The Fun Has Been Doubled

Whoa! We seem to be nearing the tail-end of the Holiday explosion as far as I can tell. Hello, everybody. Whatever you had, I hope it was a good one.

So I would like larger pictures for this blog. Not huge, just bigger, big enough for everyone to see all the details more easily. I currently post them at ‘full size,’ but I think they don’t fit the theme I’m using and so get formatted smaller. Since most simmers are by definition awesome tech-people (they have to be to put up with this glitchy-ass series), I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? Thanks.

Anyway, you don’t care about my computer-fail. You care about my simming fail.

Right where we left off.

Last time, Quincy got old while inching towards his LTW, not helped by the fact that I had to drop him out of criminal career, due to fail. Green-Stripe died of vampire-starvation at a birthday party, due to fail, and lost us a point. It was sort of a counter-productive chapter.

But at least Gatekeeper got laid.

Quincy goes to his first day as a fireman, which is apparently a popular hobby for Sunset’s retirees.

Quincy: “Gosh Stacy, you don’t think I’ll be discriminated against because I’m dead, do you?”

Stacy: “Oh no, you have nothing like that to worry about! This station has equal opportunities for the living, dead, and everything in between! You should know our team is ninety percent vampire!”

Quincy: “Um, I think this town is ninety percent vampire.”

Quincy: “How does a bathroom catch fire anyway?!”

A bit about Quincy. He came with a bit of guitar skill, but not much else, and he was already an adult when he died (making him older than Gatekeeper on a few levels, but whatever, love is ageless blah blah). This means picking skill challenges for him was…tedious, to say the least.

I eventually decided on the charisma and athletic challenges for him. Charisma because of his friendly trait (and because I generally find the charisma challenges pretty easy –not paint easy, but easy enough), and because a lot of the careers I had lined up for him involved athletics. It seems like the guitar challenges would have been the obvious choice, but they take so long, and rely too much on luck for the amount of time he has left in his un-life.

So yeah, that’s what he’s up to, in case you were wondering. Even if you weren’t, now you know, and that’s KNOWLEDGE.

Ditto: “I wish for…a kitten.”

Harley Quinn: “Yay, kitten!”

Ditto: “A fluffy white kitten, to grow into a fluffy white cat, which I will keep on my lap and pet during my evil meetings. When I rule the world.”

Harley Quinn: “Yay, dictatorship!”

Fat chance if Pets isn’t installed yet in these pictures. Generations isn’t even installed in these pictures and I’m SO ASHAMED.

Harley Quinn: “Yay, non-descript pinkness!”

Ditto’s new trait is Loves the Outdoors, which is now something both girls share. Bringing her personality to Mean-Spirited, Brave, Couch Potato, and Outdoorsy. Erm…how do those last two work?

Ditto: “Picnics, duh.”

The nice thing about ghosts is it doesn’t really matter what they wear, only the cut has any visual significance. Meaning Ditto gets to keep this ensemble she span into herself.

The less-nice thing about ghosts is that you can’t really see them, but that’s why we have the sim bin!

First, Quincy!

I’m showing you his adult-face, because no one cares about elders. Simmers are kind of ageist that way.

Quincy had very deep purple-blue eyes, flaming red hair, and a pale complexion. Honestly, he looks more like Gunther and Cornelia than Mortimer ever did. Mortimer is a freak of genetics.

Now mix a little Quincy with Gatekeeper, and you get…

Ditto!

She’s pretty in an unusual sort of way. She got Gatekeeper’s black hair, the angry eyebrows are WAY present, and her eyes are a very noticeable shade of purple. I’m not gonna lie, I kind of died of happiness when I saw that. Natural purple eyes! Natural! Purple! EYES!

Obviously, her genetics are a lot more interesting than her sister’s, who’s just a different coloured version of Gatekeeper, near as I can tell. But the Personality clan has never been about genetics; we don’t care how ugly or pretty you are, if you have interesting traits.

Which brings us to the question of heirship.

This is what I find Harley Quinn doing most times I let her off her leash. She’s sort of quiet and reserved, a girl of simple tastes. Gardening, fishing, and being left alone. Out of context, that doesn’t sound very interesting. But in contrast to every OTHER Personality woman so far? She sticks out like a sore thumb, and that makes her interesting to me.

