The Matriarchal Legasea, Chapter 7 Part 2

“All right. Is everyone back and refreshed? I know my tale is a long one, but
we’re getting to what I consider the good part, so hang in there with me!”
*Welcome back to part 2 of chapter 7. Brit will continue her narration of
the story. If you somehow wound up here without reading part 1, you
might want to go find it first. ;)

“So, where were we? We had discussed my life in college and my
awakening from my cheese-induced stupor into a family sim and a more
powerful witch. We saw how my sister overcame obstacles to become a
good witch and mother to two beautiful daughters, and we saw my brother
find happiness and father two handsome sons. That left me . . .”

“. . . young and pregnant. Back then
Ti’s boys were little and Lu’s girls were
just babies, but our cat Chessie and I
were both expecting. I made sure to
spoil Chessie as much as possible, and
Dad did the same to me, when he
wasn’t writing novels. He was all
caught up with his scrapbooking so he
had started writing until he had
another baby book to prepare.”

Even though I was pregnant, I couldn’t just sit around. I finally found a
job in my chosen career, the medical field, and I began working my
way up to be chief of staff. I got several promotions and could see the
goal within my reach. This goal was a bit more practical than my last
one – that being to eat 200 grilled cheese sandwiches, of course – and
I had no doubt I could make it. I also kept working on improving my
magic skill. Lu’s transformation had inspired me to try to be the best
possible version of myself in all areas.

When I was at work, Dad kept busy for the most part. He picked up
new crafts and played with Chessie. After Melusine’s passing, it felt
lonely to only have one cat in the house, but that wouldn’t be the
case for long.

Soon Chessie gave birth. I was so
excited to meet the kittens, and I
knew there would be several to pick
from since our cats always seemed
to have large litters.
However, to my surprise, Chessie had
only one kitten: a little girl that we
named Coinchenn. She was an
adorable white kitten. Since we only
kept female cats, this would be
Chessie’s only litter. We had the so-
called heiress of our cat line. Chessie
nuzzled Coinchenn right after she was
born, and it was probably the last
positive interaction those two had
together . . .

Anyway, I was so proud of Chessie and I was just sure she would
make a good mother. Becoming a good mother myself occupied a lot
of my thoughts in those days. The baby was coming soon and I
wanted to be sure to give him or her the best experience this world
could offer from the first day. I had studied parenting when I was
younger, so I knew the mechanics of caring for a baby, and I knew I’d
have the love needed to nurture a little one, so it was just a question
of putting it into practice. I figured it would be as easy as that.

While I waited for my own little one, I spent a lot of time with
Coinchenn. Unfortunately, Chessie ignored her as a kitten, but that
didn’t mean she lacked for anything. Dad and I both spent a lot of
time with the little darling. She had such beautiful white fur and
pale blue eyes. I wondered what she would look like when she was
older. We had seen quite a diversity of coats in our cats, so it was
always an interesting experience to see how they turned out.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, I went into labor and I was
filled with the joyous thought of holding my baby soon. This thought
was immediately followed by one that went something like, “Take it
back! Make it stop!” I wasn’t quite prepared for the miraculous
experience that is childbirth.

However, the pain soon passed and I was rewarded with a lovely little girl
of my own.

She had Goldi’s warm-toned skin and hair, and my pale eyes. A very intriguing and
beautiful baby, I thought. I named her Marianas.*
*The naming theme this generation is ocean trenches. The Marianas Trench is a fine
one to begin with, because it is the deepest part of the world’s oceans. In a section
known as the Challenger Deep, it is around 6.8 miles deep, and the water exerts
pressure over 1000 times that of the atmosphere at sea level. Wow! Some sea life
has been observed in the deepest parts, including amoebas 4 inches in diameter.
Neat place, all in all.

Dad was thrilled to be a grandfather again, and he really helped out
right away. While Marianas and I were resting, he invited Goldi over.
He knew that I would want to see her and I would want to introduce
her to our daughter.

Goldi was stunned into silence looking at Marianas. “She’s so
beautiful!” she said finally. “Some part of me wishes we had a
traditional life, but I know our arrangement, and I have my own
things to attend to. Still, I’m so glad I got to meet her. I hope we’ll
be great friends when she’s older.” I knew that they would be, and
when Goldi left, I began my own process of making friends with my
beautiful daughter. My heart swelled with pride and love looking at
her, and I didn’t even consider anything Goldi had said after
“beautiful,” because that was all I could think about.

