The first male heir of this Sims 2 ocean-themed matriarchal legacy comes to terms with his predicament.

2. Welcome back to the Matriarchal Legasea, a legacy previously dominated by
strong, independent-minded women, but now led by a man – Anet’s son, Bacopa.
You know the drill: he’ll be telling the story, so if I have anything to add I’ll insert
an author’s note at the bottom. Now, Bacopa, what’s on your mind?
“There! I’ve finished the last page of my scrapbook. Now to put on some comfy
pajamas and sit down and read it!”

3. It’s hard to believe it’s been so many years since these first pictures
were taken. I’m so glad I decided to scrapbook them though – now I
have an album that’s like my life story. I do love remembering the
conversations and events in these pictures, or imagining them if I wasn’t
there. I wish I remembered how I got some of these pictures – some of
them seem impossible for someone to have taken! But that’s not
important now. Here they are, surrounded by cardstock, stickers, and my
handwriting: my memories.

4. When I got picked as heir, I’ll admit I
was a little confused. I mean, I’m a
guy, and the heiresses in my family
have always been women – you know,
heiresses. There’s an “ess” in there for
a reason. Mom was convinced that her
friends had made the right choice and
told me I would see that in time, too.
I asked how I was supposed to
bring in the next generation of
Legaseas, but she just told me
that things would get figured out
eventually. She said to focus on
college and worry about things
like kids later. Mom knows her
stuff most of the time, so I
packed up and headed to college,
still more than a little confused.

5. I moved into a dorm
at Sirenum
University, along
with my sister Azolla
and my brother
Myrio. They were
younger than me of
course, but not by
much, and they’re
rather smart so the
college let them in
early.
Me? I was kind of
an average student,
more interested in
gym class and
horsing around, but
I did well enough to
get in, as well as
earn a few
scholarships, which
I’m pretty proud of.
Azolla and Myrio are
technically my half-sister
and –brother, but they
might as well be full. We
grew up close in age and
I’ve been best friends
with them as long as I
can remember.

6. Being a popularity-
loving guy, I quickly
managed to get pledged
into Urele Hoh, the
rockingest Greek house
on campus and also the
one three generations of
my family have gone
through, probably not
coincidently. It wasn’t
too long before I got
through my pledge
period and was a full
member. I moved in
right away.
Beth, the girl that ran the
place, talked about my mom
all the time. I guess Mom left
a pretty big impression on
campus for them to still be
talking about her a
generation later.
Beth probably let me in so
quickly because she was
impressed by my smooth
dance skills.
*Beth, like many a poor Sirenum student, is still
smitten with Anet. Reunions could get tricky.

7. I insisted, over Beth’s protests, on
pledging Myrio and Azolla right
away. Beth was graduating that
year anyway, so I didn’t see why I
shouldn’t call the shots. She told
me I was bossy, but I got my way,
so she can call me whatever she
wants.

8. I don’t mind a little
nepotism, so I pulled strings
to get Myrio and Azolla
moved in quickly.
Friends and family are the most
important things to me, and seeing
as how all my friends went to
different colleges or stayed back in
Sirenum Scopuli, family was
unquestionably number one on my list
at the time.

9. Myrio was thrilled sophomore year when Debbie, his
exchange-student high school sweetheart, moved all
the way from Takemizu to study at the same college as
him. If you can believe it, he asked her to move in
without even clearing it with me first!

10. Debbie’s pretty cool and I guess Myrio did propose to her that
same day, making clear that he was committed, so I told him it
was ok. He said he hadn’t asked me, but I told him that was
okay too, but just this once. My one condition was that they
couldn’t share a room. I didn’t want any hanky-panky under my
roof. And yes, by that time, I was pretty sure Urele Hoh’s roof
was allllll mine. I was the oldest one in the house and the heir
after all! What good is being heir if you’re not in charge?

11. Things got complicated when Azolla
fell in love with this guy, Johnson.
She wanted him to move in right
away and they had just barely
started dating! I put my foot down.
Although I’m now happy to say
I was wrong, I thought he was
a bit of a twit. He wore a cap
and gown all the time because
he said he got invited to so
many graduation parties it was
just easier that way.

12. It turned out that Azolla’s the
one person I can’t say no to,
at least not for long. Pretty
soon Johnson was pledged
and moved in too.
He looked a lot less stupid when
we convinced him to take off the
cap and gown. There was
actually a normal guy lurking in
there somewhere!

13. Johnson and I argued for a
while over the no-sleeping-
together rule, but I told him
my house, my sister, my
rules. I got the sense that he
was actually pretty serious
about Azolla, considering he
was always talking about
settling down, so I went easy
on him.
We had renovations done on
the house and somehow
squeezed in a fourth bedroom
downstairs, so there was
space for Johnson after all –
space to sleep by himself,
away from my sister.

14. Johnson and I got to be pretty good
friends once I saw that he was an
okay guy, and I told him my deepest
wish at the time: to meet aliens.
I was a biology major so of course I
had taken Xenobiology 101. That was
when my love affair with the idea of
aliens began.
I took to stargazing every night, often
staying up way too late, convinced that I
would be able to find some aliens if I just
looked long enough.

15. We all kept pretty
busy during this time.
When we weren’t
studying, we found
time for our favorite
pursuits. Personally, I
love telling dirty jokes
and making new
friends, usually by
telling them about all
the skills I’ve mastered.
You might think that
would put people off
(Johnson thought so!)
but I was making
friends left and right.

16. The girls took up crafting robots and flowers
as hobbies, which was fine, I guess.
However, Debbie
made a humanoid
robot she called a
Servo and I told her
that under no
circumstances was
she to activate that
abomination in my
house. I just had a
bad feeling about it.

17. I realize I’m a bit of an anomaly that way, but you can’t change who
you ultimately are, and romance was not in the cards for me. I
realized at the time that this would probably make creating little
Legaseas more difficult, but being a dude was doing that already,
considering that my line has sworn never to marry or move in mates.
Where would babies come from without a girl in the house? I was
relatively sure cabbage patches wouldn’t help, even if they would grow
in the tropical heat.
Azolla and Debbie kept
telling me that they
thought our maid, Wendy,
was really into me and I
should ask her out. I didn’t
though. It’s not that I
didn’t like her, but it was
just as a friend. I’ve never
really felt “that” way
about girls, or guys for
that matter, so dating was
literally the last thing I
had on my mind.

18. Besides, it’s not like Urele Hoh was hurting for a little romance. Both
my sister and brother were head over heels in love with their
paramours. They were unlikely couples in some ways, but they really
worked. Azolla was all about the comfortable life, following wherever
pleasure led her, while Johnson could not shut up about starting a
family, and I say that as one of his best friends. Myrio had originally
professed a desire to follow in Mom’s romancin’ footsteps, but he had
eyes for no one but Debbie, who, besides Myrio, was laser-focused on
her eventual career and earning as much as she could. They were such
different people but somehow it worked for both couples.
*Azolla and Johnson have two bolts and Myrio and Debbie have three, despite all of them
having somewhat conflicting aspirations. Go figure.

19. One night the five of us went to a fancy
dinner at Londoste. Johnson had told me
about the big surprise, since he had
wisely asked my permission, but it was
still fun to watch it play out.
Azolla was delighted
with her ring. She and
Johnson barely ate
that night they were
so busy holding hands
and giggling nervously.
I told Johnson I don’t
know why he took so
long when he’d been
talking about
marrying Azolla from
day one, but he said
he was waiting for the
right time.

