’s on the honor roll as well. He’s quite an accomplished kid. I’ll be sad to see him move out of the house in a few days, but I’m also very curious to see where Story Progression takes him.

Days pass. Odile gets the mail for the first time in, I guess, quite a while, because there’s a stack of love letters (including one from Buddy to Roberta…awww) and a wedding gift from Lincoln––from beyond the grave! Spooky. It's something silly––just a painting of a bunny (or maybe it's Odile in her bunny costume?)––but of course it still means the world to Roberta, and she hangs it in their bedroom accordingly.

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I’ve built a little basement beneath the house to begin displaying each heir’s achievements. If I’d thought of it sooner, I’d have had someone learn the photography skill to take portraits—but we’ll have to make do. There’s a bookshelf full of Odile’s published books (she’s written fifteen…just five more and she’ll have completed all her requirements for this challenge!), a reading corner decorated with the first bouquet of flowers Lincoln gave her, and a wall displaying her high school diploma and writing mastery certificate.

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On a side note, Buddy is looking SUPER buff. He hasn’t even been lifting weights that much—mostly running. I don’t know if I’ve ever had such a beefy sim before.

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Before anyone realizes it (myself included), it’s spring! Time flies when you’re in a really boring part of the challenge and you do everything at 3x speed.

Roberta gets to decorating for the new season, and this time, it’s all about plants! Plants in the living room. Plants in the kitchen. Plants in the bathroom. Plants in the bedroom. Plants hanging from the ceiling. Plants outside the door. Plants everywhere a plant can fit, even if it doesn’t look good.

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I accidentally use up all but $200 of the family funds on these plants…I forgot that I purchased a new car for the family this past week. Fortunately, it’s Sunday, and Odile gets more than $20,000 in royalties a few hours later. Phew!

Here's Roberta’s spring outfit.

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Joe Bob has been learning the guitar skill, and since he just took a drums class, Buddy rolls a wish to play the drums. They both head downtown and start jamming. They don’t get any tips (and I’ve just realized that that would’ve been against the rules anyway…), but they have a good time and draw a decent crowd, sort of.

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Joe Bob ages up to young adult just as he gets too cold to play anymore.

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Here’s our grown up boy. He rolls the Eco-Friendly trait, to be added to his Artistic, Genius, Lucky, and Light Sleeper traits.

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That night, it’s time for Joe Bob to head out on his own. He hugs his mother and his sister goodbye, then puts in a call to get his own place.

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And with that, Joe Bob Middlemiss walks out into a new life.

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I follow Joe Bob with the camera after he leaves, and it turns out he moves just three houses down! It’s nice to know he’ll be close by.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #16 on: September 12, 2018, 11:17:22 AM »
Chapter 12 – Fallen Angels, Sprouting Herbs

Not even 12 hours go by after Joe Bob moves out before he’s got a girl. I knew it! He starts dating some chick named Allyson Pettit, whom I’ve never heard of or seen around town. Congrats, Joe Bob! I wish you'd choose an actual townie...but oh well.

Roberta has become best friends with her boss, Angel Johnson. He’s a very amiable fellow with a new wife and a baby daughter. Roberta asks him over after work on Tuesday, hoping to butter him up and ask for a promotion.

She is surprised by what Angel has in mind instead.

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Yes, Roberta's boss appears to be infatuated with her. She responds with polite enthusiasm (perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm...).

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"Oh, Mr. Johnson..."

"Please, call me Angel."

"Right...Angel. This is very kind of you, but––well, I was wondering what you think of my performance at work lately?"

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This puts her in a bit of an awkward position. When she asks Angel for a promotion, and he happily agrees, Roberta wonders if he’s only saying yes because he fancies her, and not because her performance has been consistently top-notch. She tries to forget about it and simply be grateful.

Angel stays the rest of the evening and continues to flirt. Roberta spurns his every attempt at wooing her. If this were real life, we’d be approaching the sexual harrassment zone…but this is the sims, and Angel Johnson simply can’t get over the fact that he has a major crush on his employee. I guess.

Buddy gets home from work soon after that. He may suspect something weird is going on. If he does, he doesn’t show it. He cozies up to Roberta on the couch and listens as she tells him (quietly, but eagerly—Angel is sitting just over there in the kitchen) that she just got a promotion.

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“You invited your boss over to ask for a promotion?” Buddy asks. “Why couldn’t you just do it at work tomorrow?”

“It’s easier to talk to him outside of the hospital,” Roberta says. “And this way I can start the day tomorrow as a paramedic. Anyway, Angel likes seeing me outside of work, I guess.”

“Does he,” says Buddy.

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He doesn’t seem to think much of it, though. Angel, who has been reading in the background, gets up to leave while Roberta and Buddy are liplocked. Roberta doesn’t get a chance to thank him again for promoting her.

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After Angel leaves, though…Roberta rolls a wish to kiss him for the first time.  :o (I think it's only because Angel turned their hangout session into a "date" by flirting with her, and because it supposedly "went well" for a date. But STILL. Bad, bad Roberta.)

It's not until the next morning that Buddy notices the bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table. He doesn't remember giving those to his wife.

"What the...?"

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The next day, Roberta gets another promotion—to Medical Intern. Soon she’ll be working 10-hour days, and after that, late nights. Buddy is at work in the evening, as usual, and Roberta grows anxious. She has taken to staring out of windows more often than usual. The encounter with Angel yesterday seems to have unnerved her. She worries that Buddy suspects something—but then remembers that there’s nothing for him to suspect. Or is there? Roberta remembers very well the sudden urge to kiss Angel that swept over her at the end of their evening together. The thought haunts her. How could she ever imagine being with anyone but Buddy?

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Roberta is called into the hospital for a medical emergency that night. When she gets home, she feels exhausted, hungry, and a little ill. At first, she assumes it’s just the anxiety and the stress from work, but then…

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She’s pregnant! This explains the nausea she’s been feeling for the past couple of days. She thought it was all anxiety, but nope!

The next day is Love Day. First thing in the morning, Roberta tells Buddy the great news. He’s thrilled, of course. Both he and Roberta rolled wishes to have their first child recently, so the timing is perfect.

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The family decides to get out of the house and celebrate at the Spring Festival. It’s rainy and chilly, but Roberta is determined to celebrate.

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She and Buddy just want to dance. Aside from taking a greeting card photo together, they just dance the entire time. (Naturally, the next day they’re crowned Spring Dance King and Queen.)

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The whole Angel thing seems to be in the past. Phew! (Though Odile continues to expand upon the drama-that-could-have-happened in her latest romance novel, Fallen Angel.)

In other news, Odile has at last supermaxed writing. With her twentieth novel, Odile completes all her requirements for Generation One and is invited to City Hall to accept a Writer’s Honor Trophy. *sniff* I’m so proud of my little founder!

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Roberta goes into labor late Friday night. Buddy and Odile flip out, of course; Roberta has one painful contraction and then heads straight out the door to the hospital.

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It’s not a quick labor this time. It’s after midnight by the time Roberta emerges from the hospital holding her son (and our first male heir of the challenge), Basil.

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Basil is a Genius who Loves the Outdoors. I will be choosing the traits this time around—I did the rolls for his generation, and certain traits will be indispensable.

Back at home, baby Basil gets to know his mommy, daddy, and granny.

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This little boy is going to be very well loved indeed.

Next time, we'll see Basil become a toddler and Roberta throw a drama-filled summer bash. Stay tuned!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #17 on: September 12, 2018, 02:56:50 PM »
Chapter 13 – At Your Leisure

Roberta is off work for a very long time, because pregnancy, and because weekends don’t count toward maternity leave apparently (I am all for maternity leave in real life, please and thank you, but not so much in the sims). She spends most of her time working at the lab station and searching the galaxy, trying to get her logic skill up the rest of the way. Between experiments, of course, she takes care of baby Basil (with plenty of help from the very capable butler, Weston).

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Basil ages up to toddler, and wow! I have never seen a child inherit any physical characteristics from an Imaginary Friend parent. I have hoped for it in many a game, but have never seen it happen until now. Basil inherits his daddy’s magenta-tinged hair and bright turquoise eyes. It’s absolutely unreal.

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The resemblance is uncanny.

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Buddy loves his son regardless of appearance...but he also is a rather big fan of his son's appearance.

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The next day is Roberta’s first day back to work. She’s relieved, I’m relieved, everybody’s relieved. She’s only gone for a few hours before tragedy occurs.

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Odile is 91 or 92 at this point, so it's not exactly a surprise. I was hoping she'd make it through her masterpiece, though...

Grim pops out of the ground outside the house and does his creepy summoning through the window, which is…even creepier.

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Then he takes his sweet time drifting around the side of the house to enter through the front door.

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No no, take your time, Grim! We'll just stand here and suppress our weeping until you arrive! AT YOUR LEISURE!

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So Odile passes on to the next life (that is, to her corner of the Middlemiss basement) while writing her 2,000 page masterpiece, Don’t Miss The Middlemisses. She was less than 10% of the way through it. :( As an aside, Grim takes so long to get to her that she doesn't even do the whole beg-for-life / shake-hand-peaceably interaction. She just turns into a wisp of light and disappears.

And so, we have our second death of the legacy, and the first one that’s not a freak accident. We love you, Odile! RIP.

Summer arrives, and Roberta updates her outfit once again. 

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Poor Basil has to grow up without remembering his grandmother. :( And I’m a little anxious about getting through his toddler skills now that there’s nobody home 24/7 except the butler (who will take excellent care of him, but won’t teach him anything). To comfort ourselves, let us revel in toddler spam.

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He’s got that Lincoln jawline…

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Leisure Day soon arrives, and Roberta throws a party. She also invests in some summery “decor” to entertain the guests in the front yard. Hopefully it doesn’t rain.

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Ah, look who’s here! Yes, hello, Angel...hi.

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I forgot to mention something. Angel changed jobs recently. He was Roberta’s boss, as you’ll remember; now he works as a Latrine Cleaner (lovely) in the military career. He and Roberta haven’t seen each other for quite a while, but they pick up right where they left off.

“I’ve missed seeing your beautiful face around the hospital every day, Roberta.”

“Aww, I’ve missed you too, Angel! You were––um––you were such a good boss!”

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(You can’t see it very well in the picture above, but Buddy notices. He definitely notices.)

Joe Bob is the first to really show any indignation. He gets right up behind Angel and starts giving Roberta the evil eye. You go, Joe Bob! (I forget who is fighting in the background of this picture…possibly the butler.)

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Eventually, Buddy comes over. He listens as they exchange flirtatious pleasantries. And he erupts.

“Roberta, what is this? Your mother just died yesterday, and now you’re flirting with your boss?! How can you have such disrespect for our family? For ME?”

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“I didn’t––I wasn’t––I was just––“

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“I thought something was off the last time this jerk was in our house. I saw the flowers he gave you. I should have said something then.”

“Buddy, it’s nothing! He was just being nice!”

“Oh, and I suppose you were just being nice five seconds ago when you were complimenting his appearance?”

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“He and I are good friends! Nothing more! I would never—“

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Buddy doesn’t want to hear it. He’s seen and heard enough.

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“I have to go,” he says.

He picks up his phone and puts in a call.

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Then he runs out without saying another word.

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Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #18 on: September 14, 2018, 01:51:34 PM »
Chapter 14 – IPTA

The party is over. Buddy is gone—moved out. And Roberta is alone.

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Roberta misses Buddy from the minute he leaves. She immediately rolls wishes to talk to him, to hang out with him. (She rolls similar wishes for Angel, but we don’t talk about that.) She doesn’t even know where Buddy moved to. He left most of his possessions, which makes her hope he’ll return soon, but she’s afraid to hope too much. He didn’t even say goodbye to his son.

Roberta is heartbroken. She lost her mother yesterday, and now her husband has left her too––over a misunderstanding, a false accusation.

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She hardly has any time to be sad, though. Basil needs her. He is over in the kitchen, playing quietly on the floor with the toy bunny that Roberta loved so much as a child. She goes over and scoops him up. She holds him close. He’s all she has now—at least until Buddy cools off and comes home.

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It’s late, but being wide awake, Roberta decides to stay up later and start teaching Basil how to walk. He hasn’t learned anything except potty-ing yet, and now, his toddler skills all down to her. She hardly thinks about the fact that she has work in the morning.

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Roberta finally goes to bed around 2:30 am. At 4, she is forced to wake up for an emergency at the hospital that requires her presence. Poor girl is going to be so tired later…

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She comes home, sleeps for an hour, and then has to go right back to work. It’s just like real life! Amazing! To top off the negative moodlets that are already stacking up (mourning, hunger, sleepiness, loss of friends…), she gets falsely accused while she’s at work and loses even MORE friends. I would very much like this game to let ME torture my sims and stop torturing them for me. Please and thank you.

Roberta comes home and collapses into bed. Basil, like all Middlemiss toddlers, it seems, is on a nocturnal schedule. He plays with his bunny in the kitchen all night, with only his granny for company. Oh, yeah, Odile makes her first appearance as a ghost!

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She plays computer games for a while, then breaks the computer and haunts the toddler potty instead. Soon after, she disappears. Great to see you, Odile! *rolls eyes*

Roberta's falls into a torturous routine: work, feed the baby, sleep for two hours, work again, sleep for an hour, try to teach Basil to talk, work again, sleep for three hours...it's pretty awful. She needs help. She is, at least for now, a single mom with a toddler to care for while still holding down a full time job (and one with ten-hour shifts and late nights at that). Weston, the butler, continues to be an exemplary caregiver when Roberta’s not home, but he isn’t able to do as much for Basil as an actual member of the household could do.

Roberta thinks through all the people she knows around Twinbrook. She has friends, to be sure, but they are all married and have families of their own. Several are also raising toddlers. Nobody would ever have time to help Roberta, and definitely not to move in with her.

There is someone, though. Someone Roberta met a while ago, back when she was just starting in her medical career. A visitor.

She calls him.

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He arrives just minutes later, probably scaring the mailman half to death.

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Roberta invites him inside. They catch up a bit. Before long, the two are good friends, and she asks him to move in. He agrees.

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“Thank you so much, Sezzad,” she says. “You don't know how desperate I am.”

“I do know,” he says. “It is the middle of the day and you are in underwear. Your child is screaming and you seem not to notice. And you have invited an alien into your home. These are not normal human behaviors. Something is not right.”

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Roberta is about to go take care of Basil, but Sezzad beats her to it. In that moment, she knows she made the right decision.

Sezzad Vajjevoo’s traits, by the way, are Daredevil, Savvy Sculptor, Childish, Green Thumb, and Ambitious. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to use his sculpting or gardening tendencies very much, or at all—at least not to make money. There is a far more challenging profession in store for our new alien friend.

Full disclosure: I cheated a little bit with Sezzad. I actually tried to befriend a different alien a while back, but she was already an elder (like most aliens I encounter) and she died about two hours after arriving. I was worried the same thing would happen with Sezzad. (His “days to transition” stat has changed a couple of times in Master Controller, so I’m hesitant to trust it.) So my solution was to have Sezzad drink a Young Again potion as soon as he joined the household. The rules do prohibit life-extending methods for humans, but they are a little bit vague when it comes to occults––they allow using mods to extend the lives of occults, so I hope using a potion isn't too far outside that rule. I just really wanted Sezzad to join the household and not kick the bucket in the first five minutes. Hey, I’m not going for points or anything.

Sezzad takes to his new role of Substitute Parent Of Basil Middlemiss very easily. He does seem to have a natural affinity with kids. He forces Weston the butler, on several occasions, to wait his turn before attending to Basil’s many needs. He also likes to play with Basil’s toys.

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So it’s only natural, when he consults the newspaper, that he express interest in the Day Care career.

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Roberta thinks he’s absolutely crazy, but she’s not about to say no to an alien who could probably fry her to a crisp in a second if he wanted to.

So Sezzad takes on a new calling. He also takes on full responsibility for Basil’s toddler skills, as practice, and because Roberta is too exhausted and has to work in ten hours anyway.

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It's time for a Buddy update. You guys, I am spooked.

A few nights after the disastrous Leisure Day party, I finally get around to spying on Buddy. I’ve been trying to figure out through Master Controller where he lives, and he doesn’t appear to have a house of his own in town. My guess was that he moved in with another family that had space. Anyway, I lurk outside the stadium utnil he finishes work that night, and then I follow him home.

He stops his car next to the railroad tracks. He gets out and runs into the weeds.

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He runs around behind the criminal warehouse and the science building, into this building that I’ve never noticed before. It’s called the Twinbrook Industrial Train Center.

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Is this where homeless sims live in Twinbrook?? I am fascinated. I can see inside the building, sort of, and there are a few pieces of furniture, but it doesn’t look like enough to live there. There are a couple of desks, two bookshelves, and a small sofa. (And two dumpsters, which I wish I’d known about while Lincoln was alive.) That’s it. The rest is empty space.

Weeeird. Anyway, back to our usual programming.

But wait! First, another family member update: our very first gnome, Debbie, passed away recently. I didn't even know that gnomes are able to pass away. I swear, I learn something new every time I play this game. Here she is memorialized forever in our front garden.

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RIP, Debbie!

The next morning, Roberta is off to work again and Sezzad has his first day of work as a Day Care…person. I purchase some extra toys and strew them around the house. I also provide a couple of extra potties.

The parents show up promptly at 9 with two little baldies in tow. Looks like Mrs. Petersen is expecting yet another little one.

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I’ve never tried the Day Care career, so this is all pretty new for me. Savannah and Esperanza are some needy little darlings! Like, wow. Sezzad also has Basil to care for…fortunately Basil is pretty self-sufficient, for a toddler. It’s just that he still needs some talking lessons, and it’s hard to teach a little boy to talk when the other toddlers in the room are peeing and crying every five seconds.

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Weston, are you sure you’re allowed to help with this…? Actually, I don’t care. THANK YOU, KIND SIR.

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The day goes fairly well. Unfortunately, there isn’t time to finish teaching Basil how to talk. When he ages up on his own that night, I’m not able to pick his trait. Drat.

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He gets the Disciplined trait, which is utterly useless for his particular set of rolls. I mean, I guess he could practice Martial Arts as a hobby…but there’s really no reason to. We’ll have to make some changes later on.

Here’s Basil as a child. I didn’t even realize this initially, but not only did he inherit Buddy’s physical features, he inherited Buddy’s occult status. Basil is himself an Imaginary Friend! That’s bonkers. I didn’t even know that was possible. Now that I think about it, it makes sense. He can turn himself into a toy and everything. Magical!

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That’s all we have time for this time around. Next time, we’ll see more from the Interplanetary Toddler Academy (IPTA), watch Basil grow up, and find out more about Buddy’s life as a Middlemiss expat.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #19 on: September 16, 2018, 02:10:56 PM »
Chapter 15 – Toy Meets Toy

Basil is a unique kid. Even he knows this, at such a young age.

He’s the only kid in town who lives with an alien. He likes to brag to his friends that an alien taught him how to walk and talk. And he loves to ride in Sezzad’s spaceship. That’s probably the coolest part of living with an alien.

He also has a secret ability—he can turn himself into a doll, a toy version of himself. The first time he did it, it terrified him, and he hasn’t really done it since. He wonders how such a crazy thing is possible. Maybe one day, when he’s a scientist, he’ll figure it out.

Basil’s favorite things to do are practice chess and use his mom’s telescope. Maybe it’s because of Sezzad, or maybe it’s just how he was born—Basil loves studying the stars. He has all kinds of questions about the universe.

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Sezzad has told him that sometimes space rocks fall to earth, even here in Twinbrook. Basil has a dream of finding one sometime. When he told his mother this, she got very nervous. She gets nervous a lot. Her least favorite topics of conversation seem to be space rocks, and Basil’s dad.

Basil doesn’t know very much about his dad. He asks his mother whenever he can, but she always looks sad when he brings it up. He asks where his dad is. Roberta says, “He’s out of town for a while.” Basil asks when he’s coming back, and Roberta says, “I don’t know, Basil.”

Luckily, Basil doesn’t have to wait forever.

It’s a crisp fall day. Weston the butler is out raking the leaves, as every donut* butler loves to do.

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Basil is fixing himself breakfast. And the doorbell rings.

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In walks a man Basil has never seen before. He’s tall and muscular—and he has magenta-tinged hair, just like Basil! The man walks closer, and Basil sees that he has ice-blue eyes. There is no question. This is Buddy, Basil’s dad.

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The man walks toward Roberta. He’s obviously here with the purpose of speaking to her. Basil sits down with his waffles and watches his father suspiciously. He doesn’t know what to think. Why is he suddenly showing up now? Why does he think he’s allowed to just stroll in unannounced? Why doesn’t he seem to care that Roberta is in her underwear?

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Basil eats his breakfast and listens to his parents—yes, his parents—talk. They talk quietly and politely, like they’re trying to be as nice to each other as possible. He hears his mother say, “It’s about time.” He hears his father say, “I know. I wanted him to be old enough to understand what’s happening.”

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Roberta tells Buddy about work. She’s an Infectious Disease Researcher now, a huge accomplishment that she’s worked incredibly hard for. She tells him about Sezzad. Buddy is surprisingly gracious about that, and nods at the alien across the room.

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Then it’s time. Roberta beckons her son. Basil gets up from his half-eaten waffles and comes over to stand in front of his father for the first time.

“Hi, Basil,” says Buddy.

“Hi, Dad.”

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They smile at each other. Basil can’t believe it—his father really does look just like him. He wonders if he’s like him in his secret way—he wonders if he can turn himself into a toy, too. Probably not…that would be crazy.

They talk a little bit. Buddy asks Basil how his mother has been. Basil says that she’s usually very stressed out and very sad. Buddy tells his son about his job as a professional athlete. Then Basil asks Buddy if he wants to play tag. Buddy agrees, and out they run into the crisp air and falling leaves.

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They play tag for a long time. Later that afternoon, Roberta comes outside and asks them (calling them “you boys”) if they want to go to the Fall Festival. Both boys get excited and say yes. They all pile into Roberta’s car, and off they go.

Basil and Buddy brave the haunted house together. Basil is confident his daddy is strong enough to beat off any mummies or skeletons they come across.

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Then, the whole family competes in a pie-eating contest.

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Buddy wins, of course. He's gracious enough to look surprised.

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Soon after that, Buddy has to go home—he’s staying with Uncle Joe Bob and Aunt Allyson on the other side of town. He hugs Basil goodbye and says he’ll be back to visit soon.

One weekend evening, Roberta goes over to Joe Bob and Allyson’s house. Ever since Buddy stopped by to meet his son, she’s been feeling more okay about things. Buddy was very civil to her, even a little affectionate. She misses him desperately. Maybe things can go back to the way they were?

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Buddy is there, and happy to see his wife. They spend a long while talking. It's easier now that Basil is not in earshot.

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Buddy is very busy with his games, but enjoying staying with Joe Bob. He asks about Basil. Roberta tells him he’s doing well, and seems happier now that he's met his dad. But he wants to get to know his dad more.

Then Roberta brings up the forbidden topic––Angel. She explains that what happened was entirely one-sided, and while she may have had a little bit of a workplace crush on her boss, she never dreamed of acting on it.

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"I know," says Buddy. "I don't know what came over me. Jealousy, I guess. I just felt this overwhelming need to leave. Almost like it was out of my control." He takes Roberta's hand. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," she says.

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“I won't be ready to come back for a while,” Buddy says.

“I understand,” says Roberta.

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They end the night by watching the stars together. Things aren't exactly back to the way they were, but they're getting there.

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(Side note: A couple days later, Roberta rolls a wish to kiss Sezzad for the first time. Roberta, I’m not even going to ask. Get a freaking grip, woman!)

Life goes on in the Middlemiss household. Sezzad upgrades objects and cares for a variety of Twinbrook toddlers; Roberta reads her medical journals; and Basil practices cooking on the toy oven and plays blocks to start working on handiness.

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Weston the butler has retired, sadly, and been replaced by a very nice lady named Deanna (I think). She does a lovely job, but everyone misses Weston (myself included). Here she's holding Hillary Peterson, who was a baby in her mommy's tummy last we saw her.

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Roberta ages up to Adult, and starts a Mid-Life Crisis. One of her wishes is to remodel the house a bit. I change some wallpapers and transform the exterior into red brick. I also update the roof. I’m quite proud of this house—it looks more like a real house on the outside than any other house I’ve built before. Additionally, I put some walls around the stairway to the basement and put in a locked door to prevent people from wandering down there in search of a book. Odile’s bookshelf needs to remain Odile’s bookshelf, with only her books on it. (Of course, bookshelves in TS3 seem not to retain the same stock of books no matter what I do…but at least this will stay as Odile’s bookshelf in spirit.) I only took pictures of the exterior, apparently...but I'd like to do a more thorough house tour at some point. Maybe next generation.

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Winter arrives, and with it, lots of snow. Roberta changes her outfit for the new season:

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Basil hardly gets to go to school at all as a child. The last couple days are declared snow days. Roberta tutors him to keep his grades up. And in the mean time, he gets to stay home and experience the Interplanetary Toddler Academy firsthand!

He even helps keep the toddlers entertained.

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(Fun fact: This little toddler is Conor Kadukin, the son of my simself and a recently-moved-in townie. I put my simself into the game a couple weeks ago, just to see what Story Progression would do with her. She's the same sim I used for my avatar. Maybe you can spot her in some past and future screenshots...)

At the end of the second snow day, Basil ages up and becomes a teenager.

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He gains the Star Quality trait, to be added to his Genius, Loves the Outdoors, and Disciplined traits. We'll have to get rid of that Disciplined trait at some point, but until then, he's right on track to start his requirements in a couple of weeks.

Until next time!


*I just reread this two days after posting it and saw that I wrote "donut" instead of "butler". I think I was talking to my boyfriend about donuts while writing...? I don't know. I'm leaving the evidence there because it made me laugh.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #20 on: September 18, 2018, 06:16:50 PM »
Chapter 16 – Star Search

(Author's note: I had to squeeze a lot of story into this post, and because of the picture limit, not every part of the story includes screenshots––I had to spread them out a bit. Sorry for that in advance!)

Basil has his sights set on being a celebrity. He wants to be the most famous and beloved Sim in all of Twinbrook. He’s already getting popular among the other high schoolers (and, thanks to Story Progression, there are many of those). And he’s begun to check out the teens around him, keeping his eyes peeled for potential partners. He has an idea of which families in town are wealthy and well-known; he intends to become one of them by the time he grows up. (Not that the Middlemisses aren’t already wealthy and well-known…)

It’s time for the second annual Middlemiss Gift-Giving Party! (I hope you’re not tired of these parties yet…) Much of the guest list for this party consists of teenagers. Roberta is aware of Basil’s requirements and is keeping an eye open, too.

Basil’s formal wear gives him a bit of a “rebel” air. He looks awesome and he knows it.

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He starts chatting up the ladies right away. This is Sherita Castor, daughter of Thomas and Emerald Castor (née Greenwood).

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This is another contender, Leanna Greenwood. Ever since Spooky Day, she’s been stuck in trick-or-treat mode and goes around in her hockey mask. Her mother is original townie Jade Greenwood, who is still alive and kicking after having like 97 babies. (Oh hey, this makes Leanna and Sherita cousins!) Leanna’s father is Notzo Curious, but he never moved in with Jade so all her children were born with the last name Greenwood.

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(There seems to be a Spooky Day glitch in my game—every holiday, there are some teens that still treat it like Spooky Day and come to the house to trick-or-treat. It’s kind of hilarious, I guess.)

The next day is a snow day (again), so I send Basil over to the Castor house to get to know Sherita. He seemed to like her well enough at the party (he didn’t get a chance to talk to Leanna).

They talk and become good friends. The moment they become friends, Basil rolls a wish to kiss her for the first time. All right, Basil—if you know what you want, then I’m gonna give it to you (at least this time around). He convinces her to break up with her boyfriend, Donnie Kadukin, but before he can ask her to prom (which is tomorrow), she gets overwhelmed with hunger and must go make a pot of mac and cheese.

Basil waits patiently for Sherita to finish cooking. He seems to like what he sees. (Sidenote: Sherita looks so much like her grandmother, original townie Beverly Castor.)

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At last, Sherita cures her hunger pangs and allows Basil to talk to her again. He quickly asks her to prom, to which she excitedly agrees, and then rushes home before he’s caught after curfew.

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The next evening is prom. Sherita arrives nice and early, and she and Basil head out to the limo together.

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Within ten minutes of prom starting, Sherita asks Basil to go steady! Awww. She also learns that Basil has never been kissed, asks the band to put them in the spotlight, and then kisses him in front of everyone! I think I like this girl. She’s got some spunk, and she definitely knows what she wants. Go Sherita!

Basil spends the following day taking a charisma class—the charisma skill will be essential if he wants to get to the top of the celebrity pecking order—and socializing with people in town. He makes good progress in his level 2 celebrity status just by chatting up a couple of one-star celebrities. I’ve only had one or two 5-star celebrities in past games (and they might have all been immortals in my immortal dynasty, meaning they had all the time in the world to reach level 5)…but we’ll see what we can do. I’m trying to start Basil as early as possible and introduce him to everyone I can find.

Monday arrives, and with it, plenty of toddlers to keep Sezzad occupied. He’s really getting good at the day care thing (as am I)—so good that I don’t even notice that Deanna the butler has been raking leaves all day instead of helping with the kids. Sezzad does just fine on his own.

That night, Roberta reaches level 10 of the medical career, achieving her lifetime wish. Congrats, Roberta! All those extra emergency shifts allowed her to make progress more quickly than other sims I’ve played in the past, I think. Her level 10 bonus also brings the family funds to just over 100k, which will be an excellent buffer for future generations that may roll low-earning careers.

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Oh, and she also changes her outfit, once again, for the new season. Here's her latest spring outfit:

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Basil’s teen years move along. (They’re not very exciting, honestly.) He goes to school, study club, and debate club. He works on his logic skill and also practices cooking so he can take over that aspect of family life when Roberta is gone. Roberta, now at the top of her career, has more time off than before and spends a lot of time reading books—her favorite pastime. (She’s read almost 40 books, possibly more than Odile read in her lifetime.)

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I build a small addition onto the house after Sezzad gets promoted and his client count goes up to four toddlers instead of three. The former living room area of the great room is now the dedicated toddler play area, with extra toys and lots of space for crawling and crying and screaming. The living room area is now a full-on living room. I think it looks rather nice!

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I’ve been trying to think of other things to do with Sezzad. He only works as a day care person three days a week because Thursday is always a holiday (grrr) and he gets Friday through Sunday off as well. Then I have an epiphany—we need to find Sezzad a lady!

I use MC to find all the single ladies in Twinbrook who aren’t too old to have babies (just in case, you know). There is exactly one. And it’s Juliana Jones-Brown, daughter of Goodwin Goode. She and her father are the first and last vampires Twinbrook has seen in this game. (I turned vampires off as soon as I saw that Goodwin became one early in the game.) I never would have considered Juliana as a partner for anyone…but then, how often do you see aliens and vampires getting together? Not very often! I must heed the call of potential vampalien babies!

I track down Juliana’s house and send Sezzad over to say hello.

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She lives in a crummy little house with her three grown sons. She was dating another guy for many years (and had three kids with him), but he recently passed away. Of course, by the time I get to her house, she’s dating someone else. Thanks, Story Progression. But that doesn’t stop Sezzad. He pushes through and convinces her to break up with what’s-his-face, using plenty of allusions to his knowledge of stars as padding for his arguments.

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Then they flirt like crazy, have their first kiss, and quickly progress to the bedroom (where one of Juliana’s sons is apparently stuck, and in a halloween costume…even though it’s not Spooky Day). No rest for the occult!

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Meanwhile, it’s Love Day. Roberta goes to the Spring Festival because she has to for her requirements. (I honestly am not going to mind when this whole celebrate-every-holiday thing is over.) She starts dancing right away and goes on to win Spring Dance Queen for, if I remember correctly, the second year in a row. Incidentally, her old sort-of flame and ex-boss Angel is there with his wife. They manage to get along fine and dance the night away.

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Basil calls his lovely Sherita and asks her to meet him at the festival. This is the first time I’ve actually seen them kiss. Their first kiss was behind closed doors, at prom. They’re pretty sweet together, I must say.

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They also try out the Love Tester. It tells them they’ve found true love and to hang on to each other!

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And that night, as Love Day winds to a close, Roberta finds herself missing Buddy. Even though they’ve made up and are on pleasant terms again, they haven’t been lovers in a very long time. She misses him like crazy. So she calls him and invites him over.

He’s missed her, too.

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This is when I notice something weird—after Buddy moved out, he and Roberta apparently lost their “married” status. I should have noticed this in the relationship panel, where it just said “Old Friend”…but I didn’t think much of it, for some reason. It’s clear now that they’re not married anymore because Roberta has the option to ask her husband to go steady.

Well, why not? They seal the deal with their first kiss in many a year.

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Weirdly, though, Buddy rejects Roberta’s invitation to woohoo. Perhaps he’s a bit squeamish after all this time. Oh well. Maybe he’ll come around in the future.

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I’m getting very impatient with this generation. I admit it. Basil is just four days from aging up and taking over as heir, and I CANNOT WAIT. Of course, I adore Roberta—she’s my favorite heir so far (out of two and, like, two-thirds)—but her requirements were really quite easy, aside from the whole soulmate-has-to-move-out thing. These last few weeks have been relatively boring.

What am I going to do with these people for four days???

Well, as I’ve hinted already, one of Basil’s requirements as heir will be to become a 5-star celebrity. (I’ll reveal the rest of his rolls when he ages up.) That takes a lot of work and a lot of celebrity contacts. There aren’t any high-level celebrities in Twinbrook right now, aside from, well, the Middlemisses. So it’s going to take even more effort from Basil to get to that five-star mark.

It’s been a long time since Lincoln has made an appearance—I don’t think I’ve seen his ghost since Basil was a toddler. He sneaks into the house one night—I don’t even hear the music—and when I mouse over him, I’m reminded that he’s a four-star celebrity! He has the highest celebrity level of any Middlemiss thus far. I guess getting destroyed by a meteor really puts you on the map.

I haul Basil out of bed and he meets his grandfather in the hallway. Unfortunately, since he’s a teen, the most he can do is ask for an autograph. Which he does, happily.

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I really hope Lincoln returns after Basil ages up. If they can become best friends, that will give Basil a significant boost in his celebrity level.

Saturday night, Buddy throws a party at Joe Bob’s house, and Roberta attends. As soon as she gets there, she heads into the bathroom to check the sink, and who should find her there but Angel! Yes, the guy who caused Roberta and Buddy to separate. He’s an elder now, and still flirts with Roberta whenever he sees her in public (except at the Spring Festival, when he was satisfied to watch her dance, I guess). He strolls in to Roberta’s private neurotic moment and compliments her, as always.

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Roberta is on the verge of yelling at him—she’s so fed up with his advances—when Jade Greenwood goes and kicks the bucket on the front porch. Jade has been a family friend for nearly three generations now, and has procreated abundantly and filled the town with lots of little Greenwoods. Thank you for all you have done, Jade. RIP. (I took a screenshot of her death, but I'm almost out of space, so I have to leave it out. Apologies!)

Let’s get back to the real drama. Roberta has reached her breaking point with Angel. She yells at him. She slaps him. She even fights him, and, uh, loses…twice…but let’s not dwell on that. The point is that she fights him. Because it's about time we put a stop to his creepiness.

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You go, girl! Put him in his place!

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Roberta feels humiliated about losing two fights, but she also feels like things are back to normal. Hopefully this will stop Angel from flirting with her ever again. She’s ready to make things right with Buddy once and for all.

Next time, Basil takes the helm and Generation Three begins!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #21 on: September 19, 2018, 08:00:58 PM »
Chapter 17 – Imaginary, Immutable, Intergalactic Love

We begin this jam-packed chapter with some exciting news––Juliana is pregnant! I’m really, really hoping for a vampalien. That’s probably not a thing. And if it is, there’s probably like a .03% chance of it happening. But I’m still hoping. At the very least I want a baby that’s one occult or the other. I am squealing with excitement.

Summer begins (already?), and Roberta chooses her last seasonal outfit as an adult. Might as well take advantage of that youthful bod while you’ve got it, eh?

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Juliana gives birth to a baby boy named Gerry, and…he’s an alien! Huzzah!

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The next day, some weird glitch happens with day care and no toddlers show up. *shrug* Fine with me! Instead, Sezzad invites his lady over and they get busy a second time. Afterwards, Sezzad is so overwhelmed with lovey-dovey feelings that he proposes to Juliana!

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While having Sezzad upgrade all the things in order to fulfill his constant wishes to upgrade all the things, I learned very recently that you can upgrade alien spaceships to travel in space! And to give them laser cannons…I’m a little afraid to try that one. But then, I don’t play with aliens very often, so…

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I rather stupidly thought that those laser cannons would cause more destruction than they did. It’s basically a pretty light show that makes spectators run around screaming with their arms in the air (not pictured). Also, there’s cool music. That’s about it, really. Anyway, good to know, and I certainly had fun watching it happen.

The next day—at long last—is Basil’s young adult birthday. He still has to go to school, because it’s a Tuesday, and then he also has debate club afterwards. But the second he gets home, he makes the call to throw a party.

It’s a rockin’ party! Everybody who’s anybody shows up to this rising star’s coming-of-age bash. A huge crowd gathers to watch Basil blow out his candles.

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Maybe I just set up the party room well this time around, but I’ve never seen such a neat and orderly ring of guests surrounding a birthday party. Basil is pleased to learn he has so many devoted fans.

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Here is our Generation Three heir! He gains the Computer Whiz trait upon aging up. His final traits are Genius, Loves the Outdoors, Disciplined, Star Quality, and Computer Whiz. (Actually, Discplined is not final––I plan to change it as soon as Basil gets enough LTH points for the Mid-Life Crisis reward. Probably to something like Friendly, to help with the celebrity thing.)

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Here are the rolls for this generation:

Family Structure – Single Parent
Number of Children – 2
Income – Freelance Scientist
Generational Goal – Five-Star Celebrity
Misc. Fun – Tattoo Addict

Most of these rolls are self-explanatory, save two. As a Freelance Scientist, Basil can make money by discovering stars, solving problems on the computer, collecting insects and space rocks, and hacking. If I had whichever expansion pack comes with the Science skill, Basil could do that as well, but I don’t, so we’re limited to these options. It should be pretty easy to keep the funds flowing in. As for Tattoo Addict, that means that Basil has to acquire a new tattoo every sim week. I think that fits well with the celebrity requirement. It’ll be like a weekly shot of botox!

So, there you have it. Obviously the unfortunate piece of this is that Basil can’t have a spouse living in the household while he’s raising his two children. The rules do state that his partner can move in temporarily before the first child is born and while she is pregnant, but she must move out again as soon as the baby is born. Sad stuff. If anyone can roll with it, though, it’s Basil's longtime girlfriend and the future mother of Generation Four, Sherita Castor.

Basil's birthday also happens to be Roberta's birthday. She doesn't age up until 2 am though, well after the party ends. I assumed I had the day wrong until the camera panned over and she aged up in her bedroom.

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Fear not, Roberta! You make a lovely elder.

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Actually, she seems rather fine with this whole old lady thing. Or maybe it was just a good party.

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The next day is graduation. Basil graduates with highest honors, is declared Valedictorian, and is voted Most Likely to Take Over the World—the same superlative his mother received. Honestly, this time, I feel like it suits the recipient better.

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As the sun begins to set that evening, Basil takes Sherita out on a date to the scenic Twinbrook Esplanade. (She doesn't think to change out of her graduation robes into something more photogenic. Oh, well.) He tells her about his heirdom, his requirements, and his restriction to being a single parent. They discuss their options and decide not to get married just yet. They’d rather marry when it can be a permanent thing and they won’t have to separate afterwards. This will be possible when their second child is midway through his or her teen years. Until then, Basil and Sherita are content to remain unmarried.

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Even so, Basil asks the question, just to make sure.

“Sherita, will you marry me in approximately twenty years’ time?”

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“Um, heck yeah!”

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Sherita moves in that night. Again, it's temporary––she can hang around until she gives birth, and then out she goes again until the next pregnancy…and out she goes again after that. Here she is after a bit of a makeover (though really, she didn’t need much help). Her favorite color is grey, but I dress her in red because I think it suits her.

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Her traits are Brave, Good, Clumsy, Artistic, and Snob. Her lifetime wish is Master of the Arts, and she’s self-employed as a painter. She is allowed to keep her current career and earn money that way while she lives in the household. (It’s not like she’s going to make much anyway—she doesn’t even have the painting skill yet.)

Some fun facts about Sherita: At graduation, she was awarded Most Likely to Burn Down Her Own House. Very promising for a legacy partner. Also, I looked at Sherita’s family tree. She’s a direct descendent of the original Greenwood and Castor families, who lived on either side of the Middlemisses when the game started. The fun part is that Sherita’s mother, Emerald Greenwood Castor, recently remarried a gentleman named Greggory Cornwell, who used to be married to Sherita’s sister Regina. So basically, Emerald married her son-in-law. Cute, Emerald. Cute. Additionally, Sherita’s brother Morgan is dating the daughter of the infamous Angel Johnson. They just had a baby daughter together. Story Progression is certainly making this town a lot more interesting!

The next day dawns warm and humid. It’s Leisure Day. First things first—since passing the torch on to Basil, Roberta has been aching to invite Buddy back into the household. She invites him over and does the deed. Welcome back, Buddy! (The picture below is from Basil's party, before Roberta became an elder, but I just think it's so cute. Also, I completely forgot that I gave Buddy this swimwear outfit. I’ve never seen him in it. It’s amazing.)

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Then Sezzad invites a very pregnant Juliana over, and they throw a little family wedding next to the house.

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Congratulations, Sezzad and Juliana!

Sezzad moves out and joins Juliana’s household, so he can raise his children and be with the one he loves. The second the switch happens, Juliana goes into labor…and disappears off the lot. The family is left caught between throwing rice and screaming their heads off.

“Yay marriage!”

“Oh heavens, she’s in labor!”

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Juliana is nowhere to be found, though. Sezzad doesn’t seem concerned and pulls out a book. I can’t control him anymore, so I guess poor Juliana is on her own. :(

When things finally settle down and the family heads back inside, Buddy approaches Roberta. The two of them have been all over each other since making their relationship "official" again in the last chapter. But it's not quite enough.

“Now that I’ve moved back in,” Buddy says, “Maybe…we could go back to the way things were?”

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He gets down on one knee.

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I love this picture because Buddy looks so happy and in love.

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These two really are soulmates. They do this autonomously just after becoming engaged. Awww.

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That very evening, Roberta and Buddy bring the family to Willowglen Ampitheater, where they had their first kiss and became boyfriend and girlfriend waaay back when they were teens.

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Many years have passed since then, but their love is stronger than ever. They renew their vows under the towering pillars whilst their son and his fiancee chat with some random townies who show up on the other side of the lot. Oh well. You can’t have everything.

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Congratulations, Roberta and Buddy! *wipes away happy tear*

And that is it for this jam-packed chapter. Phew! Next time, we’ll see Basil begin his third-generation adventure.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #22 on: September 22, 2018, 01:09:33 PM »
Chapter 18 – Blues On Tattoosday

First, a couple of updates leftover from last chapter.

Buddy finally had his elder birthday. Somehow moving him out of the household messed with his age bar, so now he’s a couple days younger than Roberta. (Since he was her Imaginary Friend growing up, they’ve always had the same birthdays, until now.)

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I forgot to show you some updates to the house that I did around the time Basil aged up. I renovated the first floor a bit, mainly the kitchen and dining room area. I emptied out the foyer and added a rug because who the heck knows what else to put in a foyer. (Later, somebody gifted the family a grand piano, so that's there now. Great timing!) This is also where the stairs to the brand new second floor are, and the fire pole thingy that everybody loves to slide down.

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I can't find my screenshot of this, but Odile’s old bedroom is now a little office/study type room. The door to the basement remains locked for now. I’m not sure if I’m going to continue putting every heir’s awards and stuff in the basement—since I’m not doing portraits for this legacy, it doesn’t make for a very interesting “museum”. But we’ll see. We might need the space for other things in future generations.

Here’s the upstairs. It consists of an art studio for Sherita, a bedroom for Basil and Sherita, and a bathroom fit for a snob who likes to wear red.

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Sherita starts painting pretty much as soon as she moves in. I don’t even have to make her—it’s all she ever wants to do, on her own. (Well, that and dance to the stereo downstairs.)

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Roberta is the first to take to the piano, and she seems to enjoy it immensely. She gains a few skill points within a couple days.

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Now that Buddy is home, the two of them spend a lot of time together––mostly doing different things, but near each other. I think it's adorable.

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Basil starts trying to earn money by solving problems on the computer. He sucks at it. He doesn’t make a nickel until at least the third attempt, when he makes $83. Which is a lot more than I expected him to get so early on.

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He also searches the galaxy for celestial bodies. One evening, he sees a rubber ducky...? And doesn't like it...?

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Basil and Sherita are very much in love, so it's only natural that they consummate their, er, engagement early on.

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The nausea hits Sherita like a train while she's painting the next day.

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She realizes what is happening later that evening while standing in a pile of her own dirty clothes.

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Basil is overjoyed. He can't wait to be a daddy.

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For this generation, and for Basil, Tuesday is Tattoosday. He heads over to the salon bright and early to get his first tattoo.

Uh…that’s…that’s the wrong arm, dear…you’ve already done it on the other one…

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That evening, Roberta once again takes a seat at the piano, and Sherita decides to join her on the guitar. They play blues together for hours. Buddy eventually joins in the fun with his own, er, instrument.

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Sherita is very happily pregnant. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pregnant sim do the “sigh dreamily and rub tummy” action as much as she does it. It’s really too bad that she has to move out as soon as she has the baby, and leave the baby behind. :(

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Sherita goes into labor in her art studio, naturally.

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Anxious about giving birth alone, she makes her way over to the stairs and...no, Sherita, wait, that's the pole! You don't want the pole!

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Seriously?!

After surviving an act of idiocy that would probably end very tragically in real life, Sherita makes it to the kitchen in time to give birth to a baby boy.

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Meet baby Llewellyn! He is Grumpy and Brave.

Sadly, now that the baby is here, his beautiful mama has to go. Basil comes over to say goodbye.

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“I’m sorry you can’t stay here to help raise Llewellyn,” he says, holding Sherita in his arms.

“Oh, don’t worry,” she says easily. “I’ll be around. I’m going to help raise him even if I can’t live here.”

“You know you can come back when you get pregnant again,” Basil says slyly.

“I’m well aware,” she says, smiling.

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It’s a bittersweet departure. Well, mostly bitter. Fortunately, Uncle Joe Bob has recently moved to the house next door upon the death of his wife, Allyson. Sherita will be living with him until her return—so she’ll always be just a hop, skip and a jump away. Not even that. More like a hop.

She kisses her baby boy goodbye, and heads out into the night. Well, not immediately. She falls asleep on Basil’s childhood bed first.

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Basil must now raise Llewellyn on his own. He doesn't seem too worried about it––his fiancee is just next door, and his parents are around if he needs extra help. He's mostly just excited to experience fatherhood for the first time.

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Next time, we'll watch Llewellyn grow into a toddler. Will he inherit his mother's adorable cheeks? His father's colorful features? Will he get to meet his alien "siblings" across town? Who knows? Not me!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #23 on: September 25, 2018, 11:25:18 AM »
Chapter 19 – Lewobblin'

Llewellyn is a well-loved baby. When his daddy isn’t doting on him, his grandparents are lining up to give him a snuggle.

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Very early Sunday morning (as in, right after midnight), it’s time for baby Llewellyn to age up! His grandpa brings him to the cake, not caring that he is giving off waves of stank. Poor Llewellyn. Get that baby OUT of your armpit, sir!

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Here’s Llewellyn as a toddler. He’s all Sherita—he’s got her gray eyes, her nose, her cheeks, and her little rosebud mouth. I have no idea where his hair color is from, but it's so distinctive that it must come from somewhere up the family tree.

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After a little bit of research, I conclude that Llewellyn got his hair color from his grandfather (Sherita’s father), Thomas Castor, who is a child at the start of the game. I also suspect Llewellyn’s gray eyes came from his grandmother Emerald.

Look at this lil' angel!

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Some toddler spam for ya. (That’s all this chapter is, really…)

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Basil finally becomes a four star celebrity. Almost there! Except he needs about a bajillion points to get to level 5, I’m pretty sure. Becoming friends with his very famous grandmother, Odile Middlemiss, is just the thing to push him over the edge.

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Tattoosday rolls around, and Basil goes in for his second tattoo. He selects a pink bunny to go on his back, something Roberta will appreciate (and Odile would have also).

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Sherita comes over to visit and ends up staying the night. Basil is happy to see her, and they autonomously spend more time talking than anything else. (I was hoping she’d take initiative to get to know her son a little bit, but she pretty much ignores him. Oh, well. When Llewellyn is a kid I can FORCE them to be friends. Muahahahaha!) (Also, please excuse the snowflakes floating around in the bedroom.)

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In the morning, Sherita goes back to finish the painting she started before she moved out. Basil, of course, interrupts her work in order to tell her about his latest star discovery (this one is named Ducky). Here you get a nice look at his back tattoo, also. :D

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Llewellyn gets to know his grandpa over the peg box game. Buddy is very enthusiastic about his grandson, but he doesn’t always get to him fast enough––Basil and the butler are both much speedier. But when everyone else is busy, it’s Buddy who pays the baby attention. It’s quite sweet.

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Buddy is also the one to teach Llewellyn to talk. He encourages him to start thinking about his skills and interests early, so as to choose a good career in the future.