In short, we’ve yet to have a shy girl in this Legacy. Point to Harley Quinn. But on the other hand…

Ditto is, in many ways, what we’ve seen before in the Personality clan. Confident. Abrasive. The trouble is I’m not sure that’s a point against her; I mean, Culta, Cheez and Sheo were like that, and I had tons of fun with them! Plus, with a shiny un-tested trait like Mean-Spirited and a crazy LTW to boot, she has all kinds of personality potential. Point to Ditto.

This would have been great to decide with a vote. But I was weak. I wanted to keep playing, but I needed an heir chosen to do so. Except I thought they were both great candidates for heir.

So that’s why Generation Five is a double-heirship.

Here’s how this is going go down.

I’m not going to try and maintain two separate lines of Personalitys becoming ever-distant cousins. It’s OK near the end of a Legacy, but it would probably be disastrous in the middle. Where would you even put all those elders?

No –Harley Quinn, Ditto, and their respective future spouses will be considered ONE parental unit. Their children, though they will be cousins, will be treated as siblings, and an heir will be chosen among them as normal. Which will inevitably mean that one of these girl’s lines isn’t actually going to go on, despite being heir. To that I say…tough cookies, I play how I want!

Now, let’s all be prepared for the approaching over-crowded house. I make the best decisions!

My gosh, over 1000 words and only twelve pictures in. This is going to be a long chapter.

Stacy: “Quincy! Valerie the Vampire’s house is on fire, and you must save them!”

Quincy: “But doesn’t her son, like, work here?”

Stacy: “It’s his day off, man! You can’t expect him to save his mother on his day off!”

Quincy: “Oh, OK. Quincy to the rescue!”

*drifts over to the firetruck*

Quincy: “If only I could float faster! This doesn’t communicate the gravity of the situation at all!”

Various Vampires: *burn in sunlight* “THERE’S NO ESCAPE.”

Valerie’s Son: “OH GAWD. THE HUMANITY. WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MY DAY OFF.”

Quincy: “Wait…he lives with his mother and…oh nevermind.”

Valerie the Vampire: “I hope I don’t lose my collection of ironic mummy t-shirts!”

That’s why her and Gatekeeper get along so well. They’re both hipsters.

Quincy doesn’t need safety equipment, being dead and all, but this still looks really silly. At least put some shoes on, man.

Quincy: “Yeah, you think you can take me, you just, um, bring it!”

Valerie the Vampire: “Oh dear, Gatekeeper’s husband is hollering at my furniture. Why does everyone hire that man?”

Impressive pedigree?

Oh yeah, I kind of sent you jogging here, didn’t I?

Sheogorath: “Many hours ago, yes. The fish have been biting splendidly. Elsewise I might be displeased with you.”

Quincy: “Hey, when did Susannah Lipscomb get old?”

Gatekeeper: “Perhaps more importantly, dear, who let her in the house?“

Susannah: “It’s 12 am. Do you know where your Ditto is?”

Ditto: “Aw, crap.”

Gatekeeper: “You just better consider yourself damned lucky Generations isn’t installed yet Ditto, or you would be grounded with a capital GEE, you hear me?!”

Ditto: “Oh whatever, Mom. When I become the Emperor of Evil, curfews are the first thing that’s going to go.”

Gatekeeper: “Oh yeah?! Then how will you prevent night-cloaked meetings of your uprisers, young lady?!”

Ditto: “DAMN IT.”

Gatekeeper: “Guess what?”

Quincy: “Can I guess later? I’m hungry.”

Gatekeeper: “This is my 75th dish made, meaning I finished all the cooking challenges, meaning POINT. Damn but I’m awesome.”

Quincy: “You sure are honey. Are you going to eat that?”

Gatekeeper is rewarded with her very own sports car…

…but obviously she prefers to steal her mom’s bike.

Gatekeeper: “Driving your own vehicle is so mainstream.”

Vampire: “Let me get this straight. Yesterday, we gave you a promotion. Today, you’re telling me you quit?”