20. I got a drink at the bar while the couples
danced. I was super happy for Azolla, and
Myrio too, but I couldn’t help feeling a little
left out. I knew that wasn’t my future, but
what was?
Mom had said to focus
on college, but it was
almost over and soon I
would have to return
home to somehow,
mysteriously, start a
family.

21. Gossip is always such
an ice-breaker.
Determined not to worry about things
that I couldn’t change, like being heir,
asexual, and a man, I spent my last
semester at college studying hard and
making lots of friends. At one point in
college, I was literally best friends with
everyone I knew.

22. All too soon, my siblings and I graduated, while Johnson
(who broke out his cap and gown anyway) and Debbie
celebrated having only one year left. As usual, Urele Hoh
threw the best party and the house was flooded with
relatives, friends, and fellow students.

23. My two mothers, Anet (who I call Mom) and Celine (who I call Celine)
were naturally there to see my graduation. Mom has always been
there for me, and Celine, though she doesn’t live with us, has always
been there for my major milestones and was always as close as a
phone call, once she and Mom reconciled – yes, I knew about their
spat. I was so happy to see the two of them after four long years
away that I didn’t even think about my problems that day.

24. Since Debbie and
Johnson still had
one more year,
there were some
pretty hot and
heavy goodbyes
taking place at the
end of the party.
Once again, I felt acutely different, but I
loved my friends, I loved my family, and I
loved searching for aliens. That was entirely
enough love for me.

25. Yay! Here’s my first picture of me as a full-fledged
adult. Pretty hot, right?  I was buoyed up by the
party and graduation, and couldn’t wait to get home,
come what may.

26. Before we get to those pages, I wanted to
show off my siblings’ lives. Azolla and
Johnson planned a wedding for the very
next day after his graduation. They had
taken being apart really hard so they were
glad to be reunited.
In the year since
graduation, Azolla had
finally ditched her
pigtails and it turned
out that, without the
extra hair to weigh it
down, she had curly
hair like her other
mother, Arielle.

27. The wedding was beautiful.
Mom was so happy she was
crying and I had to keep
passing her tissues throughout
the ceremony. I was so happy
for my sister and pleased that
she had found such a great guy.
I knew they would make a
great life together.

28. Debbie and Myrio were gearing up for their own
wedding and they were all over each other at
the reception.
Mom embarrassed me by starting to smustle, of all
things, at the reception while everyone else was
dancing quietly. Although, I have to admit I did join
her eventually. She was just having too much fun!

29. Johnson got a job in oceanography, but
once he and Azolla found out they were
expecting, it was all he could do not to
rush home in the middle of the workday
to be with his wife.
Azolla had had a really
rough pregnancy and
had been on bed rest
for a long time, so it
was a bit of a relief for
them, although still
scary, when she went
into labor early.

30. The reason for
Azolla’s difficult
pregnancy and
early delivery was
soon revealed
when she
delivered quads.
Johnson had always wanted a big family,
and now he had it! They had three little
girls and a single son.

31. All of Azolla’s and
Johnson’s children
were bright and
beautiful, and they
were soon active,
busy toddlers.
From top left,
clockwise, are
Mangrove, Papyrus,
Balansae, and Lily.

32. The kids grew and grew and soon they were
school-aged. They were all incredibly close.
Interestingly, when Mangrove’s hair finally grew
in, he had curly hair like his mom while all the
girls had their dad’s straight hair, and two of
them had the color too. Again, from left to
right is Balansae, Papyrus, Lily, and Mangrove.

33. And that’s the story of Azolla and her happy family.

34. Naturally, as soon as Debbie graduated, she and Myrio
moved in together. I guess now that they didn’t have a
nosy older brother looking over their shoulder, they
wanted to spend more alone time together while they
planned their wedding.

35. Against my advice, Myrio and Debbie decided to activate
the Servo she had built. They named him Lawrence and
Myrio actually left that monstrosity home alone with his
soon-to-be-wife while he was out tap-dancing! I didn’t
trust that thing from day one, just for the record. Debbie,
for her part, stayed home and studied while she waited
for an opening to come up in her chosen field of business.

36. Debbie and Myrio had the bad fortune of planning their wedding during
monsoon season and they were rained out day after day, so they finally
held the wedding indoors in their small home. It was still a wonderful
wedding and a great party. Mom jumped at the chance to smustle at
the reception, but this time I didn’t put up a fight before joining in. Now
both my siblings were married and settled.

37. Lawrence was lonely and had taken to following the now often-ill Debbie
around the house, wanting to chat and tell jokes while she just wanted
to rest. Debbie, when she was feeling up to it, built another Servo that
she and Myrio named Lorraine. Unsurprisingly, since she was literally
made for him, Lawrence fell for Lorraine hard and they were soon a
couple and mashing vision sockets together while kissing. Judging by
Myrio’s face in the picture, he too found this a little distasteful.
Personally, I thought it sounded like double trouble.

38. Pop!
Pop!
Debbie and Myrio moved further inland for Debbie’s health, but it was
soon revealed that her illness was merely the early stages of
pregnancy. She and Myrio, who had taken to wearing a kimono like
his wife, were delighted and relieved that she wasn’t actually ill.
*Debbie actually had a pregnancy that wouldn’t progress, so moving did do wonders for
the state of her pregnancy and thus her health. ;)

39. Myrio was at work with his
tap company when Debbie
went into labor, with only
those metallic monsters and
a few visiting neighbors
there to help her deliver the
baby.
Nonetheless, she had a healthy
and lovely little boy. In case
they had a boy, they had
picked out the name Kelp, so
that’s what Debbie named
him.

40. Several things happened that night. Before
Myrio could rush home from work, Lawrence
malfunctioned, ran amok, and electrocuted
Lorraine just feet from the newborn. When
Myrio arrived home, he tuned Lawrence up,
but just so that he could send them packing.
Such dangerous creatures are not meant to be
around delicate babies, and I’m glad Myrio
and Debbie belatedly took my advice in
kicking them out.

41. Kelp took after his mommy much more
than his daddy, but he was definitely a
daddy’s boy. He loved being held by and
being played with by Myrio, and Debbie
sometimes complained that it seemed like
she never got to hold him. Partially that
was due to her being sick again, although
this time she knew what it meant.

42. Happy
Birthday,
Kelp!
Kelp grew into a charming little guy
who was very active and outgoing, a
child after my own heart. Meanwhile,
Debbie was getting ready to give birth.
This pregnancy was much easier on
her, and she and Myrio couldn’t wait
to meet the newest addition to their
family.

43. Soon Debbie went into labor. Unlike the first
time she gave birth, she was surrounded by her
family and she told me it seemed to go much
easier because of it. They had a daughter named
Lotus. Kelp was not thrilled to be a big brother
at first.

44. Once Lotus was old
enough to play,
however, Kelp
changed his mind
about his little sister.
He loved tickling her
and singing nursery
rhymes with her. They
were soon great
friends.
Lotus definitely looked more like her dad.
She had the same big grey eyes and
round face with a square-ish jaw. She
was really a cute little toddler.

45. Soon Lotus was growing into a
child too. She was really quite
beautiful, but she was shy and
reserved, the complete opposite
of her brother.
Lotus and Kelp got
along great,
though, and once
they were in the
same age bracket,
they were the best
of friends.

