Cress (The Story of a Plantsim)

[Swirl-Girl]

Cute bonding scene.

[karlissa]

I sure hope Cress plants her own forbidden fruit seed.

[kaylas]

Cress looks so sassy in the last picture. The one where she's standing over Christa with morning sickness. It cracks me up every time.    Looking forward to your next update. 

[Sutz]

Cress looks so sassy in the last picture. The one where she's standing over Christa with morning sickness. It cracks me up every time.    Looking forward to your next update. 

Thanks! I've been trying to inject a little more personality into Cress, because I was painfully aware that she was a bit of a blank slate that things just happened to, and I didn't want her turning into a Bella Swan. So she was sweet and shy as a child but is getting a bit more spunk now the hormones have kicked in.

[Sutz]

The night of the prom had arrived, and Christa had made good on her promise.
"Nice job, sis," whispered Chrissie approvingly. "I like how it's kept the plant themes."



Christa just smiled demurely, as proud of her work as she should have been. She'd even managed to get Cress into shoes - high-heeled ones at that!




"My baby's all grown up," sobbed Christina as Cress walked by.
"Oh hush, you big softie, Mother," said Chrissie.

Cress had a marvellous prom and it cemented her relationship with Sammy. From that day on, they often met up at the local park to practise their dancing.




And... other things.



But then one evening, their time together was interrupted when Cress got an urgent call from her sisters.

It wasn't good news.

[Sutz]

Oh, and in other news, Chris and Selene's daughter Kunama showed up at Chrissie's bachelorette party! She's a pretty little lassie, is she not? Well-deserving of her name meaning, methinks.

[kaylas]

Pretty Cress!!    Oh Mrs. Landgraab, keep your tears for her wedding day. Kunama is also a cutie pie! Looking forward to your next update. 

[Sutz]

After explaining the situation to a baffled, but very understanding Sam ("Call me if you need anything"), Cress bolted home.

She dashed up the stairs and into her mother's bedroom, where the rest of the family were waiting.
Christina was extremely pleased to see her daughter.
"Mother, how're you feeling?"
Christina shrugged wearily. "I'm dying, Cress. Otherwise I'm fine."



"I wanted to tell you," said the old woman, "before it's too late. I wanted to tell you... that I'm sorry."
Cress was bemused. "Sorry? What for?"



"For bringing you into the world," said Christina "as what you are. I was foolish, and selfish, in my younger days, Cress. I tampered with nature, fuelled by my own ego."



"I created my clone children hoping they would be like me, attempting to force my will onto them. But at least they were fully human, and could make their own identities once they broke free of mine. But then I created you, the only one of your kind, alone in a world where people might fear you, or want to use you. I never forgave myself for when Raja Ansari got hold of you, nearly killed you for the Life Fruit in your blood. And now I'm dying, leaving you to face that world alone. I'm so sorry, Cress, for my obscene selfishness."



"Mother, stop," Cress cut her off. "Please, you're making it sound as though you were a monster. But you were a lovely mother. You nurtured and cared for me, defended me, and you're not leaving me alone. You're leaving me with two beautiful sisters and a brave, caring brother. They'll look after me, Mother, you know they will. Look at our family picture - look how happy we are."




Christina took a long, slow look at the picture she'd always kept at her bedside - and smiled.
"I see," she whispered. "You're right, Cress. I'm sad I will not see you grow up - but I know now that you can take care of yourself, and your siblings will take care of you. So whatever happens in the future, whatever you decide to be, the best I can say is... good luck, my daughter. I'm proud of you."




Some hours later...


"I won't ask you if you're OK, because that would be a stupid question," said Christa. "But I will ask how you're holding up?"
Cress heaved a deep sigh. "I've been thinking very hard," she said.
"Can I ask what about, or is that private?"
"Mother died thinking that I was going to be alone. I assured her that you'd look after me and I'd be OK. The thing is, Christa, Mother was right. Even though I'm your sister, I'm still separate from you, somehow. I'll always be different, always be technically a different species. Mother seemed to think that was a bad thing, that being me was a curse she'd saddled me with, but it isn't a bad thing being me. I don't want to be the only one who knows that."



"Cress," said Christa, not really sure what to say. "I... I'm sorry, but there is only one of you. There's nothing you can do to change that."
"Yes there is," said Cress. "I'm going to make more of me."

[Gogowars329]

That last photo of Cress is creeping me out. I'm scared to think of how she is going to make more of herself. Oh and rest in peace dear Christina.

[Audren]

Cress has that determined look on her face. Now, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing... who knows?

[kaylas]

It'll be interesting to see how this 'I'm going to make more of me' thing is going to work out. I hope it does! Cress shouldn't have to be alone. R.I.P Christina Landgraab. 

[Sutz]

"Our sister's gone insane," said Chrissie when she was told. "You want to make more of you? Isn't that the exact same egotistical thing our mother did?"
"Not more of me," said Cress. "Just more like me."
"I fail to see the difference."
"Let her speak, Chrissie."
"I mean more plant-people," said Cress. "I want to create more plant-people. Mother said I was the first of a new species. Well, I want to continue that species. Cloning techniques have improved. I can't carry a child, but we could make it so other plant-people could."



"That's a big responsibility," said Chrissie. "Are you sure you've thought this through, little sister? Think of all the legal matters and emotional baggage. And Mother never let us know how she made you. You've got to replicate those circumstances exactly; how are you even supposed to do that?"
"I have my own blood, and that's another thing. Why did Raja Ansari kidnap me?"
"Because he was a psycho, that's why. Why does it even matter?"
"Yes, he was a psycho, but he kidnapped me because he thought the Life Fruit in my blood might have powerful healing and medical properties. Mother said she would only explore this when I was eighteen. But we can research it while we're attempting to make the new children."
"Who's 'we'?" said Chrissie. "You think I'd actually help you follow in our mother's footsteps, make the same mistakes she did?"



"Chrissie!"
"Oh, stop sticking up for her!"
There was a long, nasty silence.



"Cress," said Finn, who had been listening to the conversation in silence for a while, "have you spoken to Sam about this yet? Do you think he'd support this plan?"
"Yes," said Cress decidedly. "I know he will."
"Then he's either an extremely trusting young man or totally insane," snarled Chrissie. "I just hope you know what you're doing, little sister, because you won't be getting any help from me."

[karlissa]

 

[Sutz]

Technical hitch AGAIN. Now I can't get any of the guys to go inside a rabbit hole, to work or otherwise. THIS IS JUST PAINFUL. But it isn't a game breaker, and we're nearly halfway through, so I WILL PERSEVERE.

OK, back to the story!

Things happened rather quickly following Christina's death. Firstly, Christa gave birth to twins:

Zed



and Crystal.



While most of the family was busy with the new arrivals, Cress busied herself with plans for creating her own species. She went to her brother Chris' for legal advice:



To her immense relief, he was very supportive. It felt good to be able to spend some proper time with Chris. They didn't really know each other very well, as Chris had already been a young adult when Cress was born, and had moved out when she was only six years old.

Cress's 19th was a quiet affair, with just immediate family and Sam. Of course, given that she had three siblings, all with partners and three children between them, that was still quite a bash!



When she was not planning how to go about creating more plant-people, Cress was still very careful to keep time aside for Sam.



And it didn't take long for him to respond in kind...

[Audren]

Something that was introduced in the Island Paradise patch also made rabbit holes that are within 3 squares of the sidewalk unable to be used, which include most of the Lunar Lakes portal things. You can go into Edit Town to push the rabbit holes back a bit so you can get into them. Fortunately, most rabbit holes in the other worlds aren't affected, since they're far enough back.