Quincy: “Well, yeah. I reached level five, and I think I’d like to be a pro-athlete now. In the, er, geriatric league.”

Vampire: “I don’t understand. You seemed so happy here! You were friends with everyone!”

Quincy: “Yeah, um, for my charisma skill, right? That’s kind of how this legacy thing rolls. Come see one of my games sometime, I’m the QB.”

Harley Quinn: “Grandma, don’t! You know what the doctor said last time you swallowed something you found on the ground!”

Sheogorath: “Well I was a doctor once, and I say it’s FANTASTIC.”

Sheogorath: “You call that running, mortal?! I call that DRAGGING YOUR FLESHY HUMAN FEET. Faster, or I’ll give you a reason to run!”

Sheogorath: “WEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAK!” *punches through handlebar*

Harley Quinn: “Dad, I’m glad you don’t hold us to rigid standards like Grandma does.”

Quincy: “Oh, sweety. Grandma isn’t organized enough for standards.”

Gatekeeper: “Look, if you guys want to eat, move your asses.”

Ditto: “But MOM, me and Dad are bonding!”

Quincy: “And skilling!”

Quincy is best friends with both girls. Because they were fodder for the Charisma Challenges.

Strangely enough, Quincy and Gatekeeper seem to lose relationship very quickly. I keep finding their bar dwindling down to a tiny green stub, so every so often they need to bring the romance back (which is what was happening last chapter next to the laundry pile. And the sexy times at the end).

It’s sad that they struggle a little I suppose, but Gatekeeper doesn’t seem very good at the whole relationship thing in general.

Ah well. As long as they get their quality time, I think they’ll be fine.

Also I am totally not just bothering because I’m skilling his charisma SHHH

Anyway, time for more stupid simming tips from a terrible simmer!

Todays Tip is: Tents, I guess!

If you have the Noble Composure Handicap like I do, sims getting overtired at work is a constant concern. Y’know how they stay up late sometimes, trying to get in that last skill point before bed. But in most workplaces, you can actually put a tent right outside and let them get some sleep before they come home, preventing them from collapsing on your doorstep and losing the handicap.

Quincy here has forced me to use this trick several times.

Another tip is, instead of waiting around for your garden to need new plants for the planter challenge, just make a separate temporary garden of 19 different plants. That way you’ll always know exactly how close you are to finishing that challenge.

Sheogorath does this, and completes the gardening challenges, earning us a POINT.

Mortimer: “Helloooo everybody.”

And we all know there’s only one thing we invite Mortimer over for.

Harley Quinn became a young adult, and rolled her final trait: good sense of humour. Ah, well. They can’t all be winners.

Mortimer: “This is all your fault, Gatekeeper! If I’d raised our daughter she’d have rolled an interesting trait, like Nurturing, or Dog Lover!”

Gatekeeper: “Don’t be stupid, those traits aren’t even in this game yet! FURTHERMORE, when you had the chance to raise her you didn’t want to!”

Mortimer: “OH, so now I’M the one to blame for you deciding to run off with my idiot brother…”

Gatekeeper: “WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING? THIS IS ABOUT YOU NEVER THINKING HARLEY QUINN IS GOOD ENOUGH!”

Mortimer: “WELL SHE ISN’T!”

Quincy: “La la la, nothing’s happening, la la la.”

Gatekeeper: “THAT’S IT!”

Mortimer: “OW, Gatekeeper, this hurts! I demand you stop this at once!”

Gatekeeper: “Bitch you don’t even KNOW how long I’ve been waiting to do this.”

Gatekeeper: “It’s one thing to badmouth me. It’s even totally acceptable to badmouth my mom. But you better think twice ‘fore you talk shit about my husband and daughters, Mortimer.”

Susannah: “*quietly slipping out of the frame* You go girlfriend.”

Mortimer: “This is not the proper way to treat a Goth.”

I dunno, Bella always seems to like it rough.

Mortimer: “Carol Personality, you did this to me. Used me, betrayed me, took me away from everything I knew and loved. And for what? Why did you do this to me? Why?!”

Carol: “Doesn’t matter had sex.”

And that’s all for today! See you next time, when Generation Five starts proper!

(Current Score: 60)