46. That’s how life ended up for my brother Myrio and his
wonderful family.

47. Mom painted a portrait of me as soon as I got
home and we hung it on the portrait wall with
those of the five women who had come before me.
I was glad to be home, but I was more anxious
than ever. What was I supposed to do to have kids,
since that was one of my main purposes as heir to
our legacy and one of the things I wanted most
out of life? Mom merely said that she was sure I
would figure something out and that I should just
wait and live life until it happened, and that I
would know my chance when it came. I wondered
if she knew a little bit more than she let on, but
she wouldn’t say more so I left it at that.

48. Mom had bred our cat, Ashray, with
a neighbor’s cat while I was away at
school, and Ashray gave birth to four
little kittens just days after I got
back from college. I hadn’t been close
to her as a child – that was Azolla –
but I found more time to spend with
her and especially the kittens. There
was a male named Backahasten, and
three females named Kappa,
Melusine, and Rusalka.

49. The kittens were a lot of work,
but I really enjoyed them. I could
see why my grandmother
Thalassa had wanted to breed so
many of them, although I didn’t
want anything crazy like that
myself.
Once he was old enough, we gave
Backahasten away to Myrio and
his family, since we would need a
female to continue the line and
there was no point in raising a
male. Besides, Debbie was
pregnant and they wanted a pet
for their eventual child.

50. I kept up my search for aliens,
mainly as something to do to fill
my time. The job I really wanted
(my life goal) was Captain Hero,
but the police department was
never hiring when I looked. Mom
encouraged me to keep
stargazing. She said looking at
the stars helps people figure
things out. It would have been
easier without all the ghosts,
however.

51. Mom became an Icon and
promptly retired, since she said I
would need her help with the
babies. What babies? I had no kids
and no job, and I was feeling
depressed. I took to wearing my
pajamas all the time and just
messing around on the guitar,
wondering what I was going to do
with my life.

52. And then it happened. One
night while stargazing, I finally
saw a ship, but before I could
even gasp, I found myself
being pulled inexorably
upwards. I was being
abducted! Mom heard the
noise of the tractor beam and
raced out onto the balcony.
“You’ll be fine sweetie!” she
yelled after me. “Just be brave
and it’ll all be worth it!” I
realized later that she knew
exactly what was going on. I
mean, you would think she
could have at least given me a
heads-up. As it was, I was
terrified of finally coming face
to face with the creatures I had
been so desiring to see.

53. I don’t really like to
talk about my time
on the spaceship,
but I included these
pictures that Mom
took of me
returning.
It had been hours, I felt like my needs were
all awry, and I felt terribly sore, not just
from the rude exit they gave me. This was
not at all what I had imagined when I had
started searching for aliens five years ago.

54. For the next few months, the abduction
was all I could think about. I didn’t dare
stargaze again. Instead I continued to bum
around the house, although I kept checking
for openings in law enforcement.
Then, finally, a job
opened up. I
applied and was
hired right away!

55. Due to my great education and
credentials, I started as the police
chief. It wasn’t long before I felt
that I knew all I could learn about
law enforcement from the police
and I struck out on my own as
Captain Hero. What a thrill,
helping the people of SimCity! I
felt like I would be happy for the
rest of my life, come what may.
Before the promotion, I had the
most curious thing happen. One
day I got really, really sick in the
morning, and the next day the
same thing happened, and the
next and the next. I confided to
Mom and she said it sounded like
morning sickness. She thought I
was pregnant! Could that really
have been what the aliens were
doing? I wasn’t sure but I felt a
mixture of fear, delight, and of
course, queasiness.

56. My pregnancy was soon
confirmed when I started
getting round around the
middle and feeling kicks. I was
expecting a baby! I couldn’t
believe it! I had no idea this
could even happen, but I was
elated because kids were all I
wanted now that I was set in
my job. Well, that and to be
Mayor, but mostly kids. And
now one was on the way!
I hassled Mom for not telling me what she
knew about abductions before I got taken,
but she said she was worried I’d be scared
away from it, and it was the only way
for me to get children. Modern science
has figured out how two women can have
children, but human science hasn’t
advanced to a point where men can get
pregnant. Alien science, on the other
hand, has.

57. The kittens finally grew up. They all looked
similar so we decided to keep Melusine
since we had never had a green-eyed cat
and Mom was rather fond of her. The
other two went to live with Azolla’s quads.
Melusine

58. Besides being on
great terms with
mom, Melusine got
along with Ashray
really well, which
was good since
Ashray was getting
older and slower.

59. Time passed and my belly began to get quite
large. Mom kept joking that I was probably
having quads too, I was so big. That made me
more than a little nervous. To take my mind
off things, I painted a portrait of Melusine for
our cat wall. I think she’s much more elegant-
looking than Ashray was at that age.

60. Mom and I spent
some lazy days in the
sun on the beach. I
can’t believe how big
my stomach was in
these pictures! Laying
down felt so good
after carting that kid
around.

61. I got back to spending time on the guitar,
but now it wasn’t an escape from
depression. In fact, now I was as happy as
could be. I had a child on the way and
although I was jobless again, it was by
choice as I wanted plenty of time to
nurture my soon-to-be-born child.
Mom was really happy
too. She said she hadn’t
wanted kids at first but
she was so glad she had
them, and now she
couldn’t wait to meet
her grandchild. We were
both anticipating the
birth with glee.

62. I caught Mom
primping and asked
why, and she just
said, “Oh, you
know, Celine’s
coming over. No
reason really.”
Sure. She still
wanted to look nice
for Celine, I guess.
I couldn’t wait to tell my other mother
all about my pregnancy. She was really
happy for me too. She too was excited
to be a grandmother, although it was a
little weird since she’s an iceberg spirit
and doesn’t age, so she still looked as
young as me. I asked her to spend the
night so we could chat more the next
day.

63. To my great surprise, I got scared by the ghost of my
great-grandmother Orca and it sent me into labor. My
screams awakened Mom and Celine and they ran in to
help me. I’ve never given birth any other way, but I think
Debbie was right that having people you love there with
you helps a lot. I was in a lot of pain but I was also so
excited to meet my little one.

64. Not a
little one,
but two!
That’s right – the reason I got so
big is that I was carrying twins.
Twins come up unusually often in
my family, but it was still a
surprise when I went into labor the
second time. All three of us were so
excited to meet my new little
babies.

65. Both of my children had green alien
skin, Celine’s eyes, and, to my
delight, red hair. I loved that the
twins were so similar, and yet there
were already differences between
them. I had one son and one
daughter now.
The boy I named Titanic and the girl
was named Britannic, but I called them
Ti and Brit from the very beginning.
*This generation is named after famous sunken ships.
History lesson: the Britannic was the “sister” ship to
the Titanic, and sank after hitting a mine near Greece
during the First World War. Only 30 people died,
though, a much better record than the Titanic.

66. There were a lot
of hugs going
around in the
house those days.
Most of my time was spent with
my new twins, but I did find a
little time for Melusine. Celine
visited often in those early days
to help out, which I really
appreciated. She always told me
that I’m a great father and that
she’s proud of me. That felt good
to hear.

