Kapitel 12 - Winter turns to Spring and our hearts turn with it

 

The last trembling days of winter Liv and Ulv celebrated down at the winter festival. Ulv was trying to find something charming and intelligent to say to kiley. But everytime he was close to her he felt dumbstruck and could hardly form a sentence. But she did not seem to mind, instead she giggled coyly and blushed when he took her hands.

 

                            

Liv ran into a freind from school. Cynthia Oss. They spent some time talking about the snow, the cold and basicly all and everything. The conversation floated so smoothly that Liv totally lost track of time. Before Cynthia had to go home she told her:

-You know what? I do not care if it take a millenia  for me to get the savings together. Someday I will leave this dump and  nasty weather and move to the warm paradise! Want to come?

-Well...uh.. yes of course.  But....

-Good! Then it is settled! You and I towards the sunset!

 

On her way home she ran into Alberto. During the afternoon together with Cynthia she had totally forgot all about him - which felt kind of strange. Who would not like to be at the center of attention of the towns most attractive teenage boy?

-Hey, Liv - me and a bunch of other kids are going downtown later tonight he asked. Want to come?

-Is Darcy coming too? .

-Well, uuhm, yes as a matter of fact she is. But I rather be with you...

Darcy was the girlfreind of Alberto since forever Everyone kind of expected them to marry after high school. Liv sighed. She really did not want to do the same mistake as her mother had done.

-I dont feel like it tonight Alberto. I think I stay in instead.

-Your loss baby!

-Guess so...

 

 

Home at the greenhouse the twins enjoyed themselves as well with a thurough snowballs fight. It was hard to tell who was the winner because they were both so syncronices that they could syncronise each others move every single time.

 

But even fun things need to end some time and  when they stood in the garden: Snowy, happy and warm Viola suddenly turned serious.
-You ever wished  to be something else?
-Something else? What do you mean?
-Well, you know - to be normal Viola told Flora.
-This IS normal. It is the other ones who are unnormal. Freaks even! Flora made a funny face.
-Look at me! Wuaaa! I am a paleface!
Viola laughed. She knew she could always count on her siter to cheer her up. But still, the seed of being normal was sown. What if...

 

Liv on the other hand was having more shallow problems to deal with. She was stanind in front of her mirrow looking at herself, studying every inch of herself, silently humming for herself. Suddenly she stopped everything she was doing looking at the image of herself. Had she really been standing there wondering what Cynthia would think of her? What she might think of her? But, she was a girl?!?!

 

The soothing sound of her playing the violin usually helped her calm and clear her mind. But not this time. Conflicting emotions are raging through her mind. She remembers the smile Cynthia's face, the intensity in her eyes when she talked about her dream about the paradise and how much Liv wanted to touch her cheek and tell her that everything would be OK. How she wanted to kiss those soft lips. And hold her tight to her body. But how could that be? She was a girl? Aren't girls supposed to be into boys? But she never felt anything like that with Alberto. Nothing come even close... What on earth was this?

 

She had almost jumped out of her skin when the phone had rung the other night. Especially when she had heard Cynthia's warm voice on the other end.
-Hiya Liv! How are you? Me and some other kids are going down to the festival trying to score some dancing moves. Want to come? Her brain wanted to scream "NO"! But before she knew she had said:
-Yes! I would love to!

When she arrived to the dance arena it was only Cynthia there.
-Thought you said there were gonna be a group Liv said carefully.
-I lied she said and blinked. I wanted to be alone with you and I knew that if I told you, you would most likely bolt.
Liv did not say anything. How could she? It was true after all. If she had asked her out she would have said no. But here she was now and the only thing she wanted was to look into this lovely brown eyes for an eternity.

 

With a smile Cynthia dragged Liv up on the dance floor and into her arms. Liv did not know what to say. Thousands of emotion rode her body right now. But she realised suddenly that the bad ones were not as prevalent as the good ones and she relaxed.
-See, Cynthia said. This was not so bad was it?
Liv can not help but to nod and enjoy the movement to the music.