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On Snowflake Day, I was going to have the family throw a party, since they haven’t in a while, but then Joe Bob invites Roberta to his feast party. He still lives next door. Everybody heads over there for the afternoon, while Llewellyn takes a nice nap.

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Joe Bob is a three-star celebrity, so Basil spends some time rekindling their friendship. Joe Bob has caught the aging bug that seems to be plaguing my game––he’s supposed to be only about a week younger than Roberta, so he should be an elder by now for sure. (Buddy has also caught the bug. His age bar is stuck at 75, and I can’t figure out how to get it moving again.)

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Basil is really living his celebrity dream. As he talks to his uncle, he keeps getting interrupted by party guests who want his autograph. He doesn’t seem to mind at all. Not surprising.

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Buddy and Roberta are cute as ever and spend the whole night dancing to the stereo in the basement. They've become very acrobatic dancers over time...

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That night, Basil gets to see both of his dead grandparents at the same time! He and Lincoln do the “Eww, a ghost” thing in perfect unison, which is hilarious.

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Llewellyn's last toddler skill is walking, which Basil takes responsibility for.

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I'll miss seeing this little guy as a toddler!

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Next time, Llewellyn will age up to become a child, and hopefully we'll see more of Sherita as well (I've missed her).

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #24 on: September 28, 2018, 03:40:23 PM »
Chapter 20 – Life & Not Death

Author's Note: Before we get back to the story, I should update y'all on the state of my game. It's breaking. Slowly but surely, it's breaking. There is a pervasive aging bug that is currently affecting everyone in my household and a lot of people around town as well. Buddy's age bar froze at 75 days and hasn't budged since then. Roberta's worked for a while, I think (I haven't kept very good track), but I believe she's aging slower than she ought. (I just feel like she should have died of old age by now...but I'm not certain.) She is currently at 86 days. Llewellyn has never aged a day on his own since his birth; I've had to age him up manually with Master Controller at every birthday. And the same thing is happening to, uh, a newer member of the family whom you haven't met yet. It's impossible to tell with Basil, of course, because his weekly tattoo resets his age bar anyway. And finally, outside of the household, there are something like 30 babies in town, many of whom were born days or weeks ago, who haven't aged up yet. Others seem to be aging much slower than they should. Notzo Curious, who is a toddler at the start of a game in Twinbrook, is still alive and kicking––the last original townie (the last prior to him, Chase Bayless, lived to something like 107 and died a couple weeks ago), so I'm pretty sure his age bar is broken as well. All in all, aging is seriously screwed up in my game, and it doesn't seem like something that can be fixed since it's so widespread. All of this on top of the increasing lag has forced me to make a decision: next generation, we will move to a new town. I'm hoping that a new town will fix the aging bug and give us a fresh start.

So, that's that! Now back to the story.


It's time for Llewellyn to age up to child. One last attack of the claw (since I forgot to get a screenshot of it last time):

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I can't even use the birthday cake to age him up, I guess because his age bar is still empty. Master Controller it is!

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Here’s Llewellyn as a child. He gains the Perfectionist trait, to be added to his Grumpy and Brave traits. I’ve given him the same hairdo that his grandfather Thomas Castor had as a child at the start of the game. It suits him. They really do look a lot alike. (Go look him up on the wiki and you’ll see what I mean.)

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He gets right to work on the skill that will surely come in handy later in life.

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I discover something new about Llewellyn upon his aging up—he’s an Imaginary Friend! That makes him the third generation in a row with the IF genes. I’ve never seen this particular color of IF, but this is his doll form.

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Basil sees right through the toy disguise (as he should, considering he can become one himself) and complains to his son about dirty dishes anyway.

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Llewellyn spends lots of time playing with his own Imaginary Friend, Paddywack.

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They look so cute in their matching outfits. They even strut in unison at times.

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Llewellyn's grumpy trait does cause some tension, though. I caught them in the midst of an argument once and found that their Best Friend status had decreased to Acquaintance! Yikes. A few friendly interactions brought them back to where they were, but it was quite alarming. I've kept a closer eye on them since then.

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Basil acquires yet another tattoo. (Is it Tattoosday again already?) This is his...third? I think? For some reason he’s really squeamish about this one…at least the tattoo artist works on the correct side this time around, though he is really not amused by his customer's squeamishness.

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Sherita visits often, but she spends much more time making out with Basil than she does getting to know her son. *sigh*

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One night, she comes over not feeling well.

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Soon, she discovers that she's pregnant again! (This is also the best picture I got of Basil's new tattoo.)

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Sherita moves back in with the family for the duration of her pregnancy. She spends most of her time painting, as usual. (She creates really lovely paintings. I love her style.)

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After a fairly smooth pregnancy, Sherita gives birth to another boy, Junius. (I’ve rolled very tame names so far, except for Joe Bob. Maybe next generation will get weird?) He’s an excitable loner.

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Sherita moves out as soon as she brings Junius home and lays him in his crib. This time, the game moves her in with her sister, Regina. At least Sherita will get to spend time with her sister and nephew. (Joe Bob, whom she lived with before, is busy with a new baby daughter and another on the way. Aren't you too old for kids, dude? Oh right, your age bar is broken too...)

With both children born, I go ahead and choose the heir. My original plan was to put both siblings in contention for heir, as long as the second child was a girl. But since Junius is a boy, I’ve chosen Llewellyn, since he's older and therefore closer to being able to move to a new town. (I also like him a lot so far, and probably would have chosen him anyway.) Congrats, Llewellyn!

Basil is still working hard to get his celebrity level up. He goes around to the wealthiest families and schmoozes with them late into the night. Then he goes home to stargaze until collapsing into bed at three or four in the morning. And now, he has the added responsiblity of a new baby to keep him busy. Poor Basil! (He doesn't seem to mind, as usual. He's a very loving daddy.)

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It’s finally time for Junius’s toddler birthday! He, too, has inherited the broken age bar, so I have to age him up manually.

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Okay, you know how I said Llewellyn looks like Sherita? I lied. Junius is the one who looks like Sherita. Like, wow.

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He aged up with this slightly weird hair and for some reason I feel like it suits him. Or maybe I’m just playing favorites and not caring as much. I feel sorta bad. Sorry, Junius. You are definitely a cutie!

The next day, it’s Llewellyn’s turn to age up sans birthday cake.

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Here’s Llewellyn as a teen. He looks like a sweetheart. (Also, he has the most feminine-looking lips I have ever seen on a male sim.) Sherita has certainly brought some interesting genes into the family! I have a feeling this guy is going to break a few hearts before he leaves Twinbrook forever…

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He acquires the Natural Cook trait, to be added to his Grumpy, Brave, and Perfectionist traits. (Can you guess his rolled career yet?)

Llewellyn immediately starts playing with and caring for his baby brother. A good sign for future endeavors.

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Basil takes Llewellyn out and starts teaching him to drive. (I don’t usually bother teaching teens to drive, but it’s the weekend and there’s time and they both roll wishes for it. So hey.) It’s very unfortunate that Basil can’t use Sezzad’s spaceship to teach his son to drive. (Did I ever mention that Sezzad left Basil his spaceship as a present? Well, he did.)

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Basil also starts teaching little Junius his toddler skills, with some help from Grandpa Buddy the Ageless.

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Next time, Llewellyn will progress through his teen years (at least in spirit, if not in reality), and perhaps experience some doomed love that cannot possibly last beyond his young adult birthday. Buddy and Roberta will continue to not die; Basil will continue to rise in fame and tattooedness; and Junius will finally learn to potty (watcher willing). There is much to look forward to. Toodles!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #25 on: September 29, 2018, 06:15:55 PM »
Chapter 21 – Golden Years

Llewellyn’s teen years go by smoothly and quickly (to my relief). Junius, too, has a fairly uneventful toddlerhood.

As you probably guessed in the last chapter, Llewellyn has rolled Culinary has his career track, so he’s practicing cooking as much as possible.

Roberta is concerned. “Are you sure you didn’t leave the stove on, honey?”

“I’m making salad, Grandma…”

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It’s tattoo time once again. This time, Basil goes for a llama on his shoulder. (Fun fact: My real-life brother has a llama tattooed on his bicep. It has nothing to do with the Sims…he just thought it would be funny.)

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On the way home, Basil stops at the gym to work out a bit for a celebrity opportunity. While running on the treadmill, he finishes the opportunity, reaches celebrity level 5, and completes his lifetime wish! And with that, his requirements for Generation Three are done. Go Basil! *sigh of relief*

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That night, Llewellyn heads off to prom. He hasn’t met anyone at school yet (he keeps forgetting to do his homework, so he usually has to work on that during school hours instead of meeting people)––I wonder if he’ll meet anyone interesting during prom. Maybe even a love interest?

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Here is Llewellyn’s prom progression. (I always enjoy prom in The Sims 3. 100% of the time.)
1) He falls flat on his face on the dance floor.
2) Someone steps on his foot, and Llewellyn starts a fight because of it. (Jeez, grumpy much?)
3) Llewellyn is voted prom king??!
4) He stares at the lights and suspects aliens…?
5) He is denied for a dance and spends the rest of the night dancing by himself. :(
6) He spots “Ethan” on the dance floor and is like “What a joke!” I don’t even know who Ethan is, but okay.
7) He sees someone else wearing the same tuxedo. Oh no, was it Ethan?!

All in all, Llewellyn has a pretty lousy prom, aside from being crowned Prom King. Sorry, bud. Maybe you’ll get to go again next week and have a better time.

Everyone, our game has a new bug! This one is really weirding me out. Twice now, in the daily paper, there has been a notice about a new baby being born to the Middlemiss household––a baby that does not exist. Joe Bob and his new wife Kathy have had two babies recently, Rocio (a girl, oddly enough) and Edwardo. But I’ve only gotten notifications for two different Middlemisses––Adrianna and Marc. When I looked up those names in MC, it showed some elderly out-of-towner named Adrianna, but no Marc anywhere at all. What…on earth?

So yeah! My game is breaking!! And I can’t wait for this generation to be over!!! ;D

The Abbott family, one of the more well-to-do families in Twinbrook these days, throws a pool party on Leisure Day. I send the family over there to hang out, and Llewellyn chats up their teenage daughter, Rene. She’s in a relationship already, so for now the two of them are just friends. Llewellyn does roll a wish to kiss Rene, though.

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Rene comes home with Llewellyn after school the next day. Whilst Llewellyn de-stresses on the computer for a bit, Rene goes right over and scoops up little Junius. What a sweetheart!

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She really is quite cute—at least from the front. I’m not so sure about the side. :P If you’re curious about her lineage, she is the daughter of Bunny Curious (one of my favorite Twinbrook townies) and some guy named Lindsey Coker (not an original townie, as far as I know). Rene’s aging might be a little off, because both her parents died a long time ago—it doesn’t seem right that she’s only a teen. Rene’s boyfriend is Josef Vajjevoo, one of the sons of Juliana Jones-Brown from before she married our alien friend Sezzad. Josef, too, should not be a teen anymore…he was born long before Sezzad and Juliana got married, and even THAT was a while ago now. (Sezzad’s kids were some of the first indictators of the aging bug. I aged them up manually because they were stuck in baby mode, and they still haven’t aged beyond childhood weeks later.) Sorry if all of this is confusing—I just find the family trees in this game so interesting!

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Anyway!

Junius is a very cute toddler, and deserves some recognition. Here he is going about his everyday toddler doings just before aging up to child.

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Look at that majestic little walk.

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At last, it's time for Junius's birthday.

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I’ve decided to let his traits be random, since he’s not the heir. He rolls Coward. His other traits are Excitable and Loner.

He really is a miniature Sherita!

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Junius rolls a wish to learn to fish, so off he goes to Hollowlog Springs to try it out.

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Our household funds are slowly but surely approaching $300,000 at this point. Most of this has been Roberta’s doing—she’s still going strong at the top of the medical career, bringing in a few thousand simoleons every shift. (She IS still aging, by the way—albeit slowly. Every few days her age bar will freeze for a day or two, then start moving again. She’s at 88 days now. There is actually a very slight chance she won't live to see her grandson turn young adult.) Also, I sold a bunch of old furniture recently to try and lessen the lag, and that added quite a lot back in to the household funds.

After many, many hours spent searching the galaxy and hacking at night, Basil is finally contributing significantly to the family bank account as well. He hacks around a thousand simoleons into the account every night, and lately, he’s begun spotting meteors falling in town.

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Sherita comes over during Llewellyn's teen years and finally spends some time getting to know him. They become friends and are joking around easily by the end of their time together. Hooray! It’s about time.

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Llewellyn and Junius get along very well. They autonomously do their homework together almost every day after school.

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As for our elderly lovers, Roberta and Buddy, they are as in love and as content as ever. It’s like they were never separated. Someone gifted the family a very fancy “grotto” hot tub recently, and those two do little else than cuddle in the bubbly waters.

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Rene Abbott and Llewellyn have become really good friends. I’ve saved Llewellyn’s wish to kiss her, just in case the opportunity arises, and one day after school, he starts flirting with her a little. Unfortunately, she doesn’t respond well. She seems more committed to her relationship with Josef Vajjevoo than I expected. I was hoping to give Llewellyn a little romance before he leaves Twinbrook, but it looks like it wasn’t meant to be. Poor Llewellyn!

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Basil's last Tattoosday arrives. I don't realize it's his last one and waste it on a very stupid tattoo that I thought would be funny. Well...it's funny, I guess. (It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but it's the obnoxiously grinning heart design, recolored to baby pink.)

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Llewellyn spends his last few days as a teen cooking and hanging out with his family.

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This family, large-ish though it may be, has remained pretty close altogether through the years––I think they all have high relationships with each other, which is kind of unusual in my experience.

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Llewellyn also makes an effort to get to know his great-grandparents before he goes. Odile haunts the house fairly often, so he does get to meet her. Lincoln doesn't appear as often, though, so he may not get to meet him in time.

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I’ll be sad to leave this family behind when Llewellyn moves away. As such, I’m feeling a little nostalgic. All too soon, Llewellyn will age up to young adult and strike out on his own—to an entirely new world. He’ll leave behind his parents, his grandparents, his little brother, and the ghosts of his great-grandparents. He’ll leave behind this big house that has been home to the Middlemisses for four generations. He’ll even leave behind his dad’s spaceship (unless I sneak it into his inventory and try to take it along…). I’m a little worried that he’ll leave behind his wishes and skills, too…I really, really hope not. In any case, Llewellyn will be leaving behind a great deal, and while I’m ready for a fresh start…I shall remember fondly the Middlemisses we’ve come to know so well, and I hope they’ll remain well and happy after Llewellyn is gone.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Gotta save some sentimentality for the next chapter, in which Llewellyn will say farewell to his family and blaze a new trail for future generations of Middlemisses. *sniffle* My boy is almost grown up!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #26 on: September 30, 2018, 11:24:46 AM »
Chapter 22 – Sunset Over Twinbrook

It’s Saturday morning—the last day of fall—Junius’s child birthday. And Llewellyn’s last full day as a resident of Twinbrook.

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Basil wakes up early and makes a very important phone call. Actually, a lot of phone calls.

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One of those phone calls is, of course, to Sherita. Basil invites her over and discusses his plans with her. She is all for them.

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Things don’t happen immediately, though. The day’s big event is scheduled for the evening. Until then, the family waits.

Junius plays with Orange, his Imaginary Friend (whom I managed not to get a picture of). I did not know this was possible—apparently you can climb up fire poles?! Junius does this several times while playing tag with Orange.

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Llewellyn cooks up a storm in preparation for the evening’s festivities.

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Roberta moodily plays the piano and reflects on being 90 days old. (Yes, she finally got there. Who knows how old she actually is. Probably well over a hundred.)

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That afternoon, Junius ages up to teen. (To save screenshots, I'll skip the sparkles.)

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He looks so much like Sherita. It’s incredible. Oh, and he rolls the Hopeless Romantic trait. (His other traits are Loner, Excitable, and Coward.)

So I was all excited about the aesthetic of this wedding—the beautiful red falling leaves, in particular—but then it had the audacity to get COLD out and start snowing! I started to get very upset, until I remembered that Buddy has about a bajillion unused Lifetime Happiness Points. Time for Buddy to become master of the universe and control the weather for his son’s wedding day.

Because that's what's happening! It’s Basil and Sherita’s wedding day!

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Everyone takes so long to gather that it’s completely dark out by the time the actual wedding happens. *sigh* While she’s waiting, clumsy Sherita straight up falls over while standing still. She recovers in time to say her vows, though.

“You’re so beautiful, Sherita…even though I can’t really see you…”

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The weather machine works just in time. Even though it’s dark out, the wedding is beautiful, and a long time coming.

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Cake time! (I love how Basil is like "Don't worry, everyone. I got this.")

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The party doesn’t wind down until around 10 at night. This made me laugh—this is Rene Abbott leaving the party on a motorbike, still holding her uneaten wedding cake (though a glitch has made it invisible).

“Yeah, man. Great party. And this cake is FLY.”

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And here's a little tribute to Alma Kline. Alma has been our butler for the past century (or thereabouts) due to the ubiquitous aging bug that is keeping her forever young. One of her last duties before the end of this era is to put away the leftover wedding cake. We’ll miss you, Alma!

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The newlyweds return to the bedroom that is finally theirs to share for the rest of forever. No more separation for these two!

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Winter arrives overnight, and by morning, Twinbrook is blanketed in snow. Llewellyn wakes up in his childhood bed for the last time.

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He has his birthday the moment he wakes up.

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The whole family comes in to celebrate, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before (at least when the whole family was asleep moments ago). Guys, I think I’m gonna cry!

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Here is our majestic Llewellyn, fourth generation heir and torch bearer who will carry the Middlemiss name into brave new worlds. His final traits: Grumpy, Brave, Perfectionist, Natural Cook, and Family-Oriented. His Lifetime Wish is to become a Celebrated Five-Star Chef.

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As soon as he’s ready, Llewellyn goes around and says his goodbyes.

This brotherly hug...does not look comfortable.

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"Goodbye, my grandson."

"Bye, Buddy. I hope you find your dad."

"What?"

"Nothing..."

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Sherita slips a few of her paintings into her son's inventory as a parting gift.

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"Remember, son, if you ever want to come back and visit, I'll be here, as young and famous as ever."

"I love you too, Dad."

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Grandma Roberta is last.

"We'll miss you, Llewellyn. May your new life by a joyful one."

"Thanks, Grandma."

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And with that, Llewellyn turns and walks out into the clear winter morning to start a new life.

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Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #27 on: September 30, 2018, 06:21:23 PM »
Chapter 23 – Sunrise Over Riverview

Welcome to a new generation, a new town, and a new era in the Middlemiss Random Legacy! I’m excited for this fresh start, and so is Llewellyn, who just arrived in Riverview.

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This is the first time I’ve moved to a new town in-game. I actually messed up the first time––I didn’t realize that having Llewellyn make the call while still in his old household would cause the entire household to move WITH him. No, no, no! Bad, bad, bad! In a moment of panic, I exited without saving. Then I went back in (I’d saved just before the move, thankfully) and moved Llewellyn out to an empty lot in Twinbrook before making the move to a new town. That way it was just him moving, and not the entire glitched-into-immortality family. Phew!

Llewellyn still has his inventory, which includes Sezzad’s spaceship (given to Basil, then bequeathed to Llewellyn); a few of Sherita’s paintings; a Collection Helper (another gift courtesy of Buddy’s bajillion LTH points); his prom photo and prom king crown (why he wanted to keep those, I have no idea); Paddywack, his Imaginary Friend doll; and an Evil Mr. Gnome he picked up while trick or treating as a teen. He also brought the family funds with him (about 295,000 simoleons), but none of the value of his family’s furniture. And finally, he has retained his skills. Thank goodness! The only real bummer is that Llewellyn no longer has access to his own family tree. I expected this, but it’s still quite sad. He also has no relationships anymore except with Paddywack. I was sort of hoping he would be able to call his family, at least, but it looks like that isn’t an option. Oh, well. This is a fresh start. It’s time to start a brand-new family.

Anyway! Here are Llewellyn’s rolls for Generation Four:

Family Structure – Full House (heir + 3 other adults) (oh, dear)
Number of Children – 3 (oh, deary me)
Income – Culinary / Collecting / Music (classical) / Part-Time Job
Generational Goal – Fulfilled (all adults must fulfill Lifetime Wish, and all promised wishes must be fulfilled) (……help)
Miscellaneous Fun – My Precious (heir must keep a collection of something; this one has a lengthy description you can read here – it's number 18 under Section E: Miscellaneous Fun)

So! This generation is going to be hard. Like…really hard. Honestly, the part I’m most worried about is fulfilling all promised wishes. I tend to promise lots of different wishes and end up cancelling half of them. I can’t do that this generation. At all. If I click on a wish, for ANYONE, I have to make it happen.

I am terrified.

Anyway…let’s get on with the story. There is much to do and not enough time to do it in! *screams internally*

First off, the house! Llewellyn has moved into one of the empty houses in Riverview. I chose it because it has lots of bedrooms, which we’re going to need. I’ve redone the walls and floors and furnished it to suit the needs of a renowned legacy heir. (As always, it’s a work in progress.) (Also, apologies for the grid lines. I didn’t realize until long after how terrible they look in screenshots.)

First floor, with foyer, kitchen/dining area, living room, bathroom, and garage:

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Second floor, with many bedrooms and a rather obscene amount of bathrooms:

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After settling in to his new home, Llewellyn takes his spaceship downtown (thus making his arrival known to all of Riverview, no doubt) and inquires about a job at the bistro. He’s hired as a Kitchen Scullion.

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Next, Llewellyn goes out to meet his neighbors. He needs to find three adults to live with him. One of these, he hopes, will be a spouse. He starts at a cute little farmstead just down the road from his own house that caught his eye when he moved in.

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A young woman answers the door. She is plainly dressed and not stunningly beautiful, but there’s a certain quiet loveliness about her that Llewellyn likes right away. (I didn't get a screenshot of the hearts that flew up when they met each other, but hearts definitely flew up when they met each other.) She invites him inside and introduces him to her elderly father, Norman.

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Her name is Elaine Joy. She seems to have some sense of who Llewellyn is—perhaps news from Twinbrook travels downriver? In any case, she’s a little overwhelmed at the sight of this handsome celebrity, and a legacy heir to boot! She just wonders why such an important Sim would waste his time visiting her and her old dad. What could she possibly do for Llewellyn Middlemiss?

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Llewellyn and Elaine (that’s a mouthful) get to know each other a bit. Llewellyn learns that Elaine is a Natural Cook and Family-Oriented, just like him. She even teaches him a new recipe right then and there. He asks her about her love of gardening, and she asks him about the family he left behind in Twinbrook. All in all, they get along swimmingly.

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Once they're friends, Llewellyn asks her to come over and see his new house.

“I’ll give you a ride,” he says, winking.

“Um…okay,” Elaine says.

He helps her into his spaceship, and off they go.

They stand in the foyer of Llewellyn’s home and chat some more. They’re already good friends, and before long, they’re flirting. Elaine gets sheepish when Llewellyn takes her hand for the first time.

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“I don’t know what you’re doing, spending time with me,” Elaine says. “Aren’t there other famous Sims in town you could chase after instead?”

“I want to be with you,” says Llewellyn. “I’m so glad I decided to go to your house first. You’re the most interesting and beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

Elaine doesn’t know what to say.

Things progress, as they usually do. There is much conversation, much flirting, much dancing around the real issue at hand—that these two are wildly attracted to one another. And that time is of the essence! Come on, Llewellyn, make a move!

He does.

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Since that kiss went over so well, Llewellyn decides to take the plunge and ask Elaine to move in.

“Move in…with you?” Elaine stammers. “B-But my father…he needs me.”

“You’ll be just down the road from him,” Llewellyn says “You can visit him as often as you like.”

“I suppose, but…” She pauses.

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Llewellyn takes a deep breath. “Okay,” he says, “What if I ask you to marry me first?”

Elaine is struck utterly dumb.

“M-Me?”

“Yes, you. Will you marry me, Elaine Joy?”

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“Um…yes! I suppose I...yes, yes I will!”

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Now that she’s properly moved in, Elaine takes a trip to the mirror and the dresser for a bit of a makeover. I don’t normally like dressing Sims in pink, but it’s Elaine’s favorite color, so I do what I can, while staying true to the sort of modest farmgirl vibe I get from her. (And which I love.)

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Elaine’s traits are Green Thumb, Natural Cook, Over-Emotional, Family-Oriented, and Good. A fantastic set of traits, really. Her lifetime wish is The Culinary Librarian, which should be easy enough to accomplish (and that is key). She is already several days into her young adult stage, though, which I didn’t expect. Time to get cracking!

As evening falls, Llewellyn warms up his new kitchen by cooking Elaine’s favorite, ratatouille.

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They have their first dinner together as a couple.

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Llewellyn and Elaine get married that very evening. Elaine called her father beforehand to invite him, but I guess he was a little upset about her moving out on him, because he “didn’t feel like coming over right now”. He misses a darn beautiful wedding!

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Congratulations, you two!

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The newlyweds head inside for their first woohoo in their beautiful yellow bedroom. (Yellow isn't a favorite color for either of them, but I just really wanted to have a goldenrod-themed master bedroom. I'm in charge, y'all.)

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The next morning, Llewellyn is required to attend graduation. Even though he didn’t go to school here in Riverview. Oh well. He goes, but changes out of his graduation robes so fast I don’t even get a screenshot. (Nor did he toss his diploma afterwards. Hmph.) He graduates with merit and is voted Most Likely to Have a Big Family. Well, you’re not wrong there!

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We are off to a lovely start here in Riverview. Next time, we’ll see some new faces in the household and hopefully get into the swing of everyday life. See ya then!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #28 on: October 01, 2018, 12:00:45 PM »
Chapter 24 – Getting Lucky

Llewellyn has some tracking down to do. He needs to find two more adults to live in the household with him—adults whose Lifetime Wishes are achievable within the income constraints of this generation. He has heard about some Sims around Riverview that might make the cut.

He makes a trip across town to see someone he’s heard stories about. Some guy who apparently has a bathtub in his front yard? That can’t be true. Llewellyn goes to the run-down shack out in the countryside to check it out.

Well…it’s true, all right.

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He meets the gentleman who lives in the shack. “Lucky Perkins,” the man says. “Welcome to my grand palace.”

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It’s already late by the time Llewellyn arrives, so he only has time to get acquainted with Lucky. And give him a proposition.

“You’ve got a nice place here,” Llewellyn says politely, “But I think a guy like you deserves better.”

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“Really? A criminal like me?” Lucky says.

“You didn't...mention that you're a criminal,” says Llewellyn. “We’ll have to discuss that. But, what would you say to living with my wife and I? We’ve got a nice house in town—it’s very spacious, with lots of…”

“How much would you say this house is worth?” cuts in Lucky.

“Er…I dunno exactly. A lot?”

"Would I be able to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"

"Uh...yes?"

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Lucky nods, and explains his dream of living in a household that’s worth a lot of money. “Sounds like your place is just the ticket!”

Llewellyn scratches his beard thoughtfully. “There are a couple of conditions, though. You can’t work as a criminal. You’ll have to get a part-time job instead. And you’ll have to help me raise my kids, when I have them.”

Lucky considers. He doesn’t seem to be completely satisfied, but he nods. “I’ll think about it, young man. In the meantime, this old man needs some shut-eye.”

He sends Llewellyn on his way.

The next day, Llewellyn shoots for a new target. He needs someone to work in the music career, on the classical track. There is one townie who will do perfectly, if he agrees to make the move.

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Yuri Ivanov is already dressed for work, and Llewellyn doesn’t have a lot of time to convince him to join the household. He manages to befriend Yuri, but nothing more. He just barely has time to bring up the idea of moving in.

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“I have kids, mate,” says Yuri. “But…your offer is still, somehow, very enticing. I almost feel as though I have no say in the matter. But I’ll let you know for certain tomorrow.”

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Poor Yuri. He’s getting sucked into a legacy household when he already has a family of his own. He’s so perfect for this generation’s requirements, though, that I just have to have him. Sorry, Yuri! At least his mother-in-law will be around for a while to help Nadine raise the kids. (Also, fun fact: Story Progression is already making things interesting. Norman Joy, Elaine’s father, has just started dating Rayna Kaminski, Yuri’s mother-in-law. All three families are now nicely intertwined.)

Once Yuri leaves for work, Llewellyn calls Lucky and meets him downtown. There, he finishes the work of befriending him, and officially asks him to move in. Lucky agrees.

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And travels to his new home on a rickety old bicycle. Because that's what you do, when you're Lucky Perkins.

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I picked Lucky because his lifetime wish is Living in the Lap of Luxury, and because he doesn’t have any familial attachments, and because he’s always intrigued me (who doesn’t want to play an old man in a top hat whose front yard features a bathtub?). When he joins the household, though, he doesn’t immediately fulfill his LTW, as I expected. I should have known—the simoleon requirement has gone up, I guess because the value of the household is already above 100,000 simoleons. In any case, we’ve got to add nearly 100 grand more to the household value before Lucky maxes his LTW. I really hope we can make that happen in time…

Here’s Lucky (in his pajamas, hence the lack of top hat). I didn’t change his appearance—just his outfits a little bit. He quits his job as a criminal and instead takes up a part time job at the mausoleum. His traits are Slob, Genius, Easily Impressed, Kleptomaniac, and Mooch. Not the greatest traits, but he’ll do. Maybe he can steal a few valuable items to get the family’s net worth up (though we won’t be able to sell them afterwards).

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Yuri comes over the next day and, after much convincing, agrees to move in. Phew! Getting these guys to join the household only took three days… (Also, look, the whole family is together in one shot!)

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Here’s Yuri. Again, I altered his outfits, but not his appearance. He’s a really good-looking guy…if this generation’s heir was a female, I’d have been sorely tempted to steal him from Nadine. His traits are Flirty, Loves the Outdoors, Technophobe, Kleptomaniac, and Frugal. His LTW is Swimming in Cash, which in this case (again) is higher than the starting amount of 50,000 simoleons. He needs to reach 250,000 simoleons instead. Fortunately, he’s already at level 3 of the music career! That will help a lot.

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So even with these relatively easy lifetime wishes, we have our work cut out for us. Yuri will stay in the music career; Lucky now works at the mausoleum; and Elaine will take over as the family collector, though there’s not much she can do right now in winter. I feel bad that she can’t have a more legitimate career—she has such great traits, and such great potential. But she’ll make a wonderful mom, for sure.

Speaking of which…with all four adults in place, it's baby-making time!

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Things begin to settle into a bit of a routine, at least for the winter when everyone is stuck indoors. The boys get to know each other over a game of chess in their pajamas.

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Elaine and Llewellyn bond over their shared love of Cookin’ Cable.

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Hey, now we have a great use for the fancy schmancy guitar that’s been sitting in the family inventory for years!

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I guess fireplaces come with risks…there’s a fire that afternoon! My first in this legacy, if you don’t count Lincoln’s meteor. (I’m still not over that.) First the butler becomes enflamed, along with one of our brand-new living room chairs. The butler runs off to extinguish herself.

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Then the fire spreads. Thankfully, Llewellyn is on top of it.

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Then Lucky lights up.

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Llewellyn saves the day once again, with some help from the butler, who has returned to the fray after putting herself out. I didn't notice the butler's thought bubble until now...

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All is well.

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Once the fire is under control, everybody heads to Norman Joy’s house for a Snowflake Day swimsuit party. (Why is it always a swimsuit party when it’s freezing outside??) Llewellyn rolls a wish to befriend his father-in-law, so that’s what he spends the evening doing. (I forgot to get a screenshot, though...)

Poor Lucky is having a very unlucky day. First he lights himself on fire, and then just hours later he freezes solid in the snow, and Elaine has to go over and thaw him out.

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I’m surprised SHE hasn’t frozen to death—she’s spent the whole party building snowmen in her swimsuit.

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Then Lucky goes in to take a bath to warm up. He's in there all of three seconds before Norman storms in and yells at him for acting inappropriately.

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Everyone is cold, hungry, and tired...I think it’s time to go home. But not before Elaine is overcome with a wave of nausea.

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Next time, we'll discover the cause of Elaine's sickness (what ever could it be?). And hopefully other exciting things. Toodles!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #29 on: October 02, 2018, 01:10:02 PM »
Chapter 25 – Long-Expected & Unexpected

Surprise, everyone! I have a surprise! Nobody knew this was coming!

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Yes, Elaine is pregnant. And she got one of the best pregnancy outfits I've ever seen. Look at that skirt and stocking combo! (I’m pretty sure that’s one of Roberta’s skirts from two generations ago.) She immediately rolls a wish to have a boy, but I can’t promise it for her in case she has a girl instead. I’m hoping for a girl, myself.

Friday is the first day when all three gentlemen go to work—and they all go around the same time. I didn’t plan this, but they all have evening shifts, which means Elaine has the house to herself for a few hours every night. Fortunately, her father provides her with a distraction—he’s throwing yet another party! Elaine takes the opportunity to go over and tell him about her pregnancy. He’s thrilled. He seems to have forgiven his daughter for leaving him so suddenly. I'm sure his engagement to Rayna Kaminski (Yuri's mother-in-law) is a very nice distraction.

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Elaine has a very relaxed pregnancy. She pretty much just rests, reads, and watches kids TV.

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Llewellyn is so excited to be a daddy.

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One night after the men all get home from work, this happens.

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Bye, Yuri! Have fun!

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Since moving in, Yuri and Lucky have both made attempts at flirting with the lady of the household. I guess it’s to be expected (at least with flirty Yuri…not sure what’s up with Lucky), but it’s preventing any of those three from having good relationships with each other. Thankfully Elaine rejects every advance. (One time, after Yuri flirts with her, she promptly commands him to feel her tummy. As if to say, “How dare you flirt with me. I am PREGNANT. With my HUSBAND’S child. Here, feel for yourself!”)

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Spring has sprung at last (this winter felt endless). Elaine finally has a chance to go out into the backyard and start a little garden. She’s been itching to garden ever since moving in.

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And then, one bright spring morning, Elaine goes into labor. The boys freak out for a few minutes, then wander off and do other things. (I captured the moment when Lucky was like, “You know what, I’ve got better things to do.”)

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Eventually Llewellyn shows up and freaks out, but then he has to leave for work, leaving Elaine pretty much alone.

I love the "Oh god, here it comes!" face. It makes me laugh every time.

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At last it's over, and Elaine gives birth to a beautiful baby boy named Ludwig...

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...and a beautiful baby girl named Peach!

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(Remember how I said I’m rolling random names off a list of hillbilly and Victorian names? Well, I finally got some good ones this time around. That is, bad ones. So bad they’re amazing.)

Ludwig’s traits are Brave and Athletic, and his favorites are Indie, Crepes, and Hot Pink. Peach’s traits are Loves the Outdoors and Artistic. Her favorites are Roots (naturally, with a name like that), Autumn Salad, and Yellow.

Elaine is a very attentive mother. She is always autonomously going into the nursery to snuggle her daughter and son, making sure they don’t get lonely. That's exactly what she's doing when Llewellyn comes home to see his babies.

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What a good father he’s going to be!

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Look at this adorable family. I'm obsessed.

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After his little journey to the stars, Yuri essentially balloons overnight. A day or two later, his belly is glowing green. He seems to have no fathoming of what could possibly be the cause. I guess I wouldn’t, either…or at least, I’d be in denial.

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I know it's uncomfortable, man. Just think of what Elaine had to go through, with twice the amount of baby inside her! But then again, at least she has the anatomy to accomodate it...

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Then one morning, whilst playing chess with Llewellyn, Yuri feels himself about to burst. (I love how Llewellyn does not notice or care. He just goes on playing chess.)

“Hey…hey Llewellyn? A little help here? I think I’m dying?”

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Yuri gives birth to an alien baby. He names him Boris. He is born with the traits Clumsy and Loves the Heat. And immediately, something must be done. The baby can’t stay here in this household—the rules of this generation don’t allow for it. The third child born to the household needs to be a Middlemiss, not an Alien-Ivanov. Yuri has to do something.

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So he sneaks out of the house before anyone has a clue what has happened (least of all Llewellyn, who was right there the whole time). He takes a taxi across town, to avoid calling any attention to himself. (Somehow the spaceship seems like a bad idea.)

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Yuri shows up at his own family’s door. Nadine, his wife, comes out, and she does NOT look pleased at what her husband has brought.

"Oh, hi, honey. Thanks for taking the time to visit. And what's this you've brought, you little punk?"

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Nadine musters up enough politeness to invite him inside, where, uh, Norman Joy and Rayna Kaminski (actually Rayna Joy...they just got married) are making out passionately in the living room. Get a room, guys!

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Yuri goes straight into the little nursery where his children, Tatiana and Dimitri, spent their baby days. He puts little Boris into the crib and turns to find Nadine standing behind him.

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"So. Care to explain?" says Nadine.

Yuri sheepishly explains his abduction, his fuzzy memories of what exactly happened up there, and the resulting pregnancy that caught him completely by surprise. Nadine listens. And, amazingly, she doesn’t seem too upset.

“It happens,” she says. “That is, stranger things have happened in this world. Did you hear about the meteor that killed a guy in Twinbrook a few decades ago? Apparently his family became friends with an alien after his death, and even let him move in with them. Crazy stuff. This isn’t that weird, all things considered.”

Even better, Nadine agrees to take in little Boris and care for him as her own. Yuri thanks her profusely and gives her a kiss before heading out to work.

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Next time, we’ll see our little munchkins age up to toddler! I can’t wait!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #30 on: October 07, 2018, 09:04:23 PM »
Chapter 26 – A Fruit, A Composer, & A Small Appendage

It’s the twins’ toddler birthday!

Ludwig goes first, taken to the cake by his ever-faithful mother. I swear, Elaine doesn't let anyone else get near her babies half the time.

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Here's toddler Ludwig. I don’t know where his hair color comes from. Even if he is still influenced by genetics from the Twinbrook generations (which I sort of doubt), I don’t believe anyone in the Middlemiss line had red hair. Perhaps Elaine’s mother was a redhead? Elaine’s hair does have a reddish tint to it, but it’s more strawberry blonde-ish in tone––not nearly as red as Ludwig’s. I do know where Ludwig’s lips come from, though. That tiny rosebud mouth is all Llewellyn.

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Next is Peach. Nobody else even has a chance to think of scooping her up––Elaine is all over it.

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What a sweetie! Peach’s hair is a shade or two darker than Llewellyn’s, but her eyes are much like his. And she has her mother’s mouth! Right now I think it’s very cute, but I might change my mind once she grows up…

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With a large part of her work for the legacy out of the way, Elaine heads out and starts collecting (her designated "career"). We need to get the household’s net worth up in order for Lucky to complete his lifetime wish. We’re quite close, but his stolen items aren’t quite adding up. Elaine goes out for some gems, with the aid of the Collection Helper.

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*sigh* Riverview is so pretty. And so are sparkly gems.

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Elaine finds some rare gems and metals on her first run. And with a few wedding gifts that arrive in the mail that night (or are finally retrieved after sitting there for a week), the household net worth passes the finish line. Hooray!

The completed LTW doesn’t register for Lucky, though. We’ve definitely cleared the required funds amount. His LTW seems to be bugged. Oh, well. For the sake of the challenge, I’m declaring that he finished it. Because he did. The game just isn’t registering it for some reason.

Lucky is always rolling wishes that have to do with Llewellyn’s spaceship. He once rolled a wish to abduct a sim; he proceeded to abduct the butler, and had a good laugh with her afterwards. This time, he wishes to invade a community lot. Time to singe some ghosts! (And half the town's living residents, some of whom come to the cemetery expressly to see what the hubbub is get bombarded by scary alien lights.)

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The twins learn their toddler skills with plenty of time to spare. Elaine does almost all the training herself, with a little help from Llewellyn with walking.

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Once the twins have learned to talk, they spend a lot of time at the blocks table, chatting away in their toddler language. It’s really freaking adorable. Their speech bubbles hint at their traits––Peach says something along the lines of “Paint!” over and over, while Ludwig eagerly repeats the word “Athletics!” (Not really. It's probably something like "Ball".)

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Elaine has her adult birthday in the midst of teaching the kiddos how to do things. (So does Yuri, but I didn’t get a screenshot of that.)

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In other news, Elaine is pregnant again! And Lucky actually scooched over to sit right behind her when she stood up…that is NOT OKAY, SIR.

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Here is a picture of Peach being adorable.

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What's that you're cuddling, Ludwig? A yeti?!

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Peach is definitely Lucky’s favorite. He autonomously scoops her up at least once a day, sometimes more often. I don’t think he’s ever given Ludwig more than a cursory glance.

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It’s okay. Ludwig is perfectly happy to eat his Imaginary Friend.

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Peach is Artistic, so her mama gets her started early with the art books. For some reason anytime anybody reads to one of the toddlers, they do it out in the backyard. Even when it’s raining. I have learned through this, though, that toddlers don’t seem to get the “Soaked” moodlet. So that’s nice, I guess.

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After an easy breezy toddlerdom, it’s time for the twins to become real, actual kiddos. Ludwig goes first.

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He’s looking more like his dad as he grows up. I was worried that he was going to be a pudding face, but he’s definitely got some Middlemiss features! (The cheeks and eyes, mainly.) Ludwig gains the Frugal trait, to be added to his Brave and Athletic traits.

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Peach goes next.

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She has the most interesting appearance of the two, in my opinion––Llewellyn’s eyes, with Elaine’s nose and mouth. She now has the Friendly trait in addition to Artistic and Loves the Outdoors.

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Peach gets started painting right away. Being artistic, it’s only natural. (It’s also only natural that she have a colorful artsy outfit.)

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Ludwig, meanwhile, gets a head start on cardio, because that is a thing that ten-year-olds do. (Note to self: Fix Ludwig’s athletic gear.)

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Later that day, Elaine goes into labor with child numero trois. Llewellyn, shouldn’t you know what to do in this situation by now? Oh, right, you freaked out for three seconds and then ran off to work last time. Never mind.

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Hooray! It’s another girl, named…Pinky. I swear I was going to delete that name off my list, but I guess I forgot to because HERE. IT. IS. It must be a hillbilly name. I can’t imagine anyone in the late nineteenth century naming their daughter Pinky. But hey, I’m not one to judge.

Pinky is born an Artistic Couch Potato.

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So yes, the two lady Middlemisses of Generation Five are named Peach and Pinky. Pinky and Peach. It’s like…I don’t even know. Two cutesy dogs, or cartoon characters, or something.

Next time, we'll see what mischief Peach and Ludwig get up to, and also find out of Pinky lives up to her name and magically gets pink hair. (Hey, it's in the family!) We'll also see if Lucky gets lucky and lives forever! (He's currently 92.)

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #31 on: October 10, 2018, 03:21:54 PM »
Chapter 27 – Out of Luck

Early in the morning on Leisure Day, Lucky and Ludwig (awww, alliteration!) play tag throughout the house and onto Llewellyn and Elaine’s private balcony, disregarding the fact that those two responsible adults are still sleeping. (Maybe Lucky is making up for the fact that he only ever interacted with Peach when the twins were toddlers.) By the afternoon, Lucky and Ludwig are best friends!

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Pinky is a very popular baby. She is CONSTANTLY being snuggled. Poor thing hardly ever catches a break. Good thing she’s not a Loner, ‘cause she’d be having a hard time.

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Llewellyn even brings her to Yvette Grisby’s pool party, which consists entirely of old people (except for Hal Breckenridge, and I think Laurel Grisby is inside somewhere).

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Yes, that is an excellent place to put your baby, Llewellyn. Very safe and cozy. You’re a great parent!

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Yuri is making good progress in the logic skill (which he needs for his career in classical music), so he sits down and shares his brilliance with Ludwig, who is only too eager to spend his Leisure Day learning about triangles. The kids will only get a few days in school, so they can certainly use the extra grade boost. (Side note: The boys' knight costumes are my favorite. I wish adults could wear them.)

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Elaine suddenly completes her Lifetime Wish of Culinary Librarian, long before I expect it. I forgot that you don’t actually have to know every single recipe in order to earn it. It’s really strange. Ah well. Hooray, that’s two out of four LTWs complete for this generation! Elaine shows her excitement in her usual manner.

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Pinky’s toddler birthday arrives.

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She’s her mother’s daughter, all right…

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Pinky doesn’t have any bad traits thus far (i.e. grumpy), but she’s still in a grumpy mood after aging up. I’ve never seen a toddler refuse to go potty before!

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Here she is all cleaned up. She’s the most Joy-ful of this generation, even more than Peach. Of course, she exhibits nothing of the emotion joy. Her default face is positively glowering. I sort of love it.

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Ludwig gets a -20 moodlet from the Evil Gnome that Llewellyn brought from the Twinbrook house. The gnome creeps up behind Ludwig’s bed (though, technically on the other side of the wall) and gives him a good scare. Poor Ludwig!

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Pinky seems…fascinated with books. Or maybe afraid of them. It’s hard to tell.

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Here we have a dramatic scene at City Hall: a lone protester of unicorns, looking on as Bob Newbie offers flowers to his imaginary lover.

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When Llewellyn (who was just inside City Hall sueing for slander) joins the protest, though, it really starts to heat up. I have a feeling that in another life, Llewellyn would have made a pretty good Leader of the Free World.

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Yuri helps teach Pinky to walk. Yuri has always been very good at walking, and he's eager to pass on his skills.

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Peach plays with her baby sister before school one day. How. Freaking. Cute. (I’ve never seen the “hug” interaction between kids and toddlers before. Sooo adorable.)

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Lucky Perkins finally passes away at the age of 96 while practing chess (his favorite pastime).

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Lucky is ready to go. He’s had a good, long life. Off he goes into the big beyond. Thanks for everything, Lucky! You were a top-notch cemetery worker, an excellent chess player, a superb guitar-practice-session-watcher, and a memorable friend and guardian to Ludwig, Peach, and Pinky. (Especially toddler Peach, and child Ludwig. For whatever reason.)

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The household is very sad to see their old friend go. And they’re also sad about…dinner? Did Lucky get reincarnated as a covered pot roast? Good gracious.

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That night, the family attends Peach’s ballet recital. She looks adorable in her tutu! (As a former dancer, seeing ballet in the Sims makes me giddy. Although I’m a little afraid to actually see EA’s attempts at animating ballet steps. So far, I can’t figure out how to make Peach show off her skills. Maybe she needs a few more ballet lessons?)

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Llewellyn has his adult birthday out by the trampoline, where all responsible adults spend their free time.

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Next time, we’ll have some birthdays, and come ever closer to choosing our Generation Five heir.


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #32 on: October 15, 2018, 06:20:29 PM »
Chapter 28 – Red Hair, Brown Hair, New Hair, Blue Hair

Before we get to the kiddos’ birthdays, I’d just like to point out what a foxy gentleman Llewellyn has become. (He wished for a makeover after his adult birthday, and I was only too happy to oblige.) Look at that beard. Mm-mm!

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Ludwig and Peach are about to become teenagers and I am super excited.

Ludwig, technically the oldest, goes first.

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Uh, Llewellyn? Did you shrink and dye your hair red and shave off your beard? Where’s Ludwig at??

Oh…

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But seriously! Ludwig is Llewellyn with red hair and no beard. He rolls the Dramatic trait, which should be interesting.

Here goes Peach.

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What a pretty lady! I love how she so closely resembles her mother, but her eyes are closer to Llewellyn’s. She acquires the Perfectionist trait.

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I’m not always very good at hiding my favorites when it comes to choosing an heir, and this time is probably no exception. I’ve selected Peach as my heir. Her traits will work very well with next generation’s requirements, and she’s just so darn pretty. Ludwig would’ve been a great option as well, but Peach has become my favorite. So Peach it is. (If we were still in the golden age of the forums, I might consider having readers vote on the heir…but alas, we are not.)

Now that she’s officially the heir, Peach calls up City Hall and registers for her designated career––a Painter.

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On Spooky Day, the whole family (minus Pinky, who stays home to nap under the supervision of the butler, and Yuri, who has gone to visit his family) attends a costume party at the Jones’ house. They look fabulous in their costumes (though I always hope for something a little crazier).

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Ludwig and this little lady come in the same costume. I try to get Ludwig to introduce himself to her, but instead, the two of them just stand like this for a while. What is it? Nerves? Dislike? Does one of you smell weird? This could have been a significant moment for you guys!

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Llewellyn stays in his clown costume for quite a while after the party ends. Here he is whipping up some dinner in his clown getup. If Llewellyn were to become a clown, I think I would actually NOT be creeped out by him. He’s just too amiable and happy-looking.

"Guess what we're having? CLOWNFISH SUSHI!"

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Yuri spends the night with his wife Nadine (he keeps rolling wishes to woohoo with her). I spend some time over at the Ivanov house, since everyone back home is in bed. Or so I thought. Once Yuri goes to bed at the Ivanovs, I pan back over to the Middlemiss house and find this.

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It’s 3 in the morning, and the entire family is up and trying to get to Pinky, who is crying over a dirty diaper. The entire family! I’ve never seen this before, especially not in the middle of the night when I distinctly, intentionally made sure everyone was in bed a few hours ago. I don’t know how they can hear Pinky crying from upstairs, but apparently they all can. It takes some effort to get everyone back to their rooms, and Ludwig even gets up AGAIN an hour or so later. Needless to say, he’s pretty tired the next day, and the adults in the house sleep until almost noon. Peach is the only one who manages to get enough beauty sleep in time for school.

The next evening, Llewellyn and Yuri both come home from work with big promotions. Llewellyn is now an Executive Chef (Level 8), and Yuri is a Conductor (level 9). I’m so proud of both of them!

“Hey, man. New threads?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Yeah.”

“Sick.”

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Pinky has her child birthday.

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Here she is! She is the only kid in this generation to inherit Elaine’s eyes and nose. (If her nose is big now, I’m afraid to think how big it’s going to be when she’s grown up…) She rolls the Frugal trait, just like her big brother.

