Garland Legacy: 3.4
Hi there - just a short one this time, before I start:
Like I mentioned in a previous comment, the mods I have in my game make for all sorts of random craziness. One in particular comes into play during this update, which I didn’t bank on but went with it. Typically, at the time I wanted it to work it clashed with something else I had, and now when I don’t plan it the damn thing kicks in. Still, it makes for an interesting detail at least
Enjoy!
Warnings: Language, death, limeyfied Maxis sims, possible retinal damage, 45 pics
Previously: Love was well and truly in the air at LFT, even for Pear who spent the first half of Uni being unable to find anyone who liked him. Li and Tina got engaged and found their own place, while Charlie got a taste of the open life. Narrative switched from Onyx to double heirs Tahiti and Pear as they described Uni life, with Pistachio going unusually soppy over one particular girl. Aspirations changed, but Tahiti’s idea of spouse material didn’t as he proposed to Stella Terrano. Pear meanwhile managed to bag Francis Worthington, and Pistachio tossed aside the Romeo image to propose to his dormie girlfriend. Now with them back home, the book can be passed back to Onyx.
Well, to be fair, they didn’t miss much. The purple kittens are still kittens, although I did half-dread waking up this evening knowing what would be done to the house! I did insist that they leave the attic alone though, since I live up there these days. It’s not too bad, thankfully - although try telling that to Mum!
I mean honestly, what did she expect? The lime gen are home, so the bed had to go. It’s not even like she can still use it!
Things moved very quickly by the time I got down to meet them all - and when I say quickly, I really mean it...
... with Pear and boyfriend Francis holding a new record in ‘Fastest conceived baby’!
Speaking of the father:
Tahiti dragged him upstairs to paint his portrait. Something about capturing his face on canvas while he still has hair growing from his scalp and not leaves. I have to admit, I stared at his outfit a good minute or so before remembering what he’s like. I guess it suits him.
I have to commend Tahiti’s taste in women, though.
I see what he meant by very quiet, but I have the feeling my being a vampire brought her out a little. She definitely takes an interest in the... unusual, shall we say, which is fitting since she’s alien. Not to mention useful, given the concoction this house has been brewing lately!
Plus she’s taken to the cats, which is always a bonus. She also tells me she’s now pregnant too! Do my kids work fast or what?!
There is one problem though - she brought home a souvenir from Uni, which she says she got from Charlie.
The dorm got an infestation of roaches, and Charlie picked up the flu when dealing with them. Stella couldn’t figure for the life of her how she got it, since she’d never been in close enough proximity, but get it she did. Since she has at least one baby on the way, guess what that means:
Of course they couldn’t keep such a thing to themselves, oh no.
Ugh... What a nightmare. I get woken up sometimes by a coughing fit, Teri’s in an almost constant state of half-dehydration, Francis handles pregnancy about as well as she did so both he and Stella live in the bathrooms. And poor Tahiti’s waiting to get married too, preferably before the baby/ies arrive. He’s already accepted that it’s just going to be a quiet service outside, which means for my sake it needs to be evening, but what with us all coughing our lungs up and darting to a bathroom, it’s going to be a little awkward to arrange.
He realised that very quickly, and understandably he’s been pretty fed up lately - to the point where tonight, he announced loudly that he’d had enough and marched into the kitchen. I followed him inside armed with a ‘look, we can’t help it’ speech, but held that thought as I spotted him working at a counter and humming to himself.
“You okay?” I checked.
“Sure,” he replied, before pausing to break into a coughing fit as he turned away from the food.
“Apart from the obvious, of course,” he scowled as he turned back to the vegetables.
“Hey,” I scolded, “What happened to all those lessons we gave in food hygiene?!”
He meekly dragged his heels to the sink and washed his hands before returning to the ingredients.
“Better,” I nodded, but cringed as he sloshed the food around in the bowl. “Damn it, do you have to make such a mess?!”
“Tell you what, Mum,” he countered with a biting edge to his voice, “Why don’t you go get Stella and let me fix dinner in peace?!”
Taking the hint I left the room, hoping that most of the meal would stay in the dish.
“Smells good,” Stella grinned as we took our places, “What is it?”
“Vegetable soup,” he replied, “With one or two extras thrown in.”
“Extras?” I queried, raising an eyebrow, “Like what?”
“You wouldn’t know if I told you,” came the mysterious answer. We were only more puzzled when he broke into bizarre song as he served up.
“A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down...”
We both exchanged bewildered looks as he set down our bowls. The aroma of cooked vegetables wafted from my dish, reminding me how hungry I was.
“What is this,” I quipped, “A secret recipe for combating illness?!”
“That’s exactly what this is!” Tahiti grinned as he looked at me, “And I never want to hear you complain about family sims ever again!”
I stared at him a good thirty seconds or so before tucking in. I don’t know what he put in that soup, but it certainly did the trick.
Some time later, I heard there was congratulations in order:
Okay, it was in a newly decorated house and the man was visibly keeping one or more babies warm, but it was still a sight to behold.
Especially when I remember how Pear had complained about not being able to find anyone. Seems eons ago now, just to look at them.