However, when I saw Goldi a few more times while Marianas was
a newborn, I began to get an inkling of that feeling of wishing for
more, but for me it was only an inkling. I’ve heard stories of my
great-grandmother Thalassa, another family-oriented soul, and
the troubles she went through with longing for marriage and a
true partner. I could kind of see where she was coming from, but
for me I knew Goldi and I would always be ‘sometimes’ partners,
and my real family was my dad and my new daughter.

Marianas was getting older, but I
went through a bout where I was
having a hard time caring for her
because I was suddenly so sick.
Luckily, Dad stepped in to help
out. He had raised me and my
siblings successfully, so I trusted
him totally with my daughter. I
just wished I could have spent
more time with her myself.

Perhaps the best use of magivestigium is to get from relaxing on the
beach to a crying baby who needs a diaper change. It saved me a lot of
walking. That was a good thing, because the illness I had been
experiencing wasn’t a passing bug. I began to suspect I was pregnant
again, though I was surprised it had happened so quickly. Marianas
was still pretty young.

While the thought of another child was on my mind, I spent most of
my time and attention on little Marianas whenever I could. I loved
her so dearly, and it just felt like everything else in the world faded
away when I looked at her darling face. I felt this way looking at all of
my babies. It’s not for everyone, but having children completed my
world.

I soon had confirmation that I was, indeed, pregnant again. It still surprised
me that it had happened so quickly, especially since I hadn’t really planned
for it. I knew I would love this new baby, even if he or she was a bit of a
shock!

We celebrated Marianas’s first birthday soon thereafter. I had a
special birthday wish for her, besides wishing her health and
happiness always. I wouldn’t know for a while if my wish came true,
though.

However, as Marianas grew – and she seemed to grow so
quickly! – my wish came true. Like her other mother, Marianas
grew in a beautiful golden tail. Overall, she looked so much like
Goldi except for having my eyes. She even had the same
birthmark to the side of her lips. What a beautiful little girl she
was! She was a lot like me except for being more playful.* She
could definitely be a bit of a rascal at times, but she was always
well-meaning and sweet, even when she was mischievous.
*0/10/8/7/10

Dad and I set about teaching
Marianas all of the things she
needed to know as a toddler. She
was a quick leaner, except when it
came to walking. That’s to be
expected, though. Secretly, I hoped
several of my children would grow in
their tails. I found it so fascinating,
but of course genetics, and not me,
would decide that.

Goldi stayed a constant, though occasional, part of our lives,
and she came over to see me and Marianas often. She knew
about my pregnancy and we talked about whether it would be a
boy or a girl. What a fun mystery it was not to know! Marianas
took to Goldi right away and followed her around as long as she
could when Goldi was visiting. I could tell that they would
always be close, and that gave me great satisfaction.

I kept working through my second pregnancy and brought home
promotion after promotion. I was quickly reaching the upper
echelons of the medical field, and I knew that, if I kept working
this hard, soon I would be made chief of staff at one of the local
hospitals.

While Marianas and the little one I was carrying were growing,
so were the cats. Chessie was getting old and quite crotchety,
even for a cat. She was such a grumpy thing, and she just
hated the hugs that Marianas gave her, but she seemed to get
caught up in them a lot, since Marianas adored the cats.
Coinchenn grew into an adult cat, and she was beautiful. She
had soft purples, pinks, oranges, yellows, and greens, not to
mention white, in her fur. It was like she was our little
watercolor cat. I had never seen a cat quite like her and I
thought she was just gorgeous.

One night I spent all evening on the phone with Lu, whose daughters
were only a little older than Marianas. We talked about the new
baby, and I confessed that I thought it would be neat to have a son.
It was nice that my family had always had a good mix of boys and
girls. I suppose that conversation is why, when I went to sleep that
night, I had a very strange dream . . .

I dreamed I went into labor finally, and
gave birth to a little boy with all of
Goldi’s coloring who I named Farallon.
*Brit’s dream is actually a play-through
that crashed before I saved, so Farallon
Legasea did exist for a short time, but
alas, was not to be . . .
*The Farallon Trench was an ancient
trench from the late Cretaceous
period, when the geography of the
earth was different. It eventually came
together and formed what we know
today as the San Andreas Fault.
Trenches are neat, huh?