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Ludwig starts working on his athletic skill. He’s not the heir, so I don’t need to focus on him too much, but I’d like him to have a good career when he becomes a young adult and moves out. Best be prepared for anything!

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Peach, meanwhile, continues to paint almost 24/7. (Most of the time, she does it without my bidding.) She reaches level 7 within a couple days of aging up. She creates consistently beautiful paintings, too––they are often these sort of abstract landscapes, with beautiful vivid colors. I'm saving a few of my favorites to hang around the house later on (and a couple are already up).

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There are two easels in the old nursery, and Pinky jumps up and takes over the other one by her own initiative. She spends a lot of her childhood painting next to her sister.

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These three siblings are closer than any other siblings I've played before, I think. The twins have been best friends since their toddler days (that block table works wonders), and the older kids seem to enjoy hanging out with their little sis, at least some of the time.

One night, Pinky asks her big brother for a bedtime story, but instead of getting into her own bed, she climbs in next to her big sister. Awww.

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That Sunday is Llewellyn and Elaine’s one-year wedding anniversary. To celebrate, they go out to a park downtown and have a picnic on the grass. (It’s an unusually balmy day for winter, which is very lucky in this case.)

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They share a meal, and then some kisses, while the paparazzi makes note of the latest celebrity kissing techniques. She's probably on assignment for Cosmo.

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These two have been together for a long while now. Elaine is almost an elder, believe it or not. And they're still as close as ever.

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Llewellyn has to run off to work soon after that, and that evening, it’s Peach and Ludwig’s prom!

Ludwig looks smashing in his hot pink tux.

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And Peach looks elegant as heck in her gold and black ensemble.

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The limo takes them all of three feet, since the school is directly across the street. It doesn't even turn around all the way––just hits a weird diagonal angle and lets the teens out.

Peach is voted Prom Queen almost immediately upon walking into the school. Atta girl! And moments later, Ludwig becomes Prom King!

Not a lot happens at this particular prom. Peach gets rejected for a dance (twice), but that’s about it. Neither twin gets a love interest. I was sort of hoping the game would bring these kids some partners on silver platters. Ah well.

More interesting things are happening at home. Yuri has just reached the top of the music career and is now a Hit Movie Composer.

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And Llewellyn is the victim of someone’s crime––I’m honestly not sure who set this one up. It could be any one of the three kids. They did a rather questionable job, though--they managed to dye the hair on his head, and his body hair...but not his beard. The effect is amazing and I laughed really hard.

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Poor Bluewellyn!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #33 on: October 19, 2018, 01:48:30 PM »
Chapter 29 – The Three Musketeenagers

Big accomplishments are happening in the Middlemiss house of late. We’re approaching the end of Generation Four, and it’s all very exciting!

With a batch of Falafel, Llewellyn maxes out his cooking skill.

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The household funds finally reach the point at which Yuri’s LTW is fulfilled. (We had to reach $259,000, and it took AGES to get there.) Now the only adult left to fulfill their LTW is Llewellyn, and he’ll do that as soon as he gets his next promotion at the bistro.

Yuri’s last romantic encounter with Nadine resulted in a fourth child for him. This is his daughter, Denise. Isn’t she adorable?

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Apparently I didn't get a screenshot of this, but Yuri also gets reacquainted with his alien son, Boris. Boris is a teenager now, and he’s grown up to be Mean-Spirited, which is unfortunate. He doesn’t respond to his father’s efforts very well. :(

Elaine has her elder birthday.

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I don’t generally like giving my elders canes (it slows them down so much), but Elaine insists, and I must comply.

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Pinky is already forming a solid identity and making progress on her life goals. She pops the Illustrious Author LTW a few times as a child, and I decide to lock it in since it fits with her traits so well. (She’s an Artistic, Frugal Couch Potato.) Pinky starts writing her first nonfiction book a couple days before she ages up. It’s called “Financial Guidelines for Kids.”

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Saturday is Pinky’s teenage birthday, and her big sister surprises her by throwing a big party. It’s been a while since we’ve had a party in the Middlemiss household, and I don’t know if we’ve ever really had one since moving to Riverview…so why not?

The morning before the party starts, Ludwig is having a mood swing and sets a booby trap right in front of his father. Llewellyn gets up from his key lime pie to scold him, then settles back down to finish. And what does Ludwig do? He goes right back to the same sink and re-sets the trap. He’s in for a second scolding…and he gets sent to time-out! I guess I’ve had only well-behaved teenagers in the past, because I’ve never seen someone get a time-out before.

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Yes, Ludwig, I feel VERY sorry for you! You poor thing!

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I do feel bad for him, actually. Ludwig has been struggling to find a girlfriend for the entirety of his teen years. None of the townie girls seem interested in him. They make excuses when he asks them out, or show up for five seconds and run off, or just straight up say that they’re not interested. And because of all the snow days we’ve had (curse you, Seasons!), Ludwig has hardly had a chance to see any of his school acquaintances, let alone find a romantic interest among them. Poor Ludwig. I hope young adulthood treats him more kindly.

Okay, Pinky’s birthday party turns out to be fairly boring. Or maybe I’m just not good at parties. Ludwig chats up a few girls, but none of them jump out as a favorite.

This is Lynne Newbie…

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…and I don’t remember who this is. The nose makes me think "Grisby", but I feel like it was some other town family. Ah well.

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Peach spends the evening making drinks. She is so over being a teenager.

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And what’s more, I completely forget to have Pinky blow out the candles on her cake until after the guests leave. Nobody comments because Peach has the Legendary Host reward, so everyone’s like “What a great party!” even though nothing actually happened and it was terrible.

Ah, well. Pinky can still have a family birthday party! (Dimitri Ivanov is nice enough to stick around for cake.)

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Pinky ages up with her mother’s original hairstyle, because she IS her mother. At least in appearance.

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With a better hairstyle and a touch of makeup, she’s really quite lovely. Her newest trait is Genius.

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Dimitri sticks around even past cake—he dances the night away in the party room until two or three in the morning. Maybe he misses living with his dad. Poor kid.

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Llewellyn comes home that night a Celebrated Five-Star Chef. Congrats, Llewellyn! (I love how he's like, "Please, it was nothing.")

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Here’s Llewellyn’s completed gem collection as well. And we're officially done with Generation Four! Hurrah!

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Yuri has his elder birthday, and as a reward for his long years of helping the Middlemisses, I decide to let him move back home. He’s reached the top of his career and achieved his LTW, and the MIddlemiss kids are all teens now. It’s high time he returns home to spend his remaining years with his wife and kids.

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This is the best picture I got from his birthday party.

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Yuri puts in the call and moves across town to join his family at last. Bye, Yuri! Thanks for everything!

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The twins’ teen years go by smoothly, without much incident. And now that Pinky is a teenager as well, the three of them get along beautifully.

These sisters are so cute together. I love their almost-matching favorite colors.

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Now that she's a Genius, Pinky willingly helps her brother raise his logic skill. It doesn't come as naturally to him.

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"Hold up. You can't move that pawn two spaces."

"But you just said I could, on my last turn!"

"No, you can move any of THESE pawns two spaces, because you haven't moved them at all yet. Once you've moved a pawn once, you can only move it one space after that."

"What?! That doesn't make any sense!"

On their last evening as teenagers, Ludwig and Peach continue to work on their skills. Ludwig will be moving out as soon as he ages up, so I want him to be ready to start a career on the right foot. He spends the evening clashing magnificently with the walls in the party room and doing jumping jacks like his life depends on it.

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Peach does one last painting in her adorable teen outfit that I will sorely miss.

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And Pinky writes her latest science fiction novel, The Alien Painter. (She’s an artistic genius, so scifi is a natural niche for her.)

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Next time, we’ll celebrate Peach and Ludwig’s young adult birthdays and transition to Generation Five!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #34 on: October 20, 2018, 05:47:00 PM »
Chapter 30 – Flight of the Peach

Peach and Ludwig wake up early on their shared birthday. Like, way early. Before everyone else.

Peach is like “I don’t care! Let’s blow our candles out anyway!”

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Ludwig goes first, being the oldest. I’m gonna miss those rosy pink pajamas.

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He ages up with a terrible hairstyle and MASSIVE muscles. Talk about a late bloomer!

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Then it’s Peach’s turn. She is so excited to not be a teenager anymore.

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Here’s Ludwig after a makeover. He rolls the Disciplined trait, to go with his Athletic, Brave, Dramatic, and Frugal traits. He also takes the Firefighter Super Hero LTW. I won’t be able to supervise him in the Firefighter career, but I’m confident he’ll have fun and do a great job on his own. And hopefully, Story Progression will bring a lovely lady into his life as well.

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And here’s Peach. She rolls the Over-Emotional trait. Her other traits are Artistic, Friendly, Loves the Outdoors, and Perfectionist.

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So yes, it’s now time to turn things over to Peach, our fifth generation heir (as I sit here eating some sliced peaches…). First, Ludwig goes to join the Firefighter career. (He sort of looks like he's pumping his arms in excitement in this photo. Such a cutie.)

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Then he comes home to say his goodbyes.

“Bye, sis. Call me if you, like, light yourself on fire while painting.”

“Yeah, not going to happen. I’ll call you anyway, though.”

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Here are the rolls for Generation Five:

Family Structure – Mixed Couple (regular couple, but children must be a mix of biological and adopted)
Number of Children – 2
Income – Artist / Firefighter
Generational Goal – Expansionist (build a major expansion onto the house)
Misc. Fun – Hidden Heritage (one parent of heir’s children must have a hidden trait)

Peach has had a secret dream for some time now. She wants to get out of Riverview for a while. She longs to travel. China in particular seems to call to her, for reasons she can’t explain. As soon as she becomes a young adult and is free to travel on her own, she books a flight to China.

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I know, my graphics are absolutely terrible. I do apologize for my laptop’s terribleness. I was hoping this would be a nice scenic shot. But nope. Can’t even get the grass to show up.

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Peach, being Friendly, immediately wishes to become friends with someone. She wanders up into the hills of Shang Simla to meet some of the locals.

She happens upon this gentleman’s house first. She walks right up and introduces herself to Bao Louie. (Hearts do fly up, but of course I don’t get the camera in place in time to catch them.)

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Bao invites Peach inside and they chat for a while. Peach is overjoyed to learn that he is Artistic, like her. His other qualities are admirable as well––he is Brave, Lucky, a Workaholic…and look at that musculature! Mm-mm.

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Within a few minutes of talking to him, Peach is infatuated. No wonder she felt “called” to come to China. Her soulmate is here!

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Bao is sweet enough to teach Peach one of China’s popular songs. He has a nice voice; hers is absolutely atrocious. Bao doesn’t seem to mind (or notice). In fact, he looks rather smitten himself.

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It’s fate.

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Peach doesn’t waste any time. “So you said yes to being my boyfriend...what about being my husband too? You can come with me to Riverview and never see your home country again, probably!"

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Thankfully, Bao is smitten enough to say yes. Maybe they'll come back for a vacation in retirement or something.

Since Bao is already an Adult, the new couple is eager to get back to Riverview and start a family. But it’s late at night now, and they’re both tired and hungry. So Peach whips up some dinner for them to share, and then stays the night.

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The next day, Peach brings her new fiance to Camp Orchid, overlooking a gorgeous waterfall on the edge of Shang Simla.

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There, they have a private wedding in the most beautiful location imaginable. (Or it would be, if my computer was capable of rendering any graphical detail.)

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Congratulations, Peach and Bao!

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They have their first woohoo in a tent, because why the heck not.

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As soon as their fun time in the tent is over, Peach books a flight home for herself and her husband.

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“Hello, I’d like to book a flight back to Riverview, please. No, not one seat––two.”

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #35 on: October 20, 2018, 06:04:45 PM »
Chapter 31 – The Firefighter & The Pink Party

So Peach and Bao are happily married…but there are some complications with Bao’s flight home. Specifically, he doesn’t get on the plane, and Peach arrives home in Riverview alone.

When she gets there, she is greeted by her father somehow trampolining in the middle of nowhere, sans trampoline. How he ended up way out here on the edge of town is beyond me.

“Welcome home, sweetie! Wheeeee! This ground is so…sproingy!”

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*THWUMP*

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"Ah, not so sproingy there, though!"

Perhaps there was an issue with Bao’s visa? Those do tend to take a while to process. Peach calls him long-distance to see if he can come the next day. He promises to be there at 9 am.

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But…he doesn’t show up.

Ah well, the unceasing current of life goes on, and the whole family is yanked down to the courthouse for Peach’s graduation. For a graduation gift (aside from that trip to China, that is), Peach receives a flashy yellow car that her parents are...a little too tall for, I guess?

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Peach graduates with Highest Honors and is voted Most Popular (which is appropriate, considering her LTW is Super Popular).

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At home, Peach calls Bao a second time and invites him to “visit”. While we're waiting, I begin this generation's Expansionist project and build a nice spacious art studio on the side of the house. No more painting in the nursery!

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And the next day…

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Peach is almost as relieved as I am. “What happened, babe?! Did you get lost at the airport? You were right behind me!”

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“Sorry, love. I may be Brave, but airports really scare me for some reason. Also, all the airport toilets were broken. I only just finished fixing them.”

“Oh.”

Peach officially asks Bao to move in, and he joins the household.

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Bao’s traits are Workaholic, Brave, Handy, Artistic, and Lucky, and his Lifetime Wish is, conveniently, to be a Firefighter Superhero––just like his brother-in-law, Ludwig! I couldn’t have picked a more perfect spouse if I tried. (Well, I did try, so...there you go.) I’d love to watch you rescue people from flames and rubble, Bao. Just try not to wear a shirt, okay?

After Bao runs down to the fire department to apply for a job, he comes up behind Peach mid-painting (I love this painting, by the way).

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This is Peach’s face after Bao flexes his biceps and uses the new “I’m a firefighter” flirty interaction.

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“Oh, Bao! I want to have your babies RIGHT NOW!”

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No surprises here.

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Bao settles into the household quickly and easily. He becomes the family handyman, raising his handy skill at record speed and unclogging all the toilets that Peach throws up into.

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Wait, what?

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Bao also has mastered martial arts, so I put him right to work breaking space rock blocks for a chance at a little extra cash. (The rules do allow it.)

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Bao’s favorite thing to do autonomously is paint beside his wife. It’s really adorable. He doesn’t have any painting skill to begin with, but his Artistic trait (and love for Peach, I’m sure) drives him into the new art studio / gallery room every spare moment he has.

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Peach discovers, while painting, that she has a nooboo on the way!

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There isn’t a whole lot going on in Pinky’s life these days. I realized after the last chapter that I can’t actually have her writing books, because we can only earn income this generation through Peach’s painter career and Bao’s Firefighter career. She’s allowed to paint (and keep the paintings in her inventory), or refine her writing skill without actually writing books. And she autonomously plays chess quite a bit. But what about, I don’t know, a boyfriend (or girlfriend)?

Solution: slumber party!

Pinky preps for the party by making a tray of drinks. She really doesn’t seem to know what she’s doing. Perhaps taste those before you serve them, dear.

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The teens arrive! Pinky doesn’t know a lot of teens, but she knows enough to throw an okay party. I like how all the girls are wearing pink. Almost as if they met up beforehand to discuss their outfits.

“Say, do you know this chick at all?”

“Not really. Her name is Pinky, though. She probably likes the color pink. Maybe we should dress accordingly?”

“Good idea.”

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It’s a pretty chill party––lots of hanging out, watching TV, reading, and doing homework, with only a little bit of dancing. (Sounds like my kind of party, honestly.)

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I try to follow Pinky’s lead when it comes to potential partners, and early on, she rolls a wish to talk to Bernardo Lin (son of Don Lothario and Roxie Lin). Then, she pops a wish to learn his star sign. Bingo! They find out that they’re compatible, and start flirting a little bit. Go Pinky!

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The party winds down fairly early, and the kids conk out in the art studio (which has tons of space). Pinky is in the orange sleeping bag. (I don’t know if she managed to communicate to her new friends that her favorite color is definitely not pink.)

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It turns out to be the adults that misbehave at this party. Every time I come back to the kitchen, there are more trays of drinks out. Look at this! Six trays!! You guys are ridiculous! What’s more, someone has managed to flood the kitchen without breaking any appliances. That’s impressive.

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Aaaand I’m out of screenshots. Sorry to end this chapter mid-party, but the fun part is over, I’m pretty sure. Next time, we’ll meet our nooboo!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #36 on: October 21, 2018, 03:18:43 PM »
Chapter 32 – Flames & Babes

The night after her slumber party ends, Pinky goes to prom dressed in her signature orange.

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I mentioned this during Ludwig and Peach’s prom, but didn’t get a screenshot of it. This is the entirety of the limo’s trip to the prom. The Middlemiss house is on the left in the foreground. The school is right smack across the street. The limo literally just turns around 90 degrees or so and lets Pinky out. I guess it’s all about the experience, not the practicality, right?

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Pinky has an okay time at prom, and is crowned Prom Queen. She also is challenged to a dance battle, and wins. But then she asks the most popular boy in school to dance, and he turns her down. I was really hoping she’d get a romantic interest out of this prom (coughbernardocough), but no such luck. And worse, when I check her relationship panel, I discover that Bernardo has acquired a girlfriend since the slumber party. I should’ve had her snap him up while she had the chance.

I get a notification that romance is sprouting for Ludwig––with a woman named Trina Belcher. If you watch a certain TV show, you’ll know why that made me laugh.

Elaine is getting on in years, so she’s started making herself useful by stocking the food replicator with perfect Fried Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwiches. Llewellyn will be helping with this too, once he learns the recipe for Baked Angel Food Cake.

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I absolutely love Peach’s face when she makes a mistake while painting.

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Bao has his first day of work at the fire station and starts getting to know his coworker, the famous Ludwig Middlemiss.

“Bao, is it? Welcome to the family. You can start by maintaining the fire engine. Not that there’s any point––it’ll still take you hours to get halfway across town to respond to a fire. Don’t worry about that, though. You’ll still get A grades by default, probably. Anyhoo, I’ll be sliding down the fire poles if you need me. Have fun!”

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I’m excited for these two to become good friends. Maybe even besties.

Bao is an obedient employee, being a newcomer. He spends all his time maintaining that stupid fire engine that never seems to reach a hundred percent no matter how hard he tries.

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And he gets to put out his first fire! Looking fierce, Bao.

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A couple days later he gets to respond to this spooky swamp fire out in the middle of nowhere. (This lot makes me feel like we’re back in Twinbrook.)

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After extinguishing the flames, Bao promptly breaks into song whilst the ashes of the blaze sputter and die at his feet.

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Then, he’s met with a new emergency: Carlotta Lobos going into labor.

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“What is this?! This wasn’t part of my training! I’m not qualified to deal with this! Help! Help!”

Since Carlotta’s husband runs inside and is no help whatsoever, it’s left to brave Bao to take her to the hospital. So he does, and she gives birth to a boy. Bao heads back to the fire station, unaware that his own wife will soon be following in Carlotta’s footsteps.

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Back home, Peach maxes out her painting skill…

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…about three seconds before going into labor.

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Peach gets herself to the hospital in style. Bao is still at work, and I decide to keep him there to avoid that awful “Missing Work” moodlet. (And because Peach is boss enough to handle herself, I think.)

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Say hello to Granville Middlemiss. Yes, Granville. Did I forget to mention previously that we hadn’t even gotten to the really ridiculous names yet? Well, we’re finally getting there. You could ask me what the heck sorta name Granville is; I couldn’t tell you. But it makes me laugh every time I see it.

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Bao comes home that night and meets his son. That’s a happy daddy if I’ve ever seen one.

"I'm so glad I didn't have to be there during your birth, son. Fires I can do. Births...not so much."

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Llewellyn looks awfully happy, too…wait, why are you cross-eyed?

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Nooooo!

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:( I’m not ready for Llewellyn to be old. He’s become one of my favorite sims in this legacy. As an elder, he looks somehow…sunken. Deflated. I guess it’s those adorable chubby cheeks gone wrinkly.

His favorite pastime now, funnily enough, is to brag to his own wife about their grandchildren. All one of them, that is. (I’m realizing, thanks to this picture, that I did not get Llewellyn’s hair color right. At all.)

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All too soon (and yet, not quickly enough), it’s time for Granville to age up and reveal his true self to us all. Elaine, the queen of birthdays, brings him to the cake.

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What a cutie! Granville seems to have inherited most of his mother’s features, but with his daddy’s hair color. I also suspect he may have his daddy’s nose, but it’s hard to tell for sure at this early stage.

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Granville––in spite of his frumpy grandpa name––is an Evil Genius. He likes Pop, Cookies, and Irish Green. And one day, he’s going to take over the world.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #37 on: October 22, 2018, 01:35:44 PM »
Chapter 33 – Doll's Heads

It’s Leisure Day! And while I am very much over celebrating every single holiday in the Sims (one generation of that was plenty), I decide to splurge a little and build this family a pool. I also expand Elaine’s garden, put in some playground items, and rearrange the trees a smidge.

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While the rest of the family enjoys a day by the pool, Elaine seems to prefer the dry thrill of the trampoline. Llewellyn is perfectly happy to dominate the diving board. (They are both mid-flip in this shot.)

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This was going to be a nice calm photo showing everyone having a nice time, but Peach chose that moment to slip and fall into the pool. Thanks, Peach.

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Everybody wants to give Granville a go on the spring rider, but of course daddy gets precedence.

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That evening, Pinky gets an unusual call––from a boy at school she’s never talked to before! His name is Julio Newbie, and he’s calling to ask her on a date.

Pinky goes to meet him. I think I bought this motorbike intending it to be Bao’s, but I shoved it in the underground garage and forgot about it. Pinky, I suppose, has decided that it’s hers. (And she hasn’t even learned to drive. Have I discovered a loophole?!) She’s going to make a legendary first impression on this boy. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go out with a girl riding a motorcycle in a bikini and flippers?

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Pinky and Julio get to know each other. He’s quite cute, and he looks a lot like Bernardo with that haircut. I believe he also wears the same everyday outfit as Bernardo (their thumbnails look almost identical in Pinky’s relationship panel). The two of them get along well, and when Pinky flirts with him, he eats it right up.

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Pinky has to go home once curfew hits, but the next day after school, Julio calls to ask her out again! This is unheard of in my experience. It’s almost like this Sim has an actual brain and actual hormones, instead of just game code determining his every move.

Julio meets Pinky at the police station, of all places. (“I just want to make sure you feel safe!”) Unfortunately, another townie boy beats him there and starts chatting up Pinky first. Pinky is a popular lady!

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This guy, Ken Broke, has a girlfriend already (another Broke, I believe…there are so many and they aren’t even closely related anymore), but he’s still attracted to Pinky, and he ends up hanging around for most of their date, listening to their flirty exchanges and nodding and smiling in approval. (Can you imagine if Pinky married into the Broke family? Pinky Broke. Like…my pinky broke.)

But anyway, eventually Ken wanders off, and Pinky and Julio are left alone to have their first kiss in peace (and make their relationship official).

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The next day is Pinky’s young adult birthday. She starts the day with one final painting in her sister’s art studio.

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In the evening, just before she’s due to age up, Julio calls and asks Pinky out for a third time––and then Ken calls her as soon as she hangs up! I have never had a teenage sim as popular as Pinky is. She turns both boys down, of course––she has some growing up to do.

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She really is a clone of her mother.

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Pinky ages up with the Ambitious trait. I have high hopes for this young lady. She’s going to take the world by storm.

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The next morning, Pinky graduates with merit and wins Most Likely to Fulfill Their Lifetime Wish. I’d agree with that! (Her LTW is Illustrious Author. She’s already halfway to mastering both skills.)

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And with that, it’s time for Pinky to head out on her own. I’m going to miss her, as will the whole family. She’s been a very active and interesting member of the Middlemiss family thus far. I’m excited to see where Story Progression takes her! (Hopefully into the arms of Julio Newbie, once he ages up.)

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After Pinky leaves, life goes on––and the focus is increasingly on Granville, our Generation Six heir. (Whoa, does that mean we're halfway?! I think we're halfway...)

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Granville (I still can't type that without cracking a smile) spends a lot of his time with the peg box. Grandpa Llewellyn helps him out.

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Grandma Elaine does a lot of the toddler skill training, since she’s family-oriented (and since she may not be with us for much longer).

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I don't know what it is about this house, but everybody always takes the toddlers outside to teach them to talk. At this moment it is about 45 degrees Fahrenheit and pouring rain. I'm beginning to question Elaine's mental faculties at this advanced age.

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When she’s not with Granville, Elaine is usually in her garden. We can’t sell her produce, so it’s pretty much all going in the fridge. We have enough limes for about fifteen more generations of Middlemisses to survive on Key Lime Pie.

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Bao is the playful parent, always preparing his son for life in the real world, where there are pink horsies to ride and giant claws to run from.

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He's also the serious one. He concentrates so hard on potty training Granville that he doesn’t even notice when he jams his forehead into a shelf. Ouch?

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Granville's pretty serious about potty training too, though.

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Granville’s favorite toy, by far, is the dollhouse. I guess I’m not surprised that an Evil toddler enjoys biting the heads off small artificial people.

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This I’ve never seen before, though. This is Granville attempting to UNSCREW the head of a doll. Somehow this comes across to me as more vicious and disturbing than innocent chewing (which you could put down to teething).

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This little boy is almost ready to age up. I can’t wait to see what real mischief he’s capable of.

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Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #38 on: October 29, 2018, 03:25:16 PM »
Chapter 34 – Ribbons & Chopsticks

Peach and Bao are due to have another child. This time, they decide to adopt.

The social worker barges in at top speed, dressed sort of like one of those explorers you see when visiting other countries.

“Greetings, friends! I’ve just been adventuring in the big wide world, and the most WONDERFUL treasure awaits your discovery––PARENTHOOD!”

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And he runs off, leaving the newest Middlemiss in a carrier by the stairs. Elaine, walking by with a bag of garbage, gets to do the honors of opening up the carrier and meeting her new grandchild (but not before dropping the bag of garbage in the middle of the floor).

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Meet Trixiebelle Middlemiss. She’s an Easily Impressed Loner, and she likes Latin music, cookies (just like her brother), and spice brown. And yes, I played with her appearance a little bit in CAS. The rules do allow CAS editing of pudding faces. Huzzah! It’ll be interesting to see how my tweaking turns out as she grows. I am bracing myself.

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Grandpa Llewellyn starts right off teaching her to talk. He doesn’t seem to notice (or care) that his pupil has no interest whatsoever in his instruction.

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I like how Trixiebelle’s hair ribbons stick up through the lid of the toy box.

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The next day is Granville’s birthday. Here's one last shot of him being cute and toddling around with his toy boat.

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Grandma Elaine beats everyone to the cake, as always.

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Granville is now an Evil Genius who also likes to party. Riverview residents better watch out. (Also, please admire his sparkly green Evil Genius outfit. I couldn’t resist.)

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Peach maxes her painting career in excellent time. She’s reached the tippy top of the painting skill in every sense, and she’s really bringing in the big bucks now. We’re financially set for a good long while.

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Ludwig hosts a party for Spooky Day, so naturally we have to send the family over. Or at least Peach, who was invited, along with our freshly minted Party Animal, Granville, whose first ever popped wish is to attend a party.

Granville gets to ride in his mama's sweet ride for the first time ever.

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Peach is happy to see her twin brother again. Since moving out, he’s gotten married to Trina Belcher (heh) and had a daughter. You look smashing as ever, Ludwig!

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This little nugget is Ludwig's daughter, Darla.

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Granville goes up to introduce himself to his uncle, only to find that his uncle is a three-star celebrity who is not impressed by his nephew’s credentials. One day, Granville. One day.

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This lovely lady looking longingly into some random gentleman’s eyes is, in fact, Ludwig’s wife Trina. (And the guy she’s making eyes with is one of Ludwig and Bao’s coworkers. Hmmm.)

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Aside from meeting some new family members, it’s not a very exciting party. Granville pretty much does this the whole time:

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Grandma Elaine takes good care of her new granddaughter, reading her toddler books on the edge of a giant pool in which a small child could easily drown. Why is everyone drawn to this exact spot on the property when there are so many other spots to enjoy?! (And what’s worse, there’s some routing issue with this side of the pool, and people are always getting stuck there until I reset them. The call of the void, I guess.)

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Bao continues his hobby of merging with the furniture and singing at inopportune times. (Though really, he has a nice voice, so I can't say I mind.)

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Granville pops a wish to get a chemistry lab station thingy, so I oblige and set one up in the party room for him (so he can dance and discover potions simultaneously). Doing those two things at once, it turns out, is actually rather dangerous.

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Bao has reached level 9 of the firefighter career. This career has been bugged for me in the past, and it is again this time around––for some of the house fires, Bao is required to save, say, 4 sims, but only 3 are in the house, so he fails the job by default. He does have a few successes, though, including this big house fire in which he gets to save his sister-in-law.

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“Pinky! I put all the fires out! You’re safe! You just have to go outside now!”

Pinky: *screams at refrigerator*

That night, death comes for Elaine.

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Elaine lived to be 98 years old. And even now, though she ought to have died a while ago, she is not ready to go. She loves her family too much to leave them behind.

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RIP, Elaine. You were the most dedicated mother, wife, and grandmother I think I’ve ever seen in this game. You were the queen of birthday cakes (she literally took every single one of her children and grandchildren to their cakes for every single toddler and child birthday…QUITE an accomplishment), a wonderful gardener and chef, a skilled collector, and an exemplary first spouse of Riverview. Enjoy the afterlife, sweet one.

To finish, here’s photographic proof that Granville has inherited his father’s hidden Asian Culture trait. Hooray!

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Next time, we'll see Granville age up to teen and start scouting out some spouses. Whoever Granville's future wife is, I hope she's preparing herself. (How does one prepare oneself to marry an Evil Genius, anyway? I guess we'll find out.)


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #39 on: November 02, 2018, 02:30:26 PM »
Chapter 35 – A Grim Mistake

Poor Llewellyn is heartbroken over Elaine’s death. How do I know? He actually starts showing his Grumpy trait, for the first time ever.

In the past, I always forgot that Llewellyn is grumpy because he was so good-natured and amiable all the time. He almost never did mean or grumpy interactions with his family members. That is…until now. He inherits Elaine’s inventory, which includes the cane she stopped using near the end of her life for some reason. One of Llewellyn’s first actions after seeing his wife die is to harass the world with his new cane. I thought it was funny, until I realized how sad it is.

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When he’s not wagging his cane around and grumbling, Llewellyn just screams in rage at the universe. Over and over again. It’s really quite depressing. I can only hope that time will heal the wound. It usually does.

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Luckily, there’s Trixiebelle’s birthday the next morning to cheer everyone up!

Grandpa Llewellyn takes over cake duty in memory of Elaine.

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Dancey dancey.

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Trixiebelle grows up to be very, uh, cuddly looking. I guess that’s what happens when you give your toddler a super round jaw in CAS. *shrug* At any rate, she’s adorable! And…she gets the Inappropriate trait. This should be interesting.

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The following day is Granville’s birthday. Peach throws him a little party, with the secondary goal of making some more friends for herself (she’s not even halfway to her Lifetime Wish of having twenty). Notice Trixiebelle laughing at her brother instead of cheering.

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Here’s our handsome lad after a brow and hairdo adjustment. He inherited more of Elaine’s features than I realized! He’s got the Joy nose, to be sure, even more than his mother does. Granville ages up with the Eco-Friendly trait. I love the idea of an Eco-Friendly Evil Genius. He must care a lot more about the earth than he does about his fellow humans.

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The next day, Peach has her adult birthday in front of her easel.

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Bao responds to an emergency at Elewellyn’s (the renamed Bistro) downtown. If you’ve never worked in food service, this is a pretty accurate representation of what it’s like most of the time. (Not the emergency…just the many cooks in uniform freaking out simultaneously.)

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Llewellyn, who’s worked here forever and of course owns the joint, nods ceremoniously to his son-in-law after it’s all over.

“Good to see you, son. How's life?"

“Oh, you know. Hot."

"On second thought, I don't want to know."

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It’s been a while since I’ve allowed the parents in my game to go on a vacation and leave the teens alone. This time, when the option comes up, I decide to go for it. Granville is a party animal; he wouldn’t blow this opportunity in real life. I’m a little nervous because last time I did this in a game, my teens got grounded afterwards and were stuck in eternal sneak mode. I really hope that doesn’t happen this time. I guess it wouldn’t be the end of the world. At any rate…off the adults go!

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Granville immediately calls up every teen he knows (there are actually quite a few) and invites them for a party that evening.

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In preparation for his big teen bash, Granville starts practicing mixology. He intends to throw the most epic teen party in the history of Riverview, and good drinks are a requirement. Better start catching those cans, Gran. You have ladies to impress!

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As for Trixiebelle? She’s content to hole up in her grandpa’s bedroom and play computer games all day. At least, that’s the plan so far. Who knows what she’ll do when the teens start arriving around dinnertime. I’m curious to see that Inappropriate trait in action, but Trixie is also a Loner, so it’ll be notable if she even comes downstairs during the party.

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The party starts promptly at five. Oh, did I mention that this is a swimsuit party? Of course it is. And of course, none of the girls actually wear bikinis. They all dress a little more modestly. The boys are slightly disappointed, perhaps, but the girls are here to have fun, not to parade around for the men. More power to them!

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We have several potential spouses here. This is Randi Newbie. She’s an Evil Genius, just like Granville. I shudder to think of the empire they could build together.

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She even looks a little bit evil. (Beautifully evil, that is.) I sort of love it.

Unfortunately, everybody at this party is already in a relationship. Story Progression matched everybody up and, of course, left Granville out. Also, while I have Gran go around and talk to the ladies, he isn’t immediately attracted to any of them, and none of them have compatible signs with him.

Waaait a second. On second glance, Gran DOES have the “Attractive Company” moodlet! He must have gotten it when he met one of the girls at school. But who is the lucky lady? It’s one of these three…Randi Newbie (right), Paula Simovitch (center), or Blanca Dean (left).

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The dancing eventually dies down and Gran leaves the room to meet his other lady guests (one is Good, and therefore won't like him, and the other is a Broke who inherited all the awful Broke and Grisby features…no, thank you). Randi sneaks over to the fireplace and appears to be playing with fire. This could get very interesting.

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Eventually, I get Gran alone with Randi, and there it is! The moodlet. Gran is attracted to Randi, and I had no idea.

As always, I like to give my Sims some say in their love lives, as much as possible. For most of this party, Gran doesn’t give me very much to go on. His only girl-related wish is to become friends with Randi. It’s a start, but nothing more. The two of them do become friends by the end of the night. Then, right as the party ends, Gran rolls the magic wish: to kiss Randi for the first time. Bingo!

This party goes on for EVER––until sometime after 9 the next morning! A couple of the guests leave around 1 am, but the rest linger and either pass out on the floor, take naps on various beds, or wander the house throughout the night. Granville himself conks out in the foyer––he has a “sleep on floor” action that I’ve never seen before––then gets up and goes to bed around 4. Man, it’s just like a real-life party, where everybody’s exhausted and hungover afterwards!

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At 6 am, more slow dancing is happening out in the backyard, and more guests pass out from exhaustion. There also appears to be a giant pile of garbage in the garden? That’s interesting. Granville gets up around 11 when he learns that the adults are coming home early and hurriedly cleans the kitchen.

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The adults return in Llewellyn’s spaceship. (And Bao has aged up to elder. :( I forgot that it was his birthday.) Llewellyn comes inside for the scolding, and Granville is grounded.

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Right after yelling at his grandson, Llewellyn heads out into the yard to find Trixiebelle.

“There’s my little angel. How was your weekend, perfect child?”

“As sweet and lovely as I am, Grandpapa.”

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So yes, Bao ages up to elder while away on vacation. I notice something weird when he gets back, though––his LTW has been reset. To complete it, he needs to save 30 sims from death in his career as a firefighter. He was at 10 previously; now it’s back to zero. Not a huge deal––just strange.

But not as strange as this.

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Bao is 73. He’s been an elder for less than a day. And he’s dying of old age?? Excuse me????

I’m baffled.

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Well, this is really sad. Poor Peach! She just became an adult and has already lost her husband. Bao leaves behind a teenage son and a younger daughter. What the heck?? I’ve never had this happen before. It’s almost like Lincoln’s untimely demise all the way back in Generation One, except at least in Lincoln’s case, there was a distinctive reason he died early. A meteor fell out of the sky and crushed him. You can’t really argue with that. But Bao…what, did he contract some incurable disease while lying on the beach in Hawaii or whatever? I don’t understand!

Anyway. That happened. And I’m never sending adults away on a vacation again. This bug is far worse than eternal sneak mode.

RIP, Bao. You were a wonderful addition to the household. A valiant firefighter. A saver of lives. A great father and husband. An opera-worthy bathtub singer. You will be greatly missed. :(

At least Grim has some presence of mind.

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“Oops! I do believe I have made a mistake!”

You’d better believe it, buddy.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #40 on: November 05, 2018, 12:37:21 PM »
Chapter 36 – Grandfathers and Gran Parties

Things are progressing rapidly between Granville and Randi. They came away from Gran’s secret teen bash as best friends, and the next day, Randi decides to come home with him after school.

As soon as they walk through the front door, Randi offers Gran a bouquet of flowers. (At this point she still has a boyfriend, mind you.) How bold! How very modern! (I've been watching too much Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.)

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Gran uses this opportunity to broach the subject of Randi’s boyfriend, Abdul. Turns out, Randi’s not actually that into him. She agrees to break up with him. (It probably helps that she’s evil.)

Gran then pops the question. The teen version of the question, that is.

“Hey, so, prom starts in an hour. Want to go with me?”

Randi says yes, but unfortunately has to run off home before the limo arrives to take them across the street (and before I can snap any more pictures). Gran sits in the limosine alone, looking fly but lonely.

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Granville has pretty much the best prom posible in The Sims 3. Randi asks him to go steady, and then the two of them share their first kiss. He’s also crowned Prom King, and he and Randi are considered the “dynamic duo” of the dance. I’m glad somebody’s finally having a good prom!

Gran and Randi (that makes “Grandi” an obvious ship name) have some good times together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Randi works in the graveyard at night (where else?), so she doesn’t have a lot of free time, but on her free afternoons she likes to come over and lose to Granville at chess. (Notice Llewellyn being grumpy outside the window. *sigh* )

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Bao has his first haunting. I don’t even hear the creepy ghost music initially––I just happen upon him calmly meditating right next to his grave. Ah, Bao, I miss you.

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A couple days later is Trixiebelle’s birthday. She ages up after taking a nap on the butler’s bed.

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Here’s teen Trixiebelle. She rolls the Brave trait to go with her Loner, Easily Impressed, and Inappropriate traits. She’s got an interesting personality, this girl, and I’m curious to see what wishes she rolls as she grows up. (One of her first as a teen is to skinny dip with her grandfather…but let’s not talk about that.)

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Poor Llewellyn is both depressed and bored since losing his wife. He only works about 12 hours a week now that he’s at the top of his career, so he has a lot of time to kill. I take this opportunity to see what Pinky is up to. One afternoon, Llewellyn goes over to visit his youngest daughter, who has been married for a while and has just given birth to a boy named Donnie. Llewellyn is only too happy to brag about his other grandchildren (“Yes, see, Granville here is the HEIR, so he’s VERY special”) while Julio, Pinky’s husband, takes care of baby Donnie. Hi, Pinky! Glad you’re doing well!

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Trixie struggles to find romance or friendship as a teen. The first friend that Trixie makes in school is Francine Broke (whom we met briefly at Gran’s party). The two of them seem to get along well––Francine’s insane trait combined with Trixie’s inappropriate trait means that they have a particular kind of weirdness together that I like. And with Trixie’s inappropriate trait…

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…boundaries can be crossed that couldn’t be otherwise. Francine rejects the kiss, of course––she has a boyfriend and has only just met Trixie anyway. Even though further research through MC confirms that Francine and Trixie both prefer females (which may or may not be a result of Trixie’s attempted kiss), Francine ages up that very evening and soon has a child with her boyfriend. I was hoping for a romance between Francine and Trixie, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.

Trixie rolls a wish to learn the Athletic skill soon after this. Some time on the treadmill trims her down nicely, though her weight fluctuates a bit through her teen years (mostly because I don’t always remember to have her work out). With that Brave trait, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trixie ends up in a career that requires Athletic skill. And it’s nice to see her taking good care of herself, too.

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A day or two later…the long-awaited departure.

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Llewellyn passes away at the age of 99 while asking his grandson about his day. Gran is so upset, he accidentally gets his hands stuck in his grandfather’s ghost abdomen.

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Llewellyn is ready and shakes hands peaceably with death. Honestly, I think he was ready to go as soon as Elaine died, but it wasn’t yet his time. Now he’s lived a good long life and deserves a restful afterlife.

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RIP, Llewellyn! You were the cheeriest grumpy sim I’ve ever known, the best cook, the most loving father and husband, and possessor of the cutest cheeks of all time. You were also the last Imaginary Friend this legacy will see, after two generations before you. You were the bridge between Twinbrook and Riverview, the link between the sundered halves of the Middlemiss legacy. You were one of my absolute favorite Sims to play. I shall miss you. Come back to haunt us, okay?

(Side note: Up until Llewellyn was about 90, I was dreading his death. He’s become one of my favorite sims ever, for reasons I can't entirely explain. I was reading back through old chapters of this legacy recently, and I actually teared up when I got to Llewellyn as a toddler. He was just so darn cute, from start to finish! Anyway, it was defintely his time to go, so it's more sweet than bitter now. But we may be seeing Llewellyn again one day, in some way or another. I don’t think I could bear this being the last we ever see of him.)

Another ghost appears mere seconds after Llewellyn takes the dive into his urn––Bao! He shows up just in time to comfort his wife over yet another bereavement. What a sweetheart.

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And now our household has shrunk to the smallest it’s been in…well, ever? Possibly? Since Generation One? I’m not entirely sure. But this big house feels pretty empty with only three people in it.

So what’s the solution? A massive party! Gran’s young adult birthday party, to be exact.

Gran starts preparing by mixing some party drinks and cooking up some tofu dogs. He’s getting rather good at both mixology and cooking (not to mention logic).

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I’ve been doing some renovations to the house, yet again. Honestly, I’m getting quite restless in this house…but since moving isn’t really an option at this moment in time (maybe next generation), I go for some renovations instead. Gran’s party room has already undergone a couple of makeovers. I think I’m finally happy with this one (I combined it with the old nursery to create more space).

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We get to see some familiar faces at the party, as always. Ludwig is still rocking that pink tux and that horrific ponytail.

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Pinky has somehow acquired an upright bass (and has also aged up with an ugly ponytail). She delights everyone with some very enthusiastic bass playing.

"Yay! I don't know what I'm doing! Yay!!"

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Even Llewellyn comes back for the party! Well, for the trampoline, that is. He spends the whole night out there, doing backflips with the paparazzi lady.

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A nice crowd gathers for the cake. There’s Randi on the far left; and Trixiebelle laughing at her brother as usual; and the girl in the lime green hoodie is cousin Darla, Ludwig’s daughter, who’s grown up to be very pretty (and has inherited Elaine’s hair color!).

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Here we go…

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Once he he ages up, Gran doesn’t go straight for the mirror. He looks around the room and notices that Randi has disappeared. She must have slipped out amid the clamoring for cake. He finds her out by the trampoline, under the stars, scratching her neck and looking impatient.

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“Took you long enough,” she says.

“I came as fast as I could!” says Gran. “Jeez, you’re a tough woman to please.”

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“And that’s the way it should be. Say, do you have a unibrow? Gross.”

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“Uh, thanks. At least I HAVE eyebrows. Did you draw yours on with a micro pen?”

“Ignoring that…were you going to ask me something, or what?”

Granville does ask Randi to move in. She says yes.

Randi jabs him in the ribs before they head inside. “Are you sure that’s everything you wanted to talk about, Unibrow?”

“Yup.”

Here is Granville, our sixth generation heir, after a haircut and some magic mustache-growing tonic. His final traits are Evil, Genius, Party Animal, Eco-Friendly, and Childish. His LTW is to become a World-Renowned Surgeon.

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And here is Randi. She’s going for a 1920s vaudevillain vibe. Her traits are Evil, Genius, Excitable, Loser, and Savvy Sculptor. That last trait is going to be utterly useless, but that’s okay. At least she has an option for a hobby. Her LTW is to become an Empress of Evil, which I would LOVE to indulge for her…if only this generation’s rolls allowed it.

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Speaking of which, here are our Generation Six rolls:

Family Structure – Mixed Couple (regular couple, but children must be a mix of biological and adopted)
No. of Children – 4
Income – Medical / Private Investigator
Generational Goal – Hobby, or Obession? (pick a non-money-making hobby for your heir based on their traits/personality)
Misc. Fun – Identity Crisis (your heir must have a trait that conflicts with their career roll)

So! Gran and Randi, once they get around to marrying each other, will have four children, a mix of biological and adopted. (It’ll be interesting to try and come up with a motivation for two Evil sims to adopt.) Gran will work in the Medical career (in contrast with his Evil trait, which fulfills the Identity Crisis roll). Randi will be a Private Investigator. And Gran’s hobby? Throwing parties. What else? And mixology, as a part of that.

It’s going to be a wild ride. Stay tuned for the official start of Generation Six!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #41 on: November 08, 2018, 01:34:24 PM »
Chapter 37 – Villain & Villainess

Before we commence with Generation Evil Genius, a couple of game and house updates.

First, I’ve uninstalled Seasons. My game was getting extremely laggy, and I think a lot of it was due to weather. The easiest thing was to just uninstall it. I’m also running out of space on my laptop again, and getting rid of an EP will help alleviate that. So far, I only miss two things: the fall colors, and Llewellyn’s spaceship. (It’s okay. I replaced it with two more flashy sports cars.)

Secondly, I’ve done some more house renovations! I basically just swapped the living room with the kitchen and dining area. We use the kitchen much more anyway, so now it’s much more spacious and not hiding behind that big staircase. Hurrah! I also updated the walls and floors in the foyer and the upstairs hallway. However, I did not realize until I basically finished writing this post that I failed to get screenshots of the updates. Those will come next chapter.

Righto! Back to the story.

Randi settles into the house with ease. Gran doesn’t wait long to bring up the all-important question that comes with young adulthood in a legacy. His proposal is nothing fancy or fluttery, though. He just comes downstairs, where Randi is practicing chess, and asks his lady for a quick word.

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As soon as Randi defeats her invisible opponent and stands up, nerves get the better of Gran, and he promptly thrusts his whole arm through Randi's back and gets stuck there. Gran, if you’re trying to feel up your girlfriend, at least be forthright about it!

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At least he realizes how strange this action was, and seems to regret it.

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Anyway. Gran gets down on one knee in his pajama pants.

“Randi…I know I’m a soulless scoundrel, but YOU are, amazingly, even worse than I. I’ve never known anyone so cruel, nor so beautiful, as you. I would die of misery were I to live this dastardly life alone without you as my queen, my co-conspirator. What do you say we unite our powers and destroy the world together?”

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“Ooh, do I get to wear this expensive diamond on my finger for the rest of my life? Okay, then. Yes.”

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These two would probably wait a while, realistically, and procrastinate on the inevitable sappiness involved in a wedding…but they’ve got four kids to pop out and two careers to start on. I say we get cracking.

But first, Gran insists on throwing a bachelor party. While Gran is busy concocting beverages and making the perfect party playlist, Randi goes out and gets herself a job as a Private Investigator. I think she’ll make a great one. (Better than Glen in the Honeyheart dynasty, at least. Thank goodness she has no chance of magic jelly bean death.)

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She also gets in some stakeout practice. I love the notification that pops up during her first stakeout.

“A bird in the bush is worth two bushes in the hand…wait what?”

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Gran’s guests start arriving around 1 in the afternoon. Gran’s “Dress to Impress” outfit comes with a pretty snazzy hat.

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It’s a hopping party, such as it is. Trixiebelle surprises everyone by jumping into the fray and making some drinks. She stays there for much of the evening, even with that “Crowded” moodlet. (You can also see her dancing up a storm in some of the later screenshots. She may be a bit of a party girl at heart after all.)

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The party dancers show up…and perform in the upstairs bedroom, where Randi (who WAS on a stakeout, but snuck home when I wasn’t looking) is primping, or something. Why they decided to perform there, I have no idea.

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Gran’s best-friend-as-of-this-evening, Stephan Rhoades, spends much of the night dousing Gran’s enemy (and Randi’s ex), Abdul McDermott, with fizzy nectar. What a good friend!

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Stephan is also the one to make a toast for the party guests.

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“Attention, everyone, attention. Now, Gran and I have only been friends for about…ten minutes, but I have to say, I am already convinced that he and Randi are destined to be together. How do I know? How do I know that Gran was meant to win the heart of Randi Newbie? Because she doesn’t have one, and neither does he! These two are going to build a great and terrifying empire together, and we’d all do well to surrender now while we have the chance. All hail Emperor Granville and his dark queen!”

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Everyone: “ALL HAIL EMPEROR GRANVILLE AND HIS DARK QUEEN!”

Stephan: *sprays fizzy nectar*

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It’s an awesome party. There are awesome party makeouts!

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And awesome party fights!

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And awesome party bubble blowing, complete with awesome party hiccups!

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This is Granville’s second party that lasts until the wee hours of the morning. Maybe it’s his Party Animal trait? In any case, even an all-nighter doesn’t keep Randi from rising early and scaring her soon-to-be-mother-in-law half to death.

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It also doesn’t stop these two from throwing their wedding that very day, less than 24 hours after the bachelor party began. That makes three party days in a row for Gran, something I may never allow to happen again. Parties are exhausting, even in games!