67. Twins are such a handful! I had studied up on
parenting books while I was pregnant, so I wasn’t
completely ignorant of how to take care of
babies, but it was still exhausting. For the longest
time they wouldn’t sleep through the night and I
got a little loopy and cranky. This is when being
part of a regular family would be easier because
there would be more people to divide the labor
amongst.
Still, I had Mom and she
was a great help. She did
all the things I did and we
tried to give each other
time off so neither of us
got too worn out. She even
took my advice when I
wanted to do something
differently from the way
she had been taught to deal
with children, and you
know how I feel about
people doing what I say.

68. In the limited free time we had in those
days, we tried to keep active and healthy
by working out on the barre doing ballet
exercises. Of course the guitar was a draw,
but we could only play when Brit and Ti
were already awake because it woke them
up from naps. I took to stargazing again
because I had gotten over the trauma of
my abduction and I really wanted Ti and
Brit to have another sibling. I grew up
with two siblings and I wanted the same
for my children. It took me five years to
get abducted the first time, so I figured I
had better start right away to increase
my chances.

69. All too soon a year had
passed, and then another.
My babies wouldn’t be
babies for long.
Mom and I
celebrated the
birthdays with just
the four of us.

70. I couldn’t believe how precious and adorable my children
were as toddlers. Ti and Brit were just the cutest things.
Ti really had more of the alien look in his eyes, but Brit
was a good mixture of me and alien. Their red hair was
so striking against their pale green skin. Their
personalities really started to come out, too. They were
both outgoing and active like me, little hellraisers. They
also had a kindness and a gentleness to them that I
admired, as it wasn’t a trait I could claim.

71. Ti was moderately serious,
but Brit was very serious.
From a very young age, she
was very literal and wanted
things to make sense.
Needless to say, this plus
natural curiosity made her a
great learner.
*Britannic: 0/10/9/0/10 Titanic: 1/10/10/4/10
Both kids were a real mess
though. Dinner time was a
finger-painting contest and
bath time was an exploration in
bathroom flooding. Nothing
could dampen my love for my
kids, though, not even a little –
ok, a lot of – sloppiness.

72. If I thought raising the kids as babies was an adventure, it was
nothing compared to taking care of twin toddlers! They needed to
learn to talk, walk, use the potty and learn nursery rhymes among
other skills. With a lot of help from Mom, we achieved all this while
they were still toddlers. Good thing too! I wouldn’t want my kids
going through life without all the advantages I could give them.
Adorably, Ti and Brit had the same first word: Teddy. Aww.

73. Pretty soon they were up
and about and nothing
could slow them down.
Make way for toddlers
on the move!

74. It wasn’t long before
all that time together
took effect and I
made best friends
with my children.
Family has always
been one of the things
that are important to
me, and I felt so
blessed by my
children. They were
great friends with
Mom too, of course.
Yep, Brit and Ti
never lacked for love.

75. Ti was really
fascinated by the
cats, and they were
equally interested in
him. Ashray and
Melusine got a lot of
cuddles, and for the
most part seemed to
like it since they
kept coming back for
more.
They even watched
over him while he
slept!

76. Now that my kids were older, I reentered
the working world as a politician. I
worked my way up and got elected as
Mayor, another one of my life goals. Next I
wanted to a Hall of Famer, but I wanted
to serve out my term with dignity and
perseverance since the people of SimCity
had seen fit to elect me in the first place.
At the same time that
I was working long
days and then coming
home to my kids, I was
spending nearly all
night watching the
skies. I didn’t get much
sleep in those days.

77. I liked looking through picture
albums. I wished I knew how to
make baby books for my kids, but
putting pictures in plastic sleeves
was the most I could manage at
the time.
I thought often about having another baby,
which was what kept me driven through
those long, sleepless nights. I loved my two,
but I wanted one more so badly it ached.

78. It seemed like one day my kids were toddlers, messily throwing
blocks around the play room, and the next day were children,
running through the house and shouting like little maniacs. Time
passed so quickly and I wondered if I would ever have another baby,
especially while my older two were still young.
Happy birthday,
Ti and Brit! Slow down, kids!

79. Ti and Brit were such beautiful little children and I was so
amazed by them and their wonderful personalities. Even with
the messiness, they were everything a parent could hope for and
more. They were so friendly with everyone, and every time I
looked at them I just felt choked up by love and awe that such
incredible beings had come from me.

80. They had played together in the
nursery some, but Ti and Brit really
became fast friends once they were
children. They did pretty much
everything together from dawn
until dusk, whether that was
studying, playing, sleeping, or
steadfastly ignoring their unmade
beds.

81. Ti and Brit soon went off to their first day of
school, and before long they were bringing home
homework and needing the help of Mom and me.
On the days I didn’t work, Mom and I just hung
out all day until 3 when the kids came home,
and then it was all about them again.

82. Once I was up for reelection, I
dropped out of the race to once
again be unemployed, but that
didn’t mean I wouldn’t be busy. I
had two growing kids to look
after and I still spent every
evening on the balcony, looking
for my ticket to one more kiddo.
Now that her grandchildren
were old enough to come over,
Mom really enjoyed visiting with
them so that’s how she spent
her evenings, at least until the
kids had to head home.

83. The kids were studying hard because they knew I
expected them to go to college like the vast majority of
their relatives had. They seemed to master one skill
after another and just got smarter and smarter. I was
so impressed by their intelligence and their work ethic.

84. Life wasn’t all drudgery for them,
though. They spent a lot of time
playing together and were so close. I
frequently found them hugging each
other. So sweet. And yes, that’s
another picture of unmade beds.
Trust me, I have tons. Ti brought
home friends from school pretty
often and he liked to call them up on
the phone to visit, which is how I
kept in touch with all of my friends
from college, so he reminded me
strongly of me when he had
marathon phone sessions.

85. Now that the kids were older and
needed less hands-on care, Mom
had a lot more free time all of
the sudden. She mostly spent it
down on the beach.
I think she often
thought about the past
while she was out there
alone. Mom had been a
real wild child, but she
had settled down once
she had us kids.

86. When Mom had the headmaster of the local private
school over for dinner he opened with, “Oh, you’re
that weird family that doesn’t get married. Wait, I
probably shouldn’t have said that out loud.” It’s ok,
though. Great-great-grandmother Atlantica got a
little revenge on him. Despite the scare, he thought
the food, tour, and company was excellent and Ti
and Brit were accepted into the school.

87. Despite my satisfaction with Atlantica’s ghost
getting the snooty headmaster, I had to admit the
ghosts were a bit of a problem. I had rarely seen one
but I know Mom, Myrio, and especially Brit had
seen them frequently. Brit seemed to get picked on
by the ghosts, which I really didn’t appreciate. You’d
think they’d be a bit kinder to their descendants.

88. The following Monday after the headmaster’s visit, Brit and Ti
started at Sirenum Academy. They were soon pulling down
A’s, even with the more rigorous course work.

89. This page is in here so that when
they start bringing dates home, I
can embarrass them about how
messy they were as kids. Even
with a maid, Mom and I still
spent a fair amount of time
cleaning up after the kids. I
swear the maid spent half the
day just picking up books.

90. Around this time was when I first started
scrapbooking. I wanted to hang on to these
precious years of my children’s youth, and I
wanted to play with paper and stickers.
Scrapbooking nicely provided for both needs.
Mom wasn’t impressed however. She thought I
should have a more “manly” hobby.
I told her it was her
fault for never buying
me a sticker book as a
kid, so now I had to
compensate. She just
said, “I’m sooooo going
to go blog this.”