Today was a funny day. It was a time for age...
A time for death...
It was also a time for love...
The joining of families...
... and making promises. With both spouses pregnant though, honeymoons will have to wait.
Things returned to normal the next day, as one very happy Pear came home from work.
Although you wouldn’t think it to look at him! Not to worry though - it’s the lifetime platinum that counts. I’m so happy that it’s all worked out for him.
The next day was different again, and all it started with was yet more aging as the kittens grew up:
This is Purple, who we decided to keep. Mauve was a little delayed by her grandmother, but she got there in the end:
Talking of grandparents, Quoise also grew older.
Of all the cats who’ve hit their elder years, this one has surely aged the best so far. He doesn’t look much different.
The only inclination I got of the true strangeness of today, was when I woke up to the biggest shock of my life so far. I stared in silence for well over a minute as I tried to regain control of my tongue.
“Holy mother of Goddess,” I breathed eventually, my eyes glued to the form before me.
“Hi Mum,” came the weak reply.
“Tahiti?” I checked in disbelief. It was him of course; the oversized jumper and patterned jeans were unmistakable, to say nothing of the pointed ears. But the rest of him...
“Long story,” he began, “She didn’t even know it could happen.”
“She?” I quizzed, “There’s two women here, you know.”
“Teri, of course,” he replied, “Who else could be responsible for this?!”
“Teri?” I challenged, “How could she do this?”
“Well, she was just messing about...”
She pulled this magician’s trick where she made a fist and started shaking it, as though she was cooking up something in there. I only found out what it was when she blew it into my face.
I think it was some kind of pollen, which would figure since she’s a plant. Sure got up my nose, not to mention in my eyes... although when her laughter was cut short I just knew something was wrong. I did feel different, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it could be at first. It was her reaction in general that really got to me.
“Holy shit...”
“Teri?”
“Um... Look, I didn’t mean...”
“Teri, what have you done?”
“I think you’d better check your hands.”
My heart skipped a beat as I realised what she was getting at. Never mind my hands, they shot up to my head and, sure enough, there were the leaves.
“What the fuck??”
“Um, sorry...”
I stared at her a good minute or so as I tried to process this change.
“But... how...?”
“I have no idea!” she shrugged, “I was only messing, I didn’t know it’d actually change you...”
“So that’s the story,” he finished with a shrug, “It ain’t her fault. Typical though, Pear’s the one who wants this and I’m the one who gets it.”
Francis gave a little snigger behind us, and crept up to Tahiti as he eyed the foliage on his head.
“Wow,” he remarked, “So this is what he’s been talking about.”
“Heh, yeah,” came the reply, “So, he warned you we’re a bunch of oddballs and you still married him? I’m impressed!”
“He isn’t exactly normal looking himself, is he?” he reminded.
I quietly cleared my throat as I slapped his shoulder.
“One thing you’ll quickly learn, if you haven’t already,” I told him, “Normal is a bad word around here.”
“You tell this to a gay man carrying an alien baby?!” he smirked as he crossed his arms.
“Good point,” I smiled, patting his shoulder, “You’ll settle in just fine.”
He didn’t carry the load for much longer; his big time came in the middle of the night, while the couple were asleep. The first clue I had was the agonised yelps drifting through the bedroom door.
“Right,” I muttered, rubbing my hands together as I entered, “This is my department.”
“It’s okay, you’re in good hands,” I smiled as I approached, “I’m an expert.”
“Oh good, ‘cause I haven’t a clue what I’m doing!”
It’s a good job I had given birth to three babies, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been much wiser. We got through it in the end, and little Forest was born...
... who he then handed to the proud father as his twin brother Hunter made his grand entrance.
“Oh, by the way,” I mentioned off-handedly as the excitement died down, “Did Pear mention I have a twin brother?!”
“Oh Mum,” Pear laughed, “Only you would bring that up now!”
Twin brothers again, looking suspiciously like they could be mirrors of their parents. I’m already getting a sense of déjà vu.
The babies weren’t the only additions to the family, either:
Earlier in the day, we’d bought a mate for Purple called Remi. She’s needed some telling off already for trying to claw my coffin to ribbons, but she’s been pretty good since.
Meanwhile, I found myself missing babies more than I’d realised.
Only this time it’s not a son I cradle in my arms, but a grandson. It feels strange, but incredible at the same time.
It was only a matter of time before Pear cornered his greener-than-usual brother about his new condition.
I knew exactly what was going through his mind. I half-expected Tahiti to change him right there, and he probably would have done were it not for an ear-piercing female interruption.
“Tahiitiiii!!”
His jaw slowly slid open as we all looked towards the front room.
“Oh, fuck!!”
Everyone tore into the room at once, all at the same time. When you try to squeeze that many people through a small opening, it’s a given that some will be left behind, and I was left to bear witness to the resulting protest.
“For fuck’s sake lemme in!!” Tahiti whined, but was left trying to peer through the doorway.
“We’ll get in,” I soothed, “Even if it’s just to see them afterwards.”
So, with the uncle replacing the father, Pine was brought into the world...
... Followed by Shamrock.
More twins, more boys... more strong resemblance to the parents?
