The Tomato Legacy, Episode Four: Heirloom Families
We're back again, with more tomato varietals than you can shake a seed pack at. In other words, Generation Four has arrived! It's here that I begin to use the names of heirloom tomatoes for most of the baby names, with one significant exception. But we'll get to that...
Let the update begin!
The Tomatoes have multiplied! You'll notice that Cherry is already an adult. That's plantsims for you.
Pepper's standing in the foreground in a sort of foreshadowing of her importance in extending this family tree. As if to say, "Hey, I'll be breeding up a storm in this update. Why not join us?"
Pepper's a Family/Popularity sim and Aubergine is Pleasure/Popularity. Cherry is Knowledge/Popularity. You can see all their relevant stats in more detail on the Tomato Legacy sims download page.
And so it begins.
I get seriously annoyed by the flu in Sims 2. When I'm playing Strangetown, it tends to spread through town like a true epidemic. It shouldn't be as serious in Elsewhere, since I'm only playing one family, but we'll see...
Umm... what?!
The flu, a bad breakup... what next? This was really not Greene's week.
This a new feature with ACR 2.0. You can set it to allow autonomous break ups, and this even applies to engagements, it seems. It's a little sad, but I do like the feature. It's realistic. Like I said before, Greene had no desire to actual marry Bruce, and he is a Romance/Family sim, so this turn of events should be expected.
At this point in the legacy, I was still going with the organic approach to only doing things that fill wants for sims (this get modified somewhat later, when sim numbers increase and I get annoyed by creatures and playing through uni too much). Part of this approach meant I'd only send teens to uni when they rolled the want. Aubergine was the first to go there, so she was the first to head to uni, on her own.
In the background, you can see a full family smustle party taking place. It's a nonstop party, this family!
It makes sense that my simself's fangs would be slightly crooked. Though I can't complain, really. My own teeth straightened up nicely after I removed the offending wisdom teeth that were crowding them in. They aren't anywhere near as straight as the denture-perfect teeth that sims have (just look at them!), but they're not so bad.
More smustling!
Cherry had her first kiss...
... with Sam Merlotte from True Blood (sim by fanseelamb/pbanda, with slight breeding-friendly modifications by me, to tone down some of the extremes).
Elsewhere doesn't really qualify as a pixel_trade neighborhood, but it's quickly becoming a quirky mish-mash of other people's sims.
Aubergine arrived at SSU. All of the campuses have been installed for Elsewhere (as you'll soon see), but the twins both chose to go to Sims State.
By the looks of her clothing, it must have been laundry day. They're not too embarrasing, but she's usually more fashionable. And purple.
Here's a closeup for those who are interested in genetics.
And a profile shot. It's hard to tell if any of Strange's genetics have lasted to Gen. Three, but I sort of doubt it.
SSU has an alien llama mascot, which doesn't surprise me. My game seems to throw a lot of alien genetics for the university NPCs.
*snerk*
So classy.
Go for it, Humble! It's not like anybody's looking or anything.
Being part Pleasure sim, part Popularity, Aubergine was very interested in meeting new sims. She was also very interested in dating most of these sims.
And in a surprising turn of events for the Tomato family, she seemed to be exclusively heterosexual in her romatic inclinations. A first! She also had a bit of a thing for rocker-type badboys.
Yes, even Gunnar Roque. The greasier and more chin-less the better for this girl.
Which brought her to Jonah Powers for her first kiss. A fine choice!
Man, I would love to have his Steven Tyler good looks in my legacy. Will Aubergine agree?
Well, she liked him enough to take him to bed, but the girl's not really the settling down type.
Meanwhile, back at casa Tomato, Strange is being Strange.
Yeah, we get it. You're terrifying.
Ugh. One of these sims is a part Family sim, right? It might be time for some soup.
Cherry: Hey, Nan! Check this out!
Strange: What the...
Cherry: It's a spec of dust from my dress.
Strange: Oh cool! I love dust!
Cherry: Sur-PRIIIIIISE!
Strange: BLARGH!
Strange: Hey look! Over there!
Revenge is sweet.
They both found this whole scenario to be a laugh riot. The tomato doesn't fall far from the vine.
Strange was still up to her old tricks of turning people into witches and vampires and such. She wasn't doing the werewolves anymore, though, because she gave that up.