91. Ashray’s time was soon up.
Melusine yowled for hours after
Ashray’s death, which was
heartbreaking. I made sure to
spend extra time with her so she
wouldn’t get lonely.

92. When the kids had done all their schoolwork and independent
studying, they were free to do pretty much whatever they
wanted. Not surprisingly for the descendants of merpeople, they
often ended up in the water. Also not surprisingly, they were
always together.

93. Ti’s fascination with cats continued past
his toddler years, but now he could do
more than just squeeze them. He and
Melusine were soon great friends.
He even taught her a
trick! Melusine learned
to sit up, which was
pretty darn cute. Ti
had a way with
animals.

94. Mom was so good with the kids. She always
tucked them in at night and gave them
hugs when they got home from school.
I don’t know how I
could have done any
of this without her.
She always helped
and she never
complained, even
when she was
picking books up off
the floor for the nth
time.

95. She and I continued to spend our
free time together while the kids
were playing or at school. We both
played the instruments a lot, and I
picked up the violin again. I hadn’t
played since I was a teenager! We
also took time to keep up with all of
our old friends by phone.

96. I was not having much luck trying to get abducted. To make
matters worse, one rainy night I got struck by lightning. Let
me tell you, I had some funky stuff done to me in that
spaceship, but I still would prefer that to getting flash fried.
That was no fun at all.

97. Brit had been studying
couples counseling and really
wanted to help someone out.
The only broken-up couple
she knew was her
grandmothers. I found out
about this all later, but she
had been working on them
for a while to soften them up
to the idea, and then she
brought them together one
night for her grand
experiment.
Not surprisingly, Ti was her
accomplice. It was no secret that
Mom and Celine still had feelings
for each other, but even though
they had made up, there was
still a lot of unspoken tension
between them. Brit worked on
lifting that, I guess.

98. At first Mom and Celine gave each other
a friendly hug like they normally did, but
Mom leaned in for more than that! After
a long kiss, she stepped back, but Celine
immediately pointed at her and raised
her voice. “I said never again! What
makes you think you can go toying with
my heart again?”
“Please, Celine,” Mom begged. “I’ve never
stopped loving you and I’ve done so much
growing since then and I haven’t even
seen Arielle in years. Please understand.”

99. This time Mom was surprised as Celine planted a
big one on her. “Part of me always wanted this,”
Celine said. “And I think I’m ready to trust you
again.” Just like that, they were a couple again,
and I think it made both of them extremely happy.

100. Mom was both cheerful
and thoughtful after
that. She stared at my
painting for a long
time before giving me
a kiss. “I’m so glad
your other mother and
I are together again,”
she said. “And even if
we had never gotten
back together again,
I’m so glad I got you
out of the bargain.”
I think Brit was
very happy with
her results and
she seemed even
more light-
hearted than
before while she
played with Ti.

101. After about 12 years of trying, I finally got abducted again. This
time I was ready for it and knew what to expect. The only thing I
regret about it is that it upset my family. The kids didn’t understand
why I was gone, and Mom couldn’t stand the loud noise of the
spaceship when it returned.

102. Like before, I got
some rough
handling, but I also
got what I came for.
“Are you . . .?” Mom trailed off.
“Pregnant?”
“Yeah. And are you ok?”
“Yes and yes. I’m going to have
another baby!”

103. Mom and Celine spent even more
time together now that they
were a couple again. I think they
also knew their time was
growing short. On a date
downtown, they got photobooth
pics together.

104. Mom had a surprise for Celine that
evening. She started, “Celine, I’m so
happy to be with you again.” She then
pulled out a small box. “You know what
this means to me. Is this what I think it
is?” Celine gasped. “Why don’t you open
it and find out?” Mom replied. Celine
opened the box and looked at the shiny
ring. Mom looked nervously at Celine and
asked, “Celine, would you be my devoted
companion, for the rest of our days?”
Celine practically yelled “Yes!”

105. The rest of their date went wonderfully. Celine
was so delighted to finally get a real commitment
from Mom, who finally knew the meaning of the
word. That night, once she was home, Mom set up
the pictures of her and Celine by her bedside.

106. Soon Ti and Brit were
celebrating their
birthday and their
entrance into the
teenage years. I couldn’t
believe how big my
babies had gotten. All
their aunts and uncles,
as well as Celine, Mom,
and I, were there for
the party.

107. On their birthday, as is traditional, Ti and Brit declared their life goals. Ti said that,
like me, he wanted to make lots of friends and also live a carefree life, and planned to
be an icon just like his grandma. Brit said that she merely wanted to keep learning,
and, oh yeah, eat exactly 200 grilled cheese sandwiches. What? That’s weird, and I
say that as a very loving and understanding father. Whatever makes her happy,
though.
*Titanic is popularity/pleasure and Britannic is grilled cheese/knowledge.

108. It was definitely a fun party. I
spent most of the time
socializing with my now
teenaged children, but Mom
and Celine found their own way
to celebrate, thankfully out of
earshot of the rest of us.

109. As my pregnancy
progressed, I tried to
take good care of
myself. I spent a lot of
time relaxing and
sleeping to keep my
energy up.

110. Now that I couldn’t hide it any
longer, I finally told Ti and
Brit that I was pregnant. I
was afraid they might not
want a little sibling since they
were so close and would be so
far apart in age from the little
one, but they totally surprised
me.
Both of them were overjoyed
to hear my news! They could
barely keep away from my
belly. They always wanted to
feel the kicks and talk to my
bump. I was so relieved that,
rather than resent my
youngest child, they loved
him or her already.

111. Brit and Ti got jobs in the Intelligence career and soon got promoted
as high as they could get as teenagers. I was so proud of them. They
really were little overachievers, doing great in school and at work!
The only thing that was strange about their job was that they had to
wear really dull wigs to help conceal their identity, as if two green
people didn’t stand out already, even in a place like Sirenum Scopuli!

112. Brit was the most fascinated by my pregnancy. My kids had
known they were part-alien, but they had never really asked
much about it, but now Brit wanted to know all about how it
worked. She pestered Mom and me endlessly to explain how a
man could be pregnant, and how two different species could
come together to create viable offspring. It was that seriousness
and inquisitiveness of hers at work.
At the same time, Brit and Ti were really getting in to music
after years of watching Mom and me play. They took turns
playing the guitar, but always in a friendly manner. They’ve
never been competitive over anything, for which I am grateful.

113. My pregnancy
was
progressing at
a good pace. I
got bigger and
bigger, but
not as big as
when I was
pregnant with
the twins.
Mom was there
to watch over
me at all times.
I was grateful to
have someone
who had also
been pregnant
there to coach
me through,
even though this
was my second
pregnancy.
She did think
I worked out
too much, but
I wanted to
keep strong
and fit even
while I was
gaining
weight.

114. Poor kids!
Ti and Brit came
home with a
demotion on the
same day, both for
really petty
reasons, like
beating the boss at
Scrabble. Brit
decided to quit
right away because
she didn’t feel
appreciated, and
because she knew
Mom was getting
old and she wanted
to be around more
to help me with the
baby when it came.
They agreed,
though, that if the
boss didn’t start
treating Ti better,
he would quit too.

115. I went into labor with
my entire family around
me.
Once again, things went smoothly
and I delivered another healthy,
green baby, making everyone in my
family extremely happy.