In my dream, Farallon was a handsome baby who, perhaps
because this was a dream, never cried. Dad was happy as
always to have a new grandchild, and I was pleased to think
of Marianas and Farallon becoming great friends when they
were older.

My dream then went on to me getting the promotion I wanted the next
day, which was earlier than I had expected, but for some reason I was really
angry about it. Dreams are weird like that, I suppose. Best not to dwell on
them too much, though I did feel this was an important dream at the time.
*In addition to Brit reaching her LTW through a chance card and giving birth
to Farallon, they also got robbed, which is why she was mad. It was quite an
eventful little bit of play that I lost in the crash.

I put the dream of my son aside, and focused instead on the things that
were concrete: my daughter Marianas, my baby-to-be, and my job.
These were things I could do something about, and I knew that
whether I had a son or another daughter, I would be delighted and love
the child just the same. Besides, when one is a prominent doctor like I
was, it is not good form to be caught daydreaming on the job. Unlike in
my dream, I still needed to work for my promotion.

While raising Marianas and waiting for my second baby to come
to term, Dad and I spent a lot of time painting together. I painted
a portrait of Coinchenn that turned out a little too big, but I was
okay with that because she’s always had a special place in my
heart. Coinchenn is just the sweetest, most loving cat I’ve ever
known.

This was in stark contrast to Chessie. While Chessie had gotten along
nicely with her mother, her siblings, and even neighborhood dogs, for
some reason she hated her own daughter. Chessie would follow
Coinchenn around the house and challenge her for using certain beds
and food bowls. Coinchenn, being a sweet thing, always gave in. It was
sad to see her so cowed and see what should have been a great
relationship sour so completely.

Our cats had always gotten along, even in
the afterlife. Yes, I know about and am
comfortable talking about the ghosts that
haunt the Legasea home. Some of my
ancestors have denied or disbelieved, but
I, as a witch, am familiar with the
supernatural and know that we have a
plethora of cat ghosts, as well as members
of the family that watch over us. My point
is, it is unlike a Legasea – sim or feline – to
be cruel to a family member.

Anyway, we tried to just keep the cats
apart as best we could. I had a lot else
on my mind with Marianas getting
bigger and bigger, and my tummy also
getting bigger and bigger. I spent so
much time with Marianas and tried to
prepare for the next one.

Finally I went into labor for real – this definitely did not feel like a
dream – and as always, Dad was there to support me. Even Grandma
Anet was out of the grave that night to witness the birth of her great-
grandchild.

I welcomed another beautiful, golden-skinned, golden-eyed, golden-
haired girl into my life that night: my beautiful Atacama.

As an infant, Atacama looked nearly identical to her sister, but there were
subtle differences if one looked closely. She did have that same adorable
birthmark, though!
*The Atacama Trench, also known as the Peru-Chile Trench (which would have
made a much more awkward name) is right on the western edge of South
America. It is around 3,666 miles long.

While Marianas woke up from the commotion and came out to
play, Anet’s ghost got frisky and decided to scare me. After the
incredible exertion I had just been through, this was just about
enough to knock me out, so I went to bed and Dad saw to
taking care of Atacama that night. I was always so impressed by
how gentle and loving Dad was, especially with babies and
toddlers. He was a great dad and he made a fantastic
grandfather, too.

With Dad babysitting, I went back to work soon. I knew he was
excitedly working on preparing Atacama’s baby book and would be
deep in thought throughout his free time that day. I, meanwhile, had
no free time as I was working hard. However, at the end of the day all
that work paid off and I received the offer I had longed for: chief of
staff at a prestigious hospital. I took it and felt an instant rush of
happiness. I would do what it took to run this hospital effectively, but
I also began thinking about my next goal. Maybe I could be of service
in a government organization. Perhaps something in intelligence?
*Brit’s next LTW is Head of SCIA, obviously.

In those days I was nearly in a swoon from the strength of the
love I felt for my daughters. Marianas and Atacama were both so
wonderful and beautiful. Marianas’s personality was really
coming out, and I thought I could see a bit of a glimmer of
Atacama’s as she was getting older too. Both of them were a
blast to be around, and I had everything I ever wanted, though I
did think one more sibling for them would be ideal. I was truly
blessed.