I’m convinced Randi is faking the dopey face in this photo.

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Congrats, you two! I mean…all hail Emperor Granville and Dark Queen Randi.

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Randi enjoys the feeling of power that comes with wielding a knife, so she volunteers to cut the cake.

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And Granville…dances on the countertop. (I installed a few counters in the party room after the bachelor party. Granville knows exactly why I put them there.)

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And at the end of it all, our newlyweds still have enough energy to enjoy their first woohoo (and hopefully bring in the next generation.)

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Whew! That’s enough parties for me for a while. Next time, we’ll say hey to Generation Seven (hopefully) and watch Gran wreak havoc on the medical community become a very knowledgeable and responsible doctor.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #42 on: November 12, 2018, 02:09:11 PM »
Chapter 38 – An Empire Is Born

First off, the promised house updates! Here are the new kitchen, living, and dining areas (again, I essentially swapped the kitchen and the living room):

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And the slightly updated painting-baby-fitness room:

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The morning after the wedding, Granville goes out and applies for a job at the hospital. How he lands one as an Evil sim can only be explained by the fact that he’s also a Genius. Or maybe he played up that Childish trait and expressed interest in pediatrics? (Either way…concerning.)

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Randi discovers that she’s pregnant, but doesn’t seem to care very much. Not surprising. And while Granville immediately rolls a wish to have a boy, Randi just rolls a wish to steal candy from her own baby.

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These two do seem somewhat excited to be parents, if only because they’ll have a real, live minion to groom.

“Isn’t it amazing, Randi? We can shape our child to be a brilliant psychopath like ourselves!”

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Randi has a pretty easy pregnancy. She keeps herself busy with investigator cases and a full day at the spa.

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She even conducts a pregnant stakeout, something I’ve always wanted to try (for the outfit’s sake). Actually, the dress she spins into seems like better camouflage than the trenchcoat she had before.

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She likes to make weird fishy faces while stakeout-ing.

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Trixiebelle goes to prom on one of her last days as a teenager. Her hard work in the athletic skill has really done her good! For some reason she doesn’t change into her formal wear for the dance, but I guess that’s her choice.

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Meanwhile, Randi stalks around the house with her big belly doing this. Have you ever seen anything so terrifying as a pregnant Randi Middlemiss? I don’t know if I have.

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Trixie has a fairly typical prom––she gets in a fight, checks out other people’s outfits, and loves the decorations. Then I get a weird notification: “Trixiebelle is definitely impressing Trixiebelle with the chicken dance. Trixiebelle started to do it too! This duo is definitely hitting it off.”

Uh. Okay? Right after that, Trixie wins prom queen. Hooray! And that’s about it for prom drama. I was hoping Trixie would get a romantic interest out of it, but no such luck. I guess she'll have to make do with herself for now...?  :o

Randi goes into labor that night in the middle of a game of Darwin’s Revenge.

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Granville, who was out at the bistro for a mixology opportunity, takes his time meeting his wife at the hospital––he just sits outside the restaurant in his pink scrubs and plays with his toy yeti for a while first. (I wonder if that’s the same toy yeti that Ludwig played with as a toddler?)

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Eventually, he finds his way to the hospital.

“What do you mean, I have to ‘be there for my wife’? She can handle squeezing out a human just fine without my help!”

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A little while later, Randi delivers a baby girl named Bambi. (I only just realized that Bambi rhymes with Randi. Which sort of rhymes with Gran. Granrandambi. Bamandagran. Grandibam. Bamangrandandi.)

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Llewellyn’s ghost visits that night, and at one point I find him drifting underground somewhere between the garage and the swimming pool. Spooky.

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Gran and Randi approach parenthood with a noticeable about of apprehension, but they put in a good effort. Randi looks a bit befuddled whenever she holds her daughter, but also a little bit enchanted. I think she’ll be a good mother, with some practice. (She's going to get lots of it.)

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Gran, meanwhile, prefers to sit by and play dolls while his daughter screams. He’ll get there one day.

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Randi continues to work hard as a Private Investigator. She completes at least one case a day, sometimes two or three (depending on how busy I am with the rest of the family). I’ve given her an updated work outfit, though I couldn’t figure out how to change her hairstyle. Ah well.

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A couple nights later is Trixiebelle’s young adult birthday. The sparkles hit her mid-workout.

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Trixiebelle has grown up into a beautiful young lady! Her final set of traits: Easily Impressed, Loner, Inappropriate, Brave, and Athletic. Her LTW is to Become an Astronaut.

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Bright and early the next morning, Bambi ages up to toddler.

Trixie: “Haha! Babies can’t blow out candles! This is stupid!”
Peach: *sigh*

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Eventually the family gathers to cheer Bambi on.

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Here’s Bambi. She’s quite a nice combination of her parents––she looks more like Granville from the front, but more like Randi from the side. This little lady is Excitable and Insane (how could she not be, with two Evil parents), and she likes Chinese music, Falafel, and the color Lilac.

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After cake, it’s time for Trixiebelle to move out on her own. I do regret that we didn’t find Trixie a partner while she was a teenager––I’m sure Story Progression will hook her up with somebody, but I can’t be sure that it’ll be someone who’s good for her. Trixie deserves to be happy. I’m excited to see where life takes her.

Trixie bids her family goodbye and walks out into the big wide world. She looks pretty excited.

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See you around, Trixie! Good luck!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #43 on: November 18, 2018, 03:09:12 PM »
Chapter 39 – Welcome, My Pupil

Peach completes her Lifetime Wish a day before her elder birthday. The tiniest party ever at Lynne Newbie’s house allows her to make her twentieth friend and become Super Popular.

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A day later, Peach ages up to elder during a solo game of Sim Gnubb.

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I think she's still lovely as an elder (though she doesn't look too pleased herself).

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Randi and Granville are pretty cute together. They’re both very busy with work and skilling, but thankfully they can help each other out to some extent. One thing they like to do is hang out in their upstairs lair (a.k.a. bedroom), where Randi hacks into various computers for her clients while Gran discovers potions. (And gets singed a lot. For an Evil Genius, he’s surprisingly inept at potentially evil scientitific pursuits.)

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And Bambi? Bambi is doing very well.

She is a practiced pouter.

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And an avid reader.

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And a hard worker.

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And an eager twister of doll heads. (Maybe she inherited a LITTLE of her parents’ evilness. But just a little.)

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With two Evil parents, Bambi doesn’t get quite as much love and attention as she might have otherwise. Or she wouldn’t, if it weren't for Grandma Peach.

It’s Peach who teaches Bambi to talk…

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…and Peach who prepares Bambi for the future, in which she will undoubtedly be Scared by her parents every five minutes.

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Bambi’s parents aren’t totally aloof, though. At least, Granville isn’t. He volunteers to teach Bambi to walk, and autonomously cares for her now and again. (I don’t think I got a single screenshot of Randi with her daughter as a toddler.)

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I have to give Randi a bit of a free pass, though. Midway through Bambi’s toddlerhood, she becomes occupied with something else.

Randi must adopt another child. It’s a requirement of this generation. If it weren’t a requirement, I’m confident that Randi would never find it in her heart to open her home to a needy child. (You may recall that she doesn’t HAVE a heart.) However, this is a Random Legacy, and Randi is subject to the randomness just like everyone else.

So Randi does what she must do. She hacks into her own criminal record (she was a criminal for a day before joining the household, after all) and wipes it clean with the touch of a practiced investigator. She tidies up her financial records, too, while she’s at it. She ups her credit score a tad and embellishes her employment history––a nonprofit internship here, some daycare experience there. She does the same for Granville’s records. Then she calls a social worker, who arrives that evening with a new Middlemiss in tow.

The social worker gets out of the car to say farewell. “Don’t worry, kiddo. I did a full background check on your new parents and they are some of the most wonderful people you’ll ever meet. You’re going to be well cared for. Be good in there!”

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The little girl waves goodbye and dodges the gnomes in the front yard to reach the door of her new home.

Randi hears the front door slam and turns from the fridge where she was about to fix herself some late-night sushi. She watches as a young girl with pale blonde hair enters the room. She wonders what the actual heck she was thinking when she agreed to this.

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The girl walks right up to Randi, a big smile on her face, and sticks out her arms for a hug. “Hi, Mom! I’m Leola!”

Randi pastes a tense smile on her face and lets her new daughter hug her. “Uh…hi.”

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Then, straightening up again, Randi realizes something. This is an opportunity. An opportunity to mold a young girl––a complete stranger––into a true daughter of Dark Queen Randi. Who knows where this kid came from? Who knows what she could become? She could be anything! ANYTHING! She could very well be Evil just like Randi and Gran!

“Welcome, my pupil.”

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So, here is Leola. I edited her a little bit in CAS, but not too much––she was very pretty from the start. Leola is not Evil. (That would’ve been hilarious, though.) Instead, she is a Neat, Ambitious Vehicle Enthusiast, and she likes Egyptian music, Sushi, and the color Lilac (just like Bambi). Basically, she’s on her way to becoming the opposite of what Randi was hoping for––a nice, responsible person who can befriend inanimate objects. We’ll just have to see who Leola decides she wants to become as she grows up.

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Leola seems very sweet from the start, but perhaps a bit confused. The first thing she does after arriving at her new home is ask the paparazzi lady for a bedtime story. The paparazzi lady is nice enough to agree, but of course she can’t get through the door. So Leola goes for the next available adult––her dead grandfather, Bao.

“Hello, mister. I’m new here, and you look nice. Could you please read me a story?”

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Sweet old Bao says of course he will, and heads into the house to find a book.

“Whoa. People can float through walls here? This is awesome!”

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Leola’s persistence with getting a bedtime story turns out to be problematic. The “Listen to bedtime story” action is bugged in my game––it keeps canceling, no matter how many times Leola asks or who she goes to. She returns to Bao three more times that night to ask for a story, but each time Bao goes to the bookshelf, he takes down a book and then drops the action from his queue. This troubling pattern afflicts Leola throughout her childhood; she rarely gets enough sleep because she stays up half the night asking everyone for a bedtime story over and over again. The poor dear!

Speaking of bugs, here’s a fun one. The next day is Sunday, and since there’s no school, I send Leola to the playground to get to know a neighborhood girl who lives down the street. While the girls are chatting, this family shows up––including this toddler, who appears to be an amputee and who travels by gliding effortlessly across the surface of the ground. (I wish I could post a video, because it was amazing.)

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Then he starts leaping around in midair in the general vicinity of some guy's waist, waving his (newly sprouted) arms and squealing with joy.

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Eventually, I figure out that there is another Sim involved here. An adult Sim is holding the toddler, but they’ve caught the invisibility bug that is slowly taking over the town. Any interactions with an invisible Sim are apparently very screwed up. I guess toddlers carried by invisible Sims don’t have limbs until they are “tossed in the air” or set on the ground. Then they’re fine. There are always new things to learn in The Sims 3!

It’s been a little while since Gran’s thrown a party. It’s the workweek right now, and as a doctor Gran’s hours are pretty intensive, but he can at least work on his mixology skill until the weekend arrives. He invites Randi to help him practice.

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“Hey babe, wanna taste my first-ever Stomach Churner?”

“Do I ever!”

Peach, however, has all the time in the world to party. Since she’s friends with half of Riverview, she’s always getting invited to parties. Ludwig is kind enough to host one at his house that he recently moved into with his new wife, Hayley. (His first wife, Trina Belcher [still laughing over that], passed away a couple weeks ago.) Pinky is there, too! It’s nice to see the siblings together again.

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Ludwig and Pinky are also freaking adorable at this party and go out into the garden to dance together. I don’t usually miss siblings once they move out, but I do miss these two.

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And lastly, before we go…Peach has a secret. She’s discovered a way in which to dominate her Evil daughter-in-law. These two women actually get along surprisingly well––Randi only sneaks up and scares Peach once a day or so, and their friendly interactions are enough to nullify the effects of that. Even so, Peach likes to know that she could take Randi down in a second if she needed to.

How, you ask?

With the power of sports.

“Catch this one, Randi! Hi-YAH!”

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“No, please, I––“

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*SMACK*

And Randi gets pummeled in the face with the ball. Every time. Hey, at least they’re good friends this way!

That’s all for now. Next time we’ll watch both Middlemisses girls adventure through their childhoods. And we'll definitely have to make time for another party. It’s been too long!


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #44 on: November 19, 2018, 12:48:55 PM »
Chapter 40 – Joyride

Granville is doing very well in his career. At just over halfway through his young adult years, he is already halfway through his medical career in terms of promotions. He may slack off when he’s home (his favorite activity is playing with the dollhouse…), but when he’s at work, he pushes hard, and his work is paying off.

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I always get a little concerned, though, when he gets the “Fiendishly delighted” moodlet while at the hospital. The popup note says he gets it “From watching Sim suffer”. That’s just really not okay.

Randi is also making steady progress as a Private Investigator, but I’ve uncovered a weakness of hers. In one of her cases, she has the option to befriend, bribe, or beat up a sim for information. Can you guess which one is most suited to an Evil sim? Is there any room for doubt? Of course she’s going to go for the brawl!

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This is Hayley, Ludwig’s new wife. And yes, that is Ludwig, providing some soothing background music as his wife and niece have a bit of an altercation in the front yard.

And if you coudn’t tell in the previous screenshot…Randi LOSES! I’m sure her Loser trait is partly why (or maybe the only reason why), but there is also the fact that Randi has zero athletic skill. I think this woman is going to have to hit the gym.

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I send her there the next afternoon, and who does she run into but her sister-in-law, Trixiebelle! These two haven’t interacted much before, and I’m kicking myself for not making it happen sooner. Randi and Trixie are utterly bored with each other––they’re completely unfazed by each other’s Evil and Inappropriate traits! And thus, they are destined to be best friends. Within a couple hours, that’s exactly what they become. It’s fate.

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Back at home, it’s time for Bambi’s birthday! Peach does the honors. I think these two look somewhat alike in this photo.

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Here’s the birthday girl. Bambi becomes a Bookworm, to go with her Excitable and Insane traits.

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For a short while, Bambi and Leola are the same age, and they both have a rollicking good time, whether together or apart.

Leola’s favorite activity is playing outside. None of the kids in past generations have shown much interest in the springy horse toy or the playground, but Leola hardly does anything else.

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She seems to have given up on her quest for a bedtime story, though. When she finally succeeds in getting one from Grandma Peach, she just looks bored.

“Why did I put so much effort into this...?”

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One afternoon, both girls pop wishes to go for a joyride. It only makes sense that they do it together.

I love watching these two joyriding side by side, because Vehicle Enthusiast Leola always looks like she’s having the time of her life, while Bambi looks absolutely terrified.

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Leola: “Wheee! I can’t wait to do this in real life!”

“Leola! I think…I think I’m stalling! What’s happening?! Why can’t I––“

“You released the clutch too fast, Bambi! You have to release it SLOWLY as you change gears. Oh, and you probably didn’t give it enough gas.”

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“Wait, you're saying our couch is a stick shift?!”

“Duh.”

Bambi seems a little traumatized by her first driving experience. She keeps her helmet and goggles on for the rest of the afternoon, even as she writes on the computer. Hey, writing IS a dangerous activity.

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Leola has her teen birthday. I was totally planning to throw her a birthday party (remember how I promised to throw a party last time…?), but I forgot. So she ages up outside next to her beloved purple springy horse toy thing.

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Leola acquires the Eco-Friendly trait, which seems somehow incompatible with her Vehicle Enthusiast trait. She applies some cruelty-free makeup and cuts her hair. She also becomes possibly the skinniest teen Sim I’ve ever seen. Yikes. I think you need to start using MORE of the earth’s resources, honey, not less.

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With their two oldest children growing up so fast, Gran and Randi decide it’s time to add to the family. Their methods of seduction always cause me to raise an eyebrow, though.

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“YAHH!”

“Aggghh! Why am I so aroused all of a sudden?!”

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“Oh, you devil! Scaring me half to death––I can't get enough of you! Come here!”

At least it works.

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Randi is slowly adjusting to motherhood––that is, she’s slowly putting some more effort in. One night I find her tucking Bambi into bed with a bedtime story. She seems to have lost the book she was holding, but she can still tell a good story, evidently. Bambi loves a good story, even if the bad guys win in the end (she IS insane).

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I feel very lucky to have captured this rare moment of tenderness.

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Hopefully that tenderness continues, because we may have another minion on the way soon!

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Gran, blissfully ignorant of the approaching addition to the household, merrily sings his way through breakfast most mornings. His singing seems to cause a glitch with the frying pan––or maybe he’s purposefully waving the pan around as a part of his pancake serenade. Who knows? In any case, his pancakes are always great quality.

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Let’s end this chapter with one of the funniest (and scariest) glitches I’ve seen yet. Well, mostly scary. This isn’t something you want to see when you look out your window, is it?

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Granville’s fancy sports car gets crushed by the school bus just as Bambi is arriving home from school (or possibly departing school––you may remember, the school is directly across the street). And I make the mistake of pausing the game to look inside the wreckage.

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*shudder*

Good to see you’re okay, Granville...  :o


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #45 on: November 24, 2018, 01:01:13 PM »
Chapter 41 – Feed the Yak

Granville finally gets around to throwing another party. He decides to try a new location and hosts it at the Watering Hole Juice Bar in town. With a couple of minor renovations, it makes for a pretty good party joint. People mostly just hang out in the courtyard, though, which is the least exciting part. I guess it’s where the food is––Gran cooks up a few group servings of hot dogs for the event.

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Bambi spends the party ruling over the interior kingdom of the juice bar. She is never once challenged, because who would dare challenge Queen Bambi, daughter of Emperor Granville and Dark Queen Randi?

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While the guests are chowing down on hot dogs and dancing to Gran’s favorite pop music, Randi discovers that she’s pregnant again! (You may notice there are two other pregnant women in this picture.)

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Although the guests leave before it gets too late, the party goes on until the wee hours with just the Middlemisses remaining. Although Randi looks like she’s about had it with the festiveness.

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“Jeez, Mom, do you really have to do that? You’re practically ninety, and it’s one in the morning!”

“You Evil child, you’re just moody ‘cause you’re pregnant! Come on, dance with me!”

Leola goes to prom in a gorgeous purple dress and matching shoes. Her classmates crown her Prom Queen, and she even gets a romantic interest––a newly-moved-in townie named Aaron Pena. I immediately get the feeling that this isn’t a lasting romance, however. For one thing, Leola has always seemed more interested in girls––she rolls wishes to befriend girls, hang out with girls, give gifts to girls…and after prom, Leola rolls zero wishes relating to Aaron. It’s like she never thinks about him again. So we’ll see what happens.

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Randi never seems quite comfortable whenever she’s pregnant. I just get the sense that she doesn’t like it. She sits on the couch a lot, watches some TV, walks around with her big belly looking uneasy…I dunno. Most sims I’ve had seem more relaxed and happy when they’re pregnant. Randi just doesn’t seem to know what to do with herself.

Ironically, her husband doesn’t seem to know either. He’s a level 8 doctor by this point, and he is absolutely clueless when it comes to his wife’s pregnancy.

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“Babe, are you sure this is the best thing for me right now? Shouldn’t I be, like, resting or something?”

“Oh no, I’m sure I read somewhere that vigorous dancing helps with the ripening.”

“The ripening?”

“To use the technical term, yes.”

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Randi does try to stay busy with her work, though. In fact, she goes into labor while hacking into a computer database at the library.

She gets herself home, trusting that Granville will be as knowledgeable about the actual birth as he was about the gestation period.

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“Gran, help me!”

“Randi! Randi! Help ME! Help ME!!!”

You know how these two are geniuses? Yeah…no. They’re really not.

In any case, Randi and Gran get themselves to the hospital, and…it’s twins! Say hello to Hildegarde and Buffy.

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Now, I’ve been waiting to roll the name Hildegarde for quite some time. Ever since I made my name lists at the beginning of the legacy. Back then, I showed my boyfriend the name lists, and when he saw the name Hildegarde, he belted out, “Hildegarde! Fetch the water! And feed the yak!”

So, yeah. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.

Gran and Randi bring the babies home and find themselves in the midst of a rocking party. Oh, right, Gran had just made the call to throw one when Randi went into labor…so the girls get quite a welcome.

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Leola reveals her true romantic hopes at this party. She starts flirting with her good friend from childhood, Regan Rhoades. (I’ve been hoping to get them together myself––Regan is just so gorgeous.) Unfortunately, even though she’s just broken up with her boyfriend, Regan is uninterested in Leola’s advances. She turns Leola down flat. Poor Leola!

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Oh, that’s right! This isn’t just any party. It’s Bambi’s teen birthday party!

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Bambi grows into a beautiful teenager and decides that she Loves the Outdoors. (Her other traits are Insane, Excitable, and Bookworm.)

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This is the first thing Bambi does as a teen. She throws on her swimsuit and ridiculous sunglasses and takes a seat in the front hall, where she stares into space for pretty much the rest of the party. I think I love this girl already.

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With this rather belated round of motherhood, Randi finally seems to be figuring things out a little bit. She’s much more attentive to her little girls than she ever was to Leola or Bambi (although Leola didn’t need as much mothering, since she arrived as a child). I’m still in the habit of keeping Peach around the twins so they don’t get too lonely or hungry, but Randi has actually beat Peach to the punch a few times. Good job, Randi. I’m glad you’re finally applying yourself.

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The next day is Saturday. Leola and Bambi are both sent on a mission of romance. Leola is romantically frustrated since hooking up with a boring pudding-face at prom, and since getting turned down by the girl she was actually interested in. And Bambi needs to start looking for a spouse, in case I choose her as the heir. (I’m waiting to see what the twins look like upon aging up before deciding. I’m crossing my fingers that one of them will inherit Randi’s hair color!)

So the two older Middlemiss girls head across town to the big drafty Jones house, where two teenagers await their acquaintance.

Bambi starts getting to know Kim Jones, a handsome lad who likes to wear Ludwig’s hot pink tux even when it isn’t prom night. He’s cute, though slightly pudding-face-ish, and he has pretty good traits. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much attraction or compatibility between these two, and he’s already dating a girl from school.

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Leola has expressed interest in befriending Ramona Jones, Kim’s sister, so she spends some time talking to her. They aren’t instantly attracted to each other, but they do have compatible signs, and when Leola starts flirting with Ramona, Ramona responds with enthusiasm. Yay!

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There is one other strong possibility for Bambi, though. She has been best friends with a particular boy since grade school, and he still occupies the number one spot in her relationship panel. I don’t know if they’ve interacted yet as teens. I think it’s time we tracked him down.

Bambi invites Jarrod Lin out for a nighttime date at the gazebo. For some reason, Bambi feels the need to bring baby Hildegarde along. Way to make your intentions obvious, honey.

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Aww, Jarrod is so happy to see her! These two have been close since an afternoon game of tag in grade school. Unfortunately, Jarrod has to leave the date about four seconds after it starts, so they don’t get to say anything other than “hi”. We’ll have to check in with Jarrod again next time.

Meanwhile, Gran is having his adult birthday at a party across town.

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And Randi ages up at the top of the stairs.

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Randi goes back to her old hairstyle briefly (it does look good on her) and…cries after aging up?

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It’s probably because of her midlife crisis. And also possibly because of another wish that Randi rolled earlier that same day––to have another child. Sorry, Randi––as endearing as your attempt at Goodness may be, you’re only allowed four children this generation. No more babies for you!

Next time, we’ll find out who will carry the torch of the Middlemiss Random Legacy for Generation Seven. Can't wait!


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #46 on: November 24, 2018, 02:04:42 PM »
Chapter 42 – The Middlemiss Bachelorettes

Let’s begin this thrilling chapter with the twins’ toddler birthday. Peach does the honors in her swimsuit, as usual (she hardly does anything except play in the sprinklers these days). Since both girls look exactly the same at this point in their lives, I won’t bombard you with identical cake photos.

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Hildegarde goes first. She is Friendly and Artistic, and she likes Roots music, Ratatouille, and Lilac (three out of four Generation Seven girls have Lilac as their favorite color!).

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Buffy, the Granville clone, goes next. She is a Couch Potato who Loves the Outdoors, and her favorite things are Chinese music, Tri-Tip Steak, and Irish Green. (As you may notice, I’m not dressing the girls in their favorite colors. I’ve had too much purple and green over the last couple generations. So I pick the colors this time.)

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And now, it’s time to choose the heir. My decision, once the twins were born, was going to be based on hair color. I absolutely love Randi’s hair, and if one of her children inherited it, I probably would have gone with that sim as the heir. But alas, NONE of them inherited it. As such, I’ve decided to go with Bambi as the heir. She’s almost ready to take things over as it is, and I’d rather go ahead and start the next generation than wait eons for the twins to grow up. Plus, I kind of adore Bambi, and I'm excited to see her adventures as heir.

Once again, all my pictures of toddler training include Grandma Peach. This woman is so dedicated to her family. She’s a lot more like her mother, Elaine, than I ever realized. She’s keeping this family of Evil Geniuses from falling apart, really. Thank goodness for Peach!

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Now that Bambi is officially the heir, the pressure on her increases significantly. All of a sudden, homework is more important, as are skills, relationships, and things like adequate sleep (which is always elusive, somehow).

Luckily, she has her big sister Leola to help her out.

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“Leola, can you help me with this math problem? I don’t get how the length of the hypoteneuse relates to the––“

Leola: *SNORE*

Okay, homework is hard and boring. Let’s do something more fun. A spouse-hunting sleepover, maybe?

Bambi invites over all the teenagers she knows for a hoppin’ pajama party. Right away she starts getting to know the candidates.

This is Alfonso Rhoades. He’s taken at the moment (at least half the boys are), but he’s one of the better looking (and least pudding-y) of the bunch. Bambi pops a few wishes relating to him during the party, so we’ll keep him as an option.

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This little lady is not in the running for spouse, but isn’t she one of the cutest Sims you’ve ever seen?! Her grandparents (if you can’t tell) are Trigger Broke + Laurel Grisby on one side, and Dimitri Ivanov + Anita Lobos on the other. Look at how her ears stick out through her hair! Eeee! (That’s Kim Broke behind her. Apparently her face isn’t the only thing that’s cute.)

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Ah yes, Jarrod Lin is here too. He and Bambi shout hello to each other across the room.

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“JARROD, HI! HOW ARE YOU?”

“I AM LOVELY! NICE PARTY YOU’VE GOT GOING HERE!”

“THANK YOU! PERSONALLY I WOULD RATHER BE WEARING MY SWIMSUIT OR MY FORMALWEAR, BUT IT SEEMS I HAVE NO CHOICE IN THE MATTER!”

“OH...OKAY!”

You know, part of me doesn’t even want to bother with these other options. Bambi and Jarrod have been best friends since they were kids. Bambi gets excited in anticipation of seeing him every time they meet up, and she’s always wanting to go over to his house after school. And look at the way Jarrod looks at her!

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Bambi decides to start moving things along by asking Jarrod to be best friends forever. He agrees––and then he drops the bomb.

“Guess what, Bambi? I have a girlfriend!”

“Wait…what?”

“Yeah, we just got together yesterday! She’s at this party. I could introduce you!”

“Wait, she’s here? Who is it?!"

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No way.

It’s HER?

Yep. Jarrod Lin is indeed dating Erin Ivanov, the cutiest cutie at this very cute party. How convenient. As if anyone would want to break up with those ears!

Turned off by this new information, Bambi starts popping wishes to get to know Alfonso better. She heads out to the backyard where Alfonso and her sister Leola are dancing the night away.

“Hey. You. Tell me about yourself.”

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Turns out, Alfonso isn’t very interesting. He’s an Absent-Minded, Neurotic, Easily Impressed Light Sleeper.

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“So, Alfonso, what do you like to do?”

“I like to stare into space and freak out about things.”

“Oh.”

“I know! Impressive, right?”

Unimpressed (heh) with Alfonso, Bambi goes back to find Jarrod. She finds him doing his homework in the garden under the sprinklers. Now is that adorable, or is that adorable?

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“Look, Jarrod. I like you. I always have. I think we kind of belong together. And remember that one time I was being attacked by invisible flying vines, and you rescued me? That was amazing! So like, you should probably break up with Erin, since she’s not your soulmate like I am.”

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Surprisingly, Jarrod seems okay with this. But when Bambi immediately starts flirting with him, he is not happy.

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“Jeez, at least give me some time to get over her! What are you, crazy?”

“Yes?”

Erin, overhearing this troubling conversation, bails on the party early, taking her adorable ears with her. Sorry, Erin :( I wish you true love and adorable, big-eared babies.

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Well! That didn’t go quite as intended, but at least Jarrod is single now. Let’s check in with Leola, shall we?

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Oooh, la la. This girl is staying plenty busy. She’s found someone new to flirt with––the brother of Ramona, pink tux boy! I’m really having a hard time figuring out what Leola wants for herself. Maybe she’s a wanderer at heart. For now, I’ll let her have fun. She’s got some time left as a teen to explore.

Shortly after, it’s time for bed. Most of the teens place their sleeping bags precariously around the edge of the pool (watched over by a hungry Peach), while Bambi herself takes the nursery/painting room.

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Ahh, a peaceful room with bright lights and crying toddlers. Yes, this will go well.

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My favorite part of sleepovers in the Sims is in the morning, when all the teens pop up out of their sleeping bags, stretch, and yawn, all at the exact same time. It's freaking adorable, and it makes me laugh every time.

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Mornin’, sleepin’ beauties! It’s a school day, so everyone runs off to catch the bus before any more spouse-hunting can happen.

The spouse-hunting is coming to a close, though. After school, Bambi decides to try things again with Jarrod. She invites him over for a heart-to-heart.

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“Jarrod, I’m sorry I put so much pressure on you yesterday. I just want you to know that I really care about you, and I can’t see myself with anyone else in this town. I don’t believe anyone else could protect me from the invisible flying vines that haunt my daily life. But if you’re not ready, you don’t have to commit to anything. I just wanted you to know.”

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“Oh, Bambi, I’ve always cared about you too––invisible flying vines and all.”

“Wait, how do YOU know about the vines?”

“Shut up and kiss me, Bam-Bam.”

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So Bambi and Jarrod go steady. And it feels so right!

Randi, however, who has just gotten used to the idea of raising more babies, is not at all prepared for this new menace of a boyfriend.

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“Wait, Bambi picked this kid? A Good Genius? Are you kidding me?!”

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #47 on: November 25, 2018, 12:49:16 PM »
Chapter 43 – With Fish As My Witness

Things are a little chaotic around here these days. With two toddlers, there’s always somebody who needs to be fed or changed or attacked with the claw. Thankfully, they tend to go in shifts. When Hildegarde screams for attention, Buffy is gracious enough to bow out and take a nap. Thanks for that, girls.

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Randi is briefly the victim of the strange naked bug that affected Ida Honeyheart in my short dynasty recently. I think she must have been showering or something, because her hair is different too. In any case, Randi strolls into the nursery one afternoon with a flower in her hair and no clothes to speak of, then scoops up Buffy to give her a snuggle.

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Neither of them look comfortable with this arrangement.

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“Mommy, I don’t think you’re supposed to be naked…”

“I know, baby, I know…”

Things get sorted out soon enough. Randi really is becoming a sweet mother, though she often has this look of uncertainty on her face when handling her daughters.

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“I guess…this isn’t so bad? Maybe?”

As always, it’s Grandma Peach that does the bulk of the parenting. The girls absolutely adore her, and she them.

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“Yay, Grandma! Grandma wears clothes!”

“Hardly, darling.”

Leola is almost as attentive as her grandmother. She loves to play with her little sisters.

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These little girls are already becoming good friends, thanks to the blocks table. I never tire of watching toddlers interact on this thing.

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Buffy: “Yeah, eat it! Eat it! Eat it!”

They’ve gotten so close, in fact, that sometimes it’s hard to tell where one twin ends and the other begins.

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Buffy: “Piggyback! Piggyback! Yaayyyy piggyback!”

Hildegarde: “I want to get off! I want to get off!”

And Bambi? Bambi has lots of work to do before she takes over as heir. She’s got some challenges to look forward to in her generation. Not only does she need to prep for her career, she needs to learn some householdy sorts of skills as well.

Cooking is always a useful skill, and will be especially important next generation.

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Bambi also starts to learn gardening. When she harvests her first onions and lettuce at the community garden, faithful Jarrod is sweet enough to sit by and watch. (I do wish he would autonomously help, though…)

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It’s been a while since Elaine’s garden was regularly cared for. Bambi steps in and starts getting it back to normal, although there are only a few plants remaining all these years later.

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And when she’s not doing those things, Bambi is writing, writing, writing.

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The rest of the family is doing very well. Leola and Ramona are going steady.

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Granville is now a Neurosurgeon (level 9 of the medical career). I’m a bit concerned about his uniform, though. Don’t they provide you with shoes, Gran?

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When not caring for the twins, Peach still goes to lots of parties. At one of them, before she even arrives, I spot something scandalous through the window––Jarrod Lin flirting with another girl!

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Peach swoops in before the conversation can get very far. She shoos the townie girl away and gives Jarrod a talking-to.

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“I saw that, young man. Now, as your girlfriend’s grandmother, I feel it is my duty to tell you that Bambi’s parents may be Evil, and may not care much about things like morals, but I assure you that I care VERY much what kind of man my granddaughter chooses for herself. And if I ever catch you flirting with anyone other than Bambi, I will personally make your funeral arrangements. Capiche?”

Speaking of parties, it’s time for Leola’s young adult birthday!

The usual crowd comes over to hang out, including the Three Musketeers. Pinky pulls out her bass again and puts on a lovely show for her older siblings. (Sorry that this screenshot is so badly framed, by the way. I just love seeing these three together.)

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Leola blows so hard on her birthday candles that the cake AND table go skidding away from her.

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The party ends with a bang. Before she even runs to the mirror to fix her appearance, Leola pulls her girlfriend Ramona to the center of the room and gets down on one knee.

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Ramona says yes, of course, and joins the household for a night.

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Ramona’s traits are Good, Genius, Absent-Minded, Loser, and Over-Emotional. Can you guess what her favorite color is? It’s Lilac. Just like every other female in this generation except for Buffy. Ramona wants to be a Forensic Specialist: Dynamic DNA Profiler. Also, a note on Ramona’s ancestry––she is a direct descendent of four of my favorite Riverview townies: Jebidiah Wilson, Constance Shelley, Hannah Jones, and Aiden Jones. No wonder she’s so beautiful!

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And here’s Leola, with an updated outfit and a touch of makeup. Her final trait is Great Kisser, to be added to her Neat, Ambitious, Vehicle Enthusiast, and Eco-Friendly traits. Her LTW is to become Leader of the Free World and enact new legislation calling for environmentally-friendly cars all across the Sim world.

Leola and Ramona have a whirlwind wedding just before dawn the next morning. It’s just the two of them down by the river, with some leaping fish as witnesses. (Leola has been spending some time by the river lately, working on a secret mission.)

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Congrats, lovelies!

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With that settled, Leola makes the call to move to a place of her own with her new wife. Bye, Leola! I’ve loved having you around the house. Best of luck in your endeavors! (She joins the political career right away, so I think she’ll do just fine. Also, the game randomly places her in Jon Lessen’s old mansion. I guess that’s what happens when you get Kicked Out of a filthy rich legacy family.)

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That’s all for now! Big things happening next time. Stay tuned!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #48 on: November 25, 2018, 08:37:01 PM »
Chapter 44 – Dances, Clones, & Two-and-a-Half Heads

We are approaching the end of Generation Six, and Gran and Randi have both made great achievements recently.

Granville is promoted to World-Renowned Surgeon, maxing out his career and completing his Lifetime Wish. Congrats, Gran!

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Randi is close behind, finally becoming a Private Eye whilst playing chess alone at home. (Her last few cases have been bugged, so she’s been staying in and raising her logic skill for the most part.) I know she doesn’t look thrilled, but she is. I think.

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Or maybe she just knows that her reward outfit is less rewarding than anticipated. Honestly, I was expecting something a little more…inconspicuous? Sleek? Hardcore?

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Anyway.

Bambi is doing well with her skilling, though it’s hard for her to make a huge amount of progress in any one skill when she has to juggle so many. She spends a lot of time reading skill books––as a Bookworm, she’s faster at that than she would be, say, making dozens of Autumn Salads.

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Before long, it’s time for the twins to age up!

Buffy goes first, even though she’s the youngest.

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Buffy rolls the Grumpy trait, which is not ideal, but certainly better than Evil. She really is a clone of her dad.

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Hildegarde goes next, but Granville doesn’t want me to see her age up for some reason. He plants himself in front of the camera at the last second (with a pre-haircut Buffy right behind him). Thanks, Gran.

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Hildegarde gets some adorable pigtails and picks up the Kleptomaniac trait. (The game rolls that trait for her, because apparently I forgot to have her finish learning to walk as a toddler).

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The girls get busy right away. The next morning, before it’s even light out, Buffy and Hildegarde play tag in the front yard.

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I’ve never seen a kid autonomously start baking before, but Hildegarde does it. She is all about feeding that yak. :D

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She also walks right up to the easel in the nursery and starts her first, enormous painting. She has some pretty big shoes to fill (or she will, once Peach is gone).

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Buffy spends her first morning before school playing catch with her 97-year-old grandma. How cute are these two? This becomes their favorite activity for the remainder of Buffy’s childhood.

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Yes, Peach is 97, and still painting up a storm. I’m going to be sad when Peach passes, but I like to think I’ve been emotionally prepared for a while now. She and Ludwig are both going strong and showing no signs of stopping. (Ludwig gets married for the third time shortly after this. The poor guy needs to stop marrying old ladies!)

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Speaking of moved-out family members, Randi runs into Trixiebelle one day while out investigating. The two of them have become distant friends since that day at the gym, so Randi spends some time catching up again. Doesn’t Trixie look cute in her military uniform?

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And now, we must take a brief intermission so I can show you some things not exactly relevant to the story itself. As we near the end of our third generation since moving to Riverview, my game is becoming increasingly glitchy.

Observe.

This is perhaps the most ubiquitous bug in town right now––invisible Sims. I see this bug in almost all my games to some extent, but I’ve never seen it become so widespread. I’m estimating that at least fifteen or twenty Sims in Riverview are invisible at any given time. And that’s only among the Sims the household is really acquainted with. There could be lots more.

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Randi has had to interact with a few of them for her Investigator cases. She can only do this autonomously, or when I select the “Interview” action from her opportunities popup. Otherwise, the invisible Sim is impossible to interact with at all. Delightful! I’m just glad it hasn’t happened to any of our family members (aside from Trixie, who was invisible for a few days and then bounced back).

Here’s another fascinating one. One of Randi’s cases takes her to Pinky’s house, where she runs into Pinky’s husband, Julio Newbie.

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She also runs into Pinky’s husband, Julio Newbie.

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Yes, there are two Julio Newbies. I check their info via Master Controller––they are literally the exact same Sim. The only difference is that one of them (presumably the real Julio) is active and can be interacted with, while the other just stands there looking around, and all of Randi’s attempts to interact with him bounce right off. I haven’t the faintest inkling of how this could have happened. Also, I’m not sure Pinky and the real Julio even realized this was going on until Randi’s visit.

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“What do you MEAN there’s a clone of me walking around? Oh gosh, there he is! AAAGHHHH!”

Another funny one: after school one afternoon, only a couple of townie kids exit the front of the school, and neither Middlemiss girls appear at all. I double click Buffy’s portrait to find out what she’s up to, and the camera is pulled around to the back of the school where almost the ENTIRE child and teen population of Riverview is having some kind of backyard homework party.

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There must have been an issue with the school bus. At least the kids seem fine otherwise, and they all head home once they finish their homework.

Our final glitch of the day is one of the most terrifying and hilarious I’ve ever seen. Remember how Buffy and Hildegarde merged in front of the potty last chapter? Well, that glitch is not confined to the Middlemiss household.

Out back of the diner, where Randi is working on a case…this happens.

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Can you count how many Sims are stuck together here? Yes, three. Three very different Sims have combined their energies to form one two-and-a-half-headed monster Sim. I have no words.

That’s it for glitches, at least for this chapter. Hopefully things will start to clear up next generation!

Returning to family life…here’s a picture of Bambi and her father bonding on the swings. I think Bambi’s Insane trait and Gran’s Childish trait cause them to have some similarities. Or at least, they can relate to each other a little bit.

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Friday night is an exciting night for Bambi––it’s her birthday, and it’s prom! I decide to let her go and enjoy prom before aging up, although I’m not sure how much she’ll enjoy it without Jarrod there. (He already had his young adult birthday yesterday.)

I’m very curious to see what outfit Bambi will choose for prom. For a split second she changes into her swimsuit, which is exactly what I was hoping for (those sunglasses are everything). But then she changes her mind and goes with her athletic wear. Ah well. Those furry legwarmers certainly work well for a fancy evening.

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Bambi is crowned Prom Queen, apparently beating out the “mean girl” and “most popular girl” in her class. Go Bambi! She must be charming people with her weirdness. I know she’s charming me.

While Bambi is at prom, the rest of the family has a little mini-dance of their own. They all get together in the party room and dance it up for a few hours. This is mostly for my own amusement and sense of nostalgia…some changes are coming for Bambi’s generation, and I’m going to miss this fantastically Evil era of the Middlemiss Random Legacy!

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Next chapter, we’ll see Bambi grow into a young adult and take the helm of the legacy.

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And we’ll say farewell to Emperor Granville and Dark Queen Randi. *sigh* It’s going to be bittersweet.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #49 on: November 26, 2018, 10:50:56 AM »
Chapter 45 – The Farmhouse in the Middle of Nowhere

Bambi has her young adult birthday the moment she walks out of prom.

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For some reason, I don’t get to choose Bambi’s trait, even though she was definitely on the Honor Roll for the latter part of her high school years. Maybe she didn’t do her homework this last afternoon before prom? Anyway, she rolls a good trait––Brave. (I was hoping for something like Charismatic, though.)

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Bambi’s final traits are Insane, Loves the Outdoors, Bookworm, Excitable, and Brave. Her Lifetime Wish is to become a Star News Anchor.

The rolls for Generation Seven:

Family Structure – Couple
Number of Children – 3
Income – Journalism / Law Enforcement (Super Spy)
Generational Goal – Perfect Careers
Misc. Fun – Homemade

A couple of these rolls require explanation. Perfect Careers requires that all the adults in this generation not only max their careers (reach level 10), but also max out all skills associated with their careers. So Bambi, as a journalist, will need to max both writing and charisma. Jarrod, who will be working as a cop, will need to max athletic and logic.

The Homemade requirement is even more fun. For this entire generation, all meals eaten by the household must be homemade (no quick meals, no raw food, and no birthday or wedding cake). Furthermore, all meals must be made with homegrown produce (or eggs/dairy/meat purchased at the grocery store) and freshly caught fish. This is hard. I am scared.

It’s gonna be a fun generation!

No, really, it is. I’m excited. Especially because Bambi gets a particularly fresh start. She is moving to a new house on the other side of the river––starting a new life for herself and Jarrod.

The next morning, Granville makes one last batch of outstanding apple pancakes for the family. (I was hoping for a nice shot of the family eating together, but of course they all scatter so half of them are inside and half of them are outside. Oh well.)

Bambi goes around and says goodbye to her family.

Peach, who’s now 101 days old and still as sweet and upbeat as ever, gives her granddaughter a big, warm hug. She just looks so happy for her, doesn't she?

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Granville even gives his daughter a hug. These two are really quite cute––I’m happy that they’ve developed a positive relationship over the years.

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Randi’s version of a loving farewell is a final jump-scare. No wonder Bambi’s relationship with her mother is practically in the red.

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“Hi, Jarrod? Is the house ready? Because I’m going to lose my mind if I stay here a second longer.”

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Jarrod confirms that their new place is in order. And off Bambi goes to start her new life!

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Welcome to the new Middlemiss homestead. I’ve had my eye on this farmhouse for a while, and I chose it a couple generations ago as the home for Generation Seven. Amazingly, it stayed unoccupied until literally two days before the move, when some Wilsons decided to move in randomly. I ushered them out with many apologies and moved Jarrod in instead, ensuring that it would be reserved for Bambi when she was ready.

I did renovate the house a little bit, mostly via recoloring and redecorating. Some of the original colors on the main floor were truly ugly. It’s a bit cuter now.

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The upstairs still needs a lot of work, but we’ll get there eventually.

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And here’s the lot as a whole. It’s really quite beautiful from high up in the air. That landscaping!

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First things first––Jarrod needs his long-awaited makeover. He’ll get even more of a makeover as he starts learning the athletic skill…he’s, uh, grown quite a bit since we last saw him. But with a new hairdo and better eyebrows, he’s looking sharper already.

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Jarrod’s traits are Good, Genius, Mooch, Photographer’s Eye, and Handy. His Lifetime Wish is to have a World-Class Gallery. That miiiight be achievable much later in his life, but for right now, he’s going to have to put photography on hold. Those Good and Genius traits will definitely come in handy for his career in Law Enforcement, though. Also, Jarrod’s favorite color, hilariously, is Hot Pink. I’m more than happy to add a few hot pink details to his outfits.

Then, it’s time to get these two hitched! I get as far as attempting to throw a wedding party before I realize they’re not actually engaged yet. Whoops!

Let’s remedy that, shall we?

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“Hey Jarrod, now that we live together and you’re officially a part of the legacy and stuff, do you think maybe we should get married?”

“Oh my goodness, this is a total surprise! Yes!”

Okay, NOW Bambi can make the call to throw a wedding party. With a few hours to spare before the guests arrive, Bambi starts planting the produce she’s brought along from the garden back home. The farmhouse already has a plentiful garden (that’s partly why I chose it), but the plants from Elaine’s garden are much higher quality. Into the ground they go.

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The wedding party guests consist almost entirely of Middlemisses and close relations, which is exactly what I wanted. Buffy and Hildegarde plop right down in the kitchen and play with their Imaginary Friend dolls. One of the few non-family guests is the pregnant lady talking to Jarrod by the fridge. Recognize her? It’s Michell Newbie, the girl that Peach caught Jarrod flirting with a few nights ago. Somehow Michell has managed to get herself very pregnant since then, while still remaining a romantic interest of Jarrod’s. (Jarrod informs her that since he’s, you know, getting married today, they’ll have to just be friends. Michell is okay with that.)

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It’s a good party! Much of the family is in this picture, including Trixiebelle, Darla (Ludwig’s daughter), Leola, and Ramona.

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Amazingly, for the ceremony, everyone sits down in their designated chairs like civilized human beings! And even more amazingly, I seem to have put out the perfect number of chairs!

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You can also see in the above photo that one of the invited guests is notably absent––Randi. I assume she had to work, since she just joined the Criminal career via Story Progression (if she’s lucky, she’ll even achieve her lifetime wish of becoming Empress of Evil before she dies of old age). Or maybe she just didn’t like her daughter very much. :(

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Bambi and Jarrod exchange vows surrounded by flowers and vegetables––the perfect symbols of their soon-to-be-fruitful marriage and their lifelong enslavement to the garden, the pond, and the kitchen.

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Congrats, Bambi and Jarrod!

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The party lasts a good long while. The bride and groom dance together, joined by veteran partiers Gran and Peach.

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Getting married is apparently very exhausting, because before the guests are gone, Jarrod conks out in a sleeping bag in the living room. I don’t think so, young man! You have further duties pleasures to attend to!

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Upstairs in one of the weirdly-colored bedrooms, Bambi and Jarrod get frisky. I just love Bambi’s face in this picture.

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I think these two are destined for a long and happy life together.

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And so do a few of the wedding guests, who remain in the backyard to cheer them on long into the night.

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*sigh* Such a beautiful wedding. I'm excited for this generation!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #50 on: November 27, 2018, 01:09:58 PM »
Chapter 46 – Calming & Ordinary

Life on the Middlemiss homestead settles into a routine that is really quite comforting for me as a player. With just two Sims to deal with instead of seven or eight, and nothing but skilling and career stuff to do for the moment, I feel like I’m starting fresh in a brand-new file. It’s lovely. It’s making me a little nostalgic for the games I played before I got into legacies and dynasties. You start a home, you get married, you get a job, you learn some skills. Ahhh. So calming and ordinary.

Bambi begins her career as a journalist and looks pretty adorable in her silly papergirl uniform.

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She also starts stocking the fridge with her first homecooked meals. Our garden is already doing well, and with a combination of produce from Elaine’s garden and newly harvested veggies from here, we’ve got plenty of ingredients for some good meals.

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Jarrod starts his career in Law Enforcement. This is his uniform for the first couple levels. I mean, I’m not complaining, especially since his physique is improving every day.

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Even just a couple sessions on the treadmill have Jarrod looking very fit and trim. What a cutie he is in those hot pink shorts!

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Jarrod and Bambi are very much in love, and it isn’t long before they decide to get started on a family.

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I really hope that nausea is from pregnancy, Bambi, and NOT from eating a mushy raw tomato. You know that’s against the rules!

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Sure enough, Bambi discovers a day later that a little Middlemiss is on the way. (I love that she’s always wearing the wrong outfit. It makes pregnancy that much more entertaining to watch.)

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These two are one of the most adorable couples I’ve seen yet in this legacy. They autonomously read together all the time, and Jarrod’s not even a bookworm. He just chooses to cozy up with his wife instead of using the TV or whatever.

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And while Bambi gets to stay home and rest during her pregnancy, Jarrod keeps bringing home the bacon with a smile on his face. Or maybe he’s just really excited to be a daddy.

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I was initially worried about Bambi’s maternity leave, since it puts her several days behind in her career. But actually, I’ve enjoyed having her home all day. She can focus on her writing skill in preparation for work, and on keeping up with the garden, which is becoming an all-consuming task. (Jarrod helps when he gets home from work most nights.)

