The Tomato Legacy, Episode Six: We are not amused.
The legacy thus far:
Episode One: Fried Green Tomatoes | Episode Two: (Tomato) Worms Eat My Garbage | Episode Three: Seedlings | Episode Four: Heirloom Families | Episode Five: For your Humble consideration...
Last time, we ended with a trip to Three Lakes where the family welcomed Damon Bigfoot to the family. We begin this episode right where we left off, as they return home.
Shocking nobody, Greene immediately wanted to flirt with Mr. Bigfoot. That's the accepted way to welcome new people to your home, and this family is always perfectly appropriate and respectful of sim cultural norms.
And you know I had to add the romance mod as soon as Bigfoot joined the family. Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) need love, too!
(Also, is that a woodgrain pattern on Greene's professor pants? Pretty hip.)
Strange: As the matriarch and moral compass of this family, I fully approve of this behaviour. Keep up the good work, son!
Damon appreciated the gesture. It beats the lonely life of an isolated Bigfoot any day.
For those keeping track, this was Aubergine's second LTW, to reach the top of her athletic career.
Sinjin, sperm donor of the twins, showed up to visit.
No wait, make that steal the newspaper. We can hopefully avoid the biological father drama. Pepper and Ginger are not interested. That's why they went with the sperm bank!
Good news! The security system seems to be working just fine.
Sinjin tried to act cool, but the security bot was on to him.
Ouch! He even had a little bolt of electricity shooting through his crotchal region. Let's hope this deters him from attempting this again in the future.
Aubergine, though happily single, decided to give the matchmaker system one chance. You never know, right?
Dora Ottomas: Hey! *snaps fingers* Looking good, Aubergine! I used that dating service to find my husband. It works!
Aubergine chose to ignore this unsolicited advice.
The matchmaker tucked the money into her bossom...
... and got right down to business.
Perfect! It's Thurston, one of my alien townies. Green genetics are always a good thing.
Securitybot: Just don't get any ideas about our newspaper. I'll be watching you, Thurston.
Another example of the many reasons that vampire sims should not have a day job. Somewhere along the line in this update, I cured most of the vampires (the non-plantsim ones). They were just too annoying for me to play. Perhaps I'll try it again later, but for now, they had to go.
Aubergine: You want ME to do something nice to someone? Ew!
Such a sweet sim.
She gave Thurston a taste of her mad athletic dancing skillz. How could he resist?
Strange was heading off to work and seemed pleased with her grandaughter's progress.
Strange: Shit! Slippery steps! Why hasn't anyone shovelled this? *grumble grumble* I'll have to find an alternate route.
Before doing so, she considered some evil witch ideas. I really like the way her work outfit looks with the accessories. It really adds to it.
Another sim attempted to get the newspaper and fell victom to the sentrybot. This one is one of pixelcurious's, Erik E. Erikson.
Aubergine fell in love! She seems just as shocked as I was.
Humbelina received an A+ report card, but the hard work seemed to be taking a toll. She feel asleep on a pile of homework.
Greene's latest hobby had been teaching Beefsteak the parrot to talk. Once that was achieved, he moved on to philosophy and political lessons.
But this lesson was to be interrupted by a guest.
Greene is surprised at the timing (one rarely expects Grimmie to arrive, it seems), but gladly accepts his first pina colada of the afterlife.
Aubergine was devastated, while Cherry seemed mostly in shock.
Thurston could have been a little more sensitive. He ignored Aubergine and moved right in to play with Beefsteak.
Thurston: Great! That old guy was hogging the bird.
Not cool, my friend.
Still co-sleeping with her youngest (in sickeningly cute matching Mommy and Me pajamas), Pepper woke up in the middle of the night with labour pains.
It was time for her next and final baby to be born!
Constoluto Tomato was welcomed to the family with open arms!
As you can see, he brings some interesting genetics to the family (and his eyes match his skin). His biological father was a uni prof who also had red hair, so he should have some interesting recessives, too.
Back outside, Aubergine decided to waste no time with Thurston. She's not getting any younger.
Perhaps it was the death of her father that spurred her onward, to fill the gaping hole in her heart. Of the whole fanily, she took Greene's death the hardest.
He accepted, of course. He's no fool. He knows this is a one-time offer. Aubergine is fiercely idependant, so it's surprising she asked him at all.