Dad really loves throwing parties, and I have to admit I enjoy them
too, so we always had big ones for the girls’ birthdays. Ocean, Celine,
Ti, Mandy, Lu, Brandon, and Goldi were regular guests. It was fun to
celebrate my daughters getting older with all the people I cared about.

As Marianas grew, she reminded me more and more of Goldi in
her facial structure. She was a bright girl who loved playing
with the cats and talking with friends and family.

In fact, at one of her birthday parties,
she stayed up so late talking to Lu,
Ocean, and others that she passed
out on the couch and I had to carry
her up to bed. She loved those
parties, and every one was a great
memory for her. To her credit, the
adults always found her interesting
and intelligent enough to carry on a
conversation with. She was truly a
chatty little girl.

Goldi was busy with her research and I with our kids, so it seemed like
some years, the only times we saw each other were at family
gatherings. Still, the spark was there and we made the most of our
time together.

Now, I’ve painted a very rosy picture of child-rearing, but it’s not all
fun and play. I’ve always hated changing diapers, perhaps because I
hate cleaning anything, and I never did perfect that diaper-changing
spell, so I had to do it myself. Yuck! I also found myself experiencing
morning sickness again before too long. I was exhausted and
nauseated most of the time early in my third pregnancy, and I had to
take some time for myself.

As always, Dad stepped in. Marianas was growing and learning
new things, needing help with school projects, and always
ready for a conversation. When she had the choice of what to
do, she always chose interacting with someone over playing
with toys.

I didn’t totally neglect my oldest daughter even though I wasn’t
feeling well. I still got a hankering every once in a while for a
grilled cheese sandwich, and Marianas loved eating them with
me. She was always there with a hug when she could tell I
wasn’t feeling good.

Of course, Marianas was not the only one getting older. Atacama
also had several birthdays in this time period. Her first birthday
was just the four of us because I wasn’t feeling well enough for a
big to-do.

As she got older, Atacama also grew in her tail: a beautiful ruby one at that!
Atacama had a bit more of a forceful personality than her sister, and she
was definitely a bit neater than Marianas or even me, even from those early
years.* She definitely had her own personality, and she was a great blend of
my genes and Goldi’s. She had such a lovely face and soft curly hair. Though
the girls looked similar as babies, they were very different people!
*4/10/4/7/3

Eventually my third – and, I had
decided, final – pregnancy began to
show. One more child would be
perfect. That’s what I had grown up
with, and I thought it would be nice
for Atacama and Marianas to have
another sister, or maybe even a
brother.
Marianas was beyond excited to
meet her new sibling, and she was
always buzzing around me talking
about the baby, wanting to feel the
kicks, and trying to get me to pick
names. She was very funny that
way. Atacama was too young to
really be aware of the situation,
but I knew she too would like her
next sibling.

After all, the girls already got along famously. They were
best friends before Atacama could even talk. They just
loved to play together. It made me so happy that my kids
got along so well without any prompting or intervention.

We did have to do something about training up Atacama,
though. As usual, learning to stand and move on her tail
was difficult, but she was a natural talker and picked it up
even quicker than her sister! I began to wonder if I would
be surrounded by chatty little girls for the rest of my days
if they were both so social. Just kidding, girls. Kind of. You
could be a handful at times!

I had maxed out my magical skill, though I didn’t have
many opportunities to cast spells, since we were already
happy, healthy, and had great weather, etc. Instead I used
my cauldron to craft some interesting magical items. I
made a throne and a light to go with it. I thought of these
as heirlooms that would remind my descendants of me
after I was gone. It was also fun to sit on a throne and
pretend to be more important than I actually was.

My pregnancy progressed as time passed, and I finally went into labor.
As usual, Dad was there to support me. I was more than ready to meet
my third and final baby!

However, I met the third baby, but apparently I wasn’t
done yet! I went on to have twins! It’s funny that I had
twins in my third birth just like great-grandma Thalassa,
who was also a family-minded person like me. I guess it
runs in the family! It was definitely a surprise, but when it
comes to my kids, the more the merrier!