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Yes, things are quite peaceful and lovely right now.

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Wait, no! I forgot to install a burglar alarm! But that’s okay…Jarrod is a cop, and Bambi is brave! Nothing could go wrong, right?

Right…?

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We have another glitch, everyone! Jarrod wakes up before the burglar enters the house, but every time he tries to apprehend the burglar, the action bounces off and he just stands there looking scared. I’m so freaked out and frustrated I don’t even get a screenshot. Bambi is useless, too. I try to get her to “call the police” (ignoring the fact that one of them is right there in the room with her), but the action always cancels out and is replaced by “Burglar!”, which doesn’t even really count as an action, because she doesn’t DO anything. Ugh!

The burglar steals one of our (very nice) showers, a (very expensive) wedding-gift painting from upstairs, and Bambi’s (most-expensive-in-the-game) laptop. And she nearly tries to take something else, too.

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“Yoo-hoooo! Mister! I’m here to steal your heeaaart!”

The burglar gives up and leaves before doing too much more damage, but all in all she takes about 8,000 simoleons worth of stuff. Never again! *breaks hole in wall, shoves in burglar alarm*

Now that that’s over, it’s time for a fresh round of panic––this time, baby-induced!

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Jarrod, responsible cop that he is (or tries to be), gets his wife to the hospital pronto, where she soon delivers two baby boys. Yes, two! Yes, boys!

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I’m thrilled––this is exactly what I was hoping for. It’s about time we had some boys in this legacy, don’t you think? (As much as I enjoyed having four girls last generation…fair is fair.) Meet Clarence and Hubert, born without the assistance of apples (because raw food is illegal). Bambi is so ecstatic that she spends half the night walking on air.

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Literally. She carries Hubert halfway across town, walking on this weird nonexistent plane that operates independently of the actual topography. See what happens when she hits a hill?

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It’s like Granville in the school bu…never mind. I want to forget about that. *shudder*

It’s a sweet time for this little family. Jarrod is a happy and loving father, and Bambi is a pro at anticipating her sons’ needs.

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It is a challenge to keep the boys happy, though, with Jarrod working and Bambi trying to write books and tend the garden and cook meals and practice her charisma. So I call in a little extra help. This is Jarrod’s sister, Eboni, who comes over a couple times to help with the boys. She doubles as Bambi’s first interview subject.

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I also need to give a shout out to Dorian Thurman, who is far and away the best babysitter I have ever had in this game. I hire him in the wee hours of the morning when Bambi and Jarrod desperately need sleep and the babies still have needs to fill, and Dorian hops right over and starts loving on the babies like nobody’s business. He is attentive, playful, prompt, and kind, and I adore him. He ends up coming over almost every day for most of the twins’ infanthood (and into their toddlerhood as well) to take care of the babies while their parents work and skill. This guy is an absolute lifesaver. He really deserves more than $75 a day.

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Here’s to you, Dorian. You’re the best!

Before long, it’s time for the twins to age up! Jarrod just barely has time for Clarence’s birthday celebration before he runs off to work.

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Now, I have to watch carefully, because with the Homemade roll of this generation, nobody is allowed to eat birthday cake. So as soon as the aging-up happens, I have to sweep the cakes away. You hear me, Bambi? No cake!

Apparently Bambi can’t even wait for cake. After blowing out the candles for Hubert, she puts him down on the ground, pulls an apple out of her pocket, and chomps it right in front of me before I can stop her!

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Bambi, what the heck! Your hunger bar is practically full! What is wrong with you!

Thankfully, the wording of the rules for this particular roll are a bit gentle––as long as I try to ensure that no cake (or raw produce) is eaten, I should be in the clear. From now on, Bambi’s inventory is getting cleared out of produce the second she harvests it. I still can’t believe she did that. Sneaky little whippersnapper!

Anyway, you want to know what the twins look like, don’t you?

Here they are!

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Clarence, the older twin, looks the most like Bambi, but with Jarrod’s beautiful turquoise eye color. He is Brave and Clumsy, and he likes Roots music, Cheesesteak, and Spiceberry.

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Hubert is the opposite––he looks more like Jarrod, but with Bambi’s eye color. He is a Friendly Heavy Sleeper who likes Hip Hop, Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce, and Blue.

What cuties! These two are both strong contenders for heir at this point, and their future little sibling may be as well. We’ll have to see what happens as they grow older!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #51 on: December 02, 2018, 01:01:50 PM »
Chapter 47 – Fawns Are Nocturnal

This chapter is going to consist almost entirely of toddler spam. I am not sorry.

Hubert and Clarence are an adorable pair. They do practically everything together––they remain strictly nocturnal through their entire toddlerhoods, which turns out to be really inconvenient for their parents.

Thank goodness for maternity leave. Bambi ends up doing most of the training of toddler skills. And apparently Clarence is more photogenic, because I have more photos of him. (They’re actually both very photogenic, and I love them equally, so I’m not sure what my problem was. Sorry, Hubert! :( )

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Also, thank goodness for Dorian, who stops by often to make sure the boys stay happy.

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(I love Clarence's face in that picture. It looks like he's going "HEHEHEHE.")

Both boys take up the peg box to keep them busy through the long nights while their parents are asleep.

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I’m glad they have each other for company.

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These two are never lacking for fun. Hubert takes a liking to my personal favorite toy in the toybox––the dinosaur.

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Bambi really likes scaring Clarence with the claw. She assumes, and I assume, that he doesn’t mind too much.

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It IS a challenge getting the boys trained in all their skills, though. Bambi goes back to work soon enough, and it’s rare that the boys are awake when their parents are home and available. Exactly once, Bambi and Jarrod manage to get both of them into the high chairs for a meal at the same time.

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When the weekend rolls around, Bambi decides to throw a party. She and Jarrod have been pretty isolated raising the twins, and they’re eager to see some other family members again. (As am I.)

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Grandma Randi is the first to arrive. She and Gran (Grandpa Gran…heh) are elders now. I took the liberty of bringing back Randi’s old hair color, because I just can’t bear to see it die. And who’s that lovely teenager behind her? Yup, it’s Buffy!

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Hildegarde is here, too. She and her big sister spend some time bonding on the sofa in the poorly-lit living room.

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This pretty lady is Valerie Middlemiss. She’s one of Ludwig’s granddaughters, which makes her Bambi’s…second cousin? I think? Yeah. Valerie has a twin sister named Bethany, but Bethany never seems to be out and about like Valerie. I just think Ludwig’s descendents turned out so beautiful, largely because they all got Elaine’s hair color.

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Jarrod spends most of the party attempting to get to know his mother-in-law. It doesn’t go well. He’s like Prince Philip trying to become friends with Maleficent. It’s just not in the cards. I give him points for trying, though.

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And here’s our friend Gran. After all these years, I sometimes forget that this man is Evil. He’s just so adorable. He spends the whole party on the floor playing with his grandsons’ toys while singing the Chinese song he inherited from Bao. (And if you’re wondering, yes, Clarence and Hubert were both unconscious for this entire party. Go figure.)

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Speaking of family relations…I’ve discovered a new batch of Middlemisses in town! I discover this guy outside the Sunflower Spa. This is Karim Middlemiss. His mother was Tera Middlemiss, who was married to Ludwig for about four days before she up and died of old age (like all of Ludwig’s spouses did…I’ve never thought, until now, about how suspicious that would be if it involved anyone other than Ludwig). At some point before her marriage to Ludwig, I guess, Tera had Karim via her relationship to Keith Crosby (son of Heather and Odin). I’m not sure how Karim ended up with the last name Middlemiss––maybe he was still a teenager when his mom died?––but anyway, he is indeed a member of the family, if distantly. Karim has a wife named Jennie and a daughter named Norma. Yes, Norma Middlemiss. She truly belongs in the family with THAT name!

Jarrod continues to thrive in his career as a cop. He starts working on some reports to boost his job performance, and that involves rummaging in some garbage cans. This is giving me flashbacks to Lincoln from Generation One. Man, that feels like a long time ago!

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As the boys near the end of their toddler years, Jarrod and Bambi find a little more time to be romantic. Hubert certainly doesn’t seem to mind when his parents make out in the kitchen.

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A day later, Bambi discovers (after coming home from work…hence the silly hat) that her sons will soon have a sibling!

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The twins’ birthday arrives, and I realize in a moment of panic that Hubert never finished learning to walk. Oops! Time for an emergency training session in the garden!

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And when that gets too muddy, Bambi tries to finish up in the kitchen.

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And…too late. Hubert gets SO CLOSE to learning how to walk. I practically pull my hair out when the sparkles hit Clarence and there’s no more time to continue.

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“I’m a birdie! Wheee!”

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Clarence ages up with the Snob trait, and chooses an appropriately preppy outfit. His other traits are Clumsy and Brave.

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Hubert goes next, looking a little woozy after his unsuccessful high-intensity walking session.

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Hubert becomes Frugal, to be added to his Friendly and Heavy Sleeper traits. Uh-oh, does this mean he and his brother are going to disagree on financial matters?!

Only time will tell.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #52 on: December 03, 2018, 09:51:13 PM »
Chapter 48 – The King & The Fisherman

Clarence and Hubert have a smooth childhood. While they are friends, they don’t really interact with each other very much. I guess you could say they’re more of the do-the-exact-same-thing-side-by-side type.

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In spite of their roughly equal efforts at learning to bake, Hubert outshines Clarence when it comes to muffin and brownie quality (and quantity). After Hubert reaches level 3 on the toy oven, Clarence makes about a bajillion pies to try and catch up, but he never quite manages it.

That’s okay. Clarence has his ballet to show off. (If this isn’t the face of a Snob, I don’t know what is.)

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(Sidenote: As a dancer, it pains me to watch Sims “plié”. Heels on the floor, Clarence! You’re gonna strain your Achilles tendons!)

Clarence’s other activity of choice? Presiding over the royal court. When he’s not at school or ballet class, Clarence is always standing on a chair, waving his scepter around and shouting down at his subjects. Literally always. He does absolutely nothing else for the entirety of his childhood. I am not kidding.

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This boy likes being in charge.

Hubert, meanwhile, isn’t as drawn to the spotlight. He spends more time than anyone else in the family cleaning up dirty dishes. I catch him carrying tall stacks of plates to the sink on an almost daily basis.

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Clarence likes to take advantage of this. “Hey, can you hang on a sec? I’m almost done with this bowl.”

Hubert has also taken up fishing as a hobby. He goes to Scouts after school, and even outside of that, he likes to hang out by the little pond in the backyard and catch minnows.

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And the boys do hang out together on occasion. Their pillow fights don’t always end well––one of them usually gets annoyed at the other, but they have fun for a little bit. (And why this whole family seems to gravitate toward the sprinklers as the prime location for activities is beyond me.)

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The boys also tend to do their homework together, even if their thought processes are completely different.

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Clarence: “Whoa, Marcia has eight speedboats, and Peter only has five? Ha ha! Peter’s a loser!”

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Hubert: “But why would anyone ever NEED eight speedboats?”

Bambi’s pregnancy goes as smoothly as her first. She spends most of her time writing books. She’s still got a long way to go before she maxes her writing and charisma skills, not to mention her career.

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She also continues to raise her cooking skill. Following the Homemade requirement is proving to be a lot less stressful than I anticipated. Just a couple weeks of gardening has our fridge stocked enough to get us through the rest of the generation, I think. And Bambi’s great-quality fruit parfaits are keeping the family happy and well-fed on the daily.

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In the midst of writing a drama novel, Bambi goes into labor.

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Jarrod, who sees far scarier things than birth at work on a daily basis, is not at all fazed and doesn’t even look up from the romance novel he’s been reading in his spare time.

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In her own good time, Bambi gives birth to a beautiful baby girl named Bayleigh.

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A couple of days later, Jarrod has his adult birthday. Although he and Bambi were just a day apart when they got married, somehow Bambi is now over a week behind Jarrod in age. I have no idea how that happened or even who’s at the correct age between the two of them, but in any case, Jarrod is getting older now, apparently.

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Jarrod launches into a midlife crisis and immediately starts panicking over his weight. Jarrod, you’ve worked out every single day since marrying Bambi. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.

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Would a new beard make you feel better, perhaps?

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And look who also celebrates their birthday! I didn’t get a screenshot of the sparkles, but Bayleigh ages up too, into a very adorable toddler. Her traits are Athletic and Excitable, and she likes Kids music, Cookies, and the color blue.

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Look at these two. Aren’t they beautiful? Bayleigh quickly becomes a daddy’s girl, and for good reason. They look a lot alike.

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Bayleigh starts learning to walk and picks it up quickly (not surprising, considering she's Athletic).

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This little girl has the cutest ears. Look how the one ear sticks out on one side of her hair! Eeee!

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The twins’ childhood is passing all too quickly. Bambi kisses Hubert goodnight one last time before he’s too old for such rituals.

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Next time, we’ll see the boys grow into teens!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #53 on: December 06, 2018, 09:13:45 PM »
Chapter 49 – Party Like It's Chapter 49

First up, Clarence and Hubert are due for a birthday!

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Clarence goes first and acquires the Party Animal trait, to go with his Brave, Clumsy, and Snob traits. He also decides to grow his hair out (for that all-important swish factor). I think he looks less like Bambi now than he did as a child.

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Hubert goes next and becomes a Perfectionist, in addition to being a Friendly, Frugal Heavy Sleeper.

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Okay, there is definitely an aging bug in my game, and it makes itself known a few days into the boys’ teenhood. Not only are Bambi and Jarrod wildly different ages now––so are Clarence and Hubert! Somehow Hubert is now a few days older than his twin brother. I don’t even know, guys. This is turning out to be somewhat like Twinbrook by the time I got to the end of Generation Three. (Spoiler alert: I am planning to move the family to a new town once the next heir comes of age, so hopefully that will fix things, but until then…I might have to resort to desperate measures. Such as Master Controller. Which I use to fix the twins’ ages, for now. Sorry not sorry.)

Clarence and Hubert are doing well in school and getting along fine. They’re very different, and I half-expected some clashes between them, but they seem perfectly content to go about their dichotomous routines and say hey when they run into each other.

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Hey look, a shot of the whole family! Oh wait, minus Bayleigh. Is it just me or does Jarrod’s Triple Agent uniform look a lot like the Leader of the Free World uniform…? Maybe he’s undercover and disguised as the Leader of the Free World? That’s a risky one to pull off.

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Jarrod is farther ahead in his career than Bambi is in hers, so he gets to take on the responsibility of teaching Bayleigh to talk. He doesn’t seem to mind. (Clarence would help, but he’s too busy dancing––his new favorite pastime.)

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On the weekend, Clarence and Hubert throw a slumber party to get to know some of the teens around town. Specifically, the teen girls. Clarence makes sure to invite all girls––no guys––but a few of them still show up.

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I love Clarence’s face here. “Uh, dude…this is like, a girls’ party?”

I don’t think I’ve introduced this young lady yet. This is Starla Wilson, whom I’ve been keeping an eye on since birth solely because of her beautiful first name. Like, wow. I’d also like us all to take a moment to appreciate her outfit. She looks absolutely smashing.

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The party is a rather low-key one, which is surprising, considering Clarence is a Party Animal now. He clearly hasn’t had very much practice. (If only Granville had lived long enough to pass along some party pointers to his grandson. :( ) This is what the makeshift dance floor looks like for most of the party. A little bit of dancing, lots of standing around.

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Clarence looks very uncomfortable surrounded by girls (and boys) in pajamas. Also, why is there always a color scheme at these slumber parties? I swear, everyone is always in some shade of pink.

The guests just sort of wander about the house, and many of them are more interested in Bambi’s upstairs library nook than any actual party activities. (Well, I consider reading to be a perfectly acceptable party activity, but somehow I think Clarence would disagree.) Bayleigh has her birthday on the upstairs landing surrounded by teen girls (minus the sparkles, for some reason).

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“Oh look. The little squirt is aging up. How quaint.”

Here’s Bayleigh as a child. She’s a lovely blend of her parents. Unfortunately, she didn’t finish learning to talk as a toddler (why am I so bad at parenting??), so the game gives her the Loser trait. :(

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Bayleigh doesn’t seem to mind, though. She makes the most of her time as a child. She’s the most successful baked goods vendor I’ve had in the family for quite some time, possibly in this entire legacy.

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She also pops a wish to get a blocks table. I oblige, and she spends hours upon hours building colorful towers on that thing.

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And she seems quite interested in astronomy, too. Do we have a future astronaut on our hands?

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The slumber party ends without anything very exciting to report. Bambi did spend the whole night doing this, though:

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I love her.

The next day is prom for Clarence and Hubert. They are both unable to contain their excitement.

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Clarence, unsurprisingly, wins prom king. In his speech, he says he is ecstatic, and also “thanks everyone for rigging the votes”. I can’t decide if he’s just attempting to be gracious (and failing), or if he actually rigged the votes himself. I’m tempted to believe the latter.

Jarrod and Bambi have a peaceful evening at home together, working on their respective skills. I just love this farmhouse. I'm sad we only get to spend one generation here.

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The next day, Jarrod walks out of the police station as an International Super Spy. Congrats, Jarrod! I don’t know why the only picture I have is of him, like, flapping his arms, but I'm okay with it.

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Bambi finally has her adult birthday. I have no idea what her age is supposed to be by this point. I’m pretty sure she should’ve aged up a while ago.

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The game puts her in this 1960s Mom hairstyle, and I decide to let her keep it, at least for a little while. It amuses me.

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Jarrod is making excellent progress on his requirements––with his career maxed, all that remains is for him to reach level 10 of both logic and athletic. He’s nearly there with athletic, and a few days of chess should take him the rest of the way to maxing out logic.

Bambi is a little further behind, mostly because the journalism career is hard and annoying and just generally not my favorite. It’s difficult enough that she has to max her writing skill when it drains her fun bar to such an extent––and she also has to raise her charisma, which involves lots and lots of talking to people. Or reading charisma books. Which is probably what we’ll do from here on out. And THEN, she also has to write reports regularly, which I just haven't really found time to do. I think that’s why her promotions have been coming more slowly.

So once Jarrod maxes his career, I turn my focus to Bambi and send her out into town to interview some townies. It’s time-consuming and doesn’t seem to do much for her job performance anyway…but at this point, I’m desperate for her to reach level 10. (And hey, she looks cute in her more-revealing-than-I-would-have-expected Weather Woman outfit.)

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It’s around this time that I remember / discover the magic that is the library in The Sims 3. I guess I’ve never really put much stock in the rumor that reading skill books in the library (or anything in the library) allows Sims to skill up much faster. That is, until I send Bambi there on one of her days off. She reads something like four or five books before 2 pm. And then she spends the rest of the day working on a novel––at twice the speed as before (seemingly), because she read so many books beforehand. She knocks out the last 40% of her very long humor novel before she even gets tired. Like wow. So, for the rest of our time here in Riverview, Bambi will be slaving away having a lovely, productive time in the library whenever she’s not at work. And we may actually be on track to move to a new town right around the twins’ young adult birthday!

But we’ll see.

Hubert and Clarence are nearly young adults. Soon it will be time to transition to Generation Eight (what). In the meantime, Hubert is going to waft some spaghetti…

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…and take a lot of baths.

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(Seriously, he takes one pretty much every single night after doing his homework. It’s kind of adorable.)

Until next time!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #54 on: December 08, 2018, 12:15:03 PM »
Chapter 50 – Finally Moving

Do you see this, people? DO YOU SEE THIS? THIS is why we’re moving to a new town. Our very own Bambi has contracted the invisibility bug. I open up my game and find Bambi reduced to nothing but a plumbob. This is UNACCEPTABLE.

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Fortunately, I’m familiar enough with this bug to know that it’s an issue with work uniforms (at least some of the time). Taking the invisible Bambi to a dresser and instructing her to change back into her everyday clothes takes care of the problem temporarily.

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(Bayleigh, playing astronaut, catches a glimpse of her mother whirling back into existence. Notice the thought bubble.)

I know we have a lot of pictures of Jarrod playing chess, but THIS one is different because Hubert is in it also! He’s started learning logic, mostly as a means of passing the time.

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Clarence doesn’t have a lot to do, either. Since only two Sims can play chess at any given time, he resorts to dancing to the stereo and doing a lot of this.

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Bambi is still spending every spare second in the library, reading her charisma book (it’s slow going) and writing novels. Look who she runs into one afternoon! Well, you can’t really tell who it is. So I’ll tell you. It’s Hildegarde!

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Hildy is now grown up, married, and pregnant with her first child. (Spoiler alert: It turns out to be twins, a boy and a girl.) And according to her hat, she apparently works in the journalism career, even though Bambi has never run into her at work.

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This kiddo is hanging around also. This is Benny Broke, Ludwig’s great-grandson. He has beautiful blue eyes and Elaine’s hair color. Elaine has been dead for something like two centuries now, but her hair color is still going strong in Ludwig’s line!

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Bayleigh soon must put her beloved costumes away and grow up into a teenager.

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She becomes Handy, which puts her right in line to join the military career as a young adult and one day become an astronaut. This girl knows what she wants and she’s starting on it early.

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Bayleigh and Hubert seem to be quite close. They hang out near each other a lot. And they both are much more inclined to help out around the house than their brother Clarence, who prefers to remain aloof and admire himself in the mirror.

Hubert’s helpfulness, humility, and general goodheartedness are just some of the qualities that put him a step or two above Clarence in my mind. His friendliness is also endearing, as is his love for baths and his ability to burn every meal he makes even though he’s at cooking level 5. (Don’t worry, he’ll get better. He needs to, for the legacy’s sake.) It just feels right that I choose Hubert as the heir. Clarence is certainly fun, and I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him, but…I guess I just kind of like Hubert more. I think he’ll do very well as the Generation Eight heir of the Middlemiss Random Legacy. Congrats, Hue! (How do you spell a shortened version of Hubert? Hue? Hu? Hugh?)

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On one of his last days as a teenager, Hubert rolls a wish to kiss one of the girls he knows at school. Her name is Tiffany Rhoades, and while she has a boyfriend, she appears to have no qualms about breaking up with him to get with Hubert. Even if he is leaving town in a few days. I’m happy to let Hubert have some fun while he can.

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Sore, smelly, and dripping with sweat, Jarrod finally maxes out his athletic skill. In the same moment, he achieves the Marathon Runner challenge, which guarantees that he’ll be with us for quite a while yet. Well done, Jarrod!

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Tuesday is the twins’ birthday, and of course we throw a party.

Dorian, our faithful babysitter of bygone days, is the first guest to arrive for the twins’ birthday party. Look how grown up he is! Let’s see, does Hubert remember him?

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“Hello there, Hubert. Last time I saw you, you were in diapers.”

“Uh…you must have me confused with someone else. Maybe my brother, Clarence?”

Here’s a bunch of the family in one picture. Hildegarde is on the left there, flirting with her much older brother-in-law. (She didn’t bring her new son and daughter to the party, sadly.) Buffy is on the other side of the bar looking completely unsurprised at her sister’s antics, while Randi (who––I’ve just checked––is 99 years old) is behind Jarrod immensely enjoying the show.

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Hubert and Clarence dance the night away. I love how happy they look in this picture.

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Clarence is the first to blow out the candles on his birthday cake. He ages up in a flock of screaming girls, which is probably exactly how he likes it.

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Hubert follows with a lighter crowd, since many people have already disappeared to gobble down their cake, which is probably exactly how HE likes it. (That’s Clarence, pre-makeover, in the brown with the slicked-back hair and white loafers. Heh heh.)

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Here’s our man Clarence. He cuts his hair short again (I swear NONE of the hairstyles in the game look quite right on him, but this one looks okay) and becomes Flirty. He’s also Brave, Clumsy, a Snob, and a Party Animal. His LTW is Living in the Lap of Luxury. I think you’ll do juuust fine in the next town, Clarence.

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And here’s our handsome heir! Hubert’s final traits are Friendly, Heavy Sleeper, Frugal, Perfectionist, and Family Oriented. His LTW is The Culinary Librarian.

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Everyone goes to bed once the party is over, but the next day, it’s hardcore get-ready-to-move day––at least for Bambi. Clarence, who now officially has nothing to do, starts the day by flirting with the maid.

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“Hey, beautiful. How would you like to wash me head to toe?”

Hubert grabs a few recipe books from the bookstore downtown and starts working towards his Lifetime Wish. I’m going to miss this blue-and-yellow kitchen.

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Now, my plan for the transition to Generation Eight was to wait until Bambi reaches level 10 of her career before moving. This is entirely because I assumed that when you move to a new town, your career gets wiped. I’m not exactly sure why I thought that, or why I didn’t bother to check whether it was actually true. I didn’t realize until after the move that we could’ve moved right away, and Bambi still would’ve been able to max her career. *sigh* That would've saved a lot of stress and time.

In any case, our move to a new town gets delayed multiple times thanks to Bambi’s career being an absolute pain in the butt. It takes her AGES to get each promotion, and the last one is more elusive than any so far. Plus, after the birthday party, everybody gets a day off work and school for no discernible reason. So we have to wait ANOTHER day for Bambi to get her last shot at a promotion. Then apparently her mood isn’t perfect enough and the fact that she finally reached level 9 of the writing skill (after four straight days of writing all day) isn’t impressive enough for her to raise her job performance at anything faster than a crawl. Like, oh my GOD. I’m practically pulling out my hair at this point. I just want to get her to level 10 so this family can move to a new town so Hubert can start on his (rather difficult) requirements. There is very little that we can do while we’re stuck here in Riverview. I truly believe Bambi is doing everything she can do get those promotions, and it just seems like nothing is enough. By the end of all this, I’m convinced the journalism career is bugged. It just seems so much slower than every other rabbithole career I’ve tried.

On what I hope will be her last day of work, Bambi gets pretty close to a promotion. The second work ends, I have her invite her boss out to the park to talk him up and ask him for a promotion. We get to the point where they’re best friends with a full relationship bar, and the point where it’s nearly dark outside, before I realize that the option to ask for a promotion ISN’T EVEN THERE.

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“Hi, Mr. Rhoades? I asked you to meet me because I think it’s about time you promoted me. I’ve been Editor-in-Chief for quite some time, while you’ve been stuck at Anonymous Source Handler for the past, well, decade. I also surpass you in both writing and charisma skill. Also I’m leaving soon, so you’re about to be rid of me anyway. Why not let me get to the top, just for one day? Then I’ll be out of your terribly styled hair forever!”

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“Well, Ms. Middlemiss…you see, we have a certain way of doing things here at the Riverview Review. And that way of doing things requires that all staff members remain in their current positions for at least one eon before achieving a promotion. You’re nearly at an eon, Ms. Middlemiss, but you’re not quite there yet. Also, you’re only at level 9 writing. That’s really not very good.”

“But I’ve published ten books. And written all your best-received articles. And never missed a day of work. And worn this stupid outfit for my entire adult life.”

“So?”

In the end, Mr. Rhoades does give Bambi a raise, but Bambi doesn’t even have the option to ask for a promotion. It is all I can do not to scream at this point. Maybe it’s because it’s the last level of the career? But like…COME. ON.

Okay. One more day of work for Bambi. It will be Friday tomorrow. The boys aged up on Tuesday. This is ridiculous. But as soon as Bambi walks out of work tomorrow, we’re moving.

Thank all the watchers! Bambi becomes a Star News Anchor the next afternoon. Finally, finally, finally. Her facial expression matches my feelings about the matter.

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“Thank God that’s over. I’m outta here.”

And that concludes Generation Seven of the Middlemiss Random Legacy. While Bambi and Jarrod still have requirements to finish up (namely maxing logic for Jarrod, and writing and charisma for Bambi), the tables are turning. Hubert is taking over as heir. The whole family will be coming to the next town––Bambi and Jarrod will have plenty of time to finish their requirements (the challenge states that as long as they complete them before they die, we’re in the clear), and Clarence and Bayleigh will be able to strike out on their own adventures from there. I’m excited for a fresh start! This may be the last move before the end of the legacy…but as always, we shall see.

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I think you’re going to make a great heir, Hubert. Especially if you keep autonomously posing like a hero when I’m not looking. (I paused the game and found him like this. He even picked a perfect background for the shot.)

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #55 on: December 08, 2018, 08:31:18 PM »
Chapter 51 – Love At All Levels

It’s time for the Middlemisses to leave Riverview and their beautiful little farmhouse. Hubert leads the way out of the countryside and into a new life.

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And where are they going, you ask?

To Bridgeport! I know I said at the very beginning of this legacy that I chose Twinbrook to start in because I’d played in it the least, but that was actually a lie. Bridgeport is the town I’ve played in the least––to the extent that I tend to completely forget it exists. I got inspired to break new ground, though, and move the family to an entirely new destination. So here we are!

I built a brand-new house for the family this time around, instead of moving them into a pre-built house. I spent about two hours building this house, and I’m actually really happy with how it turned out!

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The ground floor features the living area, kitchen, and contrasting dining room, plus a bedroom and en-suite bathroom for Jarrod and Bambi and a private office for Bambi to write her novels in. I also added a nursery, which is accessible from the dining room.

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The upper floor looks down onto the foyer below, which is something I’ve always wanted to do but had never attempted until now. It was actually really easy and I’m obsessed with the result. The upstairs has the master bedroom, one other bedroom that might be split up in the future, a bathroom, and a deck area for working out and partying.

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I almost forgot to list the rolls for this generation. Here they are!

Family Structure – Couple
Number of Kids – 2
Careers – Culinary / Business
Generational Goal – Perfect Children
Misc. Fun – Runs in the Family

So Hubert will be joining the culinary career, and his spouse will work in business. The Perfect Children goal is one of the hardest in the challenge (in my opinion), and I’m legitimately scared I might fail the whole challenge because of it. This roll requires all the children of this generation to essentially have perfect and successful life stages from toddler through their teen years. I must be able to select all traits after they’re born. Toddlers must learn all their toddler skills, max the peg box and xylophone, and read all nine toddler books. Children must get on the honor roll, max the toy oven and blocks table, and reach the highest level of an after-school activity. And teenagers must get an A in school, max an after-school activity or part-time job, and learn to drive. I am nervous just thinking about it. There will be no fun for anyone this generation! None whatsoever!

And finally, Runs in the Family just means that Hubert or his spouse has to pass on one of their traits to all their children. Easy peasy. I’m just glad we only have two kids to do all of this with. I don’t know if I could even manage one.   :-X

So the focus, this generation, is on the kids. Hubert knows this. And he is ready to get started.

Hubert heads downtown soon after arriving in Bridgeport. He’s on his way to apply for a job at the diner when he sees her.

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A young woman. Long hair of a mysterious greyish-brown color. A tattered, dirty coat that may have once been elegant. A pair of faded socks and…are those flip-flops?

The woman doesn’t immediately notice Hubert. She goes quickly down the stairs towards the front door of an apartment building. Hubert’s hormones (or something) leap ahead of his brain and, unthinkingly, he follows her.

He stops her before she can duck inside. He introduces himself. She tells him her name. It’s Polly Maloney. Hubert chats with her for a while, trying to learn more about her. He learns that she lives in this building behind him, that she works in a bookstore, and that she’s a Frugal Heavy Sleeper, like him. (He also learns that they are attracted to each other, but of course I don’t get a picture of the hearts flying up, because I NEVER DO.)

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Hubert manages to befriend Polly, and before long, they’re talking and laughing easily. Both of them place great importance on financial conservatism and frugality, and they both sleep through their alarms on the regular. (Hubert has no idea just how frugal Polly really is, but he’ll find out soon enough.) Plus, Polly is a Hopeless Romantic, so she, like him, is eager to find her soulmate and start life with a partner. It’s only natural that Hubert take the next step and tell her how he feels.

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It truly is love at first sight.

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“Polly, I’m falling in love with you. I think you’re perfect, and your socks are adorable. Will you be my girlfriend?”

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“Oh, Hubert! Yes!”

“And would you like to come live with me and my family up in the hills outside Bridgeport? We have a big new house, and––“

“Sorry, Hubert, I’ve got to go! Bye!”

And Polly disappears into Maloney Tower, leaving Hubert standing stunned in the courtyard.

Hubert gives Polly a night to calm down. She’s a little overwhelmed, perhaps, that things are moving so fast. But first thing the next morning, Hubert returns to Maloney Tower and decides to pay Polly a surprise visit.

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It’s a surprise in more ways than one. Hubert assumed that Polly lived on one of the upper floors of the tower––instead, the elevator takes him down to the dusty, dingy basement. And when Polly answers the door, he finds himself in the tiniest, cheapest, most run-down apartment he’s ever seen in his life.

Polly apologizes about the state of her apartment. She starts chattering nervously about how her part-time job barely provides her with enough to pay rent on the cheapest apartment in the city, and how she tries to save money by wearing old thrifted clothes and using the cheapest furniture, and she mentions something about her parents and real estate and bankruptcy…she rambles so long that she doesn’t even comprehend what’s happening when Hubert gets down on one knee.

“Hubert, what are you doing?! You’ll tear the knees of your trousers on this floor!”

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“I don’t care about the knees of my trousers, Polly. I only care about you. You deserve so much more than this little basement apartment. I want to give you the whole world and more. Will you marry me?”

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She says yes, of course. Hubert is so happy he accidentally interweaves the tendons of his hand with the fibers of Polly’s hair. Awww.

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That very morning, Polly comes home with Hubert and becomes a member of the Middlemiss household. She looks a little lost upon first walking into the new house. What an upgrade, eh?

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I think she’ll fit in perfectly. Here she is after a little bit of a makeover. She’s already so beautiful, I hardly had to do a thing. Polly really is an interesting character––everything from her hair to her outfits to her favorite color is grey, almost as if she’s lived her whole life up till now in the shadows, or under a dusting of soot. I tried to honor some of the rough, earthy textures her original clothes had when I remade her outfits. I also let her keep her socks for her everyday outfit. I kind of feel like Polly wouldn’t quite be Polly without the socks.

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Polly’s traits, by the way, are lovely: Heavy Sleeper, Hopeless Romantic, Frugal, Bookworm, and Brave. Her favorites are Latin music, pancakes, and grey, and her LTW is Super Popular. As soon as I learned about Polly, I knew that she and Hubert would be perfect for each other. And it worked out just like I’d hoped. Hubert fell for her instantly, and popped a wish to kiss her after about five interactions. Then when she agreed to marry him, he popped the wish to marry her right then. What can I say? It’s a match made in heaven. And also in a basement.

Whilst Hubert is busy wooing Polly, Clarence is exploring the town for the first time as well. He needs to move out of the household ASAP, and before then, I plan to get him set up in the business career. But first…

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…Clarence’s lady radar goes wild when he walks past the gym. Who IS that radiant creature in purple?!

Clarence walks right in, even though he’s never had any desire to work out in his life. He approaches the woman he saw through the window and waits patiently while the gentleman she’s with gives her a bouquet of flowers.

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There’s clearly something already going on here. But does that stop Clarence Middlemiss? Nope.

“Hello there. I’m Clarence. I thought you might like these purple flowers.”

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“Oh my gosh, I LOVE purple flowers! I’ve always wanted them, but no one has ever thought to get me some! Thank you!”

The other guy that was initially flirting with Matilda (for that is her name––Matilda Smart) wanders off pretty much as soon as Clarence swoops in. Clarence and Matilda skip the friendly interactions entirely and go right to the flirting. Approximately eight seconds later, they’re making out and going steady.

Clarence is so convinced he’s found the woman of his dreams, he practically breaks her spine in his enthusiasm.

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Matilda: “What have I gotten myself into? Oh, well…”

That very evening, Clarence takes Matilda out on an epic first date. They get into Plasma 501, somehow, and Clarence orders a tray of Falling Forevers from the bartender. (Side note: What’s up with Matilda’s outfit? Is the peach-toned corset meant to look like bare skin?? Weird…)

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Matilda downs her drink easily, but Clarence has some difficulties. Maybe it’s his clumsiness, but in any case, he gets the drink stuck upside-down in his hand (tray and all), and then the drink disappears entirely while his hand remains in “delicately clutching cocktail glass” mode.

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Ignoring this slight inconvenience, Clarence decides to take the plunge and take his relationship with Matilda to the next level. He kneels down on the carpet, pulls something out of his pocket, and––drops it. Oh my god, he actually drops it. The clumsy trait has never made me laugh until now.

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Even worse, when he finally recovers the ring box, his hand is all glitched out and he can’t grasp the box properly. He opens it the wrong way––sideways––and awkwardly holds it near his hip while asking Matilda to marry him.

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“Hey, ya want this ring? Come an’ get it.”

Matilda either finds this whole debacle endearing or not worth noticing, because she says yes, and when Clarence suggests they tie the knot right then and there, she says yes again. Matilda Smart, you are not a smart woman.

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Clarence: “Bartender? We’re gonna get married real quick. Can you officiate?”

Bartender: “Is…is this legal?”

Somehow, these two get away with it and manage to become one right there in Plasma 501. Congrats, weirdos!

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And with that, Clarence moves out to join his new wife in her crowded apartment (he’ll be roommates with the guy who was flirting with Matilda at the gym…oh boy). And so you see, friends––love can be found in all sorts of places. Sometimes the truest love begins in a basement. And sometimes the hastiest, silliest love begins at a bar under the influence of sparkly pink cocktails. But that’s not really a surprise.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #56 on: December 10, 2018, 01:26:39 PM »
Chapter 52 – Stealing Hearts & Nothing Else

Hubert and Polly have their wedding the next day. I was going to give them a romantic private wedding at sunset at Bogaard’s Overlook…but it was too foggy to see the city in the background (an important feature), and also I forgot about that idea until after Polly placed the call to throw a party. Ah, well. We might as well take this opportunity to get to know the people of Bridgeport.

The party has great turnout, headlined by the one and only Clarence Middlemiss, who starts breaking it down the moment he gets to the dance floor. The guests actually come right up to the party balcony, as I’d hoped. I guess the draw of the drink is too much to resist.

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(Sidenote: I love seeing Bridgeport townies because their outfits are always so cool. Look at that bright orange flowered dress in the foreground!)

Polly, who I’ve never seen as much of a partier, keeps herself occupied (and the guests entertained) with a little bit of guitar.

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Bambi and Jarrod have still got it after all these years. Particularly Bambi, who is still taking her sweet time becoming an elder. (She’s still got over a week left as an adult, somehow.)

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And Bayleigh? I don’t see Bayleigh at the party for a while. Eventually I find her in the hot tub. I’m kind of surprised nobody else has joined her there. If only I could have installed it right on the balcony. (I actually tried, while I was building the house...but the plumping extended right down through into Bambi and Jarrod's bedroom. Not cute.)

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The ceremony begins at dusk. Bring out those dopey faces!

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They both look so happy.

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This is the view that most of the guests have for the duration of the ceremony. Matty Crewe, sit your butt down!

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Okay, nobody wants to sit their butt down. I get it. Anyway, congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Middlemiss!

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Afterwards, in the gathering dark, there is an absolute STAMPEDE for wedding cake. (Although Hubert and Polly remain a bit distracted by the thought of each other. Awww.) (Another sidenote: Clarence's hand is still stuck in the holding-a-cocktail-glass position. I think it will be for eternity. Poor Clarence.)

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Unfortunately, the party ends before the whole crowd can get up to the balcony. By the time Polly cuts the cake, it’s just the family left up there, including Clarence, for whom the party never ends.

Bayleigh is either glad the party is over, or up to no good.

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“I will now control you, cake, with my mind…I command you to SLICE YOURSELF INTO TRIANGULAR PORTIONS!”

“I already cut it, Bayleigh.”

“Oh.”

As the guests depart, Hubert and Polly retreat to their bedroom to enjoy some private time together. It looks like I forgot to change Polly’s shoes for this outfit. She’s still in her original grey sneakers and it’s kind of adorable.

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The wedding night is eventful in more ways than one…shortly after the last lights in the house go out, I hear the dreaded burglar music.

Of course, I immediately realize that I once again forgot to install a burglar alarm. Trying not to panic, I pause the game and look around for the burglar. There’s nobody. It actually takes about three in-game hours for this lady to get to the front door. It’s practically light out by the time she gets inside.

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She sneaks about six feet into the living room, then stands and waits with calmly while the family starts to wake up.

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Bambi is the first to arrive on the scene. (It helps that her bedroom is on the ground floor.) This poor burglar just does not have it together. As soon as she sees Bambi, she freaks out.

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“I’ve been caught! By a woman in a bikini and a bouffant! Noooo!”

In the end, it’s not Bambi who takes the burglar down. It’s not even Jarrod, the cop. That’s right, it’s sweet, gentle Polly who lets loose and tackles the busty burglar to the floor.

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And she beats her soundly, too. I forgot that Polly is Brave! Way to go, Polly! (I’m not sure what Bambi is doing in these screenshots. I think she’s in the process of catching an invisible fly and eating it, or something. Aside from scaring the burglar, she's not very much help.)

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With that danger averted (seriously, the burglar didn’t steal a single thing), life returns to normal. Hubert continues to burn almost every meal he makes. What’s the deal, Hubert?! You’re a level seven cook, and a perfectionist!

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At least he has the self-awareness to look repentant.

Polly starts work in the Business career and begins building up her charisma in preparation for the higher levels of the job. Since she already knows quite a few people around the city, she gets invited to parties pretty regularly. One of her first real friends is Stella Striker, who’s pregnant with her second child already.

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“You look great, Stella! Gosh, I can’t wait to be pregnant…”

“Well, why don’t you make it happen? You’re married now, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but we’re on a strict schedule. I can only conceive on Mondays and give birth on Thursdays, so that the child’s birthday will be on Sundays. Since it’s Tuesday right now, I’ll have to wait till next week.”

“Ah, I see. That makes plenty of sense.”

Jarrod still works as an International Super Spy, but his hours are light enough that he gets to spend a lot of time relaxing around the house and reading. Bayleigh is a diligent student, especially since she lost her honor-roll status upon moving to Bridgeport. She’s working hard to get back up to an A before graduating in a few days.

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Bayleigh goes to prom in her everyday clothes because she didn’t get home from a friend’s house in time to catch the limo. And with the ridiculously inefficient transportation in Bridgeport, she still arrives at prom almost an hour late. But hey, she has a nice time and acquires a romantic interest! Who is he, you ask?

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Could it be this mysteriously well-disguised lad playing with fire in our dining room?

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Why, yes! This is Lil Bling, and without his stupid shades, he’s really quite cute. Look at those freckles! He and Bayleigh hit it off splendidly, and I actually like his traits as well. (I forget what they all are at the moment, but two of them, I know, are Good Sense of Humor and Virtuoso.)

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By the end of their first homework date, Bayleigh and Lil are going steady and having their first kiss under the watchful eye of Bambi.

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“Watch yourself, boy. Those tabloid writers work for me.”

And Hubert? Hubert has a few days off work right now thanks to his wedding, so he spends his time watching Cookin’ Cable. Often with his dad by his side.

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Hubert: “Ahh, never have I seen such a skillful flambé! The passion! The delicacy!”

Jarrod: “But why is the cake on fire?”

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #57 on: December 14, 2018, 01:47:11 PM »
Chapter 53 – Pickle

I realized after the last chapter that I forgot to mark the occasion of Jarrod’s elder birthday––instead he just sort of quietly got old behind the scenes. Because Jarrod deserves better, here’s a last shot of him and Bambi being cute just before he aged up.

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And here he is mid-transformation. I’m glad he got to age up in his International Super Spy outfit––he looks very distinguished, even with the cross-eyes.

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Anyway, back to the present!

Clarence and Matilda are fairly frequent visitors to the Bungalow. (That’s the unofficial name of this big beachy mansion, by the way.) Recently, Matilda has become pregnant with what will be Jarrod and Bambi’s first grandchild. Hubert says hello to his future niece or nephew.

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There really isn’t much happening in the household right now, aside from that. Jarrod and Bambi continue to go to work (and rake in the cash with those hefty paychecks); Hubert and Polly work as well, but everyone’s hours tend to be short and late in the day, for some reason. Maybe everybody sleeps in in Bridgeport? In any case, there’s a lot of free time to be had. And what do the Middlemisses do with free time? They read! *sniffle* If only I could take credit for this beautiful phenomenon.

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A few days into their marriage, Hubert and Polly decide to get started on a family.

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Bayleigh gets an A in school just in time to become a young adult.

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Bayleigh’s final traits are Athletic, Excitable, Loser, Handy, and Ambitious. She aspires to Become an Astronaut. No surprise there!

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On her last night in the Bungalow, Bayleigh enjoys some leftover wedding cake in the company of someone we haven’t seen for quite some time...

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The next morning, Bayleigh heads out into the world to forge her own path. Good luck, Bayleigh! We’ll miss you!

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Life goes on excitingly after Bayleigh’s departure. Hubert and Polly pass the time playing chess.

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“You go first, Polly.”

“No, no, you go first. Really. I insist!”

“No, I think YOU should go first."

"No, you!"

They don’t “argue” for very long, because Polly soon senses a change in herself. Yes, she is pregnant!

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Polly has a pleasant pregnancy––she goes to the spa for a day, reads lots of books (her favorite activity), and dances with her father-in-law at Jarrod’s insistence.

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“Get those limbs moving, Polly. I’m gonna teach my grandchild to boogie if it’s the last thing I do!”

Hubert is, predictably, overjoyed at the prospect of fatherhood. He wishes for a boy, while Polly wishes for a girl.

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“I think it sounds like a boy! Don’t you think it sounds like a boy?”

“I don’t know if a boy would kick me quite this much.”

Bambi continues to be her weird, unexplainable self. One afternoon I discover her rummaging in her own garbage can out front, as if searching for dirt for a tabloids story.

Jarrod, taking out the trash as he always does, finds her too.

“Uh…babe? What are you doing?”

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“Just making sure there aren’t any invisible vines hiding in here. Don’t worry, we’re in the clear.”

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“Bam-Bam, I love you, but you’re insane.”

Polly goes into labor right next to the chess table. Apparently everything happens right next to the chess table.

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A few painful hours later, Polly says hello to her baby girl for the first time. Everyone, meet Dillie!

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Even with a newborn baby in the household, this family insists on being almost obnoxiously peaceful. Polly and Hubert literally just sit by the fire half the time, reading books and cuddling Dillie and being adorably boring.

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In an attempt to jazz things up, I send the young couple out for a night on the town the day after Dillie is born. They hit up Aquarius and boogie down on the rooftop dance floor, which they have completely to themselves. (Seriously, this town is full of celebrities who love to party…but where do they all go??)

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Of course, parenthood changes you for the tireder. These two are simultaneously partied out by midnight. Hey, at least they put some effort in. Kind of.

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Back home, Bambi has her elder birthday at long last. She’s almost two weeks behind Jarrod at this point. Once upon a time, they were a day apart. In any case, it’s about time. Sorry, Bambi.

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Dillie’s baby days pass by calmly and quickly. She’s one of the easiest babies I’ve ever had in this game. Or maybe she just has really adoring parents who never let her get hungry or lonely.

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Polly throws a birthday party for Dillie, partly so she can increase her friend count towards her LTW of being Super Popular. To my utter surprise, she actually gets to 20 friends right at the start of the party and achieves her LTW well before her adult birthday. Congrats, Polly!

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The party guests don’t really get the memo when it’s time for Dillie to age up, though. A few of them come down to the kitchen, but the rest stay by the bar or the fireplace, and the ones that do come down don’t seem to realize what’s going on. Take Moxie Logan-Round here, who practically steps on the baby while carrying her tray of shrimp cocktail.

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Here’s our little dill pickle. She is all Polly, except for the eye color. Dillie is Artistic and Neurotic, and she likes Chinese music, Hamburgers, and White.

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Next time, we’ll launch into the real challenge of this generation: toddler skills. I am shaking in my socks. See ya then!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #58 on: December 16, 2018, 05:26:03 PM »
Chapter 54 – Learn All The Things

Dillie starts learning her toddler skills the second she ages up and picks them up lickety split.

Like all toddlers, though, she has to get over her urge to chomp everything in sight.

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Grandpa Jarrod helps her get the hang of the peg box. How lucky is Dillie to have an International Super Spy coaching her on logic?

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Hubert takes care of Dillie’s walking, talking, and pottying. Being Family Oriented, it takes him half the time it would anyone else in the family. He gets Dillie walking in no time.

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Dillie’s birthday was on Sunday. By Tuesday morning, Dillie knows how to walk, has mastered the peg box, and is halfway to knowing how to potty and play the xylophone. I don’t know why I was so worried about this.

I just love the look of shock on toddlers’ faces when they discover that whacking the colorful thing with a stick makes a pretty sound.

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Xylophone seems to be the hardest thing for Dillie to learn, if only because she can’t always figure out where the xylophone is. Good thing she hasn’t rolled a music-related career.

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Between skilling sessions, Dillie takes plenty of naps and enjoys toddler versions of her daddy’s high-quality meals, mashed up just for her.

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Amid all the focus on Dillie, Polly is pleasantly surprised to discover that she’s expecting again! (Actually, it's not really a surprise at all. We're on a strict schedule here, people.)

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Wednesday afternoon, Polly takes Dillie down to the library to start working through some toddler books. Polly encounters some persistent routing issues, though, and can’t seem to figure out how to get a toddler book from the shelf, bring it over to her daughter, sit down, and start reading. She’ll pick up a book, take it into another room, set it down, then go back to get Dillie, pick up Dillie, put Dillie down, go back for the book, bring the book back to Dillie, and then drop the “read with Dillie” action from her queue altogether and stand there staring at nothing. It takes her about four hours to sit down long enough to get through Bluish Eggs with a Side of Pastrami. Ugh.

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Dillie: "Read, Mommy! Read!"

Polly: "Mommy has to stare at this wall for a while, sweetheart. We'll start reading in an hour or two."