And she was still dating a variety of unusual characters, like the prof with long silky hair and a native Wanmami Island headress. I guess he teaches anthropology?
She also reached the top of her career.
I love most of the hobby NPCs the game generated. This arts and crafts one is especially appropriate, don't you think?
Another interesting prof. If he wanted to hide the fact that he has alien eyes, you'd think he's have chosen somthing that covers them both.
Greene lost his job. He just can't seem to catch a break.
Hmmm. Or maybe he hated that line of work all along? :P
Greene: Free at last!
He decided to get into his preferred career track, the Slacker career. It's his LTW, afterall.
I'm loving Strange's new work outfit. This one's a keeper! She even gets to wear a different hat.
Finally!
Strange's follow-up LTW want is probably never going to happen, but she does have an eternity to work on it, so who knows. She might get there.
She decided to start stepping up and shell out some cash for someone worthy of her awesome creature self. Who will the matchmaker bring?
But first, back at uni... Aubergine was showing her true colours. She's one of the grouchiest sims in the family.
I wouldn't challenge her with that pitchfork, Snowy. She'll use her ninja moves on you!
Too late. D:
Penguin: They'd never stand for this sort of treatment of snowpeople in the city. You should move.
Aubergine got the llama mascot down to his skivies, revealing his ~unique~ red eyes and his dorky haircut.
Ending her mostly uneventful stint at uni, still romatically unattached, rich with gifts from her many dream dates, Aubergine decided to throw a grad party.
It was a flop.
Aubergine: Goodbye, snow! I'm going on a tropical cruise!
As soon as she gets back (after I've played four days on the home lot), Pepper wanted to go to uni. I believe this is where I decided I was just going to send the kids to uni together in the future, perhaps.
Aubergine is a strange character. She's Pleasure/Popularity, but had the "max all skills" LTW. Fittingly, she used eggplant juice to meet this goal.
I love getting gifts from dates. Some of the good date gifts are really interesting, like this nice little bonsai tree. Thanks, Professor Pirate-Alien!
Pepper headed off to uni, and was actually quite happy about it, despite what you might think from her cranky face. She just has this perpetually pissed off look about her.
Pepper's cheekbone: Aubergine's cheekbone got all the attention last update, but I'm no slouch, you know!
Strange's perfect match from the matchmaker ended up being Ashley Pitts, that young hunk.
True to form, a dream date with Strange involves some kinky witch transforming action. Ashley seems to be into it.
Greene became our first Tomato family elder.
Hot glass-eyed Godiva-inspired Police Officer: I'mma break up this party, but first... just a little bit deeper...
The theme of this update is digging out your ears, it seems.
Pepper's transition outfit wasn't so bad, but she's not really into the pink.
She decided to take a break from Ginger and date around a little. She wouldn't want to limit herself to just the one relationship for her entire life and end up resentful. Pepper's a very pragmatic sort.
She's also a lazy slob, so hiring a maid was a top priority.
Another alien with red eyes? There seems to be a trend forming here.
Our good friend the Repo Man made another visit. I just love this guys look. He has the biggest evil grin ever.
A lightning storm caused the birch tree on the front lawn to catch on fire and then the rain stopped, leading to mass destruction. Luckily, it didn't spread to the house or kill anyone.
The maid wasn't too thrilled about it, however.
Pepper wanted to fall in love, so I had her throw a party and invite every woman she knew, including the aged-up Ginger. A scoping of the room made it clear that some things are just fate.
One thing lead to another...
... and she decided it was time to make a firm commitment.
Ginger said yes. ^_^
You wouldn't think she was an overachiever, but Pepper achieved her lifetime want to have 20 best friends before she even graduated uni.
This lead her to the decision to use her social networking skills for power and glory in a political career. Why not?
She also transitioned to adult into an outfit of pure win. Everything's coming up Pepper!
Ginger followed close behind in a matching outfit. Could they be any more adorable?
They landed back home and instantly wanted to get married.
Pepper figured, "Why wait?" The garden was lovely and the view of the ocean and lighthouse in the background would make for a nice photograph.
Pepper and Ginger: I do.
Heartfarts and baby wants abound. It was time to get moving with Gen. Four.