“Go, go!”
“I’m going, I’m going!” came the happy squeal in reply as the walking shrubbery burst into the room. I’ve never seen that kid move so fast.
I’ve never seen him happier, either. I knew I made the right choice in the end, especially with Pear returning with him.
Speaking of whom, just when I thought it was all over, he pulled me aside for a quiet word.
I couldn’t say anything at first. I just stared at the grown man before me, my head spinning as I contemplated our position. When I did reply, all I could do was explode.
“What do you mean he’s pregnant again??”
“I mean, um, well, we were in the tub, and...”
“You have two babies who are barely a day old!” I reminded, “Your twin nephews have just been born! Now you’re saying there’s another on the way?!”
Pear scratched awkwardly at his head as he adjusted his footing.
“Um, sorry?”
My frustration waned in an instant, as I looked at the son who’d been so desperate to be considered for a second heir. This was just what he wanted, to be a father, and here was me lecturing him for it?
“No, I’m sorry,” I conceded, “I know you wanted kids, and this even smacks of Li’s conception so who am I to talk?”
As expected, Pear straightened as he folded his arms.
“Oh really?” he remarked, the sparkle back in his black eyes, “Li was a hot tub moment too, eh?”
“Yeah,” I smiled, “Still, the family wasn’t so big back then.”
“Ah, I see,” he nodded, the air serious once more as he gave a little cough. “Well, look at it this way, more chance of a girl, right?”
I didn’t hide the longing in my face as I returned his gaze.
“Oh, I really hope so,” I agreed, “Twelve kids now, including me, and only two girls? It’s starting to take the piss.”
I have to say, the more I see Teri around babies, the more I wonder if she’s a closet family sim or something.
I certainly have no reason to complain about them if they make as good a parent as first Opal, and now Tahiti.
I glow with pride every time I watch him with them; he makes an excellent father.
He spends a lot of time in the nursery, although one fateful night I spotted him in the kitchen with his brother. I decided to hang back and watch, knowing exactly what he was about to do.
“Okay, you ready for this bro?”
“Ready and waiting,” Pear grinned, “Lay it on me!”
Tahiti made an elaborate gesture with his fist while he broke into cheesy magician speak.
“Hocus pocus, abracadabra...”
Pear crossed his arms, chuckling to himself as he watched his brother’s antics.
Tahiti it seemed had banked on this, for without warning a puff of green dust was blown from his hand straight into Pear’s face.
I cringed a little, as the man was left sneezing and wiping the irritant from his eyes while his brother laughed.
“Eugh... yeah, funny, TaTa!” he giggled.
“I thought so,” came the gleeful reply, although his smile soon slipped as we both watched with bated breath for it to happen.
“How do you feel?”
“Don’t know,” Pear replied, “A little dry, but otherwise on top of the world!”
“Platinum aspiration don’t count,” Tahiti winked.
“I know,” he nudged with a wink, before he spotted his arm. His jaw dropped as he studied himself and roamed the leaves sprouting from his head, his mouth stretching into an ever-widening grin before a delighted squeal antagonised my ears.
“Fuck yeah!!” he beamed, “Thank yoooouu!!”
So saying, he threw himself into his brother’s arms while we both giggled. I knew he wanted this, but I hadn’t realised how much.
Pear has also shown just how much he wanted children, as he has proved to be as good a father as Tahiti.
Not just to their own children, either...
... but to each other’s. In fact, the more I think about this recent turn of events, the more grateful I am for the amount of chlorophyll-infused bodies now roaming the house. Three people now have no need to sleep or eat, which makes looking after four babies a lot easier to manage. I was never more thankful for that in fact, than when I decided to approach Tahiti during a brief spell away from the nursery.
“Hey, Tahiti, can I have a word?”
“Sure,” he shrugged as we walked off, “What’s up?”
“Is it me,” I began, “Or is Stella putting on weight?”
As I had suspected, he began to study the floorboards.
“Um...”
I cradled my head in my hand as I began to visualise Pear in his place.
“See, I knew you’d be like this!” he protested, “That’s why...”
“Why what?!” I cut in, “Why you didn’t say anything? She has a baby bump for cryin’ out loud, did you expect me not to notice?”
Tahiti was quick to remind me that, although he and Pear are very similar, they’re not exactly the same.
“Fuck’s sake Mum,” he growled, “Do you have to be such an arsehole?! I thought you liked the idea of grandkids!?”
I nibbled at my lip as I tried to gather my thoughts, but shuddered as I forgot how sharp my teeth were these days. My tongue darted out to mop up the trickle of blood from my lip as I looked back at him.
“I do,” I relented, looking about myself with a sigh.
“So what’s the problem?”
I looked back at him, amazed that he had never even thought about this on a practical level.
“You know, it’s a good job we’re loaded!” I exclaimed in resignation, “We’re gonna need to move house, you realise that don’t you?”
At last the penny dropped.
“Ah, I get it,” he nodded, “That’s what the problem is.”
“Mm hmm,” I agreed, “Space isn’t limitless you know. Like I say, it’s a good job our bank balance practically is these days, ‘cause now we’re gonna need a mansion!”