 

It is getting late, way after curfew  really and Liv does know that she really should be going home and do her homework. But alas, Cyntias lips just tastes so sweet and she totally lose track of time.

- - - - - - - - -
OK, my Sims are living their own lives quite frankly..... Which complicates things when it comes to writing. But, but it is what makes this so much fun to write!

Chapter 11 - Someone to keep you warm

 She ran, she ran as fast as she could. Did not care of where and how long she just felt that she needed to get as far away as possible. She felt sick to her stomach but when she tried to throw up there were nothing more than gall and bile. It was not as much the surprise her mother had thrown at her that felt hard to handle. She had always wondered why there were no similarities between them when she had looked herself in the mirrow. It was the fact that she had almost started flirting with the mand who was her own father. Urgh! She continued running until she had no breath left. Then she stopped and looked up. To her surprise she realised she had ended up just a block from where they lived. She sat down at the side of the road trying to figure out what to do next. Since it started get a bit chilly in the air she realised that weather she liked it or not - she had to return home.The windows were dark when she went inside and the only hear the peacful snorings from her siblings in their beds. However, it was really quiet from her mothers bed.

 Rose was waiting for her when she got into the kitchen early the next morning. Her mother did not say anything at first and that in itself made Liv very uncomfortable.
-Do you have any idea how embarresing that was mom? she blurted out when she no longer could not stand the silence.
-Yes I do hunny. And it was never my intention that you would get hurt for a stupid mistake I did many years ago.
-So I was a mistake? She could not help it, but her voice trembled when she asked it.
-No, no, NO! Liv, you were never a mistake! But I was young and desperate and well... in kind of a bind and deeply, madly in love. You do stupid things when you are in love.
And so Rose, told her daughter everything. Her arrival to the town.  Meeting Stein and about falling in love. She told her about how dark it had felt to be "the other woman" and how terrible she had felt  when she had found the nursery. And then she told about the cloning.¨
-I know it was sttupid, dangerous even. But when I knew  I could never have him, I just wanted a part of him with him with me and since I was working on my scientific project I had all the tools availble. Are you mad? Can you ever forgive me?

She fell silent and Liv did not say a  word. For an awkward moment it was as silent that you could hear a needle fall to the floor. Then Liv took a deep breath and spoke:
-It really sounds like a fairytale. But I know you  would not lie to me. And I only fond memories of growing up here. The  best actually. I have always known our family was different. That does not change who I am though. So no, I am not mad - a bit disappointed maybe that you did not tell me sooner. But I can understand you had your reasons.
Rose, drew a sigh of relief. You are such a good girl Liv. You always have been.
-One question more though, Liv said. When are you gonna start dating Stein again? He told me his wife had passed away a long time ago....

 

 Ulv and Kiley spent almost every waken hour together. Ulv who had been a computor geek from the start always had felt that 1 and zeros always made so much more sense. But when he was holding Kiley in his arms it was like the entire Universe made sense. It took a long time to admit it to himself. But he realised that he was in love. Kiley of course had known that for a long time.

 In the meantime, the twins celebrated their birthday, growing up to teens.

One of the first things they  did was to throw the Presentparty of the century (or so they later claimed). They invited everyone from school who was someone. Flora was the one behind the invitationlist and she got a plan. Everyone needed someone special to crawl close to when the winds blew chilly. And in the end everyone would thank her and see how magnificant she was! And if she could score the hot Max that would just  be a bonus!

 Liv was thrilled that the really goodlooking guy Alberto was showing her some interest. She could not understand that a rich guy like him was interested in her. Especially since gossip had been telling he was allready dating. But she knew better than to listen to gossip...

 

-You are so cold Viola, Mango said. Don't be like that!.
-Cold? Why do you say that? Is it because I look different?
-Well, now when you mention it...
-???
-But I think you look pretty in green. Would not have you any other way. It is just sometimes you seem so distant. It is hard to get to know you. to get close to you. You are like an ice queen. A green ice queen...
- Oh sod off...