My twins were both girls, meaning that, like both of my siblings, all my kids
were the same gender. It’s funny how these things happen, right? Anyway, both
girls had all the same coloring as Goldi, including her large eyes and that
precious birthmark! I named them Sunda and Tonga.*
*The Sunda Trench is also known as the Java Trench, as it stretches around
Indonesia. It is considered part of the Pacific Ring of Fire despite being in the
Indian Ocean, and tends to have a lot of seismic activity.
The Tonga Trench is located in the Pacific, and starts near New Zealand and
extends north from there. It is part of a subduction zone.

Wow! If I thought one baby was both
fun and a trial, twins were
exponentially more of both! Luckily I
had Dad to help me out, but I was
elated at having two more little girls
to coo over. There would be no
Farallon Legasea after all, but that
was okay. I had four beautiful,
wonderful, miraculous daughters,
and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

While the twins were busy being babies, my older girls were growing
up. Marianas seemed like she was zooming through elementary
school, and I kept hugging Atacama because I knew that soon she
would be leaving me every weekday too. I couldn’t believe how fast
time seemed to be passing.

Parties at our house were always preceded by the arrival of our
honored guests, Ocean and Lusitania the Infallibly Good Witches. With
their brooms, they always made it there first.

The regular crowd – plus a few others like grandma Celine and my
uncle Myrio – gathered to celebrate a big birthday for Atacama. It
was a great party! As always, we threw big parties for each of the
kids’ birthdays. It was so much fun!

After a few of these parties, I could truly call Atacama a child instead of a
toddler. She had grown up unusually beautiful, a lovely mix between me
and Goldi and with long, flowing curly locks. She was a gorgeous mermaid
and I had a feeling she would be trouble as a teenager!

Atacama, while not shy per se, was a bit more introverted than
Marianas. At these parties, she made sure to check in with Goldi
and tell her about what was happening in her life, but they never
had the same rapport that Goldi and Marianas had. Atacama also
really enjoyed reading and studying, so when the party got to be
a bit too much for her, she could often be found in the study,
cracking open a book. Sometimes Marianas would join her, but
only because they were buddies. Marianas wouldn’t sit out a
party for just anyone, after all!

The older girls were great friends and did everything
together, whether that was playing on the beach or with
the water wiggler. They had been born so close together
that they acted a lot like Ti and I had when we were kids.
I just hoped they would have a good relationship with
Sunda and Tonga when they were capable of playing too.
In the meantime, Atacama and Marianas had a blast
together.

They were both very studious too and got great grades in
school. On their own, with just a little prodding from me, they
did some independent studies that I knew would help them
do well when it came time for college.

I had a little bit of trouble around this time with Shalene, our maid. For reasons
unknown to me, she hated me. Hated me. Really hated me. She kept to herself when
she was cleaning, but she was friends with Dad from a long ways back, so sometimes
she would hang out afterwards. She always had a sharp word or a cutting insult for me,
and on occasion she even poked me in the chest for emphasis when she was putting
me down! I’m known for being nice to a fault, so I didn’t know what provoked this
hatred, but it really made me feel terrible. I didn’t know what to do to stop this
bullying.
*Seriously, what could have started this? Brit has 10 nice points so she never does
anything mean and listens to almost any conversation topic. How did this enmity
develop? I wish I knew, but Shalene was acting like a cow mascot.

I decided I had to stand up for myself and teach Shalene a lesson that
she would not soon forget. It wasn’t like me to want to get revenge, but
she had really pushed me over the edge. It was time for something
drastic.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only fight going on in the house. Chessie was
still picking on Coinchenn whenever she got the chance, so hissing and
yowling were often heard throughout the house whenever they crossed
paths. It was really sad that this mother and daughter pair didn’t get along
at all.

Still, most of life was joy and loveliness. The twins had a few
birthdays and were growing up fast. They were babbling and
rolling over and would soon be toddlers. I wondered if either of
them would grow in their tail like their sisters.

Their first birthday was held with just the immediate family. We threw
so many parties that sometimes Dad and I just needed a break!

Sunda and Tonga grew into beautiful little girls. Sunda is the most like me
out of all my children, including being quite messy and serious, yet nice,
outgoing, and active. Tonga has always been more similar to Atacama:
introspective and creative, yet she has a bit of the mean streak that Lu
and Dad have. Still, both girls displayed wonderful personalities.* It made
me really happy that all four of my girls were their own people, after all.
Of course, they did have one thing in common . . .
*Sunda, left: 0/10/10/0/8
Tonga: 4/10/4/7/1

All four of my girls are lovely, vivacious mermaids. This time I
had two be-finned little girls to teach to walk.