Rings were exchanged. Bathing suits were worn. This family cares not for pomp and circumstance.
Thurston seemed pleased to be marrying a rich sim. It makes you wonder how many golddiggers the Tomatoes might attract in the future. *foreshadowing*
Evil witches make wonderful nannys. Who knew?
Humbelina was desperately rolling wants for pets. All she had was her pet rock, which really wasn't as affectionate as she would have liked.
Pepper told her she'd already been allowed to bring Bigfoot home, and she should be happy.
Humeblina is faced with her first realization that her mother might not always know best. How could she compare Damon to a pet?! She took one step closer to her teen years and tried to forget it, but Pepper fell off her pedestal that day and would never regain the girl's unquestioned adoration.
Goodwin aged up, and joined the cry for pets, pets, PETS!
He's a very even-keeled sort, with a very average personality spread. A rarity in this family.
I think he gets most of his looks from his biological father, Herb Goodie. He's cute, but fairly bland.
Constoluto on the other hand... *beams* This one's unique.
Behold those froggy good looks! A very interesting profile, indeed.
Cherry was the first of generation three to age to elder.
My photography skills are also improving in leaps and bounds, as you can see. This one's artsy.
Cherry wasn't happy to be aging, but she didn't lose her head over it.
She did, however, lose her face for a short period of time.
The twins aged up right behind her.
Aubergine lost her hairstyle in the transition, but she was otherwise pleased that she held on to her good looks.
Pepper's figured was upgraded from pear-shaped to avacado-shaped. More to love, she says (and Ginger agrees).
With so many sims to manage, some were macrotastic-ed into doing things like "dig for stuff" all day. Cherry found a treasure chest!
Ginger's businesses were taking a hit. She never did get the courage up to go back after her huge failure of a business launch and subsequent breakdown. Plus she had lots of children to help out with at home, but she swore she'd return to work one day.
Strange continued to be a fine grandparent, autonomously playing with her extended brood.
Constoluto will forever associated the smell of burning leaves with his great-grandmother.
Vampire!Tiny Tim just couldn't make it to the toilet. Poor guy. Why would vampires even need to use the toilet?
This might be the point where I decided the vampires just had to go.
I will never tire of the classy bigfoot work outfit. The cute bowley hat!
But there's something so very wrong about wearing just a vest and no pants. It makes me feel a little dirty.
budgiebudgie's Anais dropped by for a trim and Cal decided to take over Greene's business.
He kept it simple at first. Just a minor style change.
Damon has turned out to be a huge asset to the family. He's very family-minded and does helpful things like autonomously serve lobster dinners. We'll be keeping him around.
The family finally decided to give in and adopt a kitten. The police officer showed up just as the bus and carpool arrived.
*thunk*
Police Offier: Aw, crap.
Oh well, she thinks. I may have a big dent in my door now, but at least I'm still the prettiest officer of them all!
Out comes teeny little Marigold. So sweet and so tiny!
(Marigolds are a companion plant for tomatoes. Get it?)
Strange headed out to great the kitty, but umm, she seems to have forgotten her clothing again. *sigh*
She's looking a little wilty, too.
Strange: Ah crap. I knew I was forgetting something.
butterflies: *sniff sniff* What's that delicious smell?
Damon: *gasp* Nudity!
Strange: Huh? Oh right... You're obviously new here. I wish Cherry would get the hell out of my favourite bathroom. That's really the only one I want to use right now.
butterflies: The Stinky Strangeplant is our favourite flower! *nom nom nom*
Strange: What the? Get these stupid little things away from my head!
Damon: Ugh! And you smell BAD.
Strange: And YOU smell like a Bigfoot, so shut your big hairy mouth. But since you're distracted... *steals kidney*
Damon decided to greet the kitty instead of Strange, because she's obviously preoccupied.
Bigfoots and cats aren't supposed to get along very well, but maybe things will work out better if you start them at a young age.
Strange: Ahh, yes. Got my clothes back. Now everything is perfectly normal...
Nothing much happened until Marigold aged up.
One of her favourite games is playing with the kid's homework. Such a good little kitty!
The Tomatoes quickly adopted a policy to do their homework before she gets a chance the get at it, but still Marigold waits close by, just in case someone drops a sheet.
