Rolling the Dice: A Random Legacy

[MarianT]

INTRODUCTION

     This time around, I'm doing something different -- using Twallan's Story Progression Mod. I have to say that it's nice that my Sims actually go to school with children their age, descended from the townies. And they might even have cousins.

     I'm basically following the rules for the Random Legacy Challenge, except that I've arranged it so I can use a 20-sided die for every category.

What follows are the stats:

Generation 1-- Elinor Chapman -- completed

A. Single, mixed household (natural birth and adopted or cloned)
B. 1 child (but I'm allowed to adopt one as well)
C. Primary income from a profession -- Singer
D. no spouse so not applicable
E. Perfect career -- both career and a related skill have to be maxed
F. Multi-cultural -- other parent has to be foreign or an occult.

Generation 2 -- Polly Chapman

A. Married, mixed household
B. 1 child
C. Primary income non-standard -- Nectar-making
D. Secondary income standard -- Science
E.  Fulfill wishes -- has to achieve lifetime wish and every wish chosen (i.e. no wish can be cancelled)
F.  Random traits

Generation 3 -- Calvin Chapman

A. Married
B. 2 children
C. Primary income -- Job Hopper -- level 5 of Military, Inventor, Architect, Sports, Journalism, Education, Police, Singer, Ghost Hunter, Business
D. Secondary income -- Criminal (Thief)
E. 5 portraits of heir
F. Fashionista -- new outfit every week

[MarianT]

PART ONE -- ELINOR

   Elinor Chapman awoke one morning with a new sense of purpose. She would be the first in a long line of Sims to explore the Simiverse and accomplish every lifetime wish, deciding her goals with the roll of a 20-sided die. It was monumental, stupendous, simmense!



   After rolling the die, Elinor had more mixed emotions. She would work as a singer, which was okay – she loved singing. She would reach the top of her career and become an expert at a related skill – she loved playing the guitar, too. She would give birth once and adopt one child – that was fine, although she might have wished for more children. The father of her child would be from a different country – well, Elinor had always thought Frenchmen were very sexy. But she wouldn’t be able to marry until her youngest child was halfway through high school. Elinor could read the tabloid headlines now: “Singing Sensation Li’l Nell has out-of-wedlock baby!” “Li’l Nell no role model for youth!” “Li’l Nell unSimerican!” She almost picked up the die to roll something else, but decided that would be cheating. Besides, her agent said there was no such thing as bad publicity.

   He immediately sent someone to follow her around with a camera. Elinor didn’t mind being photographed while she sang for tips on the street.



   Or when she sang in the park and had a horse show up to listen to her sing.



   But she didn’t like it at all when the cameraman caught her eating breakfast on the toilet because she didn’t have enough money for a table and chair.



   “It was a great shot, sweetheart,” her agent protested. “It makes you a Simderella. You’re beautiful and talented and poor, but someday you’re going to have it all. People love that.”

   “I don’t care,” said Elinor. “I don’t want that cameraman anymore, and I don’t want anyone following me to France.”

   “Your call, sweetheart,” said her agent, “but you’re making a big mistake.”

   Elinor fired him just before she boarded the plane.

   She had a lovely time in France, listening to concertina music and riding a Kenspa around. She wished she could buy one, but she’d spent almost all her Simoleons on the trip – minus the cost of a small table and chair for her kitchen. Not long after she arrived and had some bouillabaisse in the local café (although she still preferred autumn salad), she met the proprietor of the bookstore. His name was Gustave Delven; he had dark, rumpled hair and soulful brown eyes. He was single and an emotional Pisces – everything a hopelessly romantic Taurus could desire.

   One thing led to another, and when Elinor returned to Appaloosa Plains she was pregnant. As soon as her plane landed, she discovered that her former agent had taken his revenge. “Li’l Nell rummages through garbage cans!" she read. "Former manager tells all.” Elinor immediately sued for slander and won. With all the bustle over that particular story, no one noticed she was pregnant or thought it strange that she wasn’t doing gigs for a while. Polly Chapman slipped into the world, unnoticed.

   Too soon the day came when Elinor realized she would have to earn money again. To her shock, she barely had enough to pay for Polly’s baby-sitter. Gradually, she began making enough to cover expenses, although she had a few rough moments, like the time she just knew the baby-sitter had put Polly’s swing on the fast setting, and there was nothing she could do because she was on stage. However, Polly survived to become a very cute toddler.



   Eventually Elinor had enough money on hand that she could adopt a child. She chose a boy and gave him the name Gus. He was already a child, so was able to help out with his little sister.



   Even though Polly was too young to be asked whether she wanted to continue the family tradition, Elinor rolled the die for her. To her relief, Polly would be able to marry, and like Elinor, she could have one child and adopt one. She would have to work as a nectar-maker, and her husband could only work as a scientist. Polly would have to achieve her lifetime wish (well, that was true for all the heirs, Elinor reflected), and she would have to achieve every other wish she decided upon, too. The worst of her roll was that no matter how well she did in school, her traits would have to be random, and so would Gus’s.

   When Polly became a child, Elinor decided to tell her about her grand scheme.