It was a journey, but they were up
and about before long! I taught both
girls to walk as soon as I could after
their tails grew in so that they could
get around. Dad helped out so we
could teach the girls all the other
things they needed to know, like
talking and using the potty. They
were fast learners, even when it
came to walking. I was so proud of
my babies.

I had been chief of staff at the hospital for years now, yet I had never
given up the dream of being in intelligence. Dad encouraged me to
change careers and go for it, so I joined the SCIA. I was soon getting
promotions there too. Dad was always there to congratulate me after
each one. He was so supportive.

With the older two at school and the
younger two down for naps, Dad and
I would spend a lot of time at the
beach together. Our relationship had
never been anything but strong, but
we had never been closer than at
that point in time. I loved and
respected my Dad so much, but it
worried me that he was getting quite
old. I wasn’t ready to lose him yet.

Meanwhile, I had been searching for a
spell that would teach Shalene a
lesson. I didn’t want to do something
too awful because I just couldn’t deal
with my conscience that way, but I
couldn’t do what I did as a teen and
have my rebuttal turn into a joke! No, I
needed something that would walk a
fine line between being a little
retributive but not too mean.
I settled on Spiritus Poultria, an
arcane spell that I knew was short-
lasting and would do no damage.
For a few minutes, Shalene
believed she was a chicken and
clucked around the house while I
had a good laugh. I knew I would
be dinged for this at the next
meeting of the good witches’
coven, but it was sooooo worth it.

After Shalene “awoke” from the spell, she was mortified and finally
respected me – or at least feared me a little. “There’s more where
that came from!” I said. “Now just do your job and leave me alone!”
She nodded and scurried away. I didn’t tell her that I’d never have the
heart to do anything worse to her, but it was to my advantage for her
not to know. From then on, she treated me with nothing but dignity
and perhaps a little reverential fear.

With that cleared up, I could get back to what I loved most in the
world and what I was best at: caring for my girls.

All four of the girls were learning and growing so much. Marianas
was breezing her way through school and getting ready for high
school relatively soon. Atacama required some help with homework
from time to time, but she was a quick learner. And, of course, there
were my twins. They were learning all they could about the world, at
least as much as they could safely ensconced in the playroom!

Unfortunately, good times can’t go on forever. Although we have more
good times than not, they are punctuated with sadness. In this case, it
was my dad’s death from old age. Poor Atacama was there to witness it.
She was so traumatized that she described the situation as happening
with hula dancers and a reaper who gave Dad a drink and an ethereal
suitcase! Then again, who can say for sure what she saw? Regardless,
we had lost Dad.

Bacopa Legasea was the only male heir to this family so far, part of the
sixth generation since Oceania started this whole thing. He struggled
some with his unusual role and he definitely had some hair-raising
adventures in space, but ultimately his story is one of family and
friends. He was so close and protective of his siblings, and he was a
wonderful father and grandfather. He cared intensely about other
people, and everyone who knew him loved him.

*No story on this slide. This shot is just to show that we now have each
of the six regular aspirations in the graveyard. Brit would have counted
as the seventh and final grilled cheese aspiration when she eventually
goes someday if I hadn’t changed her aspiration, but I’m not scoring so
I’m still counting her. So I’m considering it a complete set now. :)

Dad’s death hit me hard. I was not ready for him to go, even though we
had had him a long time. There is never a good time for a loved one to
leave you. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself at first, but then I
remembered . . .

. . . that first and foremost, I am a mother, and that I wasn’t the only one
grieving. I checked in on my girls even more often and gave them as much
love as I could. I think they handled it well for the most part, but it was still
hard on all of us.

After some time, and with the girls sound asleep, I finally steeled
myself to straighten up Dad’s affairs. This mostly meant his
scrapbooking supplies and albums of us. Looking through all the
pictures, I was reminded of how much he had loved me, my
siblings, and our children. As I watched the waves on the beach
roll in that night, I tried to fix that in my mind so that whenever I
thought about him and felt sad, I would also remember the love.