Humbelina and Damon remained really close. She was always wanting bigfoot hugs and he always wanted to give them to her.
With this many sims in the family, the loading screens start to do some unusual things.
Humbelina loved Marigold, but she was also working on getting a puppy.
Aubergine took to long afternoons in the pool in her old age (seriously, this is all she ever did when left to her own autonomous devices).
One day, as she was contemplating in her pool, she decided she really wasn't interested in Thurston anymore. She hadn't rolled a want for him since he moved in. She was also an elder now, so it was a shame to have the poor boy tied down like that, she figured.
She knew what she had to do.
It's harsh, but she tried her best to remain upbeat and positive throughout the process.
He took it hard, but she remained firm. Not known for having a huge store of sympathy for others, she had to stifle a laugh at his pleas. What was wrong with enjoying it while it lasted?
And that was that.
To say he was devastated was an understatement, but she felt she'd done the right thing.
Or maybe it was simply the best thing for herself. Either way, Aubergine wasn't really concerned. She felt lighter, and more like herself again.
In a family this large, you'd thnk someone would have time to pick up a litter box, but alas...
And that seemed like the perfect time to get a puppy. *slaps forehead*
Humbelina: My wish for a puppy has already come true, but here's to bigger and better (and furrier) things in my future!
Humbelina: Why is HE still here?
Thurston: This is just getting awkward now.
Oh, that chin! XD Let's hope it stays.
She retained her unique fashion sense into teenhood.
All that birthday excitement turned out to be a bit much for her, though.
Cherry went out on a couple of dates and dazzled Craig with her creature powers.
It's all very dark and mysterious.
Until the pillow fighting commenced, that is.
Back at home, she decided to attack Ginger for seemingly no reason.
I have no idea why Cherry and Ginger grew to dislike each other, but things culminated in a brawl. Or is this just how werewolves like to have fun?
As you can see, they're standing here smiling at each other in this picture, just moments later.
Constoluto's birthday party came at the heel's of Humeblina's and he proved to be even more exhausted than she was.
He didn't even make it to the cake for a faceplant.
Pepper: Viola! Here, he is! My baby boy!
The party was a mix of celebration and concern for the poor child.
Ginger: You know, I think you baby them too much. he's a child now, not a toddler.
Pepper: *pfft* I'll treat him like a child when he starts acting like a child.
Pepper: Besides, all the kids are growing up well! They have good grades and they're progressing just the way they should be for their age.
Ginger knows when it's best to let the agrument go. She knew she couldn't win this one. As a family sim, Pepper would always have the last say about child-rearing.
Cherry grew even more eccentric in her old age, always trying to find new ways to fill her time.
butterflies: Yesssss... delicious stink flowers.
The argument of the previous night still lingering in the air, Pepper and Ginger decided to rekindle their romance in the love tub.
Ginger thought Pepper's choice of swimwear was a little odd, but she didn't bring it up. Perhaps Pepper didn't like the feeling of fur on her body as much as she'd thought she did.
The fact that it had become daytime and she remained a werewolf hadn't even cross her mind.
Basil became a full grow dog. He joined Marigold in the constant work of asking sims to feed them.
Strange approved of this couples bonding activity, and stood staring at them inappropriately for some time.
Her glee soon turned to concern, followed by shock and anger. Why weren't they moving? Why was Ginger still a werewolf?
The horrible truth became clear. They were frozen!
I forced errors on the lot, but alas, it was too late for one of them...
A horrible sequence of events begins to take their course.
Ginger's cries for help weren't even heard by Pepper as she collapsed under exhaustion.
Ginger was starving to death! D:
The gardener was the first to arrive on the scene. Ginger tells her to go get help.
But her pleas fell on deaf ears.
In a scene not unlike the one from Romeo and Juliet, Pepper awakes just in time to find her true love dead beside her.
Mass chaos prevailed and to add insult to injury, Pepper can't hold her bladder need back any longer.
All this distracts from anyone's ability to reach the Grim Reaper to plea for Ginger's life, and he was already getting out his list.
Pepper finds herself losing touch with reality. Her sanity is abviously falling out of her grasp.
Gardener: Hey, Ginger! Lookin' good!