116. My new daughter had the same eyes as Mom and me, green alien
skin, and red hair just like her older brother and sister. I decided to
name her Lusitania, but call her Lu.
*The Lusitania was briefly an armed merchant cruiser during World War I, but
returned to passenger service and carrying government cargo. She was sunk by a
German U-Boat off the southern coast of Ireland and 1,198 lives were lost.

117. The kids continued to be wonderful with
Lu, and loved her even more now that
they had met her. Brit was especially
good with Lu and even changed a few
diapers, which Ti refused to do. Brit
helped out a lot but they both provided
a lot of love to Lu and I was so pleased
with my happy family.

118. Mom and Celine continued to
have a great relationship now
that they were reconciled.
Brit wouldn’t let anyone forget
that it was she that had brought
them together again.

119. While Brit was doing great things
for the human members of the
family, Ti was taking care of the
cats. He had come to be great
friends with Melusine and he
decided it was time for her to
have kittens. He met and
befriended a neighbor cat that
looked a lot like Melusine’s dad.
He said he wanted to continue
the white stars especially. The two
cats got along great and Melusine
was soon pregnant.

120. We all kept busy.
When the kids
weren’t around Lu
or at school, they
were often digging
down at the beach,
sometimes with
consequences! I was
completely
wrapped up with
caring for my
youngest daughter,
but I also knew
that I could stop
stargazing now.
Now that I could
get a good night’s
sleep (except for
when Lu woke up)
I decided to go
back to work and
got a job as a
coach.

121. All too soon my little Lu
was a toddler.
Lu looked very different from
her older siblings, but she was
adorable too. Unlike her siblings,
she was very tidy from a young
age, but wasn’t as gentle. She
was however just as outgoing,
but much more playful. I loved
how different she was from the
older kids!
*Lusitania is 10/10/4/8/3.

122. Lu was playful, a fast learner, and rowdy. She learned
her skills very quickly. Her first word was Daddy, which
made my heart swell with pride. After we taught her a
nursery rhyme, she would always wake up from a nap
by singing. It was so sweet.

123. Melusine eventually had her
kittens. They obviously had a
lot of genetics from Melusine’s
mother, Ashray, as instead of
being white, like Melusine and
her siblings were, these two
kittens were pink and purple
and orange. They looked like
rainbow sherbet kittens.
We named one of them
Charybdis and one Chessie.
They were both females. We’ve
actually used the name
Charybdis before, I found out
later, but when you’ve had as
many cats as we’ve had in our
family (thanks to Thalassa)
sometimes you forget which
names you’ve used or not.

124. While the kids were learning and
growing, now teenagers and a toddler,
Mom and I were living our own lives as
well. I worked my way up through the
Athletic field to become a Hall of Famer,
another life goal I had set for myself. I
felt like after this one, I was finished with
job goals and I would just stay in this job.
Meanwhile, Mom was spending nearly all
of her free time with Celine.
*Bacopa’s next LTW is a Golden Anniversary, which
is so not happening for several reasons.

125. My daughter underwent a very strange
transformation. She met a woman
named Ocean Raye, who claimed she
was a good witch. They struck up a
friendship and before long Brit was a
witch too, glowing and sparkling when
she walked around the house.
*Two things: Thanks for photobombing the hell
out of that pic, Celine. Also, Ocean Raye? Did she
get named by a 12-year-old fanfic writer? Is her
full name Ocean Raye Moonbeam Sunflower?

126. Magic became one
of Brit’s two main
hobbies. She spent
large amounts of
time making
reagents and
learning spells.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this change.
Seeing my children happy and healthy is
the most important thing to me, but this
seemed a little out there. Still, I guess at
the end of the day, it didn’t harm her
and it made her happy, so it was okay
with me. I wish she had consulted me
before she had gone through the
transformation, but I probably would have
said ok, anyway. I have mellowed a bit on
the bossiness with age.

127. Brit’s other big hobby, of course, is cheese of the grilled variety. She
loves talking about it all the time, and Ti is such a sweetheart that
he actually listens to it. Not everyone (ahem) can stand to hear her
talk about it, so I’m glad she’s got an outlet. When she’s not talking
about grilled cheese or practicing magic, she’s eating grilled cheese.
Again, whatever makes her happy.

128. The older kids are so
good about spending
time with Lu. They
both had great
relationships with her
right away because of
playing together. It
made me really
happy to see my
three kids bonding
together.
Ti told me that as soon as Brit left,
Lu started babbling about magic. I
guess she’s picked up on Brit’s
witchy ways! She loves her big
sister so much, so it’s no surprise
that she said she’ll be a witch when
she grows up too. We’ll just see
about that, I thought at the time.

129. Mom had Celine over practically every day now
that they had made up and were together again.
They were making up for lost time, I guess. I was
just happy to see her and Celine happy again, and
I’ll admit that seeing my two mothers together
made me happy as well.

130. Wow! Ti’s boss was a real jerk. After Ti had worked hard to get
to the top of the Intelligence ladder for teens, he got demoted
again! Ti didn’t want to make trouble, but Brit talked him into
quitting. In fact, she called in for him. “Look,” she said. “We’re
the nicest two kids in all of Sirenum, pretty much, but I just
want you to know you’re a real meany-head. That’s right! I said
it! Good day!” I laughed and laughed and laughed after that one.
I’m proud of her for telling his boss off and protecting her
brother, but she’s so darn nice she couldn’t even do it properly! I
would have had some choicer things to say if it were me doing it.

131. This was such a sad time. Mom passed
away. She was very old, but there’s
never a good time to lose someone you
love. Lu was upstairs in the nursery,
but the rest of us were with her, even
Celine, so I felt like we gave her the
best send-off possible.
Mom was buried out
back with the four
strong women who
had come before her.
They would all have
been so proud to see
the life she’d lived.
She had such an
influence on me, and
I owe her everything.

132. While we were all
grieving, I took two
main actions before
allowing myself to feel
the loss. First, I gave
Celine the picture of
her and Mom from
their date night and
made sure she knew
that Mom had
treasured it.
Second, I took the necklace she always wore,
our family heirloom, passed down from
Oceania Legasea herself, and placed it securely
in a jewelry box. Normally she would have
passed it down to the next heiress but I didn’t
feel right wearing it. Instead, it’ll wait for the
next female Legasea heir, whether that is one
of my daughters or a descendent of my son.

133. I knew Mom was
getting old so I had
tried to prepare
myself, but there
really isn’t anything
you can do to make
losing someone you
love ok. Instead, I
had to find ways to
manage my grief.
Of course the best way was spending time with
my kids, but when they were busy I would love
up on Melusine or the kittens. I also spent a lot
of time on the violin and guitar and
remembered when Mom and I used to play
together while the twins were at school. I
found that talking about Mom and sharing
stories with relatives and friends helped a lot.
It’s always good to remember the good times.

134. I couldn’t get too bogged down in my grief
because Lu needed so much from me. She was
growing so fast and was so playful and outgoing
that she always wanted to sing together or be
held, or be read to, or be tickled, or or or, etc.
She just loved the attention and since I was now
the only adult that could give it to her, I made
sure she got what she needed and deserved.

135. Without Mom, I needed help with Lu. I couldn’t do it all on my
own, so I had to enlist my kids, even though I didn’t want to take
away too much from their free time. On late nights when they had
homework and babysitting duty, I got them an energy drink but I
often found them using the energy to tell dirty jokes to each other
instead!
*Because Bacopa had his second abduction so late, the kids were set to grow into adults
the same day Lu would become a teen! I had them take a sip of elixir so they could all be
teens together for the heir poll.