Sometimes Viola really felt like she was an alien, like all the kids have called her at school. How much Rose had reassured her she was human at heart and worth at least twice as much as those thugs. She just could not understand them at all! And this just confirmed her suspisions.

 

It had been a successful party, but it ended in somewhat of a passagerite for Rose, when she grew into an Elder.

 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Definitely not my best chapter. I got stuck with the disappointment that being a plantsim was not even close to fun to play until they were a teen, and  even then it was just plain messy :-( So the twins did not really develop the personality I had wished for them. They became very much 2D. But now I am gamewise working on 1 or 2 last chapters to finnish Generation 1 up. My goal is to at least play it to end of generation 1, but not necessary write it up before IP. I want to have access to my mods as long as possible....

Chapter 10 - About racks and commitments

Liv can not help but smiling. The old man seems so charismatic and also so familiar in some way. Furiously Liv tries to figure out where on earth she have seen him before. They stand there for a while. Just talking about the weather and her journey to France. As her siblings continious to bicker about who got the best outfit in the background the comes with longer and longer pauses apart until they stand there in the rain just staring at each other.  Eventually, they are rudely awakened by Flora, tugging Liv's arm asking:
-Will there be any candy or what?
Liv pulls herself tpgether and let Stein give some candy to the cheering children. She notices that he seem as shaken and puzzled as she feels.

 

Thor loved the trick-or-treating. So much in fact that he does not want it to stop. One day he is a dragon, the next an astronout....

 

Ulv on the other hand have left these kind of childish games behind him, as he grew into being a teenager. As a birthdaygift his mother bought an old computor for him. Which he instantly started spending insane amount of hours ahead of. To a part he used it to gain some extra  cash since he had understood from his mother that their finances were a bit tight. But he found himself spending more and more time in the chat-channels.

He was talking to one girl in particular: Kiley Oss. When they were little they did not spend much time together besides school. But now he finds that they are almost as twins.

Although they spend almost every free hour talking to each other online, it feels strange to finally meet in real life. But he did not have to worry. The conversation flows fine. When they talk about familiar things. As school, computor and gaming. It gets more complicated when they gonna start talk about the more important things:
-I... uuhm... like your racks, Ulv manage to get over his lips.
-My WHAT you say Kiley blurts out.
-Your server rack! I really like your server rack...
-???

 

Get a grip Ulv he chides himself. Hold yourself together will you man. If just for a minute at least? he takes a deep breath.

-Look, Kiley. I like you. I really, really like you. Wouldyouliketogotothepromwithme? He says it as fast as he can so he wont regret it later.

-Yes, I really, really would. Now what graphic card are you using for your World of Simcraft?

 

 

In the meantime Liv asked her mother if she knew this man Stein that she had met earlier. But for once her mother did not want  to answer. She avoided the question, saying that she could not remember. For the first time Liv knew that her mother had lied to her. Stubborn and curious as she was she decided to go directly to the source. Stein lit up when she rang on his door, let her in and showed her to the sofa.

-Come in, come in Fair Lady! What can I help you with today? Not more candy I assume. You are sweet as it is. Liv giggled.
-No, not at all. I came here to ask if you knew my mother, Rose Abbott? His face froze for a second and then he said:
-Rose, yes we were close once. But lost touch I'm afraid.
-Did you know my father? Liv asks shyly.
He shrugs.
-I may have. I knew a lot of people back in the days. Will take a aweful time to walk down memorylane and I am awefully thirsty.
-Can't we meet down at Micks?  They have karooke and beer Liv asks.
-How about half past seven?

Ulv and Kiley is also at Micks when Liv arrives. But they are so focused on each other and the duett that they do not notice her whem she walks past them. She finds Stein in a corner of the bar sipping a cold beer.