That same afternoon, Hubert reaches level 9 of the cooking skill and completes his Lifetime Wish when he learns how to make French Toast. Congrats, Hubert! I’m glad to see you’re so excited!

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Clarence and his family have been spending a lot of time over here lately. He and Matilda have already had a son, Corey, and Matilda is now pregnant again. She and Polly (who have recently become best friends) excitedly discuss the delights pregnancy together.

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"Guess what, Matilda! I've gained twenty pounds since breakfast this morning!"

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing! I threw up four times today!"

They’re still chatting merrily away in the bathroom when the contractions hit Polly. (She makes the BEST oh-god-I’m-in-labor faces.)

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“Matilda! Do something! It hurts so bad––I think I’m going cross-eyed!”

“All I can think of to do is dance around and scream! AAAHHHH!!!”

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Hubert eventually steps in and calmly escorts his wife to the hospital. A few hours later, Polly emerges holding her new daughter, Ursula.

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Hubert is in his idea of heaven now with two little girls to look after. He absolutely adores and dotes on both of them.

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Polly is a sweet mother, too. She makes such cute cooing sounds when feeding Ursula her bottle.

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Now that the baby is born, Polly decides to give the library another go and takes Dillie there on Friday afternoon. Maybe her pregnancy was causing the glitches last time, because this time, she and Dillie breeze through the rest of the toddler skill books in no time at all. And they apparently have some fun doing it, too. (Or is Dillie just about to sneeze?)

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Just one book remains for Dillie to read, and she finishes it on her own in the nursery that evening. And with that, Dillie’s toddler requirements are done with almost two days to spare!

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Hubert has his adult birthday and launches into a Mid-Life Crisis, which seems odd since he’s been fulfilling lots of big wishes lately. (His four wish slots during Polly’s second pregnancy were occupied by the following wishes: Have a Child, Have a Child with Polly, Have a Boy, and Have Two Total Children. The only one that didn’t fulfill immediately upon Ursula’s birth is, obviously, Have a Boy. But seriously, all his wishes are children-related. All the time.)

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(Jarrod must be developing hearing problems as he ages. Or maybe he assumes everyone else has hearing problems. He always stands SO CLOSE to other Sims when blowing the birthday horn. Poor Hubert––if he didn’t have hearing problems before, he probably does now.)

Sunday morning finally arrives, and with it, our two little girls’ birthdays. Polly and Dillie look so much alike, don’t they?

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Dillie gears up for the big transformation…

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…and here she is! Dillie inherits the Perfectionist trait from her father, to be added to her Artistic and Neurotic traits.

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Next is Ursula. Hubert, sporting his snazzy new mustache, carries his daughter to the cake. (And look how cute Ursula looks! She’s SMILING!)

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Ursula most resembles her father. She is Grumpy and Loves the Outdoors, and her favorite things are Chinese music, Fish & Chips, and Irish Green.

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And with that, we transition to the next phase of this generation, in which Dillie must learn a bunch of child things and Ursula must follow her sister and learn a bunch of toddler things. So far, we’re doing just fine. Let’s hope we can keep it that way!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #59 on: December 19, 2018, 01:26:15 PM »
Chapter 55 – But Was The Tea Worth It?

So, I don’t usually walk away from my game and leave it running. Because there’s always the risk that I’ll miss something important happening. Right? Right. Everyone knows this. Except this one time, I decide to get up and get a cup of tea, leaving my Sims to do their thing for a couple minutes. What could go wrong?

Oh, I don’t know. JARROD COULD DIE.

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I come back to my game and find Polly and Dillie sobbing their eyes out next to the hot tub. With a gravestone right next to them. Jarrod’s gravestone. Jarrod passed away and I missed the whole thing!

I well and truly missed it, too. The Grim Reaper is come and gone (although I later discover that Polly managed to make friends with him during the 3 seconds he was here). What’s more, Hubert is still stuck teaching Ursula to walk and is nearly two hours late for work. Bambi is stuck writing her novel and didn’t get to see her husband depart. I am a terrible Simmer and I am deeply ashamed.

In any case…I’m sorry I missed your passing, Jarrod. Rest in peace. You were a wonderful member of the family, and you will be sorely missed.

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Everyone gets a rough start to the week because of Jarrod’s sudden death. Dillie in particular has a hard time––she oversleeps her alarm in the morning, and of course I don’t notice until she’s already late for school. Then, since she misses the bus, she has to bike to school, which takes FOREVER. So her school performance starts out in the red. :(

Bambi talks to herself a lot as she’s recovering from the death of her husband. I haven’t seen her do this in a while, but now it’s nearly all she does. Jarrod kept her sane, it seems; without him, she’s left alone in her own headspace. :( Hopefully some of the cobwebs will clear with time.

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Fortunately, there’s a delightful distraction in the household to keep everyone from falling too far into despair. Ursula is now a toddler and has lots of learning to do before she ages up!

Hubert takes on much of the responsibility, as before. He really adores his little girl.

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Bookworm Polly takes on the first of the many books that Ursula has to read. Ursula seems doubtful of her mother’s pronounciation, or something.

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Maybe she’s just more attached to her daddy.

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See, I didn’t notice this until now, but Ursula often has that look of uncertainty on her face when interacting with her mother. Or maybe the high chair is dirty?

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Nope. She definitely doesn’t mind the high chair being dirty.

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Bambi even comes out of her novel-writing cave sometimes to play with little Ursula. Bambi’s relationships with her family have been steadily declining, probably because she’s always working or writing or talking to herself. I’m trying to make it my goal to get her out of her shell in these last few years she has with us.

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It doesn’t take too long for Jarrod to make a reappearance. He manages to catch Bambi while she’s still awake one night. Bambi gets so excited she headbutts Jarrod in the stomach. I’m not sure if this is intentional or not. Hey, everyone shows their love differently.

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Ursula spends plenty of time learning toddler skills on her own. She looks a little vampiric when playing with the peg box. In the end, Ursula finishes all her requirements even faster than her big sister did!

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Dillie, meanwhile, is making good progress in her requirements as a child. She works very hard in school, and also manages to get to know all of her classmates, although none of them stand out as clear friends yet. And after school, Dillie goes to ballet class. Quite early on, she is invited to audition for the lead role in the recital––and gets it. Go Dillie!

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Dillie also practices her baking. She burns a lot of her muffins. Like father like daughter, eh?

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Polly has her adult birthday and has a midlife crisis, even though her life is pretty routine and low-stress lately.

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Polly, I’m almost offended that you’re concerned about wrinkles. I mean, LOOK AT YOU.

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Hubert knows how to calm his wife down, though. They spend more time together now that the girls are, slowly, becoming more independent.

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Hubert has finished reading aloud all the toddler skill books for both his daughters, but that doesn’t stop him from giving Dillie a refresher course on Bluish Eggs with a Side of Pastrami.

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“Dad, you do know this is the first book you ever read me, right?”

Dillie’s favorite activity, by far, is building things with blocks. She does this adorable little dance of excitement after completing one of her creations. A sign of a lifelong passion, perhaps?

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Near the end of her childhood, Dillie performs the lead in her ballet recital, and the whole family comes out to watch her. I like this picture because it’s so typical of parents at dance recitals––one of them is attentive and interested, and the other is blabbing away on their phone the whole time. Polly seems to be more wrapped up in her business career than I realized. At least Hubert shows some appreciation for Dillie’s pirouette, though.

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And finally, on Friday afternoon, Dillie walks out of school an A student. With her requirements nearly done, she can spend the weekend building more block towers and stocking the fridge with pies.

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And Ursula can spend the weekend bemoaning the woes of toddlerhood. I swear she has learned to potty, but certain aspects of that activity still evade her sometimes. I’d cry, too, if I got stuck inside a potty.

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Hubert finally reaches level 10 of the cooking skill after many batches of French Toast and many hours spent watching Cookin’ Cable. He always picks this one countertop for prep––the one that’s impossible to get a good picture of. But anyway, he’s finally moved on from burning every waffle to preparing every dish near-perfectly.

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There is one last recipe that Hubert has yet to learn, though. Even though he completed his LTW of The Culinary Librarian a while ago, he hasn’t learned every recipe out there. The day he gets to level 10 of the skill, he heads to the bookstore and invests in a very special recipe.

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He reads the recipe book late into the night, all alone in his empty kitchen.

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Well…almost alone.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #60 on: December 30, 2018, 05:01:58 PM »
A Brief Interlude / Author's Note Type Thing

First of all, I want to give a little celebratory shoutout to the fact that we just reached 1000 views on this story! I know this is, like, not a big deal at all, but it does make me pretty excited. Even though the Sims 3 side of this forum has been pretty quiet the last few years, I’m still thrilled to know that there are quite a few of you out there reading this and, I hope, getting some amount of joy out of it. Or maybe you’re hate-reading it. That’s fine too, I guess. At any rate, I want to thank every single one of you who has read this little story––past, present, and future. :)

Also, as part of this yay-1000-views thing, I have a special little surprise. I hinted at this in the last chapter or two of the story, but regardless…I have resurrected Llewellyn, our Generation Four heir! Llewellyn is one of my favorite Sims ever, and I received a request from a faithful reader to upload him to the Swap Shop. At long last, after a couple generations of sort of forgetting to work on this project (and toting Llewellyn's grave around in various family members' inventories), I have managed to resurrect Llewellyn via ambrosia. This really was a multi-generational project: Granville of Generation Six made the Young Again potion that I didn't end up using (aging Llewellyn down in CAS turned out to be much easier), Bambi of Generation Seven grew the life fruit, Leola of Generation Seven caught the death fish (that's what she was doing the night she proposed to Ramona by the river), and Hubert of Generation Eight learned the ambrosia recipe and made it himself. He also used his own Lifetime Happiness points to purchase a replicator, just in case we ever need ambrosia again in the future.

Here is the ghost of Llewellyn (already aged down), settling down to a plate of ambrosia after I spent several in-game hours chasing him around the house with it.

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The transformation.

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"Goodness me! Is this a face?!"

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"Hooray! Off to the Swap Shop!"

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So, yeah. That happened. You can find Llewellyn in his own little Swap Shop thread, found here.

And if any of you dear readers have any other requests for Middlemisses you'd like to see uploaded, please let me know! (Earlier generations are lost, for the most part, due to all the moving-to-a-new-town we've done in this legacy, but I've begun saving some later-generation Sims. Just give me a shout and I'll see what I can do.)

And finally...I'd like to wish you all a belated happy holidays and a wonderful New Year––from the Middlemisses and from me. Thank you as always for reading! :) –amaranthin

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #61 on: December 30, 2018, 07:49:25 PM »
Chapter 56 – Inferno: Part II

First off, we have some birthdays to celebrate. This whole babies-born-on-a-strict-schedule thing does make for some nice, tidy shared birthdays. Dillie and Ursula get to age up together!

Big sister goes first, with Grandma Bambi showing the most support. (It’s early in the morning, and both Dillie’s parents are Heavy Sleepers, so…they'll get here when they get here, I guess.)

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Hey everybody! Let’s play a game. It’s called, Are You My Mom Or Am I Your Mom?

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Yeah. Dillie ages up into a grey hoodie and her mother’s hairstyle. What are the odds. I mean, I did hope that at least one of Polly’s kids would inherit some of her features. Some.

Alas, like most teenagers, Dillie has absolutely no desire to look anything like her mother––or at least to resemble her exactly. She opts for a different hairstyle and her own unique outfits. (Of course, her favorite color is white, which isn’t that far off from grey, and which looks very pretty with some grey accents. Sorry, Dillie.)

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Oh, and Dillie’s new trait? Unflirty. I don’t think I’ve ever played an Unflirty Sim before. Her other traits, in case you’ve forgotten, you fiend, are *checks notes* Artistic, Neurotic, and Perfectionist.

Little sister goes next. Look how excited Hubert is!

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Ursula decides to keep the pigtails into her child years, but adds a pair of glasses to help her see. She inherits her father’s Perfectionist trait, fulfilling our generational requirement of having a trait that runs in the family. (Ursula's other traits are Grumpy and Loves the Outdoors.)

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Dillie starts working on her teen requirements right away. Learning to drive is the one I’m most nervous about, because my usual learning-to-drive hack is not available to me in this legacy. I typically make use of the Motive Mobile when teaching teens to drive, since they can go on driving forever without any of their needs dropping (and driving in a regular car makes both teens and parents incredibly stressed out). But since that reward is banned in the Random Legacy, I’m stuck with Polly’s Margaret Vaguester. Which...makes both Polly and Dillie incredibly stressed out.

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Dillie also gets to work utilizing her birthday present from me: a drafting table.

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Bambi passes away at the age of 90 while wearing her work outfit and silly work hairstyle. I didn’t quite expect her to go so soon, but since Jarrod left us already, I think it’s appropriate that Bambi follow him as soon as she’s able.

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She shakes hands with Death and goes on her merry way.

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RIP, Bambi. I’ll miss your crazy antics, your colorful sunglasses, your varying hairstyles, and your delightful personality. Say hey to Jarrod for me, okay?

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Since Dillie is Unflirty, the hunt for a partner/spouse for her is going to be kind of interesting. I really want to let her take the lead when it comes to choosing someone. And luckily, one of her first popped wishes as a teen is to become BFFs with a boy from school––Nawwaf Bijou.

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Dillie visits Nawwaf after school one day to get to know him better. He’s certainly a cutie. And not only are these two attracted to each other, they have compatible star signs, and Nawwaf is Neurotic just like Dillie. That doesn’t necessarily make for a good match in real life, but at least these two can offload their worries on each other. They end the night as good friends and Dillie rushes home to collapse into bed (her teen years thus far have been plagued by a lack of sleep).

A couple of days later, Dillie goes to prom. Already somewhat sleep-deprived, Dillie starts the evening with a cup of coffee, then gets herself ready and takes a cab allllll the way down the mountain and across the river to prom. For some reason no limo comes to the house (and hasn’t, ever since we moved to Bridgeport). It takes absolutely forever for Dillie to get to the school, but at least she looks adorable in her dress and wedges.

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…And she’s voted Prom Queen! Unfortunately, the coffee only carries her an hour or so into the evening before she crashes into exhaustion. That, combined with the moodlet from getting into a fight (how could somebody have a duplicate of her custom-made dress?!), makes the rest of the night a bit rough for Dillie. I was really hoping she’d come out with a romantic interest, but there just isn’t enough time.

The romantic side of things takes another turn for the worse the very next day, when Dillie hears through the grapevine that Nawwaf is in a relationship with another girl from school. Being unflirty, she doesn’t care too much, but she is aware of her requirements for her generation, and, like all heirs, she is required to produce the next heir. So she needs a baby daddy. And she (and I) would like it to be someone she likes, and who likes her back. We’ll just have to see where things go with Nawwaf. And we have some other townie options out there as well.

Dillie is a busy girl these days, but what about Ursula? She gets right in on her requirements as well, and quickly rises through the Scouting ranks.

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Hubert and Polly continue to work diligently at their jobs. Polly has caught up to Hubert in terms of career level––they're both hovering at Level 8 in their respective careers. Between shifts, they find plenty of time to have romantic pillow fights. (Again, Polly makes the funniest, most irreverent faces.)

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We must put the romantic drama (or lack thereof) aside for a moment. For something UNIVERSALLY dramatic is happening at the Middlemiss homestead.

Dillie and Polly return home from a long evening of driving lessons. Just as Dillie is heading towards the house, a notification pops up. A notification that we haven’t seen since Generation One.

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I feel like Dillie’s facial expressions don’t always communicate what is going on very well. In the above screenshot, she is trying to express confusion. Confusion in a towards-the-sky direction.

Oh, no. Oh, no no no no no. This is NOT happening. I immediately instruct Dillie to run inside, because I will NOT lose another Sim this way. You all remember what happened in Generation One, right? Does the name Lincoln ring a bell? Or perhaps the words CRUSHED BY A METEOR? Thankfully, Dillie is not mid-dumpster dive at this moment, and is free to obey my directions and run inside. I breathe a sigh of relief, pull the camera back a bit, and wait.

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There’s such a long pause after Dillie goes inside that I wonder if the meteor changed its mind.

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Nope.

The meteor smashes into the front yard, exactly where Dillie was standing before. She definitely would have been smote had I not sent her inside when I did.

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The front yard leaps into flames. Everyone else is in bed by this time, and of course Polly and Hubert are both Heavy Sleepers, so they’d sleep right through it without my intervention. I have to rouse Polly myself and send her downstairs so she can help extinguish the fires.

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Ursula wakes up on her own, though, and helpfully prances around in the grass providing some lovely background screams.

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Polly and Dillie make a pretty good fire-fighting duo, though this screenshot of them, with their matching frightened smirks, kind of looks like a bad band photo. Even with their continual hard work, it takes Polly and Dillie half the night to extinguish all the fires.

All three ladies head to bed exhausted, but alive and okay. Hubert, meanwhile, has a lovely night’s sleep and wakes up shortly after this, blissfully unaware that his wife and daughters have spent the night saving everything he owns from meteor fire.

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“Hmm…why does it smell like brimstone in here? Must've left the fireplace on all night...”

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“Wait, what the…?!”

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“My stonework––my beautiful laid stonework! NOOOO!”

Eventually, Hubert calms himself down and realizes that he’s potentially a very rich man with these humongous space rocks in his front yard. (We actually got three of them––this huge one, and two smaller ones.) He collects all three and analyzes them, and altogether they’re worth over 7,000 simoleons. Not bad at all, and we didn’t even have to sacrifice a family member!

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Hubert also attempts to repair our teleporter that got damaged in the fires. Naturally, he gets electrocuted. It would’ve been really funny, and terrible, if he’d died from that.

I decide to leave the crater in the yard for now (minus the meteor itself), mostly because it’s right in the path of all visiting Sims that come to the lot, and every single one of them descends into the crater on their way to the front door, which I find hilarious. Hopefully you’ll get a glimpse of that in the next chapter.

Until the next chapter!


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #62 on: December 31, 2018, 01:24:18 PM »
Chapter 57 – Playground Promises

Before we begin, here’s a glimpse of Llewellyn returned to life and bombing around Bridgeport. The game has made him homeless, but he is back in his original job at the Bistro, so I think he’s happy. Also, he and Hubert (his great-great grandson) have become good friends. They have a lot in common––they’re both Family-Oriented master chefs who married original townies and had daughters with food-related names.

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You may also notice that Hubert has a bowl of ground beef stuck to his hand. Something glitched out several days ago while he was preparing hamburgers, and he’s been like this ever since. I’m not fixing it yet because it entertains me. :D

Dillie is about halfway through her teen years, and as such, it is time to start looking for a romantic partner for her. She’s already a popular young lady at school––several boys have expressed interest in her, and they all do this when they pass by her out in public:

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Most of Dillie’s wishes center around Nawwaf, even if they aren’t romantic ones specifically. Still, I think it’s time we throw a slumber party to really get to know our options.

The party has impressive turnout––I think most of the teens that currently live in Bridgeport show up at the Bungalow. Several express attraction to Dillie as soon as they arrive. A notable absentee, though, is…Nawwaf. He must be working or something.

Dillie gets to know a very enthusiastic Casey Strummer-Hamming, to the chagrin of the other two guys in the background. (Those two are Gerard Xu-Wilde and Doug Wells-Crewe. I accidentally left married names hyphenated in Story Progression for this town, and I decided to keep it because it’s easier to tell who is the offspring of who. Also, sometimes it turns out funny. Whenever I see Doug, I think, “Wells-Crewe you too!”)

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While Dillie is awkwardly trying to get the dancing started (so far everyone has been either standing around or doing homework), Beatrice Missoni-Fresco (the blonde bimbo) barges in wearing a bikini, for some reason. I guess she snuck out back to the hot tub? Anyway, this is only relevant because Beatrice is the chick who’s dating Nawwaf. She spends most of the party gossiping with the other guests and generally spreading drama.

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“Honestly, who sleeps in pajamas? I never sleep in anything but a neon bikini. It’s sooo much comfier.”

The party picks up after a little while. Dillie’s cousin Corey is in the foreground; Norma Angelista is in the turquoise nightgown; and I forget the name of the guy on the right, but he’s original townie offspring too.

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Oh, and that’s Hubert way in the back there.

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Hubert?

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“Yeah!!! I LOVE TEEN PARTIES!”

Maybe Hubert is just remembering his own teen years with fondness? Not that he was much of a partier…Clarence had that covered many times over. Who knows.

Surprise, it’s Ursula’s teen birthday!

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Look at this lovely crowd of fans cheering Ursula on.

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And how does Ursula feel about it?

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“Uh, can you guys, like, not? You’re giving me a migraine.”

There’s that Grumpy trait I love so much!

Anyway, here’s Ursula after her makeover. She gets the Eccentric trait, which I think is appropriate considering there’s a nice big pile of scrap up on the upstairs deck left behind by the meteor. I’m glad we have somebody in the household who will gladly make use of it!

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Here’s another shot of Beatrice spreading drama. She does this gleeful little clap and squeal many times during the party, usually when Dillie is talking to boys. It’s almost like she knows what’s going down.

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“Ooh, I hope she picks an ugly one, so I can flirt with all the cute ones! Teehehe!”

Gerard, meanwhile, decides he’s had enough of this version of The Bachelorette and heads upstairs for an early bedtime.

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Eventually, the other guests follow suit. I don’t know if we really got anywhere with this slumber party. Nobody jumped out as a great alternative to Nawwaf. If anything, Nawwaf’s elusiveness made him even more intriguing as a candidate. And Dillie keeps popping wishes to talk to him and hang out with him, so I think she misses him too.

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The next morning is Monday, and the whole troupe goes parading out the door and into the crater on their way to school. Bye, everyone! Don’t break your ankles on the way out!

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Life settles back into a routine after the party. Now that they’re in school together, the girls can do their homework together…or at least in the same room. Ursula appears to still have that migraine or something. I don’t know why else she’d be wearing her sunglasses (and swimsuit) at the breakfast table.

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Ursula starts experimenting on her workbench as well. The scrap from the meteor actually disappeared sometime before or after the party––I’m wondering if our new butler cleaned it up. But that’s okay. We have enough family funds now that purchasing scrap isn’t an issue.

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A couple of days later, Dillie has her final Art Club showcase, and afterwards, she calls Nawwaf and invites him to meet her at the park near the school. He’s very late in arriving––again, I think he works a lot of hours at the grocery story––but at least he’s wearing his favorite red tux, to match Dillie’s fancy dress.

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Dillie has called him up to have a heart-to-heart. Her teen years are coming to an end soon, and she has some big decisions ahead of her. One of them, of course, involves love.

“So, Nawwaf…you’ve been my best friend for a long time, and you know me better than anyone. So you know that this romance-y stuff is hard for me.”

Nawwaf smirks. “Yeah, I know.”

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“And you also know that I’m the heir to my family’s legacy, but I haven’t told you everything about that. See, like all my ancestors, I have to, um, produce an heir.”

“I figured.”

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Dillie swallows before continuing. “But here’s the thing. I’m not allowed to get married. I have to be a single parent––well, I’ll have help from a couple of friends, but my partner and I…we can’t live together. I just need someone who will have a baby with me, and be a father, but…from afar, if that makes sense. And, well…I was sort of hoping it would be you.”

Nawwaf is, understandably, a little shocked at this.

“You want me to be the father of your child?”

“Yep. Weird, I know.”

“Well, weird is pretty normal in a legacy. Okay, I’ll do it.”

“You WILL? Oh, Nawwaf, thank you!”

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All of a sudden, Dillie remembers something.

“But what about your girlfriend?! What if Beatrice doesn’t––“

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“Don’t even worry about Beatrice. Things aren’t going very well between us, and I don’t expect our relationship to last.” Nawwaf takes Dillie’s hands. “I’ve always liked you, Dillie. I just didn’t want to push anything for fear of scaring you away.”

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Dillie is shocked. And a little uncomfortable. She’s Unflirty, after all. “But…you’re okay with not getting married?”

“Sure. I’ll be happy just to be with you when I can, and to be the father of your child. Maybe we can get married when we’re old or something.”

Dillie smiles. And then, before things can get any more romantic, she says a quick goodbye and runs off into the night.

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Even though romance isn’t her thing…even she can tell she's found one of the good ones.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #63 on: January 01, 2019, 08:34:47 PM »
Chapter 58 – Cops & Robbers

I hear the burglar music while everyone is sleeping. First of all, WE HAD A METEOR YESTERDAY. CAN’T WE CATCH A BREAK?

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The burglar sneaks right past the blaring burglar alarm. These guys are never very bright…it takes this one a while to realize she’s in any danger.

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Or maybe she’s not in danger at all. The cop that comes to investigate sees Hubert and Polly coming down the stairs and focuses on them instead of the criminal at hand.

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“Hey, you in the stripes. Here’s my cell phone. Get a picture of me with the celebs, will ya?”

Neither of the Middlemisses seem very fazed by what’s going on. Especially not Polly.

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“Welcome, friendly strangers! We’re so pleased to welcome you to our humble bungalow this blessed night. Please, make yourselves at home!”

The burglar does so by promptly taking the cop to the floor and giving her a stern beating.

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Polly: “Should we do anything, Hue?”

Hubert: “Nah. I can't do much with this hamburger stuck to my hand, anyway.”

After getting soundly defeated by the burglar, the cop bounces right back up and gives her full attention to Hubert.

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“You, sir, are a sight for sore eyes! I’ve never seen such handsome pectorals on a crime victim before.”

At this point, the burglar decides to go for round two and tackles Polly to the floor. Maybe she’s trying to distract her from the cop that’s hitting on her husband?

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Cop: “How about a hug, handsome sir?”

After defeating Polly (a first), the burglar turns to her third and final victim––and decides that he’s attractive at the exact moment she takes him down.

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“You are just TOO ATTRACTIVE! MMMFFFRGHH!”

It’s getting light out by this point, and our lovely cop has still done nothing but take photos of and flirt with the Middlemisses. After Hubert refuses to give her a hug, the cop decides that she’s done with this crime scene. She turns her back as the burglar tackles Hubert, saying, “Unfortunately, it looks like the burglar got away this time.” Get out of here, lady. You’re useless!

And so! After taking down both adult Middlemisses and a cop (but stealing nothing), the burglar finally hops in her car and flees the scene, just as dawn is breaking over Bridgeport. (And Hubert, of course, pops wishes to become friends with both the burglar AND the cop after the fact. Go figure.)

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I think that’s enough freak events for one generation, don’t you? I’m just glad I don’t have Seasons anymore, because we’d probably have had a few alien abductions by now too. Oi.

Let’s get back to Dillie, our rising heir. On one of her last days as a teenager, Dillie invites Nawwaf out to the beautiful overlook near her house and scrounges up the courage to kiss him and ask him to be her boyfriend. Her insides scream against the romantic gestures the whole time, but she needs to lock Nawwaf in as her far-in-the-future spouse (and near-in-the-future baby daddy). Nawwaf is only too happy to reciprocate––he really seems into her. :D

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I love how wistful Nawwaf always looks whenever Dillie takes of running after their dates. She has a habit of running off just as things are heating up, but Nawwaf doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, he seems to think it’s adorable.

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Unfortunately, Dillie breaks curfew after her date with Nawwaf. Hubert is waiting at home to scold her. Dillie gives her father the deadliest death gaze I think I’ve ever seen.

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“Well I’ve just ensured that one day you’ll have a grandchild, Dad. You’re welcome.”

“A grandchild?! How can you be thinking of such things at this age?! Who’s the boy you’ve sold your soul to?!”

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“…”

“…Is he standing right over there?”

“Yep.”

Nawwaf, you naughty boy! I have no idea how he managed to sneak home with Dillie, but sneak home with her he did. He ends up staying till about 3 or 4 in the morning, doing his homework on the floor in the foyer. At least he uses his time responsibly.

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Things are quickly falling into place for the transition to Generation Nine. (Can you believe we’re already at Generation Nine? I know I can’t.) This past generation really flew by. And this transition feels like less of a transition than past ones, probably because we’re not moving to a new town or a new house this time around. Things are just calmly switching over to Dillie as soon as she has her young adult birthday.

The last of Dillie’s teen requirements is completed the day before her birthday. Polly takes her out on the town one last time in the trusty old Vaguester and completes her driving lessons.

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The same evening, Hubert earns his final promotion at the diner and becomes a Five-Star Chef (and gets the magic fridge, yay!). Congrats, Hubert!

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He got it just in time, too. The minute he walks in the door at home, he has his elder birthday.

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The next morning, Dillie calls all of her friends and invites them to her house for a birthday bash that afternoon. The purpose of this party is not so much to have fun as it is to find future members of the household. We’ll need to bring in some help for Dillie’s generation, and a party is just the thing to narrow it down to the right candidates.

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Before the party starts, Dillie calms herself down with some quality time at the drafting board. She’s getting pretty good at these architectural sketches. Some of them are really beautiful.

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It’s not the most exciting party ever, but we do get to see a family member we haven’t seen in a while––Bayleigh! She’s an Adult now and has been downgraded to pigtails, but she’s still lovely and seems to be thriving in her military career. She also just had her first baby with Lil Bling. Here she is telling a ghost story to…seemingly no one.

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Lots of celebrities attend Dillie’s party and watch her age up. Dillie’s neuroticism seems to get the better of her for a moment as the sparkles hit.

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Here’s Dillie, all grown up. She keeps the same hairstyle but updates her makeup a little bit (and refuses to look into the camera as I’m trying to get a screenshot). Her final trait is Charismatic, to go along with her Artistic, Neurotic, Perfectionist, and Unflirty traits. She selects the same LTW her mother had––Super Popular. She’s already almost halfway there, and the LTW related to her career is bugged and impossible anyway.

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On that note, here are the rolls for Generation Nine.

Family Structure – Single Parent with Double Help
Number of Children – 1
Careers – Architect / Farmer or Nectar Maker / Day Care
Generational Goal – Awesome!
Misc. Fun – No Strangers

So Dillie, as we already know, will be a single parent while raising her child, but she will have the help of two non-romantic roommates (yet to be moved in). As you’ve probably guessed, she’ll become an Architect. The “Awesome!” goal just means that Dillie has to do something awesome, preferably related to her career and/or traits. I’ve got a couple of ideas cooking for that requirement already. And finally, “No Strangers” means that no service Sims are allowed on the lot. I am not happy about this one. Not at all.

So we are all set for Generation Nine! All that remains is to find our two missing cast members. Luckily, Dillie is already getting somewhere with that.

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“Hey, your name’s Bridgett, right? I have a proposition for you.”

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“What, live in this gigantic house? Run my own nectar-selling business? Feed off the blood of a famous legacy family? How can I say no?!”

Yep, we have our first new household member. Meet Bridgett Talon-Schlick. And yes, she is a vampire. She is my new obsession.

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This girl has been floating around Bridgeport for a while, showing up here and there in different family members’ relationship panels, coming to parties, the usual. Dillie ran into her in one of the penthouses downtown a few days before her birthday, and upon learning Bridgett’s traits, I just had to have her. She’s intense, troublesome, wild, and she loves the outdoors, which makes her a perfect candidate for a farmer/nectar maker. Plus, she’s rather terrifying, which I’m always a fan of. (She reminds me a little of Randi, I think.)

Bridgett’s parents are original townies Jessica Talon and Vladimir Schlick. Her traits are Loves the Outdoors, Inappropriate, Hot-Headed, Hopeless Romantic, and Friendly. She’s a torrentous bundle of extraverted intensity, and I love her for it. Her favorite things are Roots music, Lobster Thermidor, and Grey. (I’m interpreting her favorite color as more of a steely grey-black, to set her apart from the other women in the household who also like grey and white.) Bridgett’s LTW is to become a Fashion Phenomenon. Unfortunately, that career is not an option for her at this point, but maybe one day she can move out and start a vampire salon or something.

That’s all for now. Next chapter, we’ll move full-swing into Dillie’s generation, get to know our new family member, and hopefully find another weirdo to fill in our second empty space. Exciting stuff. See ya then!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #64 on: January 07, 2019, 08:35:11 PM »
Chapter 59 – Poison Apple & The Butterfly Dome

Bridgett is already proving to be a fun and interesting addition to the household. She’s always roping her housemates into pillow fights and games of catch (usually while wearing just her steely-grey undergarments). She is tireless (I guess ‘cause she’s a vampire…) and enthusiastic. I love her.

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She also starts working on a garden. Eventually, she’s going to start her own nectar business. Until then, she’s got to get her gardening skill up in order to plant some plasma fruit. Clicking on the fridge every six hours when she gets Thirsty started getting annoying on the second or third time.

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Dillie begins work as an architect. Most of her clients are her fellow big-name celebrities on the mountaintop outside Bridgeport. I’m glad––I wasn’t looking forward to renovating penthouses.

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Most of Dillie’s clients approve of her work, and she gets some good reviews early on. She also gets a few inexplicably terrible reviews. (One of the assignments was just to put windows and doors in. Seriously. I think it was one door and two windows. Dillie did just that, and the client had nothing but trash to say about her afterwards. How could Dillie possibly have messed that up?!)

Now that she’s a member of a famous legacy household, Bridgett decides to ride around the city in style. She buys herself a motorbike with Hubert’s debit card and cruises around Bridgeport all night, her pale gold eyes gleaming among the city lights.

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Speaking of gleaming eyes, a singed Bridgett is one of the more terrifying things I’ve seen in this legacy (right up there with an angry, pregnant Randi).

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Money isn’t the only thing Bridgett likes to mooch off the man of the household. She also likes to drink his blood (and look like a hungry rabbit while doing so).

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Hubert doesn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, he looks positively besotted after Bridgett is finished with him. Whatever’s going on here, it’s disturbing, and I’m choosing not to comment further on it.  :o

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Around this time, Polly has her elder birthday. I can’t believe she’s old already…

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Ursula is getting older, too, but in a less dreary way. She goes to prom on one of her last nights as a teen. Aside from being voted Prom Queen, she has a pretty lousy night and gets rejected by multiple prospective dance partners. :(

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Bridgett seems to be the only one having a good time these days. She goes to visit her father once he becomes Emperor of Evil. I didn’t even know it was possible for a townie to reach that level, even with Nraas’s Story Progression turned on. He's glowing red and everything. So uh, congrats, Vladimir! I mean, Emperor Schlick. Sir.

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After about a week of gardening, Bridgett reaches level 7 of the skill. She flies through the levels thanks to doing most of her skilling at night. And with that achieved, it’s time for her to start her true calling.

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Dillie has begun the first phase of her Awesome requirement––she’s built Bridgett her very own underground lair, stocked with nectar makers, nectar racks, and one of those creepy vampire bed things so she can float to her heart’s content. (I’ll try to get a better picture in a future chapter.)

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So Bridgett starts stomping fruit to make her first nectar. She doesn’t have any grapes because we haven’t made a trip to France (I’m a little bit afraid to, since we’re so far along in the legacy and my game file is already so bloated and precarious), so she sticks with apples and limes for now. Her very first nectar blend, called Poison Apple, is…100% apple. How’d you guess?!

On Sunday of that week, Dillie pops the most unlikely wish for an Unflirty Sim––to propose marriage to Nawwaf. Oh Dillie, you are the most romantically inclined Unflirty Sim I’ve ever known. She must really like this guy! I decide to let her take the leap. Such an uncharacteristic wish must be important, and the two of them WILL be able to get married one day. Not for a very long time, but…eventually.

Dillie invites Nawwaf out to the most beautiful place in Bridgeport––the butterfly dome thingy.

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Wait, who’s that guy prancing around in the background?

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What the…?!

This, my friends, is Hackysack Middlemiss. He is an Imaginary Friend from…I don’t even know when. I want to say he belonged to Granville? He definitely didn’t belong to any of our Bridgeport family members. Bambi didn’t have an IF, I’m pretty sure, and Hubert still has his IF, Kiki, in his inventory. Hackysack has somehow managed to traverse time and space and appear as an actual Sim in a new town, generations after he existed in doll form. This is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen in this game. (And shortly after I take this screenshot, he disappears, and I can’t find him again. Okay then?)

Anyway! Nawwaf and Dillie meet up in a literal patch of flowers, within a literal cloud of butterflies. How much more romantic can you get?

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These two are thrilled to be reunited. Nawwaf is several days younger than Dillie, so it’s been a while since they’ve been able to interact romantically. They pick up right where they left off. Nawwaf looks very in love, does he not?

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And then…Dillie takes a deep breath and gets down on one knee. What’s a Neurotic, Unflirty proposal like, you ask? It’s fast and full of nerves.

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“Hey-Nawwaf-I-love-you-will-you-marry-me-one-day-eventually-some-time-far-in-the-future?”

Nawwaf, of course, breaks into a big grin and…

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…and…what?!

Nawwaf, how could you! He reaches out, closes the ring box, CHUCKLES, and shakes his head no.

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“But…Nawwaf! I don’t understand. You said you’d be the father of my child, and that you loved me…why don’t you want to get married?”

“Y’know, I really don’t know. I just think this whole thing is hilarious. I can’t stop laughing long enough to make a rational decision here. So I’m gonna say no, because reasons.”

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Dillie is devastated. She basically sold her soul to make this proposal, and now the love of her life has turned her down. Look at her poor face! :(

Personally, I’m having trouble figuring out how Nawwaf could have said no. Dillie’s the Unflirty one. Nawwaf is Insane and Neurotic, but otherwise fairly, uh, normal. No Commitment Issues or anything. Their relationship bar is full as always. What the heck, dude?!

After turning Dillie down, Nawwaf leaves the date, saying something about Dillie having “issues” that he doesn’t want to “stick around to deal with”. Yeah, whatever, man. I’m starting to think you really are insane.

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Let’s go home, Dillie. I guess it’s not meant to be…just yet.

Dillie goes home and paints her feelings, or possibly a scary vortex that she would like Nawwaf to be sucked into.

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And on that very happy note, it’s time to say goodbye to a family member. Ursula has her young adult birthday after hopping out of the shower and getting stuck with an incorrect hairdo.

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She decides to go back to the curls once she’s grown up, and add more of them. I think she’s quite lovely. Her final traits: Loves the Outdoors, Grumpy, Perfectionist, Eccentric, and Genius. She takes on the LTW of Living in the Lap of Luxury.

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I don’t establish Ursula in a career or a relationship before she heads out on her own; I think she can find her own way without my help. I’m curious to see where Story Progression will take her. Bye, Ursula! Good luck out there, and watch out for rogue Imaginary Friends!

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Next time, we’ll see if we can’t find ourselves a second helper for Dillie, and hopefully taste our first plasma fruit nectar. (Oh, how I wish I could taste in-game drinks for real.)

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #65 on: January 10, 2019, 05:16:46 PM »
Chapter 60 – Struck

Bridgett is making rapid progress in her nectar making. She’s joined the career, but is waiting for her first several bottles of nectar to age a bit before taking them to the consignment store to sell. Here’s the cellar Dillie built for her, where she makes and stores her nectar (and takes creepy vampire naps):

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Bridgett’s garden is getting to be pretty abundant, too. She typically spends the nighttime gardening (out of the sun), then starts making nectar very early in the morning before crashing into bed around 10 am. And doing it all over again that night.

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Sometimes her schedule gets out of whack due to an inattentive watcher, though, and she winds up gardening in daylight. This typically causes her to not feel too well.

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After that, she…starts dancing? What, is she doing the can-can?

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Nope. After many close calls, Bridgett finally has her first loss of consciousness due to sunlight and has a nice involuntary nap under the sprinklers in her garden.

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Polly is doing well, too. She gets her final promotion and a new incorrect hairdo to celebrate her arrival at level 10 of the business career. Congrats, Polly!

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In other news, it’s about time we get our second household helper in place. I’ve had someone in mind for a while, and now that he’s almost old enough to make his own decisions sell his soul for the sake of a legacy, Dillie invites him over.

This is Melvin Striker, one of the many children of Richie and Stella Striker. (Stella seems to have contracted some sort of unending-youth bug and is still popping out babies, even though she should’ve aged up to elder a long time ago.) Once he arrives at the household on Dillie’s invitation, he stays for about two seconds and then goes, “You call that a fun time? I’m leaving.” Then he leaves the lot, descending into the meteor crater on his way out. Dillie doesn’t even get to make a clever retort, because she doesn’t even get to the front porch in time to greet him.

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Polly overhears this nonsense and decides to take things into her own hands. After all, she has over 50 friends in Bridgeport (not even kidding), and is Melvin one of them? You bet he is. She gives him a call moments after he rides away in his taxi.

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“Hey there, sweet pea. Listen, don’t worry about Dillie. You don’t have to hang out with her if you don’t want to. How would you like to hang out with sweet old Polly? I’ll make you a cup of tea and we can talk about what’s bothering you.”

Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), Melvin agrees and pops right over as if his whole three-second rendez-vous with Dillie never happened.

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“You again? You literally just bailed on our hangout session.”

“Your mother invited me back. I couldn't say no. There’s just something about that woman I am unable to resist.”

“Okay, ew."

Polly takes Melvin under her wing and gets to know him better. It turns out he’s just having a bad day, which is why he decided to ditch Dillie earlier. At the end of their conversation, Polly throws in a last effort at getting the kid to stick around. “Oh hey, sweetums, I just remembered––there’s some cake in the kitchen if you want some.”

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“Cake? For me?!

Even Hubert comes out of his reading cave to cheer on this young lad he’s never seen before in his life.

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So Melvin becomes a young adult…

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“Teehee! It tickles!”

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…and immediately notices the young woman in lingerie who meant nothing to him moments ago.

Dillie is smart enough to exit the scene before Melvin thinks to try anything. (Actually, she’s just invited Nawwaf over for their first, hopefully-not-awkward date since the rejected proposal, so she heads right upstairs to be with him.) Instead, Melvin turns his attention to Polly.

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“You look so enchanting in that red-and-yellow suit set, Polly. Like...ketchup and mustard. Mmm. Delicious.”

“Why thank you, young man! Have you noticed that your shirt matches my hair? And––oh, my, those muscles!

Hubert is less than okay with this, of course. I didn’t get a good screenshot of the fury that crosses his face when he sees his wife flirting with the scrappy kid who was a teenager three seconds ago. But it's there, in full force.

Nawwaf makes an appearance at this exact moment, too. And what does Nawwaf do when he sees a guy younger than him flirting with his girlfriend’s mom?

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Classy, Nawwaf. Classy.

Anyway, I try to get Polly to stop flirting with the new kid long enough to ask him to join the household. Melvin happily agrees to move in to the big house on the hill filled with beautiful women, and tucks himself into bed like a good boy.

…Except that the only free bed is at the moment is in Dillie’s room. This isn’t Melvin’s fault. Really. I forgot to set up a bedroom for him.

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“Dude, are you kidding me?! Me and my BOYFRIEND are in here. Go sleep on the couch or something!”

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“Ahh, love! One day, perhaps I shall be the lucky man to woo a lady of such grace!”

With that out of the way, Dillie and Nawwaf settle in to have their first woohoo. It’s about time, I’d say. Even though Dillie still looks like she’s holding a little bit of a grudge over her spurned proposal.

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Anyway, here’s Melvin with some updated clothes. There’s something adorably dopey about him, even if he is a bit delusional when it comes to romance.

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Melvin’s traits are Good, Heavy Sleeper, Eco-Friendly, Nurturing, and Vehicle Enthusiast. He shares Leola’s strangely contradictory passions for the environment and cars. His LTW is to become a Dynamic DNA Profiler, but that's not going to be possible for him. I think he’ll be a joy to have around, as long as he keeps his paws away from the married and taken women of the household.

Melvin has a day or so to get settled before his career starts. When he’s not trying to talk to Polly, he is…drinking. I think we need to get this boy a girlfriend, stat.

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Or at least some friends. As soon as he gets a chance, Melvin approaches Dillie and begs her forgiveness for storming off the other day. “And I’m sorry for flirting with your mom,” he says. “Please forgive me?”

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Dillie reluctantly agrees.

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“Oh, Miss Middlemiss, you won’t be sorry! We’re going to be the BEST of friends! We can play hopscotch, and chess, and catch with the baseball, and––“

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Dillie has to run off in the middle of their conversation in order to throw up in the bathroom. Luckily, Melvin doesn’t seem to assume any connection between their conversation and Dillie’s nausea.

Probably because it’s caused by something else entirely. Looks like Dillie and Nawwaf's first woohoo was more productive than they realized!

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Someone else in the house is pretty excited to learn that Dillie is pregnant.

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“Mmmmm. I sense fresh blood. I give my vampiric blessing on this child.”

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #66 on: January 14, 2019, 12:31:31 PM »
Chapter 61 – MMTFT

It’s time to return. To hearken back to something we have not visited in seven generations. It’s time to go back…to the IPTA.

Does anyone remember IPTA? The Inter-Planetary Toddler Academy? Anyone…?

Well, that was then. And this is now. (For a refresher on the IPTA, refer to Generation Two, chapter 14.) Instead of an alien running the town’s daycare, we have a sweet and slightly daffy human named Melvin. He’s renamed the centuries-old organization to suit his tastes. It’s now Melvin’s Marvelous Toddler Fun Time. I have to say, Mel, this name is…not as catchy.

Melvin’s first client is a little vampire named Richelle.

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The other toddler to visit that first day is Melvin’s nephew, Erwin Starr-Striker. (We’ll probably be seeing a lot of Strikers and Starr-Strikers come through MMTFT. Melvin has a lot of siblings, some of whom are having kids and some of whom are still kids themselves.)

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Melvin does well on his first day, except for the time I catch him heading upstairs towards the bar to grab a drink. Oh no you don’t, sir. Not until your shift is done!

Meanwhile, a slowly blooming Dillie works on her painting skill in the peaceful upstairs loft.

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And Polly…spends a lot of time at the bar on the upstairs deck. Maybe she realizes that her husband is not a young man anymore, and won’t be with us for very much longer? :( Or perhaps all that flirting with younger men has worn her out.

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When his daycare shift is over, Melvin invites Dillie out into the backyard for a game of catch. Thankfully they’re both beginners, so nobody chucks the ball directly at any pregnant bellies. Either way, though, this really shouldn’t be happening.

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Dillie goes into labor the following night, outside on the back deck. Nawwaf has joined the family for the evening, and has settled down on the picnic bench to read a book. Polly sees what’s happening and decides to follow suit.

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*pant pant* “Nawwaf, help! The baby…it’s coming! Mom, I’m going into labor!”

Nobody blinks an eye for the first hour or so of the birth. After a little while, Hubert sees the family gathering on the deck and comes to check out the action.

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“Hi, everyone! I didn’t realize we were having a reading party out here. Mind if I join?”

Hubert settles down with a book.

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Yes, the entire family is completely deaf to Dillie’s screams of agony.

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“Seriously? Not one of you is going to help me? Okay.”

Polly is the first to wake from her stupor.

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“Excuse me! I want to go inside, but some lady in labor is blocking the door!”

Polly exits the scene, closely followed by Hubert. As soon as they go inside, Dillie puts on her rabbit face.

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When the sparkles hit, Nawwaf is the only remaining witness.

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It’s a boy! Everyone give Scooter Middlemiss a big warm welcome, because he’s certainly not getting one from the rest of his family.

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At last, Dillie turns to Nawwaf.

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“Hey babe? Come meet your son.”

“Mm, can’t talk. Reading.”

“I’m thinking about naming him Stinky Baboon Face.”

“K.”

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And with that, Dillie turns around and walks back inside.

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“One day, my little man, your daddy will learn that you exist. And he will love you. But until then, he can freeze to death on the porch for all I care.”

So Scooter enters the world to the most ambivalent spectators ever seen in Bridgeport. At least his mommy cares about him. And she cares about keeping the family together, too––after having Scooter, Dillie keeps popping wish after wish to get married to Nawwaf. :( I never thought an Unflirty sim would be so desperate to get married, or so persistent in loving the same person. If she didn’t care so much, I’d be tempted to chuck Nawwaf out the window without a second glance. But I guess we’re stuck with him. Ah, well.

Speaking of looove, I’ve been trying to get some romance going in Melvin’s life as well. He’s such a sweet guy, and he deserves to be happy in the romance department. (Also, he needs distraction from Polly.) One afternoon he runs into one of his school friends at the poorly-lit consignment shop. A friend who has BLUE HAIR.

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This is Rosalie Smyth-Belle, and she’s celebrating a mysteriously sudden birthday today.

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Well, would you look at that! Rosalie is old enough to date young adults! How convenient!

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Melvin manages to nab his first kiss from a happily bewildered Rosalie. There’s no option for them to go steady, though––perhaps Melvin needs to end things with his old romantic interest first?

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Who’s his old romantic interest, you ask? Oh, just Nawwaf’s little sister. :o

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Melvin ends things with what’s-her-name Bijou, and I decide to give our blue-haired beauty a makeover to reveal the fantastical space witch that has been inside of her all along. Rosalie won’t be able to join the household, but at least she can LOOK like a member of a legacy family.

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Back home, a 90-year-old Hubert cuddles his only grandchild.

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His time is coming soon, and he knows just how to make the most of the time he has left.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #67 on: January 15, 2019, 02:14:58 PM »
Chapter 62 – The Sparkly Blue Ship Has Sailed

After a whirlwind first kiss with Rosalie in the last chapter, Melvin decides to invite her out for a romantic late-night date at the overlook. Rosalie arrives looking darkly radiant in her new clothes and improved hairstyle.

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“Hello, beautiful.”

“Oh. Hello, Melvin.”

The two of them greet each other with a passionate makeout…

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…which doesn’t end well.

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“Ugh, Melvin, get away from me!”

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“What is wrong, my gorgeous galactic girlfriend? Did I kiss you too hard?”

“Okay, first of all, I’m not your girlfriend. And second of all, I have to go.”