   “Nectar-making sounds cool,” said Polly. “Does that mean I can have a garden?”


Picture

[Phantome-A]

This is an awesome idea. I bet it's fun to play.

[MarianT]

Yes, it is. I like the fact that every generation is different.

[Gogowars329]

Great work so far! Your first two generations look like they'll be heaps of fun.

[MarianT]

It wasn’t long before young Gus became a teenager. Despite the prospect of mood swings and pranks, Elinor was contented. Gus was old enough to babysit now, and she was quite happy to put the savings towards a computer for him. He put it to good use, writing a sci-fi novel before graduating from high school.



   For a bookworm and couch potato, Gus was pretty charismatic. It didn’t seem to help with the girls though. He went to the prom and came back with a crush on Danelle Martingale.



   Even though they were best friends, Danelle showed no inclination for romance. Romance with Gus, that is. She and Philip Bird-Riffin had an on-again, off-again relationship. “Someday she’ll want to settle down,” Elinor counseled. “And if she doesn’t, there are other nice girls in town – Alicia or Kristina, perhaps.” But Alicia hooked up with Dakota Fox, and Kristina with his younger brother, Donell.

   When Gus graduated, he immediately got a job with the Appaloosa Plains Herald. To no one’s surprise, he began advancing quickly through the ranks. Gus also found romance, “with Alouette Bird, of all people,” Elinor fumed. “She has to be at least my age, if not older. But if that makes him happy, who am I to complain?”?

   Meanwhile, Polly was growing up.



As soon as she became old enough, she took a class in gardening. Elinor took a quick trip to France to get a nectar-making machine for Polly and gather some grapes for her to plant. She also wanted to see Gustave again, just to discover whether there were any embers left from the fire that once had been.

   Gustave was delighted to see her and readily agreed to come and visit her in Appaloosa Plains. Elinor counted the days until he could get away from the bookstore, but finally Gustave arrived. When he swept her into his arms, she thought that she would die of happiness.



   It was an unfortunate choice of words because that evening someone did die at her performance, the proprietor who had hired her for the gig.



   Like all entertainers, Elinor had the words “The show must go on” carved into her bones. “My last song this evening will be in memory of that wonderful woman who created this space for us to gather in,” she announced. Instead of closing with “Oogie Fever,” she chose a ballad. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, and when she left, the owner of the Ultimate offered her a gig. Elinor accepted on the spot and only later realized that it was for the same night as Polly’s prom.

   When she got home, she and Gustave stayed awake far into the night, making plans. He had already found a job teaching French at Polly’s school, he told her. They would get married tomorrow, and he would hold the fort while she went on tour.

   But the next morning, Gustave had vanished. Elinor first thought he might have gone into the basement, to inspect their nectar cellar, but he wasn’t there. Then she decided he must have gone to work early, but when Polly returned from school, she reported that everyone was talking about the new French teacher who had left without a word to anybody. Elinor put through a call to him in France, but was told that his number had been disconnected.

   Elinor did manage to take a picture of Polly as she left for the prom.



She hoped that Polly would find a boyfriend there. Although there were several boys in her class, they all seemed to be involved with someone else or to have personality problems. Polly wasn’t concerned, however. She had plenty of time to get married, she assured her mother.

   Elinor suddenly recollected that she had a gig that night, and not just any gig, but her first at the Ultimate. When she arrived, she was almost overwhelmed by the size of the place. Looking out at the eager audience, she just hoped that her voice wouldn’t dry up.



She scanned the crowd, hoping against hope to see Gustave's smiling face, but he wasn't there. It was like he had vanished from the face of the earth. Heart-broken, she gave what everyone called the performance of a lifetime.

[ratchie]

I love the idea of this. Seems a lot like real life you deal with however the dice rolls for you and make the best of it.

Rachel

[ApplesApplesApples]

What a good idea! Polly has become a very pretty teen. I wonder what happened to Gustave?

[MarianT]

Part Two – Polly

   Shortly after her prom, Polly was ready to graduate. She didn’t want a party, so she and Elinor celebrated by themselves. Polly felt ambitious and decided to take up the goal of having a bottomless cellar – 50 bottles of nectar and a value of $10,000. Polly went to the mirror to fix her hair and change her wardrobe to reflect her favorite color – gray.



Afterwards, she went outside to tend her garden.



   “I’m going off on a tour!” Elinor called. It was her last chance before she became an elder.

   “Break a leg, Mom!” Polly called back. Minutes later, she realized that Elinor wouldn’t be there to see her graduate. Gus had to work, and who knew where her father was. It made her feel lonely.



   Upon her return to Appaloosa Plains, Elinor went over to the Port-a-Party Warehouse to line up a gig. Right after her audition, she began to feel strange. Not only did she develop a twinge in her back, but her hair changed its style.


   As soon as she got home, she changed clothes and rearranged her hair. In the process, she found something to restore its “natural” color.



   Polly signed up to become a nectar-maker and announced her intention of going to France.

   “Are you sure that’s necessary?” asked Elinor. “You have a nectar-making machine and some grapes here.”