-The same ! she says to the bartender. Trying to sound older and more confident than she is. He shakes his head and points at the sign: "No minors serverd". Liv blushes and wants to fall down the surface of the earth.

 

 -Dont mind that, come lets sit down in a more quiet corner and I tell you about your mother when she were young...
-So you did remember her after all, Liv asks. She has to almost shout since the music is so loud. Little do they notice that the object of their conversation had just entered the building...

 

 -Liv! Rose says harshly. Stay away from that man! You do not know what you are doing!
-Come on! You dont decide over me! Dont tell me what to do! I am an adult soon.
-The important word here is soon, and as long as you live under my roof you do as I say young lady...
-There, there... Ladies, lets not do anything we regret here. This charming young lady have just expressed some interest in her past thats all. I find it valorous that someone that young is so commited.
-Oh shut up Stein! What do you know about commitment?

 

-Dont you dare talk to him like that! Stein is my freind! He sees me as a women - not a child.

-Oh for goodness sake Liv! Rose snarls. You need to stay away from him. He is your Father!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sorry for the long delays in updates. I sort of planned to play A LOT now so this generation was all but done when next expansion hits. But apparently life had other ideas.... But instead I give you a long and juicy update! And yes I am still miffed that Rose and Steins relationship apprently did not last over the lifestate change of him being an elder. Bah!

[Heir Vote] Who will I bring to an deserted island?

OK, since I decided that I can not wait to start playing the Island Paradise when it arrives (have to wait until the 27th here anyways. Urgh!) and I do not want to ship an already started generation of to IP I have decided to brace myself and stop playing my family when the heir reached Young Adulthood. But then I need to know who that someone is, right?

So, in the sidebar to the right is a poll: Who will be Heir of Generation 1? Liv, Ulv, Flora or Viola? You can vote on more than one if you like. But please, do not click all of them just you cant decide.... In theory you can vote for Thorn as well, but the stupid poll did not want me to add him for some reason :S Maybe faith? Because I am not yet sure that he actually will have reached young adult when Rose are fetched by the Reaper.

Fresh images and traits can be found here:
http://theabbottlegacy.blogspot.se/p/generation-goals.html

Thank you in advance!

Chapter 9: When in France.....

 

Liv like to study and to write pays of. in the middle of the fall semester she gets a scholarship to travel for a few days to France to interview the locals.

-Its a great opportunity, she confesses to her mother. But think of all the knowledge I could gain there!

-You do great darlingheart, Rose tells her. Trying to sound supportive although  there is a nudge in her heart. They are all growing up so fast!

The view from the buswindow is just stunning - and Liv falls in love with the little village at the first sight.

 She is staying at a small inn, where inkeeper is her supervisor. But other than being in before curfew she gets very free hands. One of the new joys is that she can borrow the Kespa of the owner of the inn and basicly get anywhere she pleases.

 The villagers are very freindly. Like Aimee Lefvebve for example.

Maybe a little bit too freindly like Gerard Morel....

...but she decides to do as the frenchmen do it... even if they is obviously allready taken like Elliot Saint-James.

 Liv also gets the opportunity to practice some on her violin that she brought with her....

 ....to visit some nectarmaking factories......

.....and even to visit one of the famous mausoleums. She would not admit it to anyone, especially not to Ulv, But it totally crept her out!

When her last days comes she know the little village and its unhabitants well enough that she know exactly what questions to ask and how to get her vict... interview-candidate at a good mood.

 -It has been just amazing mum she tells Rose on the long distance call later that night. The food, the scenery and the people... Oh my! But it will be good to get home!
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 Liv gets home just in time to get ready to join Ulv, Thorn and the twins for some trick-or-treating. She feels a little bit to big to go really, But at the same time it feels good to indulge childhood just for a itsy bitsy time more.