And the gardener might now win the prize for most inappropriate service sim EVER. I'm not sure. It might notbeat the nanny throwing the baby in the garbage, but it's pretty rude.
The only sim having a good day was Aubergine.
To this day, nobody has been able to understand why Ginger left the businesses to her instead of Pepper. Perhaps she knew that Pepper would be too busy with the kids? We'll never know for sure.
Damon does his best to lift the family spirits, dishing out bigfoot hugs...
... and getting started on picking up the pieces (and wiping up the pisses).
Even the pets are depressed, but Pepper was beyond grieving. For hours, she just did nothing but stare into space. Then the tears really began.
Grief takes a long time to process, but the family eventually returned to their normal routine (and some quicker than others).
Cal still had a lot to learn if he wanted to follow in Greene footsteps with the makeover station. It was a great way to meet girls, though, even if they did end up bald.
Maybe it was the recent deaths, but some sims decided to throw caution to the wind and do whatever the hell they wanted, related or not. Who cared what the neighbors might think?
Cal had his very first kiss with a vacation local that came to visit them for a couple of days.
Beefsteak: I approve of this.
The family planted a garden near the gazebo in memory of Ginger. A series of other renovations and redecorating began on the house. Everyone agreed that it was time for a change.
Things slowly went back to normal, zits and all.
Pepper even began to dance again. It felt good to do the slap dance once more.
Cal was shaping up to be quite the romance sim.
The new seating area made for some hot smooches, but he wanted to go furture with his current fling, and he wasn't sure they had enough chemistry.
So he gave her a makeover to suit his tastes. It will become one of his trademark moves in years to come.
But still, he gets mixed signals from his fair vacation townie. She simply won't make out with him. Cal hopes that college girls will be easier to get on the go.
I should mention that poor Krim isn't getting much air time here, but he was having a very uneventful teenhood.
Pepper: You know, I finally feel at peace with Ginger's death. All the children are healthy and everyone is still together as a family through it all. I'm lucky to have found my true love and I appreciate the time we did get to spend together. Not everyone is so fortunate.
Aubergine: *thinks* Just nod and look encouraging and don't share your jaded opinions about true love. *waits* Yeah, I'm happy too, Pepper.
The family is still far too large to all fit in the loading screen portrait. It seems odd that Aubergine gets to be front and centre, while Pepper and Cherry didn't even make the cut, but who knows what the logic of this is.
Another special guest arrived!
Maybe it's her ~sneakiness~, but Cherry barely even glanced in her direction. She continued to feed the pets instead.
Matchmaker: Hey! lookin' good!
The family barely noticed the lamp as the went off to school, but I'm sure it will come in handy for LTWs in the future. And maybe even raising the dead, if anyone wishes to.
I said Krim's teen years were uneventful, but he did receive this one really great scalp massage. It was so relaxing he couldn't even feel his nose.
The Tomato household was also pretty much one nonstop slap dance party around this time, as you can see here.
Aubergine brought an interesting friend home from work. (And for those confused at her reaching the top of her career again and again, she ended up getting demoted a bunch of times because of chance cards.)
It's Ivo Elfquest, by pixelcurious. Love the fangs!
Here's an example of one of the many free items that Damon brought home from work every day.
When all the family sims came home at once, it was like a party in the streets.
Pepper reached the top of her career, too. She became the mayor of Elsewhere.
You can see Damon's new eyebrows in this pic. Pretty nice, don't you think? :P
Here's a better shot of Constoluto as a child, dancing with his Great Aunt. At this point, Cherry has been reduced to just a plantsim, because I didn't want her to live forever. No family needs more than one immortal in it.
And even more smustling! I wanted to show other angles of the room.
The household was beyond crowded, so I decided to change my policy on following wants to go to college and sent all the teens at once just to clear them out of the house.
Everyone is thoroughly unimpressed with their transition outfits. Nothing new or groundbreaking to see here (though I do always enjoy the ridiculous sight of the button up shirt that's tucked into nothing).
One of Humbelina's first wants upon arriving to Sim State was to invite Damon Bigfoot over to visit. Family sims are cute like that, always wanting to keep family close.
But wait...
I don't think that's what Humbelina had in mind at all.
Humbelina: I'm an adult now and I can do what I want! And what I want is bigfoot romance.
Indeed.
Stay tuned for more, because this one's just getting started!