136. Lu seemed to grow up so fast, or maybe it
was just because so much was happening.
Soon she was a beautiful child and had delved into
the world of studying. She was due to start school
soon and wanted to be prepared. I couldn’t believe
my youngest was getting so old.

137. That summer,
before Lu
started school,
we decided to
go on a
vacation.
The morning we left, Lu was so excited that she ran to the cab, leaving
the three of us to mosey along behind her. I didn’t think she could run so
fast with such a heavy suitcase! We were going to the beautiful island of
Twikkii, which, while tropical and warm like Sirenum Scopuli, is more
lush. We were looking forward to being surrounded by the greenery that
was often absent on our island, and of course the local culture.

138. The best part of the vacation was how it brought
our family closer together, especially my three
children. Lu had often been played with while she
was a toddler, and she was friends with her older
brother and sister, but being on vacation really
made best friends out of Lu, Brit, and Ti. We
spent all our time together and I’ve never felt
closer to my kids. Brit generously kept us fed in
our vacation house, although the menu never
varied. We spent a lot of time in the evenings
playing mahjong as a family.

139. Locals often
visited us at
our vacation
home, and
some of them
taught us all
how to hula!
Lu continued
to study some
in the quiet
moments so
she would have
a leg up for
school.
Playing all day and studying in the
evenings took its toll and Lu was
often exhausted, so we had to build
in time for naps into our schedule.
Sometimes you almost need a
vacation from the vacation!

140. We older three could all be stubborn
in our own ways. I insisted on
learning a new massage and
dragged everyone around until I
found a masseuse willing to teach
me. Brit insisted on flying
everywhere instead of walking with
the rest of us. Ti insisted on taking
photos of everything, but I’m so glad
he did so I have so many pictures
for the scrapbook.

141. We met a witchdoctor with a home full of
broken appliances. The older kids and I helped
him out while Lu smustled, and he gave me a
gift of a voodoo doll in appreciation. Not sure
I’ll ever use it, but it’s the thought that counts.
Later, Brit made dinner (grilled cheese again)
for everyone and Lu took a break from
smustling to hula with the witchdoctor.

142. We visited a beach with an old wreck of a pirate ship. I was busy
shopping and Ti was off taking pictures of everything, but the girls
had a blast. They hoped to see a pirate ghost, but they couldn’t get
it to appear. Instead they played around the ship. For an infallibly
good witch, Brit is surprisingly good with a sword. I wonder where
she learned that.

143. Lu turned out to be quite the
little prankster, and she put
bubbles in the ancient monkey
fountain, angering the spirit.
Brit tried to calm the flow of
lava with a few offerings, but
the spirit wasn’t having it.
Instead we decided to take off
and enjoy a few of the other
things the island had to offer.

144. After another day full of hot
springs and pineapple surprise, we
spent the last evening back at our
vacation home. While Lu napped,
the older kids and I enjoyed one
last game of mahjong. Later, Lu
built a string of sand castles on the
beach, and we sat around a
campfire and reflected on our
wonderful trip.

145. All too soon it was time to come home. We had had a
wonderful trip and it had brought us so much closer together as
a family. The very next day, poor Lu had to head to her first
day of school, still a little tired, but with plenty of fun stories to
tell her new friends.

146. The kids all worked
hard at school. Brit
and Ti did their
homework for high
school and prepared
for college, which
was coming sooner
than I liked.
Meanwhile, Lu
brought home her
first report card,
and she wasn’t very
happy with it. That
night, Brit took
time away from her
studies to teach her
younger sister a
better way to do
homework. Brit was
always there to help
Lu out. By the next
report card, Lu had
gotten an A+!

147. Chessie
Charybdis
Chessie and
Charybdis grew up.
Chessie favored
Melusine and
Charybdis favored
their father, but each
of them differed
from their parent
with one pink leg. I
arranged for Debbie
and Myrio to take
Charybdis and we
kept Chessie.

148. Besides doing well in school, Lu kept up at her independent studying
and she was soon mastering one skill after another. She covered all the
skills she would need for college while still quite a young girl.
*Lu is a fast skiller and that’s great, but I am even more excited that I caught the “max all
skills” icon because it rarely appears in my game for some reason.

149. While Lu was learning, the rest of us were
leading busy lives too. Besides going to
school and staying on top of their
homework, Ti and Brit kept up with their
hobbies. Brit ate a lot of grilled cheese and
Ti spent a lot of time with the cats. I
continued to work as a Hall of Famer and
spent my free time working on a portrait
of Chessie.

150. Before too long, the portrait of Chessie was finished and hung on
the wall next to the portrait of her mother. They were such
similar looking cats, with the exception of Melusine having three
pink legs and Chessie having only one, which didn’t even really
show that much in her portrait anyway. I wonder what the next
batch of kittens will look like, but that will be up to one of my
children to arrange. They were both good cats and they liked to
keep Lu company on the square sofa while she studied.

151. Brit invited the headmaster of her and Ti’s school
over to try to get Lu admitted. Instead of making
a blunder about the family and marriage, this
time he made an alien joke and Brit had to
tactfully remind him he already had two half-
aliens in his school, who were doing fine, thank
you. Luckily she smoothed it over and Lu was
accepted to the same school her big brother and
sister attended.

152. That night at dinner (grilled cheese), I told my kids they should
never be ashamed to be half-alien. Some people, like the
headmaster, might not understand and might find them odd,
but I told them all they were the most wonderful people I
knew, and that I wouldn’t trade any aspect of them. I hope
they got the message and that they never doubt themselves
because of their different parentage. It can be hard enough to
live in a matriarchy without extra baggage.

153. I seemed to keep having birthday after
birthday despite my best efforts to stay
young, and I could feel myself getting
older. Lu was such a sweetie – she gave
me a hug every birthday and thanked me
for being her dad. Finally I hit a big
number and I had the whole family over
to celebrate. Celine was there, and it was
so strange to see her looking so young
when I was getting so old. Still, I think I
look pretty good for an elderly man. I
haven’t changed much, and my hair has
always been silver, so that isn’t too
different either. I think I make a pretty
good-looking elder.

154. Melusine got old
too, so I tried to
pamper her as
much as possible.
Even though I had gotten old, I still kept
active. Although I couldn’t do some of the
fancy stuff I did when I was younger, I still
practiced at the ballet barre to keep fit. I
also continued to play music, partially
because of my love of it and partially
because it reminded me of all the time I
spent with my mom making music.

155. Lu was also getting
older and older. She
would be out of
primary school soon! It
seemed like she was
aging much faster than
her older siblings, but I
couldn’t say why. Time
is relative, I guess.
She also took an interest in the cats,
but unlike her big brother, Lu didn’t
want to teach them any tricks.
Instead she just wanted to praise
them and show them love, which I
thought was sweet, especially
considering her personality.

156. Lu was always
incredibly neat,
from the time she
was just a little
toddler. I’m not
particularly neat,
but I’m not nearly
as bad as the twins.
Lu, however, is off
the charts neat.
She cleaned up after her older siblings all the
time. They never pick up dishes or make
their beds, but Lu is happy to come behind
them and tidy up. We did still have a maid,
but Lu liked to do the little things. When she
begged me over and over to get a pet bird, I
told her she would have to clean the cage
once a week, hoping to discourage her.
“Dad,” she said. “I already clean up after
two wild animals every day, and I don’t
mean the cats. I think I’ll be okay.”