 

Allthough it pours down they decide to make it a big round this year. They decides to start with a big blue house far up the road. Liv rings the bell, but noone seems to be home. Just when they decides to go on to the next house an elderly gentleman comes walking up on them.
-Good evening everyone he says. What a marvelous coincidence to meet you here. I was just on my way home. 5 more minutes earlier and we would have missed each other. Let me introduce myself: My name is Stein, Stein Svard.....
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OK, I offically do not like when my sims are not at the same age as the ones they inteeract with. So that Stein had  aged up to an Elder came to me as an total surprise. And that he had become so ugly too..... But I rolled with it, and in the end I think I created quite a drama ;-)

The photos from France comes from an authentic opportunity for Rose. Interview locals and gain better grade. There is nothing dramaturgic hidden into the journey. I just felt it nice to show it in the story. A bit peace before hell breaks loose.....

Chapter 8 - Whipe that makeup from your face!

 Ulv and Liv,  two very different souls indeed. People they meet in school are trying to see where the resemblence lies between their ancestry. That Ulv is the son of Rose is quite obviously they say. He has got her nose and eyes. While Liv really does not look like Rose at all. All the gossipers at school would love to snicker about that.

 How very different they are. How Ulv really does not seem to like school at all. He is often heard loudly complainin about how boring school is. Especially geography.

 While Liv takes any opportunity to learn as much as possible. Studying with her mom....

 ..... or reading one of the classics: "The Fellowship of the Sims".

Ulv in turn does not like to read about dragons and dungeons at all. But he really loves to dream about them. Question is - is he the dragon or the knight?

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Time flies by and soon the two mid-twins Flora and Viola are ready to grow up too. They were really close as toddlers. But now it is even clearer that they share a bond that goes deeper than their colour of their skin. When they play they both prefer to do it outdoors or in the greenhouse. Although their pillowfights can get ratehr wild Rose is never afraid that they will destroy the plants. Instead she feel calm when they are around plants strangely enough.

 

 

The next weekend the air starts to chill and Rose decides to take her large family on a family - excursion. To celebrate the twins birthday and to celebrate the arrival of Fall in general.

 

 

Flora often drifts of into the forest greenery (or whats left of it ) just happy to be outside. She is never afraid. Why should she? She totally knows her worth and how to make it! Maybe is it this absorption of herself that attracts the young Bluebird to sit on Floras hand for a short while. Singing to her about that he too is all that. Ulv can't believe his eyes when he sees them. That was a feat he had tried for many weeks without success!

 

The following schoolday the students are all taken on an excursion to the closest graveyard as an after-school project about ancestry. Liv, Ulv and Viola all tags along and are having a great time.

 

While Flora is trying to get her homework done at her freinds house. It is hard to focus though since Kiley's mother Cassidy Oss er seems to be glaring at her all the time. As if she has something on her tounge but can not quite spit it out.

 

When it is time to go Kiley's mother approaches Flora:

-Young lady, this is a serious house. If you want to come here in the future I want to see without all that clownmake up on!

 But Flora is not that easily pushed:
-This is NOT make up! It is all ME and I can not wash it of pale-face!
And stomps off.

Meanwhile, far from all the commotion Thorn is growing up to be a youngling and gets a big bear-moma-hug from Rose. She can not believe that the days have flewn by so fast. Where have all her little babies gone?

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I thought this chapter would be hard to write, despite the fact that I had the major mini-plot clear for me after I reviewed the screenshots.But it all went very smooth and the text actually helped me solidify even more the character of the siblings. And place a hook in for a potential drama in the future. I have not quite decided yet how to do it tbh. Time will tell.
Just as an offnote. The dialogue between flora and the mom is actually a real quote from the first book in the Cherry Ames series. It is a series about a nurse named cherry who always ends up in one mystery and trouble after the other. The surgeon went after her because her rosy cheeks in the first book and demanded her to remove the makeup.... The books are from the 50's, but I re-read them from time to time because a) Sometimes I want to read really easy fiction b) It was what my mom used to read so I want to read the same