Now, as I mentioned previously, I don't use the Preg for all Genders hack. I prefer to work around the actual limitations of the same sex relationships and having children in a way that reflects real life. Since this is a legacy, adoption wasn't the way to go, and the girls don't have a close male friend who'd be willing to get involved, so the girls will be heading to the sperm bank.
In practical gameplay terms, I've decided that this will be a random thing. Pepper and Aubergine might have got to the clinic to peruse a catalogue, but their decision will ultimately be decided by the game, in the form of the next male to turn up on the lot. That will be the biological father, thanks to the miracle of artificial InSimenation.
The donor was this guy, who had this reaction to seeming Pepper and Ginger canoodling. Let's hope he just hates all PDAs or is just extremely cranky, and isn't extremely homophobic.
He may have an iffy personality, but he does promise interesting genetics. Bright blue/green eyes and red hair. Finally some recessive genes!
Oh, and giant lips. Why not?
Ginger is very business minded, and wants to have 5 top-level businesses, so I let her use the riches of the Tomato family to get to work on that.
She decided to start with a nice bakery and cafe.
Never one to play into expectations, Strange decided to get married. Ashley will do, but Jihoon was a good second choice. It's obviously the marriage she's into, not the sim.
Don't worry. It's not like she feels the need to actually settle down or anything.
So I let her go ahead and get engaged to Ashley. What's the worst that could happen? *cue foreboding music*
Ginger continued to buy up half of Elsewhere.
This pic also shows the book that was balanced on the wall-mounted phone on this lot. I think it's the phonebook, maybe? It's certainly a weird place to store it.
Pepper delivered her firstborn son, Tiny Tim Tomato. He has the alien eyes, but possibly also the recessive genetics.
Aubergine choked down the last of the eggplant juice, achieved her LTW, and moved on to wanting to become a Hall of Famer. It makes sense, since sports are her hobby.
Pepper wanted to get pregnant again, and this is the new sperm donor. He's one of Strange's old flames, Sinjin the Nice Witch. That may seem a little awkward, but remember that Elsewhere is a very small town. It's bound to happen.
Greene managed to catch up to the rest of the family and achieve his LTW.
Here's a glimpse of the cuteness that is Tiny Tim. You just know he's going to grow into that mug in an intense way, but for now, he's adorable.
What a cutie-pie.
That police officer dropped by again to bust up another party, and I decided I just have to work her into the legacy at some point. Her name is Lotte O'Toole! Could she be any cooler?
Pepper's womb is ripe for harvest again, and this time she's carrying on the family tradition of twins.
Say hello to Cal Tomato.
And Krim Tomato.
Both are male. So far the generations have all been limited to a single sex, but Pepper's a Family sim, so she'll likely have more children. Will she finally give birth to a girl?
Cherry's Knowledge aspiration finally kicked in and she wanted to become a werewolf. Too bad Strange was no longer a were. Cherry's going to have to work something else out.
Strange brought in a huge amount of money with a chance card. I'm not surprised she makes big bucks in the Entertainment field. People can't look away.
Cherry decided to start picking a fight with Trent Traveller, in the hopes that he might bite her and turn her into a werewolf.
The twins aged up. I think they're looking pretty cute.
Ginger's a pig, and Pepper just finds it amusing. It's nice to see them still enjoying each other's company, even the bad habits.
Cherry switched tactics. Perhaps flirting with Trent will get her the attention she craves. Trent seemed all for it. Tsk, tsk.
Another huge bonus! This is one rich family. I love the referrence to "Glabe Glarn" in this chance card.
Cherry went back to fighting with Trent, but that didn't get her anywhere either. I guess maybe I was wrong about being able to get another sim to turn a sim into a werewolf in a fight.
Time to seek out the leader of the pack.
Cherry's not a vampire in this picture. She was just a little frosty from being outside.
The family was way too big to keep living in the same house, even after a lot of clever remodeling (and moving cribs out to the front lawn, etc.), so the family decided it was time to move. They had their eye set on the lot in the top right corner. They're movin' on up!
This will likely be the Tomato residence for the rest of the legacy. It's quite spacious, with lots of room to customize.
It even has a pool in the backyard! The plantsims in the family rejoiced.
With the twins aged up to (OMG adorable!) toddlers, Pepper's rolls a want to have another baby immediately upon arriving at the new house. Who will be the first male sim to walk by the lot?
*dun dun DUN*
Yeah, that's right.
That just happened.