Rosalie takes off running before Melvin can say another word. Hmmm. ??? After just one romantic interaction, Rosalie starts acting really weird and grossed out whenever Melvin tries to so much as hold her hand. The plan was to have Melvin ask Rosalie to go steady on this date, but not only did he never get a chance…the option to ask her to go steady never even came up, even though both of them are single. I’m starting to fear a repeat of the Nawwaf drama.

Oh, well––Melvin has to run home quick so he doesn’t miss Scooter’s toddler birthday!

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“Oh, Melvin, thank God you’re here. Birthdays make me feel so...elderly. May I clutch your bicep?”

Polly has certainly become a weird old lady in her old age. But anyway, here’s our Scooter!

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Scooter is a Polly clone, just like his mother. That woman has some strong genes! I think his skin tone is a little closer to Nawwaf’s, but other than that, he’s all Dillie/Polly. Scooter is a Genius and a Heavy Sleeper, and he likes Hip Hop music, Ratatouille, and the color Sea Foam.

Scooter is going to have an interesting toddlerhood––he’s surrounded by other toddlers on a daily basis, so there’s plenty of competition for the peg box and xylophone.

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He also gets lots of early exposure to vampires. (Bridgett has started autonomously helping out with daycare duties. Can you guess which client is her favorite?)

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After the failed date the other night, Melvin invites Rosalie back to have a serious talk about their relationship. And from the first interaction…it doesn’t go well.

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“Hey, babe, I’ve missed you! And I’ve been thinking––babe, what’s wrong?”

“Melvin, stop! You’re being totally weird!”

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“How am I being weird, my love? You are my beautiful space witch. We are meant to be together. It's fate.”

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“That does it.”

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“Rosalie! Where are you going?”

“This makeover wasn’t my idea. I never asked to be anyone’s fantastical space witch. I was just living my life, when suddenly I got kidnapped and makeovered and forced into a relationship with some guy who runs a daycare out of his house. Which is SUPER WEIRD, by the way. Anyway, I’m done with this. I’m leaving.”

And that is that.

Sorry, Rosalie. I had no idea you had such strong feelings about being forcibly transformed into the HORRIBLE WITCH-WOMAN YOU ARE.

Melvin is left standing alone in the front yard. He stares at the spot where Rosalie vanished into a taxi a few minutes ago, feeling dejected. When he looks up, he finds himself locking eyes with Bridgett over the garbage can.

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“Don’t get any ideas, lover boy.”

Well, I’m sorry that things had to end this way with Melvin and Rosalie. I tried so hard to get them together, but it just wasn’t happening. This last attempt at forcing the romance was the nail in the coffin. It got to the point in the last couple of dates where Melvin couldn’t do a single romantic interaction without getting shot down, even though Rosalie seemed so willing and interested the first couple times they met. I dunno, man. Maybe there’s some sort of love curse hanging around Bridgeport, ruining everyone’s love lives. :(

Well, except Bridgett’s. Did I mention that Bridgett has a boyfriend? She’s been dating Chin-Han Middlemiss (one of Clarence and Matilda’s sons) since she was a teenager. They haven’t seen each other at all since Bridgett joined the household, until Bridgett invites him out to dinner one night. I like seeing them together because Chin-Han looks so dorky, and yet he’s dating this seductive vampiress who struts around in thigh-high boots and a sleazy backless top.

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Oh, who am I kidding––if he’s displaying his chest hair so proudly, they probably get along fine.

After all that drama with Rosalie, Melvin takes a few days to gather his thoughts. Perhaps he needs to take a break from trying to date anyone––so far he hasn’t had much luck, and there aren’t really any single women left in town, anyway. Story Progression scoops them all up the moment they become young adults.

A couple days later, though, something happens. Early in the morning, before everyone in the house is even awake, Ursula shows up at the house. Since moving out, Ursula has taken a job at the day spa and gotten married to Barry Tenderlove. She’s been doing quite well. So why is she suddenly hanging out around our front door like a lost paparazzi?

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It turns out that Ursula’s husband, Barry, has died of old age. Heartbroken, Ursula has returned home to seek comfort from her family.

It’s an unfamiliar face who greets her at the door, though.

Ursula and Melvin have never met before. I guess it’s about time they did. (Melvin is certainly excited to learn that his housemate has a very pretty younger sister.)

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The two of them get to talking. Ursula spills her grief on Melvin, who listens, sympathizes, and tries his best to cheer her up.

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It turns out that they really like each other. There’s attraction, for sure. Melvin starts popping wishes to befriend her, give her gifts, and learn more about her. And before long, Melvin and Ursula are flirting like crazy and getting along splendidly.

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By lunchtime, they share their first kiss. Melvin asks Ursula to go steady, and she says yes.

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Sure, this new relationship is very sudden after the death of Ursula’s husband. But Barry was far too old for her anyway. (He was already a young adult before Ursula was even born!) She hardly had time to get to know him before he passed away. And besides…I dunno. Something about this just sort of makes sense.

Back inside, Scooter is asserting his personality early. Or just being a toddler. Actually this is the only picture I have of him being difficult. Sorry, Polly.

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Yes, in reality, Scooter is one of the sweetest and best-behaved toddlers ever. He’s also super adorable, especially when he plays with the peg box. Look at that smile!

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He works hard at learning to walk with his mommy and picks it up in no time.

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I really see his resemblance to Dillie in this picture. I don’t know why.

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And since we haven’t seen too much of Bridgett in this chapter, enjoy this picture of Bridgett’s first exploded nectar maker. Even though she’s exhausted and thirsty for plasma, I make her fix it.

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Or I try. She gives up and sneaks off for a vampiric slumber before I realize what’s happening. *sigh*

Next time, we'll come a little closer to the end of this legacy. I can't believe Scooter is the tenth heir. I might cry when we get to the end.
:'(

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #68 on: January 16, 2019, 05:50:07 PM »
Chapter 63 – The Lucky One

Scooter has an easygoing toddlerhood (aside from having to hang out with multiple toddler vampires on an almost-daily basis). He spends a lot of time with his grandmother in particular, who enjoys reliving her days as a young mother when she had to raise perfect children. She’s gotten pretty good at this whole toddler skills thing, and she gets Scooter trained up by day three of his toddlerhood.

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Hubert helps out with things, too, of course. He looks very serious as he’s teaching Scooter to talk.

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Bridgett has been working hard at her nectar making these last few weeks, and with several dozen bottles in her inventory, she heads to the consignment shop to see about selling them.

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“Hello there, young lad. How would you like to sell some exclusive vampiric wines? I specialize in blends that boast flavors of fire, blood, and eternal life. Does that sound like something you could sell here?”

In the end, Bridgett makes about 8,000 simoleons off her first few weeks of nectar making. Not bad at all! She also rockets up to level 6 of the career in one go.

Hubert passes away at the age of 94, in the middle of fixing his beloved hot tub.

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Polly almost misses the whole thing––she’s busy playing with her grandson in the nursery and doesn’t realize what’s happening. I send her running out to the backyard, hoping she can catch a glimpse of her husband before he goes.

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Well, she gets to see him do the flip. That’s something, I guess.

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But she doesn’t quite get there in time to say goodbye.

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Farewell, Hubert. You were a kind, quiet, and lovable sim, and one of the handsomest Middlemisses to date. I’ll miss your calming presence and your perfect French Toasts (even though I don’t get to eat them). Rest in peace.

Polly is heartbroken to have lost her husband, and Dillie is just as sad to have lost her father. They express their grief in vaguely similar, slightly goofy facial expressions. (I feel bad that I laughed at this picture, but...I laughed at this picture.)

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Melvin knows just how to make things better, though. “Worry not, my lady friends. I shall finish what the late Mr. Middlemiss started. This hot tub will be crystal clear again in no time!”

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“…Eww, this water is disgusting.”

Things slowly return to normal after Hubert’s death. Scooter never fails to cheer his mommy up.

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He even keeps her company when she has to fix the flooded washing machine. (Hubert was my go-to repair guy, but, well...)

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Melvin and Ursula are doing well. They go on dates fairly often, and Melvin seems truly infatuated with her.

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Things aren’t perfect between them, though. When Melvin invites Ursula upstairs to woohoo for the first time…

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…Ursula turns him down. Maybe their relationship isn’t high enough yet?

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In any case, her refusal catches me off guard, and poor Melvin has to suffer through yet another rejection (even if this one doesn’t mean the end of a relationship). Look at the poor guy! :( He’s had such a hard time romantically. Maybe Ursula’s just having an off night and will be willing to try again some other time. Here’s hoping.

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Dillie and Nawwaf are doing well also (such as it is). They haven’t seen much of each other since Scooter was born, but Dillie goes to meet him after he finishes work one night. She’s still torn up about Hubert, and Nawwaf is sweet enough to comfort her.

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Slowly but surely, these two are repairing their relationship. (And Dillie saved up enough LTH points for the Master of Seduction reward, which I thiiink means that Nawwaf won’t reject her if she proposes again. Hopefully.)

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Dillie’s adult birthday sneaks up on all of us. Why she chooses to age up in Bridgett’s bedroom, I have no idea.

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Bridgett: “Ugh, do you have to do this HERE?”

Apparently she does.

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Weirdly, at the exact moment she becomes an adult, Dillie also completes her Lifetime Wish of becoming Super Popular. I swear, two seconds ago she only had eighteen friends, and suddenly she has twenty? Ohkay then. (Apparently Bridgett finds this really funny.)

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Dillie’s not the only one with a birthday. All too soon, it’s time for Scooter to stop being a cute toddler and start being a cute kid.

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I love his face in the above picture. “No like those candles, Mommy…”

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“Mommy! Candles on FIRE!”

Scooter ages up surrounded by sparkles and legs.

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And here he is! He just keeps looking more and more like Dillie.

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Scooter becomes Lucky––a great trait for the final heir of a legacy.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #69 on: January 19, 2019, 12:53:27 PM »
Chapter 64 – A Puff of Smoke

Melvin is still plugging away at the daycare career, and doing very well. It’s starting to get a little crazy with four toddlers a day, though. Sometimes Melvin looks a little…wired. Or something.

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“Help…me…”

Or maybe he’s just extra gleeful because he and Ursula finally had their first woohoo. And it was Ursula who did the wooing! Or at least, it looks that way.

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“Hey baby. You look hot in that blue polo shirt. Wanna take it off?”

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“Well, okay. Anything for you, dearest.”

Ursula does the strut through the house afterwards, which is kind of the cutest thing ever. (Is it weird, though, since this is her childhood home?)

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Bridgett continues to thrive in her gardening and nectar making. She maxed the gardening skill a while ago and has focused her efforts on special plants. Flame fruit is a particular favorite. Oh wait––this isn’t flame fruit. This is an apple, that Bridgett is transmogrifying into flame fruit. Because Bridgett has a secret. She’s a VAMPYROMANIAC.

The “Transmogrify” action is really glitchy, though. She holds a piece of fruit, and then it either morphs into this weird floaty lava-like mass that envelopes her whole hand…

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…or it just evaporates in a puff of smoke.

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I’ve actually known about Bridgett’s pyromania since she moved in (thank you, Master Controller), but I wasn’t sure how it worked or what the “Transmogrify” action did. Until now. I wasted so many apples making poor-quality Poison Apple nectar. Those could’ve all been flame fruits!

Ah, well. Back to the rest of the family. Scooter is thoroughly enjoying his childhood, and his grandmother in particular. (Isn’t Polly’s face the cutest?)

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Polly and Scooter actually spend a lot of time together. She teaches him to play chess…

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…and helps him with his homework. Scooter has no problems at all in school, thanks to his Genius trait. (Which, by the way, I did not choose. The game selected it for him when he was born.)

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Dillie is making progress in her architect career, though not as much as I would like––Melvin’s daycare career takes a great deal of attention from me most weekdays, and trying to have Dillie complete renovations simultaneously is really difficult. For a while, Dillie was only making career progress due to her painting skill, but once she reached level 10, her progress slowed significantly. I still try to get her out and doing renovations at least a couple times a week. She does very well when she gets out there. (It helps that she’s already friends with, like, everyone in town.)

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In other news…Ursula is pregnant! She comes over late in her pregnancy to give Melvin the news.

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Bridgett is overjoyed, too. Or…something. She corners Ursula in the library and displays that Inappropriate trait for the first time possibly ever.

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“Hey, congrats on the pregnancy! Wanna make out?”

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“Get away from me, vampire! What’s wrong with you?!”

Well, that happened. I completely forgot that Bridgett is Inappropriate until that moment. She hides it well. (Also, I haven’t really thought much about her constant wishes to skinny dip with every female that comes on the lot. Now they’re starting to make more sense. Bridgett might be the first truly bisexual sim I’ve encountered––she rolls wishes to interact romantically with females, AND with her longtime boyfriend.)

Ursula picked a good time to show up, I guess. Not because of the attempted vampire kiss. Because she’s about to go into labor.

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*pant pant* “Hey––Scooter––can you like––scoot out of here and tell––ARGH!––Melvin that I’m––AAGGGH––having the––the oh, God––the BABY!”

“I don’t know, Auntie Ursula. I have a really bad feeling all of a sudden.”

That’s because something horrible is happening just outside in the living room.

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Polly chooses this very opportune moment to say her farewells to this world. Come on Polly, really?

She’s kind enough to leave us with one last goofy face, though. This woman is something else.

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Unlike most Middlemisses who have died of old age, Polly begs Grim for a second chance.

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“Can’t you let me stay a little longer? My daughter is giving birth in the next room!”

“Birth is not under my jurisdiction, madam. Only death. And you are dying. So let’s get on with it.”

RIP, Polly Maloney Middlemiss. You were one of my favorite original townie spouses and a true sweetheart. Go find your hubby in the sky and rest well knowing that you’ll never have to worry about wasting electricity again.

Meanwhile, back in the library…

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Melvin finally learns that his girlfriend is giving birth and runs over to meet her.

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“Babe, come on! You couldn’t wait until your mother was finished dying?!”

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“You think I have any CONTROL over this?!”

Horrible timing aside, the chaos does end eventually. Ursula and Melvin rush to the hospital, where Ursula gives birth to an Athletic, Easily Impressed baby girl named Mary.

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And Melvin is officially a father.

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I think he’ll be a great one.


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #70 on: January 19, 2019, 01:58:55 PM »
Chapter 65 – Pajama Pact

The family seems a bit down after the loss of Polly. Dillie pours herself into her painting and architectural sketches with newfound fervor.

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Scooter pours himself into a 9x9 inch pan learning how to bake.

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He also starts picking up the writing skill. It will be useful for his career later in life––more useful than logic, it turns out.

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Melvin goes back to his old habit of making drinks at weird times. For instance, at 9 in the morning. Forgetting that he promised to babysit one of his clients’ toddlers today.

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“Was that the doorbell? Oh…oh crap!”

It’s only one kid today, though, since it’s a Saturday. With only one kiddo, Melvin actually has time to teach this little nugget to walk. Hooray!

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To lighten the mood around here, and to get Scooter to make some friends his own age, I decide to throw a slumber party. Scooter has hardly met anyone at school so far, and I’m worried he’ll be halfway through his teen years before he meets any potential spouses.

The first guest to arrive is the lovely Kylie Striker. Oooh, Striker! Does she have any relation to Melvin, you ask? Why, yes. She’s actually his youngest sister. Uh oh. In any case, she’s an option, so Scooter gets to know her a little bit.

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Next is Priscilla King-Striker, the most chipmunk-like young vampire I’ve ever seen. Yikes, girl. Yikes.

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Actually, a lot of the kids at this party are vampires, including all but two of the girls. Also, half the kids are best friends with Melvin because he took care of them in daycare. Yay?

The other non-vampire female in attendance is the shockingly-colored, flashily-named Guadalupe Chique-Marks. Scooter makes sure to get to know her a bit as well.

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Berjes Chique-Middlemiss, one of the grandchildren of Clarence and Matilda, is the first to actually start having fun at this party. Then he’s joined by Nikita Hemlock (another vampire). The two of them Presiding over the Royal Court at the same time is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

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Bryon Pala-Shutter, sandwiched between two vampires, has the time of his life on a joyride. This kid has absolutely no fear. (And he’s adorable. If the heir was a girl, I think Bryon would be my top pick for spouse.)

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Side note: I’m really impressed with the variety of pajamas we have at this party. No monochromatic color scheme this time around! We’ve got dragon pajamas, fish pajamas, racecar pajamas, cowboy pajamas, outer space pajamas, pink camo pajamas, butterfly pajamas, and treasure map pajamas. (Scooter is proud to be a member of the Treasure Map Pajamas Club, though a racecar might have been more appropriate.)

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That’s it, kids. Model those PJs!

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I just noticed this kid’s hair. It’s black tingued with BLUE. OMG. This is Keith Chique-Marks. He is, not surprisingly, Guadalupe’s brother. And yet another favorite spouse contender for our nonexistent female heir.

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Look at all these blue burritos! Scooter settles down right in the middle of the pack. How adorable. Even if there wasn’t time to truly befriend anyone, I’m glad Scooter got to meet so many kids his age at this party.

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In the morning, the kids all stream out into the morning sunlight and head home. Is Scooter’s future spouse in this picture? We’ll have to wait and see! (Worry not––at this point in time, I still have no idea.)

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With that exciting event over, it’s time for another one. Dillie and Nawwaf have been mending their relationship over the last few weeks, and they are more secure and happy in their relationship than ever. Nawwaf seems to be growing out of his skittishness (or whatever it was that made him so fickle and moronic as a younger man).

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I’m still a little hesitant to trust Nawwaf fully after his long history of being an idiot, but Dillie is prepared to give him a second chance. And hey…now is as good a time as any, right?

So, on a normal Sunday afternoon, wearing her bathing suit, Dillie gets down on one knee and asks Nawwaf to marry her. Again.

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And he finally, finally says yes.

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Unfortunately, these two can’t get married for a little while longer, but the time isn’t too far off. In the meantime, they’re free to enjoy each other’s company in the assurance that their love really will last forever. (At least, it had better. I’m keeping an eye on you, Nawwaf.)

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That same night, Polly makes her first appearance as a ghost.

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And where does she choose to haunt? The secret nectar cellar.

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“Hah hah, you don't scare me anymore, Bridgett! I'm dead!”

To wrap things up…can you believe it’s time for Scooter’s teen birthday already?

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“Ewww, who made my cake vanilla?”

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“EEEEE I LOVE VANILLA”

Glad to see you've inherited the Maloney talent for weird faces, Scooter.

Will he look even more like Dillie? Or will he look even more like Dillie?

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Or…like Nawwaf?

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I think it’s just the hair. Either way, Scooter looks freaked out. Maybe it’s that cake.

Aaand it looks like we’re out of screenshots for this chapter. You’ll have to see Scooter’s makeover (and learn his new trait) next time. Toodle-oo!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #71 on: January 22, 2019, 04:43:41 PM »
Chapter 66 – The Final Hunt

Scooter ages up into a handsome teenager and acquires the Bookworm trait.

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Melvin also has his adult birthday (not pictured) and goes to see his daughter, Mary, after she’s grown up into a toddler. Looks like she mostly inherited her mommy's features.

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Bridgett has a birthday, too! Just kidding, she’s a vampire who’s never going to die. But she does reach an exciting achievement––she maxes the nectar making skill!

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The primary focus of Scooter’s life right now is to find his future spouse. Story Progression is a very powerful force, but there is a startlingly high number of single girls in town right now. Scooter needs to find the right one and claim her before she gets fed to the wolves left to choose for herself among the other townie boys.

To start with, Scooter goes on a date with each of the three eligible ladies. First up is Guadalupe Chique-Marks, she of the pink hair tips. She comes home after school with Scooter one day.

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Guadalupe has decent traits and cute hair, plus the coolest name ever of all time. She and Scooter get along fine, but there’s no attraction between them, and Scooter doesn’t roll any wishes for her. A day or so later, Guadalupe gets into a relationship with another boy from school. Scooter doesn’t seem too torn up about it. Looks like Guadalupe is out. (Shame. I really loved her name.)

Two options remain, and one of them Scooter actually hasn’t met yet. I’m not sure why Mellissa Angelista-Round didn’t show up to the slumber party, but I know she’s around. I also can’t find her in anyone’s relationship panels, even though I swear she was friends with someone at some point.

Friday afternoon rolls around, along with Scooter’s first day of Drama Club. And who should he meet there but FOUR MORE TOWNIE GIRLS. ALL OF WHOM ARE ATTRACTED TO HIM. Only one of them matters, though––Mellissa Angelista-Round, who is the only one close enough to Scooter’s age. (The others, I’m pretty sure, all aged up to teen approximately ten minutes before Drama Club started.)

On Saturday, Scooter successfuly asks Mellissa out on a date. They meet at the park and quickly become friends (Drama Club is not only bringing Scooter access to girls––it’s also improving his charisma at a rapid pace).

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They get pretty far with the flirting, but I end the date before things get too hot and heavy. Scooter gives Kylie Striker a call and invites her to meet him at the very same park.

Kylie arrives, and I quickly decide that I prefer Kylie over Mellissa. Both girls are beautiful and have good traits, and they even look kind of similar––but there’s something more down-to-earth about Kylie that I really like. And so far, Scooter has rolled the most wishes to get to know Kylie. Hooray!

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Just as I’m deciding this, though…Scooter starts popping wishes to get back with Mellissa. And kiss her. And ask her to prom. Oh…okay.

Scooter and Kylie flirt for the rest of the night, whilst Scooter continually pops wishes for both girls. This guy is really having a hard time making up his mind! The next morning, he pops another wish for Mellissa (to become her BFF) around the same time I get a notification that Mellissa is now dating someone else. That leaves Kylie as the only single girl left.

It’s Sunday, and prom is on Monday. I’ll give Scooter one more day to figure out which girl he wants to take to prom. (My original plan was just to see what happens at prom, but now that Mellissa has a boyfriend, the game would probably decide on Kylie by default––or someone else entirely.) Scooter calls up both girls and invites them over to the house to meet the family.

Kylie immediately starts catching up with her big brother, whom she hasn’t talked to in ages or possibly ever.

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“Okay, so you wanna get with Scooter? You have come to the right man, little sis! I am a Middlemiss expert, after all. I have made romantic passes at three different Middlemiss women! Now, I found my success by working my way down the line of ladies until I came to the aloof, newly widowed younger sibling, whom I then wooed with copious amounts of sympathy hugs and tearful kisses. Does Scooter have any aloof younger siblings, do you think?”

Mellissa, meanwhile, encounters Dillie on the upstairs deck. And the two of them do NOT get along well. It’s probably because Mellissa Can’t Stand Art, and art is essentially Dillie’s whole life. (Incidentally, Kylie Can’t Stand Art either…but she seems to hide it better when Dillie is around.) Dillie looks like she’s about to scratch Mellissa’s face off. RAWR.

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Scooter spends time talking to both girls as well, and I try to let him act autonomously as much as possible. He still seems undecided. Mellissa definitely has no qualms about flirting with him even though she has a boyfriend now. But at one point, I look away for a minute, and when I come back to Scooter he has the “creeped out” moodlet in response to something Mellissa said. It could be due to her Insane trait, but it’s impossible to know for sure. (Dillie has the same moodlet after speaking to Mellissa. Hmm…)

After a long day of trying to get somewhere with at least one of the girls, Scooter doesn’t really get anywhere. After both the girls leave, he goes to his computer and works on his writing for a while. During that time, he pops one last wish––to go on another date with Kylie.

Aaaand five seconds after that, a notification arrives, saying that Kylie has a new Romantic Interest. And Scooter panics. Just as he’s figuring out who he wants to be with, that very girl gets scooped up!

So he does the only sensible thing. He tracks Kylie down. She happens to be outside The Grind, schmoozing with her new guy. Scooter tugs her away from Andy Angelista-Round (and yes, he and Mellissa are siblings––well, half-siblings) and gets right down to business. He begs her to go to prom with him.

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And thank all the watchers, she says yes.

The next day, it’s finally time for prom. Scooter steps out of the house looking like a million bucks in his sea foam tuxedo.

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Scooter and Kylie have a wonderful prom together. He’s crowned Prom King about five seconds after walking in the door (not surprising, since he’s befriended so many females in order to choose one as his future bride), and soon after that, Kylie asks him to go steady.

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This also might be the funniest prom picture I’ve ever seen. What’s up with Kylie’s face?

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After it’s over, Scooter immediately wishes to travel with Kylie. Ohkay, slow down there, bud. Let’s get you graduated first!

Well, now that that’s settled, we can turn back to another love story unfolding in this household. Well, it’s already been unfolding for years––it's just finally getting somewhere, kind of.

Several of Dillie’s friends have been pestering her to throw a bachelorette party ever since she got engaged to Nawwaf, and I decide we might as well appease them. Scooter will be a young adult soon, and Dillie will be free to get married as soon as that happens (or even before, since he’s halfway thorugh his teen years already). Bring on the generic bachelorette outfit! I know, Dillie, it's not the best look for you. Please don't look at me like that.

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The party gets started right away with a party dancer. Melvin is VERY fascinated by his dance moves, or maybe his camouflaged caboose.

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After the guests arrive and mingle for a little while, Dillie asks her longtime friend and housemate––the one and only Bridgett––to make a toast. I’m very excited to hear Bridgett’s toast, myself. But…she doesn’t seem too keen on giving one. She responds to Dillie’s request by passing out on the spot.

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It’s not like she would’ve been able to make one anyway, because at that moment, Matilda Middlemiss decides to up and die.

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Party Dancer: “Attention, men! We have a code…something! An old woman is dying in our territory! I repeat, code––do we have a code for this…?”

Matilda’s death ends up taking over an hour to complete because Grim gets stuck on the back deck with his scythe jammed through the wall. All the guests stand around looking miserable while Matilda floats patiently, waiting for Grim to find a way inside. Eventually, Matilda just drifts away in a wisp of light, finally clearing a path for Grim to enter the house. (RIP, Matilda. Fun fact: Clarence, her husband and Hubert’s twin brother, is apparently still kicking. He’s got to be, like, a hundred and ten by now, at least.)

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Once inside, Grim has one interest: washing his hands, and then flirting with Bridgett in the bathroom. Or maybe it was Bridgett who initiated that. That's probably more likely.

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After that, the party resumes. Dillie lightens up and enjoys a spray of nectar from her vampire BFF. (Unfortunately, that vampire BFF never gets to make her speech. Oh, well.)

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Ursula is at this party too, and she and Melvin find each other on the dance floor and dance the night away.

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It’s around two or three in the morning when Melvin takes advantage of an ideal opportunity to propose.

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Ursula says yes! Aww, I’m so happy for these two.

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Afterwards, I pause the game while my camera is elsewhere, then pan back and find Melvin in mid-Leap-Into-Arms. He looks like he’s taking a jumpshot on a basketball court. Or like he's at a disco. Or something.

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The party lasts until dawn, with Dillie’s friends frequenting the bar and continuing to dance long after they ought to be passing out from exhaustion.

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Everyone finally heads home around 9 am, and Dillie is left to pick up the massive mess. I can’t wait till this generation is over and we can have service sims in the house again!

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Next time, we have two weddings to look forward to, along with the coming-of-age of our tenth and final heir. See ya then!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #72 on: January 23, 2019, 03:22:57 PM »
Chapter 67 – Two Weddings and a Vampire Silo

Melvin’s daycare career is bugged. He’s very close to reaching level 5 (the highest level), but since he was about halfway through level 4, no kids have shown up to the house except for the occasional grade school kid in the afternoon. He should’ve been at level 5 about a week ago. And so, I decide to reward him with what he should have gotten anyway: his very own daycare van. (Available for purchase at your local buydebug for just $3,599.99!) Now Melvin, a Vehicle Enthusiast, already has a car for a best friend––his trusty Vistoso Speed Machine named Brenna. But now, it’s time for him to downgrade like crazy. He names his new van…I kid you not…Elvin. (Or at least, that’s the name the game generates for the van, and I love it.)

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Now that Scooter is more than halfway through his teenage years, and Dillie has completed her requirements (more on that later), we can begin the transition to Generation Ten.

Dillie gets things rolling by inviting Nawwaf over and asking him to move in.

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At long last, this gorgeous piece of man meat is a member of our household. I’ve waited a long time for this moment. It turns out that Nawwaf has a fascinating hair color––sort of a fiery golden-brown color. I almost gave him a full head of hair, but it didn’t feel right after his decades of shavedness. I opted for a full beard instead. This man really is beautiful. If only he’d passed on some more of his features to his son!

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Nawwaf’s traits, by the way, are Excitable, Insane, Neurotic, Virtuoso, and Slob, and he likes Egyptian Music, Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches, and the color Violet. His LTW is Jack of All Trades, though he’s doing very well sticking with the medical career thus far.

That very same day, Nawwaf and Dillie head down to a quiet spot on the beach and have a private wedding with just the two of them. (And Ursula, swimming in the background.)

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(And Clarence, who at this moment in time is 113 days old. He lives for a couple more days after this and then passes away.)

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Anyway, back to the wedding!

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Congratulations, Dillie and Nawwaf! Together at last. <3

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During the wedding, I get a notification that Dillie has been invited to, um, Nawwaf’s party. Ohkay? I guess the game hasn’t fully registered that he’s moved in yet. I hit the “No thanks” option and continue on with the day.

Then, later that evening, I spot a random dude strolling through the house.

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Dillie: “Honey? Why is there a strange man in our kitchen?”

“Uh…”

I also come across a random lady dancing in the living room.

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“Gee, what a fun party! And this venue is quite an upgrade from the last one!”

So, turns out that Nawwaf’s party is happening. It’s just been transferred from Nawwaf’s old residence to his new residence. Which is here. Great!

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“Nawwaf! You invited a bunch of people to our house for a party? And you didn’t think to TELL ME?”

“Babe, I was going to throw a party tonight anyway, and then you insisted we get married all of a sudden! It’s not like I was going to cancel my party just because of THAT. I just changed venues!”

“But you can’t just––why didn’t you even MENTION it?!”

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“Hmph. I didn’t think you’d be so against the idea of a party. You know what? I’m un-inviting you.”

“What?!”

“You heard me. You are no longer on my guest list.”

“…”

“…”

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“Okay, I’m sorry. Please just ask next time, okay? Can I go make a tray of drinks now?”

“All right, darling.”

It turns out to be an extremely chill party, thankfully––and a small one, in terms of attendance. Half the guests probably got lost trying to figure out where the party was moved to at the last minute.

And this guy clearly got lost on his way to…somewhere. :o

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The next day is another exciting one. It’s Melvin and Ursula’s wedding day! They opt to throw a wedding party, since Nawwaf and Dillie had a private one yesterday.

It’s at the wedding, before the ceremony, that Scooter and Kylie share their first kiss (after already dating for a few days).

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Melvin and Ursula get married in the, uh, poorly lit backyard. Sorry about that, guys. I am also sorry about Polly's gravestone back there, which I forgot to move to the family inventory. I promise it's not meant to be an omen.

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Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Striker! Everyone, please ignore the vampires beginning to smolder in the audience.

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Melvin has had a wish to cut the cake since he woke up this morning, so Ursula lets him do the honors (even though she looks afraid that he’s about to chop his fingers off).

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Look who’s here––the daughter of the happy couple! Mary totally would’ve been the flower girl at this shindig, if the Sims allowed that sort of thing.

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Nawwaf’s insanity is already beginning to make itself known. He seems to have a fondness for eating things in Bridgett’s creepy nectar cellar, all by himself. I left the garden gate unlocked once and now Nawwaf wants to be down there all the time. Weirdo.

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And with that…it’s time for Ursula, Melvin, and the lovely Bridgett to move out and start their own, independent lives. Remember how one of Dillie’s requirements was to do something Awesome relating to her traits or career? Well, this is part one of her Awesome project. She finally got to take her abilities as an architect to the next level and built a brand new lot for her friends! (Again, sorry for the poor lighting in these pictures. The mountains outside Bridgeport never seem to see the full light of day.)

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On the left is Melvin and Ursula’s new house––a comfortable family home with enough space for plenty of nooboos. On the right is Bridgett’s very own creepy vampire silo.

Here’s the top floor of the Striker house, with two bedrooms and a shared bathroom.

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And here’s the main floor––foyer, bathroom, kitchen / dining area, and living room. (Clearly, I didn't think to turn the lights on.)

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The interior of the vampire silo consists of four identical floors with a spiral staircase going up the middle. (One of the floors is––you guessed it––a nectar cellar.) Since they all look the same, I’ll just show you the main floor, which functions as the kitchen (stocked with a fridge for plasma juice and nothing else), office, and living area. Above this floor is the bedroom, and the top floor is a private bathroom.

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I’m going to miss these three, but they’ve been wonderful additions to the family this past generation. Good luck in your endeavors, friends!

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Next time, we’ll see the official takeover of Generation Ten. Hold onto your handkerchiefs, folks. This ain’t over yet!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #73 on: January 24, 2019, 04:38:09 PM »
Chapter 68 – Falling Into Place

Before he ages up, Scooter needs to find a helper to move into the household along with his future spouse. He recently met a girl in Drama Club who happens to have a trait that will come in handy for one of the rolled careers. He heads downtown to meet her at her apartment, intending to befriend her so that when she’s old enough, she can move in.

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This is Susanna Rubble-Clavier. She has the trait we’re looking for, but upon talking to her, Scooter discovers that she’s both Mean-Spirited and Absent-Minded––two of my least favorite traits. That’s when I notice the guy sitting on the floor behind her, scribbling away at his homework. Who knew she had a brother? Not me!

Scooter tries getting to know Susanna’s brother, Simon––something about him catches my eye. And what do you know? The first thing Scooter learns is that Simon is in a band. What?! That’s a job that townies can have?! I like this kid already. Plus, he’s adorkable, and neither Mean-Spirited nor Absent-Minded. (Well, he is Inappropriate, but that trait at least has some variation and humor.) Also, he keeps flexing his skinny little arms and smiling proudly at them. So cute.

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“Dude, yeah, you should totally come see my band sometime! We’re called the Rubble Claviers. Y’know, like my last name, Rubble-Clavier?”

Scooter invites Simon to spend the afternoon at the bungalow. The two boys get to know each other and slaughter each other with pillows.

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By dinnertime, they’re best friends, and I’ve decided to take action.

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“Eeeee! Suddenly I feel so excited! Yaaayy!”

Simon has a convenient, impromptu birthday right there in the pillow war zone.

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Isn’t he a cutie pie? Simon’s traits are Loner, Star Quality, Mooch, Inappropriate, and Athletic. Not the greatest traits ever, but he’ll do fine with his required career. Hopefully. His favorites are French music, Fruit Parfait, and the color Lavender, and his LTW is Illustrious Author. Which makes no sense at all. But okay.

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Right away, Simon starts practicing his career-related skill. I could have picked any instrument, but I had to go with the keyboard. If your last name is Clavier, you have to be a pianist. It’s just a rule.

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A day or so later, Scooter celebrates his Young Adult birthday surrounded by family and…friend. (Dillie invited Ursula, Melvin, and Bridgett over, but they all left within five seconds, saying “You need to learn how to have fun!” or something. Then, Scooter invited Mellissa and Kylie over, but Kylie got stuck on the front porch doing her homework. So Mellissa is the only one outside the family witnessing Scooter’s birthday. And I didn’t even get her in the screenshot. Figures.)

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“I wish for…a full beard, like my dad’s.”

Maybe one day, kiddo. For now, a little stubble will do.

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Scooter’s final trait is Ambitious, to be added to his Genius, Heavy Sleeper, Bookworm, and Lucky traits. I’d like to change his Genius trait later on, since he doesn’t really need it, but we’ll see how things go. Scooter’s Lifetime Wish has actually been in place since his childhood––he dreams of becoming a Distinguished Director and reaching level 10 of the Film career.

And now, it’s time to reveal our final set of rolls. Can you believe we’re already on the last one? :'(

Generation 10 Rolls
Family Structure – Couple with Help
Number of Children – 5
Careers – Film (director) / Busker / Military
Generational Goal – Perfectionist
Misc. Fun – Random Traits

You may remember the Perfectionist goal from alllll the way back in Generation One. It just means that Scooter must supermax one skill. I’ve chosen Charisma. I may regret it. As for Random Traits, that applies to all five(!) of Scooter’s future children. I actually chose this roll (we can choose one of the Generation Ten rolls, according to the rules) because it sounds fun, and traits won’t matter next generation anyway.

Here’s the deal regarding the end of the challenge. The rules state that the challenge is over when either (a) the tenth heir completes his or her requirements, or (b) the eleventh generation becomes a Young Adult, whichever comes last. I’m guessing that Scooter will complete his requirements long before his fifth child is a young adult, but only time will tell.

And that is that! Scooter could go ahead and join the Film career, but he decides to wait and marry Kylie first to avoid losing too many work days. (Kylie has a two days left as a teenager.) Instead, Scooter will spend the next couple of days building up his charisma and writing skills in preparation for his first day on the job.

As a birthday present for Scooter, Dillie reveals part two of her Awesome project: some renovations of the bungalow! First, she combines Bridgett’s old bedroom and Bambi’s old office to create a spacious new library / piano room.

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The upstairs is updated as well. The master bedroom is recolored to Scooter’s tastes, and the two smaller bedrooms are combined into one.

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And finally, the upstairs deck is transformed into two brand new bedrooms. We’re going to have a full house this generation, so the more beds, the better!

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Just as she finishes this impressive task, Dillie becomes an old lady.

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Things are pretty calm over the next two days. Simon starts playing for tips in the park. The disadvantage (or…advantage) to having a teleporter is that you can travel anywhere in just your underwear, possibly without even realizing it. Simon demonstrates this with enthusiasm.

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And Scooter makes use of his new writing space to finish up that novel he started back in high school. He titled it “Drama Club Girls”. Too bad the publisher won’t let you change it, Scoot. Hah!

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Dillie transitions comfortably into her elderhood. As the best cook in the house these days, she spends a lot of time stocking the fridge with Scooter’s favorite dish––ratatouille. (Her level 5ish cooking skill, plus all the perfect quality produce in the fridge, results in perfect meals most of the time.)

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Dillie also gets back into renovating houses around town. (Now that Melvin’s daycare career isn’t sucking up all of my time, I can give Dillie some proper attention again.) She’s been hovering midway through level 9 of the architect career for a couple weeks, so I’m eager to get her across the finish line.

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On Thursday of that week, Scooter gets a call from his girlfriend, whom he hasn’t seen since his birthday. “It's time,” she says.

And so it is. Kylie comes over to the bungalow looking cute as heck in her Latrine Cleaner uniform. She’s a young adult and ready to rumble!

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Isn’t she beautiful? Kylie has pretty great traits––Excitable, Loves the Outdoors, Over-Emotional, Can’t Stand Art, and Disciplined. (Well, I’m not a fan of Can’t Stand Art, but other than that she’s lovely.) Her favorite things are French music, Veggie Burgers, and Irish Green. Her Lifetime Wish, conveniently, is to Become an Astronaut. She’s already joined the Military career without me doing a thing.

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That very night, Scooter brings Kylie to one of his favorite spots that I completely forgot about for the last three generations––that resort thingy up in the hills past the bungalow.

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And there, in the rapidly setting sun (like, seriously, slow down a little!), Scooter asks Kylie to marry him.

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Of course she says yes. These two were meant to be.

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And that’s our final spouse in the bag! Well, not quite. They’ve got to get married still. But that’s just the icing on the cake, really.

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Back home, Dillie gets to work on the final stage of her Awesome project. This one makes her a little sad. Or maybe she’s just being her normal Neurotic, Perfectionistic self. Yeah, that’s probably it.

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Next time, we’ll throw the last wedding party of the Middlemiss Random Legacy (unless I decide to get the Generation Eleven kids hitched at the end…but no promises). It’s gonna be a good one.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #74 on: January 28, 2019, 02:56:25 PM »
Chapter 69 – Skylie

The morning of the last Middlemiss wedding arrives. I send Kylie and Scooter to the venue a couple of hours early to get set up and enjoy the peace and quiet for a little while before the guests arrive.

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Scooter the bookworm spends the early part of the wedding perched at a bar table, calmly enjoying a book. That’s goals right there.

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A little while later, under a grove of pines and surrounded by white hydrangeas, Scooter and Kylie say their vows.

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Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Middlemiss!

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At least a few of the guests figured out how to sit down.

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Kylie’s mother, Stella Striker, is by far the most enthusiastic rice-thrower. This woman is essentially the matriarch of Bridgeport. One of the city’s original Young Adult townies, she’s had many children and grandchildren, has outlived her husband by a couple of decades, and continues to run around town and host parties and date young men and old men alike. Kylie is her youngest child, I believe, so of course she’s here to cheer her daughter on. Stella ends up outliving her eldest son, Sebastian, as well––I think he passes away a day or two after this.

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What a lovely crowd! Here we have Nawwaf, who for some reason is in his swim trunks; Rosalie Smyth-Belle, who’s lost her awesome hairstyle but has kept the galactic space-witch outfit; and Mellissa Angelista-Round, who is so happy that her best friend is getting married to someone other than her.

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The ceremony ends and the Middlemisses boogie down on the dance floor. Who knew that they were all such accomplished dancers?

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Melvin and Rosalie are the unfortunates left cheering and throwing rice late into the night.

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“You know, Rosalie, that could’ve been us up there. You and me, dressed in finery, vowing to love and cherish one anoth… ”

“Shut up and throw your rice, Melvin.”

The bride and groom dance longer than anybody else. Oh wait––except Stella in the back there.

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They also find plenty of time to sneak off to the mountaintop pond and gaze into each other’s eyes, though.

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With everyone distracted by the dance floor and buffet table, Scooter and Kylie decide to sneak into the lodge and embark on their first woohoo.

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“You can’t go in there, miss. There’s a naked man in the shower.”

The redheaded cousin (I’m pretty sure she’s someone’s cousin) eventually runs off to find a plate of cookies, and Kylie and Scooter enjoy a thrilling (and sudsy) round of woohoo.

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As the party winds down, I find Nawwaf and Simon hanging out together in the hot tub. I was hoping the hot tub would be a party-wide hit, but I think only these guys knew it was there.

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And with that, the final wedding of the Middlemiss Random Legacy is over. *sniffle*

The family wakes up bright and early the next morning and congregates downstairs for their last breakfast together.

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Why last, you say?

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“Scooter, honey, it’s time. Your father and I have decided to move out and leave you and Kylie to start your own family. You’ll need all the space you can get, and Nawwaf and I are ready to have a place of our own to enjoy our last few years together.”

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“I’ll miss you, Mom.”

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“Hey, Dad, can you, uh, come down here for a second? We need to say goodbye…”

“Not now, fiend! I must vanquish this band of brigands with my super-turbo electrocuting trident!”

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Nawwaf: “HAHA! Virtual reality is so much better than real life!!”

Scooter: "..."

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“So, uh…bye, Dad. I'm glad I finally got to live with you for a few years.”

“Bye, son. Call me if you need a powerful superhero for any of your movies.”

“…k.”

So Dillie and Nawwaf leave the household and retire to their own little cottage on the beach at the base of the mountain. This is the final part of Dillie’s Awesome project, the thing she’s been dreaming of and working on for years.

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It’s a simple house, but it's all that she and Nawwaf need at this point in their lives. I think it suits them perfectly.

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Back at the bungalow on the mountaintop, Scooter and Kylie have work to do.

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A lot of work.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #75 on: January 29, 2019, 08:43:45 PM »
Chapter 70 – Démodé

With the wedding over, our newlyweds get busy right away. Scooter applies for a job at Plumbob Pictures Backlot to start on his path to stardom (and directordom). Kylie heads down to the military base for a handiness class, then hops over to the stadium to get started in athletics.

This is apparently the only screenshot I have to demonstrate Kylie’s hard work. See, she’s in her workout gear. While...watching TV.

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She’s also not feeling well, though. I can’t imagine a reason. Can you?

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Oh, THAT’S why. I am so surprised!

These first few days post-wedding are pretty chill for the Middlemisses. Except when we get our THIRD BURGLAR since moving to Bridgeport. At least they’re all wimps who cower at the sight of young men in boxer shorts and never manage to steal anything.

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Kylie spends her pregnancy tinkering with household objects and watching the kids TV channel.

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Simon joins Kylie and Scooter on the couch after a day of playing for tips in the subway. He needs to decompress and watch some dancing bunnies after getting mugged for the first time. (Sidenote: Look, Kylie's pregnancy dress has POCKETS!)

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Scooter is, of course, excited to become a father. I don't think he has any idea what he’s in for.

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Oh yeah, Kylie also works out while she’s pregnant. It’s interesting that pregnant sims are allowed to do heavy weightlifting, but not run on the treadmill. ???

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Ah yes. The perfect way to induce labor!

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Kylie heads to the hospital. Scooter meets her there once he gets out of his shift at the backlot. And look! It’s twins! Everyone, meet Cloyd and Gladys Middlemiss. We are down to some truly awful names that will probably come back into style sometime before I’m dead.

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Kylie doesn’t miss a beat after giving birth to twins. Back to her handy-ing she goes, making very animalistic grunting noises whenever she’s using that wrench. It’s honestly kind of alarming. She sort of sounds like she's fighting off some wild animal. Maybe it's because she's been working out?

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Because infancy is boring, let’s skip to the birthdays! The young parents bring Cloyd, the oldest, to his very first cake.

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GAH! I just wanted to mix things up and have the birthday party in the dining room for once...

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Simon, who shuns the idea of wearing clothes in the house, is all over it.

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Okay, crisis solved. Let’s try this again. Kylie is excited all over again, as if her house didn't just go up in flames for five minutes. Ah, those Excitable sims...

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Both babies manage to get through their birthdays unscathed. And here they are, complete with favorite-color outfits and completely random traits.

Look who inherited his granddaddy’s hair color! Cloyd is Disciplined and Hates the Outdoors, and he likes Classical music, Vegetarian Dim Sum, and Hot Pink.

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Gladys takes after her mother. She is Perceptive and Loves the Outdoors. Her favorites are Hip Hop, Fruit Parfait, and White.

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Now that the kiddos are toddlers (and a butler has been hired), Scooter decides it’s time to dismiss the babysitter who’s been watching the babies day and night since their birth.

Poor Jedidiah takes it pretty hard. In his despair he smooshes his whole face into Scooter’s shoulder.

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“But M-Mr. Middlemiss, the babies are my f-f-friends!” *sob*

Don’t worry, he’ll get over it. There are lots of other toddlers to babysit around Bridgeport. I mean…lots. Thanks for everything, Jedidiah!

Commence toddler spam! Okay, both of these pictures are of Gladys…I’ll be sure to get more of Cloyd next time. (I think he was just asleep during my screenshot spree.) (And by "spree" I mean, there were a lot more than just these two.)

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A top priority is teaching these babies to talk. I have to see my babies conversing over the blocks table. It’s essential!

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A couple days into the toddlers' toddlerhoods, during a moment of peace, Scooter and Kylie find themselves in the bedroom again. What could they be up to?

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Could it be the same thing that Simon and his haven't-seen-her-since-high-school girlfriend Julie are up to?

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Who knows. Yes, things are going very well for the Middlemisses this generation. Although Kylie seems to be making friends with the toilet again.

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I wonder what that’s about.


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #76 on: February 05, 2019, 01:43:43 PM »
Chapter 71 – Two & Three

Cloyd and Gladys have a speedy toddlerhood. They learn to talk right away (mission accomplished!), and I, being the experienced simmer that I am, discover the “chat” interaction between parents and toddlers for the first time ever. And it’s darn cute.

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“Psst, Daddy…why does Plumbob Pictures Backlot insist on making you wear eyeshadow?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older, darling.”

In other news, Kylie is pregnant for the second time. I feel badly that she hasn’t gone to work once since marrying Scooter. Hopefully she’ll get to go, someday, before she dies. But first, she has three more babies to pop out!

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Simon is the chief breadwinner of the family right now, playing his keyboard for tips all day every day. He mostly plays in the subway, which pads our family bank account with a good two or three grand on a daily basis. But sometimes I like to bring him out into the sunlight and let him breathe some actual air. Downtown Bridgeport is really quite lovely at certain times of day and at certain camera angles.

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Cloyd and Gladys are already developing a friendship, chatting for hours over their blocks table.

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Cloyd seems to be the more reserved twin—his favorite activity is hiding from the butler in the toybox or behind the dollhouse.

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Gladys seems a bit more outgoing and confident. She finished learning the peg box and the xylophone a couple days ahead of her brother.

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Simon is surprisingly (or perhaps not surprisingly) helpful with raising the twins. He’s not around a lot, but when he is, he likes to help teach them their toddler skills.

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“That’s it, Cloyd! Walk tooowards the boxer briefs!”

Before long, Kylie goes into labor. Naturally, she is the calm one, while Scooter absolutely flips his lid.

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“AAHHH! AAAHHH! BABY! BABY!”

“Don’t worry about it, honey. Run along to work. You can meet our new baby when you get home tonight. Toodle-oo!”

Okay, she’s not totally emotionless.

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After a few hours of hard work, Kylie brings her new son, Curley, into the world.

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Let’s skip right to Curley’s toddler birthday because infancy bores me! Ignore Simon––he doesn't think cake smells and baby smells make a very good combination.

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Oh. My. Goodness. This is the moment when I realize how long it’s been since we’ve had a blond Middlemiss, and how few there have been overall! The only genetically blond Middlemiss, I think, was Llewellyn’s little brother Junius, all the way back in Generation Three. The only other blond child was Leola, and she was adopted, so her genetics came from somewhere else entirely. Now, many generations later, we finally have another blondie!

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Curley is a nice blend of his parents, aside from the wacko hair color. Actually, he reminds me a lot of his Uncle Melvin. Curley is a Good Light Sleeper who likes Egyptian music, Dim Sum, and the color Aqua.

