The Middlemiss Random Legacy (Completed)

[Beks]

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!

[Beks]

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?!”

[Beks]

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!

[Beks]

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.

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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.

[Beks]

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!

[Beks]

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!

[Beks]

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.

[Beks]

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!

[Beks]

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!

[Beks]

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.)

[Beks]

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.   

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.

[Beks]

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?”

[Beks]

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!

[Beks]

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!

[Beks]

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.