157. I couldn’t argue with that logic, and Lu had shown herself to be
eminently responsible, so I allowed her to pick out a parrot (an
exorbitantly priced parrot, I might add) from the pet shop. She
named her new little friend Queequeg after the harpooner character
from Moby Dick, which she had been reading in school. Queequeg
made Lu so happy and she played with him and talked to him every
day.

158. Lu always admired her big sister. Even though she loved her big brother
just as much, it was her sister that she was drawn to on a day-to-day
basis. Lu always wanted to share her school exploits with Brit and talk
about magic with her. Twice a day, first thing in the morning and
straight from the school bus, she came and found Brit for a hug and a
kiss.

159. For Lu’s 13th birthday, we assembled
the usual crowd, plus Brit’s witch
friend, Ocean, who had been visiting
that day. Lu had grown into such a
beautiful young teen. She expressed a
desire to follow in her sister’s footsteps,
so I now had two girls obsessed with
knowledge and grilled cheese!
*Lusitania rolled grilled cheese/my choice, so I made her aspiration a copy of her sister’s
since they were so close. It just made sense, and it didn’t hurt for story purposes either.

160. At her birthday, Lu begged
Ocean to make her a witch,
too, but Ocean merely said
that she needed to be at least
16, like her sister had been.
Lu hated hearing that she was
too young for something.
“Sis, you can make me a witch, can’t
you?” Lu asked.
“Sorry, honey,” Brit replied. “I haven’t
studied that far yet. Besides, Ocean says
you need to be older. I’m sure she’ll be
willing to make you a witch too if you
just wait.”
“But I don’t want to wait!” Lu
exclaimed.

161. Lu kept talking
to Queequeg
and he started
learning how
to talk back!
Lu was very successful immediately as a teen.
Her brother and sister had been holding off on
college because they all wanted to go together.
She studied extra hard and had several
scholarships lined up. Since she had worked so
hard all the time, it didn’t surprise me that
she started wanting to go out every night. She
had never caused a problem before and she
kept up with her schoolwork, so I let her. I
figured she was probably meeting a date. Little
did I know, she was looking for something.

162. While out on one of her excursions, Lu
met another witch, a curious character
named Diana Raye. “Oh please, Diana, I
want to be a witch like my sister more
than anything,” Lu begged.
“I can make you a witch, but you have
to meet me at the market tomorrow.”
“But I’ll have to skip school!”
“A good girl, hmm? Interesting. Be
there if you want to be a witch, and a
witch I shall make you.”
*Are the witches usually sisters, or is it
coincidence they have the same last name?

163. True to her word, Diana
transformed Lu at the market the
next day, but not into a good
witch like Brit. “Welcome to the
dark, my pretty,” Diana cackled.
“What?” Lu cried, pulling away
from Diana’s hug. “That’s not what
I wanted! You tricked me!” Diana
merely laughed and flew away on
her broom.

164. Lu was worried what we might think now that she was an evil witch.
She raced home while everyone else was still at work and school and
changed back to her regular appearance, but she couldn’t scrub off
the new, different green hue her skin had taken, nor could she mask
the aura of evil that followed her around. She was most worried
about what her sister would say.

165. When Brit got home from school that day, she saw
Lu and gasped. “Lu, what have you done?” she
asked. Lu immediately began to cry heavily. “I just
wanted to be like you, sis. That’s all I ever wanted,”
Lu said between sobs. “Oh, sweetie,” Brit replied. “I
wish you had waited and let Ocean make you a
witch. But don’t worry. We’ll get through this
together.”
“So you don’t hate me?” Lu asked. “Hate you? I
could never hate you. You’re my baby sister and
nothing will ever change that, not even dark magic.”

166. Brit comforted Lu and assured her that, even
if they practiced opposite magic, they could
still be friends and sisters. “Besides,” she said.
“If you really hate it, you can always change.
It won’t be easy, but it is possible. I still love
you.”
“Hey, I still love you too, even if I’m not
magic,” Ti called from the background. Lu let
out a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a
cackle. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” Lu
explained. Brit smiled. “We’re going to be ok,
no matter what happens, because that’s what
family does.”

168. And that brings us up to this week, which I just finished putting in the scrapbook. It
hasn’t always been an easy life, but it’s been mine, and I wouldn’t trade my kids for
anything. They’ve grown into interesting young people, and I know they have the
strength, intelligence, and heart to weather whatever comes their way. I do wonder
which one will carry on the legacy. I suppose I’ll have to go ask my friends.

169. Roxanne again here. Thank you for reading another chapter of the Matriarchal
Legasea. I hope you enjoyed it, and that it wasn’t so long that your butt fell
asleep while you read or something. ;) Keep reading for stats on the kids so you
can vote in the heir poll, then keep reading after that for some outtakes that
didn’t fit in the main story. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite at SiMania!
http://z12.invisionfree.com/Sim_Mania/

170. Britannic “Brit” Legasea the Infallibly Good Witch
0/10/9/0/10
Grilled cheese/Knowledge – Eat 200 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Brit is the oldest of the twins and incredibly kind-hearted in
addition to being a good witch. This is the only unique grave I
still need.

171. Titanic “Ti” Legasea
1/10/10/4/10
Popularity/Pleasure – Become Icon
Ti is the younger of the twins. He is very good with animals
and is a sweet guy and the only one to get big eyes. As a
male, he would have to get alien impregnated like his father
if he is heir.

172. Lusitania “Lu” Legasea the Atrociously Evil Witch
10/10/4/8/3
Grilled cheese/Knowledge – Eat 200 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
The baby of the family by a wide margin, Lu differs from her
older siblings by being extremely neat and a little mean. This is
the only unique grave I still need.

173. Thanks to my previous Multi-Pollination Technician hack breaking alien
pregnancies in my game, Bacopa got forced-abducted a few times while I was
trying to figure out what was wrong. Once they kept him so long he returned
during the day. Poor Bacopa! Luckily I figured out what was wrong and made
my own hack with a tutorial by simgaroop, and one of my PTs is the other
parent for all three of the Legasea children.

174. 1. “If Crumplebottom asks, we’re married and definitely not
planning on doing anything nasty in the photobooth later.”
2. This waiter is apparently a zombie. Huh. Not sure what to make
of that. Didn’t know I had zombies in this neighborhood. I
actually think it’s a side-effect of a hack I dl’ed to make the alien
skin available to me in Bodyshop. Oh well, zombie waiter it is!

175. 1. Why in the world would you be
surprised by Celine’s nudity, Anet? You
just woohooed. You’ve seen it already.
2. Would you like a roses and wolf
bouquet?
3. You can write a romance sim into a
committed relationship, but you can’t
make a leopard change her spots.

176. Ti really wanted a date so I had him
conjure one up with the well, and it
gave him Azure Legasea. That’s right, a
distant relation. She’s the daughter of
Ti’s great grandmother’s sister. No idea
what that makes them to each other,
but it’s still icky. They had a first kiss
automatically ‘cause that’s how the
well works and there was nothing I
could do about it.
“Boo! Atlantica disapproves of this
vaguely incestuous date! Knock it off
and go home, perverts!”

177. And with that, we have truly reached the end of the chapter. Please
do swing by SiMania and let me know your choice for heir! Thanks
again for reading!