For one stressful 24-hour period, there are three toddlers in the house. Luckily it’s a weekend, so all the adults are around to help keep the screaming to a minimum.

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Once their three kiddos are in bed, Scooter and Kylie decide to go ahead and get busy making a fourth.

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And the very next morning, it’s time for more cake!

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Gladys ages up first because she’s awake first. Sorry, Cloyd.

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Seeing a toddler transform into a school-age child before her eyes is just too much for Butler Pauline. Or maybe it’s that she’s been drifting around the house NOT BEING HELPFUL for two days straight without going to bed. GO TO BED, PAULINE.

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Cloyd wakes from his slumber and gets his turn for cake.

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Here’s the lovely Gladys. She rolls the Clumsy trait.

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And a very handsome, pink-loving Cloyd acquires a Photographer’s Eye. (I guess he’s going to focus on indoor photography, since he also Hates the Outdoors…?)

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As soon as she ages up and gets changed, Gladys goes straight for the sandbox outside and digs up her first rubber ducky.

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Cloyd, meanwhile, gets talking to a girl named Sophia Hemlock-Shutter, whose father insisted on bringing her over the moment he learned that a legacy boy became a child. I see right through you, Mr. Hemlock-Shutter. (His daughter is really pretty, though...)

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And it looks like Kylie and Scooter were successful in their endeavor!

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Scooter: "Whoa! Your dress is totally permeable!"

Next time, we’ll handle the chaos of three kids. Oh wait, four. Things are getting crazy around here.

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #77 on: February 09, 2019, 01:24:35 PM »
Chapter 72 – Beach Drama

I think our current butler is glitched out somehow. Poor Pauline is addicted to coffee to the point where she can’t get a full night’s sleep, and her bed being in the nursery certainly doesn’t help. She also seems to be incapable of showering, for whatever reason. When she’s not passing out from exhaustion, she is standing over Curley’s crib, glaring at him menacingly (or just covering her ears).

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From a builder’s perspective, it’s very handy that Cloyd and Gladys have the Hates the Outdoors and Loves the Outdoors traits respectively. Cloyd is forced to sleep with the “Plagued by Nature” moodlet the whole first night he spends in his new bedroom, whilst Gladys enjoys the “One with Nature” moodlet. Could this be because I forgot to put a roof on the new addition? Oooops. (Don’t worry, I realize the problem just in time for the kids to wake up for school.)

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A couple days into their childhood, the twins bike down to the bottom of the mountain to visit their grandparents for the first time. We haven’t seen Dillie and Nawwaf in a while, so I figure it’s about time we see what they’re up to!

Cloyd decides to wear his astronaut costume, to make an ideal first impression.

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“Gladys, what are you doing? The front door is over there.”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in these hydrangeas.”

And…oh dear. The kids walk right into a fight between Dillie and Nawwaf. When she sees her grandkids, Dillie has a bit of a harsh reaction.

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It turns out that Dillie and Nawwaf haven’t been getting along very well since moving into their own place. I’ve gotten a few Story Progression notifications saying they’ve been having disagreements, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad in reality!

It actually seems to be Dillie who’s antagonizing Nawwaf at the moment. She’s the one doing the yelling and the slapping (not pictured, because distressing).

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Nawwaf is the one trying to smooth things over with badly-timed romantic interactions.

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Poor Nawwaf just doesn’t understand why Dillie doesn’t want to hug right now.

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I feel really bad for Dillie and Nawwaf. Especially Dillie. Nawwaf was incredibly flaky in the early days of their relationship, and, well, maybe it was a sign that things weren’t going to work out very well between them. Dillie has certainly put in the effort over the years to make their relationship work. Maybe she’s finally cracking. (She’s also getting very old. I believe she’s over 90 at this point.)

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But anyway…let’s focus on the positives here. The Generation Eleven kiddos are getting to know their grandparents! Yay!  :-[

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“Oh hiya, kids. Didn’t see ya there! How’s it hangin’?”

In the end, it turns out to be an okay visit to the beach cottage. So long as the kids keep their grandparents away from each other, the fighting is kept to a minimum. Cloyd bonds with his grandfather over their shared love of television (and they make the exact same facial expressions simultaneously as they watch, which is adorable).

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Gladys, meanwhile, becomes best friends with her grandmother. They spend a lot of time hugging and talking about their favorite color, white.

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Cloyd’s knack for photography shows up for the first time during this visit. He captures a nice candid shot of his grandmother in front of her drafting table.

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He’s already got the face of a mischievous bystander, about to post a potentially viral photo to social media.

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"My grandma just slapped my grandpa! Hahah!"

Unfortunately, there isn’t enough time before curfew for both kids to become best friends with both grandparents, but at least they're on friendly terms now. And it was certainly nice to see Dillie again. I hope she sticks around a bit longer.

Back at home, Curley is getting some potty lessons from Daddy.

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This kid is just about the cutest toddler ever. (We’ve been blessed with a LOT of cute toddlers in this legacy, I must say. Curley is one of many.) Look at that passionate pout!

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He also has the absolute cutest smile when he’s about to be tickled. I can’t get over this photo. I really can’t.

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Kylie can hardly see over her swollen belly, but she still takes the time to teach Curley to walk. This is her typical state now—very pregnant, yet in the midst of teaching her other kids important life skills. What a mom.

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Scooter is doing very well in his film career. He recently chose the Director path and got promoted to storyboardist. And he’s finally out of that stupid blue tux and that stupid punk hairstyle. Phew!

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And if you’re concerned about Simon, don’t be. Even though he works long, weird hours (playing for tips all hours that he’s awake / all hours that I remember to send him to the subway), he loves his job and does it well. He maxes out the piano skill faster than I ever expected, too.

One perk of playing piano in the subway station until 3 a.m.––sometimes, if you’re lucky, there’s a food truck waiting for you when you resurface.

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One ordinary weekday afternoon, Kylie goes into labor. She’s alone in the house with Curley––Scooter is at work, Simon is playing for tips in the subway, the twins are at school, and the butler is probably conked out somewhere––so she heads to the hospital alone.

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Just as she gets in the car, the twins arrive home from school and start freaking out on the street.

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“Cloyd, where are you going?! Mom’s in labor!”

“I know! I’m going to rescue her! Stay safe, sister––I must ride!”

Cloyd gets about halfway down the mountain before he glitches out and just stands on the side of the road looking confused. I guess the “Baby is coming!” action disappeared from his queue when his mother arrived at the hospital, or something. He bashfully rides his bike home again and waits there like the good boy he is. It was a valiant effort, Cloyd.

A few hours later, Kylie emerges from the hospital holding a boy named Eugene in her arms.

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…And Scooter follows her, holding a girl named Octavia!

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And with that, friends, our household is full, and we have achieved the family requirement for this final generation. Octavia is the last Middlemiss to be born in this legacy.

I would suggest we all take a moment of silence to reflect on this important moment, but actually there are THREE Middlemiss babies screaming for food and cuddles right now, so perhaps we should just leave things as they are. See ya next time!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #78 on: February 12, 2019, 07:36:33 PM »
Chapter 73 – Sandbox Mode

Life is progressing rapidly in the Middlemiss household. With her last maternity leave nearly over, Kylie works hard to get ready to go back to work. She might be the oldest Latrine Cleaner ever in a legacy household, but she’s determined to fly through the ranks as soon as she gets back. (She’s already maxed athletic and is somewhere around level 6 of the handiness skill.)

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Simon becomes an Adult in his favorite spot in the city, and at his favorite time of day—between the subway station and the food truck, in the middle of the night.

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He also has a Mid-Life Crisis. His first wish is to get a makeover, and since he’s been such a good boy and has earned us so much money (and also because he’s adorable and I love him), I decide to indulge him for once.

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Off he goes to get some facial hair and a new everyday outfit.

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Simon also pops a wish to go on a date with Julie, his longtime vampire girlfriend whom we never ever see. I guess there’s a reason we never see her…she shows up to the date as a puff of smoke. Literally.

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Since Simon can’t interact with his slowly-frying-to-death girlfriend, he turns to other options. Hey look––it’s Pauline, our former butler!

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Adult birthdays are happening all over the place. Scooter has his while tending to the needs of his new baby daughter. He manages to avoid a Mid-Life Crisis, but only just.

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And a couple days later, Kylie has her birthday also.

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Gladys seems to be enjoying her childhood quite a bit. I pretty much leave her and Cloyd to their own devices since there’s always so much going on in the household. Gladys loves playing outside, particularly in the sandbox.

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She even prefers to sleep outside. I let her sleep in the treehouse on weekends if she wants, but most nights I call her inside so she can get all the nice moodlets from her comfy canopy bed.

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Cloyd’s interests are less clear at this point in time. I’ve never raised a kid who Hates the Outdoors before, and I mean, I built this nice playground for all the kids to enjoy…what else can he do? Oftentimes he gets dragged along on Gladys’s outdoor adventures.

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“Hey, Gladys, I can see the house from here! Do you want to go play inside?”

“Not yet, you dweeb. We’ve only been out here for five minutes.”

He’ll even spend a few minutes in the sandbox, when instructed.

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“Hey Gladys, guess what? Grandpa told me that once upon a time, a vampire lived under our house and grew poisonous fruit in this very soil. That’s why the grass never grew back. He said if we dig deep enough, we might find old bottles of vampire nectar!”

“That’s ridiculous. Grandpa’s Insane, you know that.”

Soon enough, it’s time for the younger twins to become toddlers. This is the last big reveal of this legacy! *sniffle*

Eugene goes first…

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…and then Octavia.

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I have never had twin sims that look so alike. That seems weird to say, but it’s true. My twins always turn out looking quite different from each other. Not these babies!

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Eugene is a Friendly Genius who likes Kids music, Stu Surprise, and White. (So many lovers of white recently!)

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Octavia is Grumpy and Absent-Minded, and she likes Egyptian music, Crepes, and the color Lime.

The very next day is yet another birthday––Curley’s! Here’s one last shot of this boy being an adorable, smiley toddler.

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Here he goes! Please ignore the puddle of pee in the background. It's a constant presence.

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Curley ages up with the Daredevil trait. I realize his shirt and his shorts clash terribly; I promise you I gave him better pants after taking this picture.

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Eugene and Octavia start right away on being productive, educated toddlers. No fun allowed in this house––only EDUCATION.

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Since I’ve paid so little attention to Cloyd and Gladys’s skills as children, I decide to put a little more effort in with Curley. He gets assigned to the oven and quickly learns to make some high-quality brownies and pies.

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The older twins’ childhood is nearly over. Things are racing along towards the end of the legacy.

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Next time, we’ll see some more birthdays, and watch as my game slowly disintegrates under the weight of ten generations of play. See ya then!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #79 on: February 20, 2019, 04:33:24 PM »
Chapter 74 – The Festival of Nothing

My game is, once again, slowly breaking. But this time, the main issue seems to be a loss of free will. Observe.

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Our scene is set on the sidewalk outside the Bridgeport Sports Zone. Set for what, you ask? Some kind of festival...? I have absolutely no idea, but the ENTIRE TOWN is here for it. Notice how nobody is doing anything. They’re all…just…standing there.

The apparent brokenness of free will is coupled with an inability of all visiting sims to stay at the Middlemiss house for longer than five seconds. I throw a birthday party for Cloyd and Gladys, but most guests show up and then leave immediately (after saying it was a great party, because duh).

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“Wow, two people showed up for our party. Great.”

Dillie stops by in her limo, which she apparently owns AND drives now. She just shouts “Happy birthday” through the window, then swings the limo around and leaves.

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When it’s time for cake, only a couple of guests remain. Curley spends the majority of the party staring with unnerving intensity at his older siblings’ cakes, so he’s more than ready for the main event.

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Cloyd goes first.

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He’s cheered on by only three people who aren't in our household: Nawwaf, Pauline the ex-butler, and some girl from school whose name I can’t remember.

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When it’s Gladys’s turn, everyone is still vying for a slice of Cloyd’s cake. Guess who’s not getting a piece?

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Elementary school girl: “Guys, gather round. We don’t want mustache guy stealing ANY of our cake.”

Puberty hits Gladys like a shot to the heart.

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…And gives her the most terrifying growth spurt I’ve ever seen. Like, does anyone have a tranquilizer gun? I’m gonna have nightmares!

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Both twins manage to survive their birthdays and become very attractive teens. Here’s Cloyd, who becomes a Nurturing fellow.

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And here’s Gladys, who becomes an Adventurous young lady.

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So, remember that free will issue I mentioned at the start of this chapter? It’s infiltrated the Bungalow, too. Sometimes I’ll be merrily moving the camera through the house, as you do, and come across scenes like this.

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Kylie: *sigh* “Doing things is just so…tiring.”

If you think doing nothing is tiring, Kylie, wait till you have to go to work. Oh wait, that’s RIGHT NOW.

Kylie gets up in the middle of that night after about one hour of sleep, and I’m confused as to why––until the notification arrives stating that work for her starts in an hour. I’ve had the luxury of ignoring those popups for this entire generation so far, but tonight…it’s actually real!

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Poor Kylie has a rough first day back, running on no sleep and all, but she gets through it. Barely.

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She doesn’t even make it to the bed before passing out from exhaustion.

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While I’m out and about in town, I decide to check on things at the Bridgeport Sports Zone.

Ah, things are going very well! Even more people have gathered at this hot spot (oh yes, it’s labeled as such), and we’ve got all kinds of action interspersed with the hours of standing around doing nothing.

We’ve got screaming townies running away from nothing. (At least, I can’t figure out what they’re running from.)

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We’ve got screaming cops and grumbling vampires.

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We’ve got screaming women going into labor in the middle of traffic.

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And we’ve got all of the above in one picture, with some sort of holographic traffic accident and an Emperor of Evil to boot. And oh hey, there’s Bridgett!

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This weird phenomenon continues into the wee hours of the morning (and is probably still going on...I haven't gone back to check). Most people still stand around staring into space, but they start to Freak Out with increasing frequency as time goes on. Can you count how many people are having nervous breakdowns in this picture?

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Meanwhile, things are moderately pleasant at home, aside from the constant lag and weird social interactions bug. Oh yes, those are messed up too. At least with sims outside of the household, social interactions take ages to complete––both sims will just stand there in silence for a while before getting around to doing the interaction, and sometimes they never complete it at all. I have to cancel the interaction or use resetsim to get things moving again. I was hoping to use that eternal hotspot downtown to get Scooter to talk to a bunch of sims and work on his charisma skill, but the interactions are so bugged that I give up pretty quickly.

Luckily, Scooter has completed most of the skill challenges that require interacting with people. Now all he has left to do is reach level 10 (he’s at level 8 right now) and bombard his housemate and best friend, Simon, with stupid joke after stupid joke. That “Never Dull” reward is priceless in this scenario!

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Kylie’s doing fine as she heads back to work. She’s also nearly finished with her Mid-Life Crisis, during which the only concerning wish she rolls is to have 10 children. :o And it wasn’t even a crisis wish…I think Kylie’s brain might be glitching out on top of everything else.

The younger twins are having a less-than-great toddlerhood, I'm sad to say. The issues with free will in the household cause their needs to go unmet for longer than usual (the adults don’t autonomously care for them nearly as much as they used to). I’m trying my best to keep up with everything, but having to micromanage everyone in a household of eight gets exhausting. At least Eugene and Octavia have each other to play with and don’t have to suffer from delayed dinners by themselves.

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Curley is the happy middle child, enjoying his newfound independence as well as the perks of having two doting older siblings.

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Yes, things are going swimmingly for the Middlemisses. I’m having lots of fun dealing with the worst lag I’ve ever experienced and trying to get my sims to do things. Any things. The cherry on top is that my game crashes at this point in the story, and I lose two days of play. :) And those two days took nearly two hours to play because of the constant freezing! ;D

And on that note…because my game is so bloated and buggy and terrible, I may have to end the legacy a little bit sooner than I originally planned. I was going to wait until the youngest child of this generation becomes a Young Adult, but I might decide to go ahead and end it as soon as the oldest becomes a Young Adult instead. Or as soon as Scooter completes his generational requirement (supermaxing charisma). Hopefully, those things will happen around the same time, and we can call it a day. As much as I’ve loved playing and writing this story…these issues are really starting to outweigh the fun, and I will be very ready to be finished when it’s time.

But no matter what, we're not done yet! The kids have got lots of growing and schooling to do. Stay tuned for more of that, and probably more thrilling glitches. Toodle-oo!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #80 on: March 18, 2019, 08:44:21 PM »
Chapter 75 – Bubbles & Bake Sales

And we’re back! I cleared some space on my teeny tiny hard drive, which helped reduce my game’s unbearable lag, and resetting all the objects in town via MasterController took care of the Eternal Hot Spot problem (see previous chapter). Things seem to be running a bit smoother in my game for now. Unfortunately, my eagerness to finish the rest of the challenge as fast as possible is my main motivation here, but fortunately, the Middlemisses have continued to be their quirky selves and provide me with enough entertainment to keep me going. Let’s see what they’ve been up to, shall we?

Scooter is getting close to supermaxing Charisma––he has about fifty more jokes to tell and one more best friend to make, and then he just needs to get to level 10 of the skill (he’s about midway through level 8 right now). As always, Simon gets to listen to joke after joke after joke. And as always, he never stops thinking they’re funny, thanks to that Never Dull reward.

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“Hahaha! I don’t know why I’m still laughing at this! Heh heh heh! Hehhhh…”

I don’t really have any more pictures of Eugene and Octavia as toddlers, for some reason––just this one of Octavia learning to walk. But she and Eugene learn their skills in time for their birthdays, which are coming up sooner than even I realized while playing.

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Cloyd meets a girl at Debate Club and asks her out on a date to The Grind. She’s a little, um, scary looking, but that’s not unusual in a town full of third-generation vampires and their non-vampire kin. (This girl, Eva Angelista-Middlemiss, is of the non-vampire cohort. She’s a great-granddaughter of Clarence, which explains the last name.)

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And look who’s also here at the club! Dillie still knows how to party in her old age. She’s 100 days old at this point and acting like she never passed 30.

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The date isn’t the most memorable on record. Cloyd spends half the evening eating hot wings in the corner by himself while Eva and Dillie rock out on the dance floor.

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At least he has the presence of mind to act jealous.

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Or maybe just a tad creepy.

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“Does your grandson always stare at girls like that?”

“I wouldn’t know, honey pie. Don't stop dancing now, this is my favorite song!”

Eventually, Eva goes over to confront Cloyd and see what’s up.

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“There you are. Why won’t you come out and dance? Are you avoiding me?”

“Of course not. I am concentrating very hard on this bubble.”

“Right, well…I just wanted to say, you don’t need to bother asking me out again. I have a boyfriend.”

“Sorry, could you repeat that? I was concentrating too hard on the––“

“Forget it, Cloyd. I’ll see you at school.”

Yeah, so, that didn’t go very well. (Honestly, I blame Eva for asking someone out when she's already committed to someone.) Cloyd’s not too torn up about it, though. After Eva leaves, Cloyd joins his grandmother on the dance floor and they have a lovely time.

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Cloyd’s awkward date is not the last we see of Dillie. The next afternoon, I send Simon to purchase the Bridgeport hospital––several household members have popped wishes to own more venues, and we’re rolling in dough at this point (mostly thanks to Simon playing for tips), so I figure why not. A few hours later, I click back to Simon and find him playing catch with Dillie out behind the hospital. I love how we keep running into her. She just won’t let us forget about her. What a sweet pickle.

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As for Gladys, she has a knack for showing up for family meals wearing something weird and not letting anyone give her a hard time about it.

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“Uh…Gladys? Why are you wearing swimwear at the breakfast table?”

“Why aren’t you?”

She also likes to hang out in the sandbox that she spent so much time in as a kid. She’s not Childish, but she still enjoys digging things up out of the sand. A glimpse of her future, perhaps…?

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Curley is one of the more avid bakers we’ve seen in recent generations, getting up to level 3 of the skill in just one day. His chocolate cupcakes are making even MY mouth water. (Although, they are chocolate. So that’s really no surprise.)

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He also makes a very cute bakesalesman. Even though not a single customer shows up to buy anything. Downsides of living on top of the highest mountain, a two hour drive from civilization.  :-\

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Aww, look who found the new practice dummy I tucked away in the backyard! I find Kylie out here at one in the morning, swatting away with a fury I’ve never seen in her. (And a dopeyness I didn’t know she was capable of. This is how she was when I found her with the game paused. I laughed, very hard, for several minutes.)

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This poor girl has been Disciplined all her life, but has never been exposed to anything Martial Arts-related until now. Her frustration at being a newbie shows with every kick and whack.

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But see, look how excited she gets when she earns her first belt! Awww. I feel bad for keeping this from Kylie for so long.

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I think our girl has found her Thing.

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Soon enough, Eugene and Octavia have their shared birthday, aging up on the nursery floor. It’s in this moment that I realize they are the last toddlers we’ll see in this story. Let’s all take a moment to tear up. :(

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And here they are! I have never had two twins look more alike. Seriously, they look like the same exact person, just with different hair and clothes. I should have named them Eugene and Eugenia.

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Anyway, Eugene is now a Friendly, Perceptive Genius.

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And Octavia is Grumpy, Absent-Minded, and Unlucky. Poor girl. Hopefully her next trait will be a redemptive one.

Next time, we'll celebrate another birthday and watch some unexpected family drama unfold. See ya then!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #81 on: April 09, 2019, 07:21:50 PM »
Chapter 76 – The Missing

Welcome back to the land of the Middlemisses. Simon Rubble-Clavier comemmorates our return with some bangin’ on his clavier.

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Octavia, a newly-aged-up child, pops a wish to learn the writing skill, so I send her downtown on her bike to take a class. As she’s heading in to the business office, she runs into someone we haven’t seen in a while. She’s completely starstruck by the mysterious, scantily-clad vampire who used to live in her house when her grandparents were young.

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Back home, Eugene’s first autonomous action is to play chess on the computer. He’s got a lot of logic still to learn, you see, considering he doesn’t seem to realize that the computer isn’t even on.

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That evening, I get a rather distressing notification––that Kylie has a reputation as a Cheater. What’s more, Scooter has the “Betrayed” moodlet that lasts for five days. :o I’m very confused at this point, because Kylie hasn’t flirted with anyone to my knowledge since marrying Scooter, and when I check her relationships I find that ohhhh she still has a romantic interest. Oopsies.

Things HAVE been a bit tense between these two lately, though I haven’t been able to put my finger on why. Well, now I know. Kylie consoles herself with some super smooth martial arts movements (I realize my lingo is lacking and I am sorry), then calls up her old flame, Max Angelista-Middlemiss.

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Meeting Max out in the front yard, Kylie explains her dilemma with her husband and asks Max if they can just be friends.

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Max and his very hairy forearms are not okay with that.

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“WHAT? We’ve been romantically involved for THIRTY YEARS and you’re breaking up with me NOW??”

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“But—but—we haven’t been romantically involved! I haven’t even seen you since before prom!”

I don’t know why it takes so long for the “Attractive Company” moodlet to trigger between them, but eventually, it does. I love the look on Max's face as the hearts fly up.

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“You’re a real jerk, you know that, Kylie? A beautiful, sexy jerk.”

Poor Max. The confusion is real. But eventually he seems to resign himself to the fact that he’s not getting any action from the legacy lady he never even actually dated and heads home to his wife (!) and children (!!!).

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The trouble isn’t over for Kylie, though. Mr. Scooter here doesn’t care one bit that his wife went to so much effort to ease the tension between them. All he wants to do is scream while wearing his swim trunks. Poor Kylie is so startled she goes and gets herself stuck in the kitchen island.

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She's then forced to plead for forgiveness for something she never even did.

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“Please, Scooter, I promise nothing has ever happened between Max and me! He told me I was cute at study club in high school and we never talked again! Please believe me!”

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“I don’t make the rules, Kylie. The laws of Bridgeport and all Sim worlds clearly state that being romantically interested in someone other than your partner counts as cheating 100% of the time, regardless of how long ago the interest occurred. Time is irrelevant. Except when it comes to moodlet duration.”

“Yeah, speaking of…how’s that ‘Betrayed’ moodlet treating you?”

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“Oh, god, it’s awful. I can’t believe I have to get through four more days of this.”

Kylie and Scooter’s relationship is in the red, and it’ll take time and work to mend it. In the meantime, I’ve decided to focus on other things.

Like Curley’s birthday! I use Master Controller to age him up before school so he can go to prom with his older siblings. (Note the paintings on the wall in the below screenshot. The one on the left is a sketch by Dillie, and the one on the right is by Bao. Remember Bao, Peach’s spouse all the way back in Generation Five? How the time has flown!)

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Curley ages up into a good-looking teen. I think he was sort of blinking when I took this screenshot, because he looks much better in-game. Also, I really wish there were more curly hairstyles for boys and men. This is the best one I could find and it's not even actually curly. Curley takes on the Easily Impressed trait. I guess that means he doesn’t mind that his hair can’t match his name perfectly.

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That night is prom, and three of the five Middlemiss kiddos are old enough to go. They all head out together, looking like the sickest band that ever was an hour late for something.

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It’s an eventful dance for everyone. Curley is voted Prom King the moment they walk in the door, and a couple hours later, Gladys is crowned Prom Queen (and apparently tears up when handed the crown…aww). Gladys and Cloyd also find themselves a romantic interest each––Gladys falls for a very pasty vampire named Marshall Hemlock-Belle, and Cloyd meets another vampire named Tiffany Slayer-Striker. (So many of these hyphenated last names just sound so violent.) Additionally, both Curley and Gladys get into fights. I guess that’s not too surprising––Curley is a Daredevil, and Gladys is Adventurous and, well, Clumsy. Maybe she just tripped and fell into a fight that someone else started.

Prom ends really late at night, for some reason––Gladys and Cloyd don’t leave the school building until after 11:30 p.m., and of course one of them (Cloyd in this case) gets rounded up by the police within seconds.

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Then the scariest thing happens. Cloyd gets into the cop car, Gladys disappears into a taxi, and then BOTH of their portraits DISAPPEAR FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF MY SCREEN. The cars vanish with a pop and I lose sight and control of both sims. Completely. WHAT.

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Police Officer: “What happened to those two teens I was just arresting? They were standing right here!”

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You’re just as confused as I am, lady. I pan the camera home; the twins are not there. Curley made it home hours ago––he managed to get out of prom relatively on time and then took the family motorbike home. But where are Cloyd and Gladys?

The rogue teens don’t get home until 5 in the morning, when the Overwatch nightly sweep locates them and brings them home. Thank you, Overwatch! They arrive a little hungry, but otherwise completely fine. (And Cloyd arrives home msyteriously well rested for a teen who’s been up all night.) I guess when they got out of prom too late and broke curfew, the double arrest that should have happened just glitched out and made them disappear. It’s almost like they were kept in the brig overnight and then released just before dawn.

Anyway! They’re home, safe and sound. And I’m never letting them break curfew again. :o

Next time, Cloyd and Gladys will SAFELY, WITH PROPER SUPERVISION, get to know their romantic interests. See ya then!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #82 on: April 09, 2019, 08:21:20 PM »
Chapter 77 – Encrypted Love

Our elder twins, Cloyd and Gladys, are both of eligible dating age, and since they both met potential partners at prom in the last chapter, I think it’s time we let them explore their options more thoroughly.

We’ll start with Cloyd. Cloyd met a girl named Tiffany Slayer-Striker at prom and found her utterly charming. A few days later, he calls her and asks her to meet him at the park by the school.

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Tiffany arrives wearing the same pizza shirt she wore the night they met. (I admire a girl who will wear a pizza shirt to prom. That’s all I’m saying.) She’s cute, isn’t she? Hardly vampiric-looking at all! And what’s more…it takes me embarrassingly long to figure this out, and also I apparently left this out of the story, but um…once upon a time, Simon had a vampire girlfriend that he went to visit once or twice. I swear I included that in a chapter, but I can’t find it in my past posts, so I guess I cut it out to save space or something? Anyway, that happened, and, well…Simon and his girlfriend (whose name I can’t remember) had a child together. And…

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Yup. You guessed it. You’re looking at her, all grown up.

Cloyd really seems to like Tiffany. He actually looks genuinely bashful as he offers her a bouquet of flowers he stashed in his pocket beforehand! Tiffany has some nice traits, too, and is perhaps the most sane and normal vampire we’ve encountered in this town. And the fact that she’s the daughter of Simon only makes her more perfect.

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Yup, I think these two were meant to be. They share their first kiss and become boyfriend and girlfriend before the afternoon is halfway over. Hooray!

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After that, it’s Gladys’s turn. She takes the family motorbike out for a spin and meets Marshall Hemlock-Belle at the graveyard.

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Gladys’s date with Marshall doesn’t go nearly as perfectly as her brother’s did. She quickly finds out two things about Marshall––one, that he’s Unflirty, and two, that she’s not attracted to him at all. Right after the date begins, Gladys heads down into the secret crypt bar (how did I not know about it sooner...?!?!?) and orders herself some wacko electrified drink, leaving Marshall alone among the gravestones aboveground. Almost as if she’s avoiding him.

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Eventually, Marshall stops lurking creepily among the dead people and joins his date down at the bar. He spends the rest of the night ordering plate after plate of poor-quality Frogs Legs, while Gladys “Spills her Sorrows” to the mixologist and looks around dismally.

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Is this the face of a girl who’s enjoying her date? I don’t think so. In fact, she looks a little HEY MARSHALL WHAT ARE YOU DOING???

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Oh right. He’s a vampire. Doing vampire things. Well, Gladys clearly doesn’t care.

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Gladys decides she’s had enough and tells Marshall that she just wants to be friends.

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Marshall isn’t happy, but at least he doesn’t bite her. He kind of just looks like a disappointed muskrat, to be honest.

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So Gladys still has some partner-hunting to do, but we’ll get around to that. Let’s check back with the younger Middlemisses first.

Octavia takes after her older sister in regards to her enthusiasm for the sandbox. The search for buried vampire wine continues!

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Eugene works to distract Gladys from her troublesome love life with a game of chess. He’s starting to pick up the skill more quickly now that he’s gotten off the broken computer from last time.

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And things are slowly improving between Kylie and Scooter!

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Well…

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Okay, maybe not. We’re still in the confines of the five-day ‘Betrayed’ moodlet. *sigh*

I also have a couple of pictures of Gladys doing slightly weird things. I think she does this after losing that chess game with Eugene. I hope that Adventurous trait is emboldening her to try again in the love department.

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Then later, I find her upstairs crying in front of the fish tank. For some reason I took a screenshot of this. So here we are.

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It’s a full and busy household right now with three teens and two kids running around. At least they all seem to get along pretty well. I think Gladys is just being sulky here––the others are all happily playing a game of tag in their pajamas.

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I get tired of Gladys’s sulking very quickly. I’m eager for her to find a real relationship, one that she’ll be happy in. Luckily, Debate Club seems to be an ideal place to meet potential partners. On Monday, Gladys meets not one, but TWO guys with whom she shares an attraction. I spy on them as they exit the school and immediately pick my favorite out of the two. After Debate Club ends that afternoon, I send Gladys over to the Missoni-Jones household so she can get to know their son, Marlon.

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She runs into a bit of a mishap with Marlon’s younger sister, though.

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“Moooommm, there’s some lady trying to get into our house and she won’t stop melding with me!”

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“Rrrrghhh, I just want to go on a DATE with a BOY! Why does everything have to be so COMPLICATED?"

Gladys does finally manage to get inside the house (and into Marlon’s adorably weird, periwinkle living room), only to find that Marlon isn’t even home. *sigh* She calls him and decides to cut to the chase, asking him on a proper date at Hubert's bistro on the water.

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And here’s Marlon. He’s very quick to apologize for his aloofness and starts flirting with Gladys right away.

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Yeah…I'm liking the looks of things already. Enjoy the night, you two!

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That’s all we have time for. Next time, I have no idea what happens, because I haven’t played that far ahead. Toodle-oo!

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #83 on: May 22, 2019, 11:26:45 PM »
Chapter 78 – The Cusp Of Greatness

This last generation of the Middlemisses is humming along nicely, now that my game has decided to behave (at least for the moment). With five young’uns in the household––three teens, two kids––things are busy, but not overwhelming. The kids are all doing well in school. The teens go to study club together every day after classes let out. Everyone is making friends, doing their homework, making it home before curfew. And since the weight of the legacy still rests on Scooter’s shoulders, the kids have no real stresses beyond their everyday accomplishments. All they have left to do is make it to adulthood without killing themselves.

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That said, they each have their eccentricities. Gladys is probably the most expressive of the group, looking adventurous one moment and like she’s rocking out at a party the next. Or maybe she’s reacting to her own B.O.?

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And Cloyd, as you can see, is the more, uh, derpy one. I’m really not sure what he’s doing here. I almost feel like he's waving to me. With crossed eyes. I feel uncomfortable.

As she works her way, slowly but surely, up the ladder of the military, Kylie is continuing to learn Martial Arts. She’s not a young pupil, but she’s a very eager one. One of her favorite places to practice meditation is the beach, for obvious reasons.

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She stays out there long enough to earn a new belt and show it off to her Watcher under the stars.

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Scooter is on the cusp of greatness at this point. As the final heir in this legacy, he is just a day away from a promotion in his film career; he’s completed all his charisma skill challenges (including telling 100 jokes); and he’s nearly reached the end of the charisma skill itself. Another day or two of steady work and he’ll have accomplished everything he set out to do.

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In the meantime, here he is looking dopey in front of the mirror. I guess even Assistant Directors with decades of social interactions behind them still need practice sometimes.

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Gladys’s dating ups-and-downs seemed to be resolved at the end of the last chapter. She had that rough date with a vampire, then hit it off with a couple different guys from study club (neither of whom she ever ran into again), then finally had a decent date with Marlon, my boy of choice for her. But the next time I opened my game, I found that Gladys wasn't as satisfied with that outcome as I'd thought. Since I'd last played, Gladys had popped not one, not two, but THREE romantic wishes relating to various girls in her class. Oh. Could that explain her ambivalence in trying to date guys?

I think it could. One of her wishes is a whopping 1,000-point wish to kiss a girl named Laurie. Gladys, being an adventurous soul, doesn’t hesitate to give Laurie a call and ask her to meet her at the Butterfly Dome on the other side of the city.

It takes a while, but Laurie finally shows up at sunset.

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And sparks fly.

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Romance develops between these two with all the ease of love that was meant to be. All of a sudden, things have fallen into place for Gladys, and I feel silly for trying to push her into something that wouldn’t have made her happy. See, beautiful things can happen when you let your sims decide things for themselves! At least…some of the time.

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With a lot of sheepish whispering and hand-holding, Gladys and Laurie officially become a couple, and win the award for best first-date scenery. Gladys’s film director father would be proud.

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Eugene and Octavia are doing well, too. They are persistent in asking their big brothers and sister for bedtime stories every night, and I’ve never seen such an obliging and caring set of older siblings. It’s really quite sweet.

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I also like how close the sets of twins seem to be. See, Octavia looks like she’s about to swat a fly that’s landed on her brother’s nose! How thoughtful!

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As for the extended family…Dillie still makes her presence known every once in a while. On this particular day, I spot her while the kids are on the bus home from school. She’s walking alone across the bridge into the city. Why she doesn’t take a taxi, or a bicycle, or the subway, or any other transportation at all, is beyond me. In any case, it’s lovely to see her when she appears. MasterController tells me that she's about 105 now. She might be the longest-living Middlemiss ever––definitely in recent memory.

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The next day is an exciting one for the Middlemiss family, for several reasons. First of all, after a long and intense training session with Kylie, Simon decides that he wants nothing more than to kiss the married woman he’s lived with for two decades.

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They get right back to training, with renewed vigor.

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“This is what you get for trying to kiss a married woman, you inappropriate nincompoop! Now push! HARDER!”

“Ahhhhh I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again, I promise!”

Secondly, Scooter finally reaches the top of his career and becomes a Distinguished Director, achieving his lifetime wish. Congrats, Scooter!

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Thirdly, the youngest twins are having a birthday! After this evening, we will have FIVE TEENAGERS in this household. Can you believe it?

Since it’s such a big birthday and it’s been so long since we’ve had a party, Kylie calls up the close friends of the family and invites them over to celebrate the occasion. The old nursery is also converted into a bit of a party room.

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Dillie and Nawwaf are both invited to the party, of course, but unfortunately, Dillie never shows. I figure she’s decided to walk up the mountain, since that seems to be her preferred mode of transportation lately…until I get a notification. The dreaded notification. The one that says that Dillie Middlemiss has passed on. :'( RIP, Dillie my darling pickle. If only you’d lived another night to see your youngest grandchildren grow up.

In spite of this gloomy news, Eugene is more than thrilled to take a walk of fame to his birthday cake. (And I am more than thrilled to delete this stupid window and replace it with a large one I can actually take screenshots through.)

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Make a wish, Eugene! (There’s Grandpa Nawwaf in the back with the green jacket, if you’re wondering.)

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Octavia follows with her own cake, looking very suspicious as she prepares to blow out her candles.

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Teenage Eugene picks up a pair of glasses that may or may not have fake plastic lenses. He rolls the Flirty trait, to supplement his Friendly, Genius, and Perceptive traits.

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And Octavia rolls the Athletic trait. Finally, a positive and useful trait! (Her other traits, you may remember, are Grumpy, Absent-Minded, and Unlucky.) Octavia also grows up into a striking resemblance of Dillie, which is kind of perfect considering Dillie passed away about five seconds ago. I like to think of it as a beautiful way to remember her.

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That’s all for now, folks. We are so incredibly close to the end of this legacy. Until then!


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy
« Reply #84 on: May 28, 2019, 09:41:43 PM »
Chapter 79 – The End

Can you believe it, folks?

We have reached the final chapter of the Middlemiss Random Legacy.

There’s not a lot to say by way of introduction, so let’s get into it. It’s time to send our favorite family out with a bang!

It’s Friday, and the five Middlemiss kiddos of Generation Eleven head off to their first and last day of high school as a full bunch. That is, for Cloyd and Gladys, it’s their last day of high school; for Eugene and Octavia, it’s their first. (Also, I swear all five kids are here on the bus, even though the game failed to render either of the girls. I guess the bus is deceptive in terms of its capacity.)

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See? They all made it. Once again, these kids look like a band or something whenever they’re all together. Although I wouldn’t wear Octavia’s fruit dress, personally, if I was performing on stage (cute as it is).

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While his kids are at school, Scooter goes to the library for possibly the first time ever and spends the day reading the level three charisma skill book. And by dinnertime, he finally, FINALLY maxes his charisma skill. And with that, his requirements for the challenge are complete!

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I have this picture of Simon standing outside Hubert’s Diner looking nostalgic. I think I sent him there for a nice dinner after a long day of playing for tips in the subway, and took this picture to comemmorate it? Or maybe I was just impressed by how buff he looks. I’m not sure. In any case, Simon doesn't get enough screen time in my opinion, so let's all enjoy his cute face (and massive shoulders) for a moment.

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The school day ends and the entire teenage population (half of which is Middlemiss) exits the school at the exact same time, breaks the laws of physics, and merges into a single mega-teenager. Yes, you can definitely see evidence of all five Middlemisses here. I mean, just count the noses alone.

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After school, Octavia goes to her new friend Jacklyn’s house and finds her way to the old periwinkle piano we spotted that one time Gladys came over here to try and woo Jacklyn’s older brother. Remember that? Anyway, Octavia spends hours playing and gets up to level 3 all on her own. Perhaps our Grumpy, Absent-Minded, Unlucky gal has found her passion at last! (I mean, I thought it was going to be Athletics, but hey.)

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Now at the peak of his career and with the pressures of his life behind him, Scooter can finally relax. He chooses to spend some time perfecting his spaghetti skills. He’s actually the best cook in the family right now, and with five kids, a wife, and a best friend to feed, he’s gotten pretty good at spaghetti.

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Because it’s the end of the challenge and I’m getting nostalgic, I take a lot of screenshots of the family eating dinner together. I’m not very good about having everyone sit down and eat together––this is a rare occasion. Of course, some people choose to sit outside or at the counter in the kitchen…but we’ve got most of the crew here.

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Okay, half the crew. Plus some blue-haired kid that came home with Eugene after school.

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The next day is Saturday—the day of a very important, legacy-ending event. I start setting up the yard in the morning, and the adults of the household quickly take advantage of the new activities available. And the new opportunity to be scantily clad at 9 a.m., I guess.

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As the party draws near, Curley, Octavia, and Eugene make sure the new fire pit is in working order.

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Curley: “Watch this, guys. I’m gonna swat at the fire and not get burned! Whoa!”
Eugene: “According to this book, Jimmy Sprocket literally eats fire, so…”
Octavia: “I’m so glad I’m moving out today.”

The party begins. The family dresses their best and the guests begin to arrive. Curley is in the kitchen when a very pretty girl from school runs through towards the back door and gives him a flirty little wave.

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Curley: “What? A girl waved at me? Where??”

Even though there’s cake on the horizon, Scooter still insists on practicing his cooking (again) and fires up the grill out back for the first time SINCE WE’VE LIVED IN BRIDGEPORT. All right, man. He and Simon spend half the party chilling over by the grill and talking about meat. Like the true middle-aged men they are.

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Scooter: “You know, next time I’m gonna have to try a different brand of salt rub. This one was way too garlicky.”

Simon: “You used salt rub on these? These…hot dogs?”

Gladys is reunited with her girlfriend, Laurie. Her former flame, Marlon (he of the periwinkle piano), stands nearby and tries to uphold his manly pride. You’re doing great, bud. For the record, I’d date you if I was a seventeen-year-old sim.

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And over by the stereo, Cloyd locks lips with his lovely vampire Tiffany. Jeez, guys, why don’t you rub it in Marlon’s face a little more?

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The romance doesn’t stop there. Curley tracks down the girl who waved at him earlier and tries his luck. Jane Cook-Schlick is all about the boy with the anomalous blond hair. Hooray!

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At last, it’s time for the main event—the final birthday party of the Middlemiss Random Legacy. Are you crying? I’m certainly not crying.

Gladys goes first because I THINK she was born first, but I actually can’t remember.

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Cloyd follows (and gets the bigger crowd, for some reason), looking wistfully up at the stars as the cheers rise around him. It’s all down to you now, kiddo.

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Sidenote: Check out the woman standing behind Cloyd. Those massive jowls! I can’t remember if I pointed her out in past chapters, but she definitely came to a sleepover as a child and has been sporting those jowls since toddlerhood. Yikes.

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And here they are. Our grown-up twins.

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Gladys’s final set of traits: Loves the Outdoors, Perceptive, Clumsy, Adventurous, and Eccentric. Her lifetime wish? To be a Great Explorer and explore all the tombs in Egypt, China, and France.

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Cloyd’s final traits are Hates the Oudoors, Disciplined, Photographer’s Eye, Nurturing, and Can’t Stand Art. His lifetime wish is to be Surrounded by Family.

And with that, my friends…the Middlemiss Random Legacy is finished.


Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy (Completed)
« Reply #85 on: May 28, 2019, 10:13:32 PM »
Chapter 80 – The Beginning

Hah! Did I fool you? Come on, you can’t finish up a months-long legacy story on chapter seventy-nine! That’s a PRIME NUMBER! More importantly, we don’t yet know what happens to the Middlemiss family after the older twins age up!

But before we get to that, I feel compelled to take a bit of a trip down memory lane. Because in order for there to be an end to this story, there had to be a beginning. And a really, really long middle. And a long line of wonderful sims with unique personalities, quirks, and life stories.

There was Odile, our writer, and Lincoln (oh, Lincoln).

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There was Roberta and her Imaginary Friend-turned-lover, Buddy.

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There was Basil the prodigy, the boy born to be famous, and Sherita.

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There was also Basil, the tattoo obsessive who was also afraid of tattoos that one time.

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There was Llewellyn, the pioneer of Riverview, and his darling Elaine.

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There was brave Peach, the first Middlemiss to venture to a new country…

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…in order to find and fall in love with her very own singing firefighter, Bao.

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There was Granville, the hardest-partying evil villain that ever lived…

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…aside from his dark queen, the terrifying and incomparable Randi.

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There was Bambi, the cutest insane sim I’ve ever played, and the most persevering journalist…

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…and Jarrod, her faithful husband and fellow lover of country life.

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There was Hubert, the kindhearted, photogenic chef.

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Oh, and his brother Clarence, who got married in a bar and probably died with the ghost of a cocktail glass in his hand.

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There was the beautiful Polly and her identical twin daughter, gifted architect and beautiful pickle, Dillie.

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And we can’t forget our nectar-making vampire, the glorious pyromaniac Bridgett Talon-Schlick (who still lives on, eating men’s forearms, in Bridgeport forevermore).

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And finally, there was Scooter the great, and his beloved Kylie.

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What a ride it’s been! And now that we’re back to the present, we can finally take a peek into the future.

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First, the adults. Scooter and Kylie grow old together living in their big, empty house. (Well, it’s empty until their grandkids come to visit. I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of grandkids.) Scooter continues to direct films when he wants to, but he also takes a lot of time to relax, read books in weird places, and cuddle with his wife. Kylie achieves her lifetime wish of becoming an astronaut. She’s one of the oldest sims ever to do so, but she does it all the same. She also practices martial arts in her spare time and lives a long, healthy life as a result.

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Simon, who has spent his whole adult life playing his keyboard in subways, decides that it’s much more fun playing his keyboard in the open air. He becomes Bridgeport’s most celebrated street performer, and even travels to surrounding cities, becoming a celebrity throughout the sim world. Any tips he doesn’t need to support himself go to charity––they are NOT funneled directly into a legacy family’s bank account. This makes him very happy indeed.

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As for the kids, they have a variety of exciting futures. Cloyd (who, it turns out, is actually the oldest––I got it backwards last chapter), our nurturing photographer with a hatred for the outdoors, builds a quiet, cozy life in a mansion with his high school sweetheart, Tiffany (who, being a vampire, is just as happy to remain indoors as he is). Cloyd becomes a renowned photographer of strictly indoor settings with a minimalistic, not-artsy-fartsy style. He and Tiffany also fulfill their dream of having a large family and raise a bunch of precocious kids.

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Gladys becomes the adventurer she was always meant to be. Together with Laurie, her partner in crime, she travels to distant lands and explores tombs and new cultures to her heart’s content. When she’s not dropping valuable treasures and tripping over sand dunes, Gladys solves tomb puzzles more perceptively than any explorer preceding her.

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Curley’s Good, Daredevil, and Light Sleeper traits serve him well as Bridgeport’s new fire chief. He works long days and nights fighting fires in the heart of the city, and has way too much fun doing it. (I know, he looks very stressed in this picture, but I swear he's having fun.)

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Eugene, being Friendly, Perceptive, and a Genius, was born to be an investigator. He quickly rises in fame and ability and becomes Bridgeport’s very own Sherlock––complete with the hordes of adoring women, who are drawn to his natural flirtatiousness (though he pretends not to notice).

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And Octavia? Octavia’s stint on the periwinkle piano as a teenager was more than just an attempt at passing a boring afternoon. Octavia falls in love with music and ends up performing nightly in all of Bridgeport’s most exclusive clubs as the city’s most beloved pianist. Classical music holds her focus like nothing else, and she can be as gloomy and grumpy as she likes behind the lid of the grand piano.

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So you see, the Middlemisses go on to live happy, adventurous, and successful lives. And I, the watcher, go on to live my own life, leaving the Middlemisses behind. ’Tis bittersweet.

(I’ll leave you with this outtake from when I was trying out animations for the family portrait. Ah, I’m going to miss these sims.)

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///

Author’s Note: Thank you so much to all of you for reading this story! It’s hard to believe we’ve made it to the end. I’ve had nothing but fun playing and writing the Middlemisses. I will remember Odile, Roberta, Basil, Llewellyn, Peach, Granville, Bambi, Hubert, Dillie, and Scooter with great fondness, and I hope you will too. (Not to mention all their kooky, wonderful relatives and friends.) Thank you as always for reading, and may your own stories (lived and created) bring you all the excitement, laughter, and fulfillment that you hope for. Until next time! –amaranthin



Offline Cordy

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy (Completed)
« Reply #87 on: May 31, 2019, 11:12:59 AM »
I really enjoyed this! Congratulations on finishing. Are you writing anything at the moment?

Offline mpart

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy (Completed)
« Reply #88 on: May 31, 2019, 05:20:47 PM »
Congratulations! I just finished reading this story and I love it! It was definitely a rollercoaster.  ;D
Poor Lincoln.  :(

Offline Beks

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy (Completed)
« Reply #89 on: June 03, 2019, 03:21:21 PM »
Thank you so much for the kind comments, everyone!

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Congratulations! I just finished reading this story and I love it! It was definitely a rollercoaster.  ;D
Poor Lincoln.  :(

Poor Lincoln indeed! I think that pretty much sums up the whole legacy, in a way. Nothing was more memorable that Lincoln's untimely death. I'm still sad all these months later.

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I really enjoyed this! Congratulations on finishing. Are you writing anything at the moment?

Thanks Cordy! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Middlemisses. If you're wondering whether I'm writing Sims things, I'm still working on the Honeyheart Short Dynasty, and I also have another story in the works that I hope to start posting really soon. :) As for outside-of-the-Sims things, I'm trying to get back to writing poetry a little bit (I used to write it quite a lot, especially when I was in college), with limited success so far. And by that I mean I've written, like, one not-good poem in the last two weeks. But it's something!

Offline deedee_828

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Re: The Middlemiss Random Legacy (Completed)
« Reply #90 on: July 02, 2019, 12:28:26 PM »
What a great story! I just finished reading it and it was so cute and funny, except losing poor Lincoln so soon, that I can't wait to  try it after I finish my town jump game. I'm only on town  #8 of  18 so it will  be awhile, but definitely on my games to play list!