   “I want to learn how the French do it,” said Polly. “Also, I want to look up Dad.”



   As soon as she arrived, Polly felt like she’d found her spiritual home. The buildings were her favorite color, the air felt wonderful, and she smelled something interesting coming from the direction of the café. She could only afford a short stay, but already she knew she’d be back. Polly checked the message board and discovered that someone at the Nectary wanted a bunch of cherimola blan grapes. Polly took the message, but before going to the Nectary she wanted to check out the bookstore where her father had worked.

   No one was behind the counter when she entered, and Polly suddenly felt afraid. What if her father had disappeared from France as well? What if he had a family here? Suddenly her mission seemed incredibly naïve. A man she had never seen before entered the store, and Polly relaxed. Her father wasn’t here. She would ask around in the village, but it would turn out that Gustave Delven’s disappearance was an unsolved mystery.

   Unfortunately, the next man who entered was her father. “I see that a sunbeam has found its way into my dusty shop,” he said. “Tell me, mam’selle, do you seek romance among these shelves?”

   Polly backed away. This was terrible. She wanted to say, “Get away from me, you creepy old man,” but her father wasn’t old. He looked to be about the same age she was.



   “Do you have anything on nectar- making?” she squeaked. He handed her a basic guide, and she left the store precipitously.

   Riding out to the Nectary, Polly calmed down. Obviously her father hadn’t recognized her, and it was likely that he flirted with every pretty woman who came into the store. Nevertheless, she didn’t think she’d be going back there.

   For the next few days she experimented with making different varieties of nectar.



She discovered that using her bum to squash the grapes was definitely more efficient, but also uncomfortable.



   By her last day, Polly had learned that plasma fruit in nectar made her sick and that she really loved frogs’ legs. Unfortunately, if she wanted the recipe, she would have to return to the bookstore. She bought the recipe, and then an idea occurred to her. “I have a story to tell you,” she said. Gustave followed her outside to listen.



   It was a story about a man who abandoned his children and then, when he died, had to wander from fireplace to fireplace searching for them. Back inside, Polly confronted him. “Do you have any idea who I am?” she demanded.



   Gustave nodded. “I did not recognize you when you first came in, but I do remember seeing your hair and nose in your mother before, and I see your eyes and mouth every morning when I look in the mirror. You are angry with me, and perhaps you have good reason, but ma fille, it was your mother who did not want us to marry until it was too late. That time I came to visit, as soon as we agreed to marry, she began talking about how she could go on tour. I realized that her career came first, and so I decided to return to my little store. If you missed having me in your life, I am sorry.”

   “I’m sorry, too,” said Polly. “But I have to go, I have a plane to catch.”

   “You will return, no?”

   “No,” agreed Polly. “I mean yes, I’ll be back.”

   “And perhaps bring my grandchildren?”

   Only if they’re boys, Polly thought.

[ApplesApplesApples]

Wow, that was creepy! Gustave is an odd guy. That last line just killed me. Great update!

[MarianT]

It was all the result of a glitch. I saved one game, and when I came back, Gustave was gone, not just from the house but from the relationship panels and family trees. I didn't know whether he'd be gone from France, too, but he was still there. Polly has the flirty trait, so I decided not to bring him back to marry Elinor. It's bad enough when you get an in-law flirtation.

[Simboy134]

Really cool, love the idea.

[MarianT]

Polly had always had a crush on Philip Bird-Riffin, but he had always been involved with Danelle Martingale. One day she heard on the grapevine that the two of them had broken up. She knew that she had better move fast before Philip got tangled up with someone else. They met at the beach where they spent some time watching the stars.



   Philip followed her home and fell asleep on the couch. The next morning they started talking, then flirting, then kissing. Finally Polly popped the question.



   Philip’s happy dance said it all. Polly rushed him into a private wedding, not wanting to take the chance that Danelle might decide to make up with him. Philip agreed to get a haircut and turned out to be quite handsome.



   When the newlyweds got frisky, Elinor decided to move out.



   She had accomplished all her goals, becoming a vocal legend and a master of the guitar. An aunt had left her some money, and she wanted a place of her own. “This house isn’t big enough for three generations,” she told Polly. “I’ll come visit the little ones, I promise.”

   Polly went to see her mother’s last concert. Even though Elinor still sounded great, Polly couldn’t help worrying about hip fractures when she saw her perform on stage.



   Both Philip and Polly wanted a little girl, so Polly ate plenty of watermelons.



Eight or ten watermelons later, she gave birth to Calvin.



   Polly rolled the dice for him and regarded the results with some dismay. Calvin would be able to marry and have two children, but his wife would have to bring in money as a thief. Someone would have to paint five portraits of Calvin (“Honey, start working that easel!” she called.). Calvin would be a fashionista, changing his look once a week, but the hardest thing was that he would be a job hopper, changing jobs as soon as he reached the midpoint and going through ten in his lifetime. Would he be able to do it?

[Phantome-A]

Woa Calvins got some hard work ahead of him.

[ApplesApplesApples]

Good luck Calvin! That does sound hard. Hope he can do it! I wonder why the watermelons didn't work?