Life continued apace. The twins were
walking better than ever, and all four girls
were active and busy, though they always
made time to play together every day. I
was so glad that Marianas and Atacama
made time for Sunda and Tonga.
Meanwhile, the cats – specifically
Chessie – continued to be a problem. She
would not let up on Coinchenn. It
seemed like she patrolled the food dishes
and beds for any excuse to challenge her.

We saw a lot of birthdays during that time, and celebrated as best
we could. Right after Dad’s death, I didn’t have the heart to throw a
big party, and the twins were down for a nap, so one of Marianas’s
birthdays was celebrated by just Atacama and me. Marianas said she
didn’t mind but I felt a little bad that I hadn’t gone all out.

Before long, Marianas had become a
beautiful, sweet, and successful teenager. It
seemed to happen in an instant, but there
she was: my girl, almost all grown up. She
decided at that time that she wanted to be
like her grandfather, valuing friends and
family above all else,* and also that she
wanted to be a rock god. Well! That was
certainly ambitious, but if anyone could do
it, it would be my charming firstborn.
*Popularity/family, just like Bacopa.

Marianas set out right away to
increase her standing at high school
by befriending lots of her fellow
teens. Unfortunately, summer was
approaching and it was quite warm,
so several of her visitors required
resuscitation after overheating
themselves in our hot tub!

We didn’t see Dad’s ghost for quite a while, but when he did appear,
he seemed very sad and didn’t interact with us at all. I wished that
we could talk to the ghosts. I had so much to tell him about the girls,
but maybe he knew that already. Death is a veil beyond which even
supernatural beings like myself cannot see.

Needless to say, Sunda and Tonga were also getting older. They
would be starting school soon, I knew, but I wasn’t ready for my
babies to leave me! Nonetheless, I had to let them live their lives.
The girls were so close that I knew they would be a great support for
each other even out of the house.

Marianas helped me celebrate their
birthdays when they were still small,
since Atacama wasn’t strong enough
to lift them yet. Again, this was
shortly after Dad’s death so I didn’t
have the heart to throw a big party.
It just didn’t feel right without my
party-loving dad.
Still, I hoped that maybe he could
somehow see the girls growing older,
stronger, smarter, and more beautiful all
the time.*
*Bacopa was floating around during this
party and I happened to notice that he got
aspiration and influence points! I think he
had a want to see one of the twins grow
up well locked when he died. I didn’t know
that could happen!

Soon Sunda and Tonga were children. You could see a bit more
difference in them than before. All of my girls look a lot like
their other mother, especially with that lovely golden hair and
skin combo, but I think there’s a little of me in there too.

Raising four girls by myself and working my way up the career ladder
in the intelligence community was exhausting! At the end of the day, I
usually took a bath to relax and unwind. It was stressful to not have
the support of Dad around.

Luckily, Marianas really stepped up to help out. She volunteered to be
babysitter after school so that I could keep working without hiring a
nanny. She even helped the twins with their homework, and she made
sure that Atacama kept studying too.

All four of my girls took their education very seriously, and I couldn’t
be prouder.

When I started to feel a bit lighter some time after Dad’s death, I
started visiting with Goldi again. She could always lift my spirits, and
it was just what I needed.

The girls also enjoyed spending
time with her. Marianas and
Goldi had always been close, ever
since Marianas was a little girl,
but Goldi was working on her
relationship with Atacama and
even getting to know the twins
now that they could carry a
conversation. Although I was
satisfied with my choices and the
lifestyle we Legaseas live, it was
important to me that the girls
know their other mother and get
along well with her too.

I was making progress through my
career, though as I received more
covert missions, I sometimes had
to leave the house not looking at
all like my usual self.
Meanwhile, my girls were safely at
home, studying and playing and
generally making a mess, at least
especially in Marianas and Sunda’s
case. Atacama and Tonga had learned
the skill of putting books and toys
away, but like my brother and I, that
eluded my other two daughters.

Meanwhile Marianas was practicing constantly – when she wasn’t
helping out – to gain her entrance into the world of rock stardom. I
knew it would happen for her eventually if she just kept trying. She did
really know how to play that old guitar!

Birthday parties started getting a bit bigger. Just the closest family at
first, but I was feeling more comfortable with having people over and
adjusting to the “new normal” of life without Dad. We had a party for
Atacama that was just the girls, Goldi, and me, but it was still a lot of
fun.

Atacama grew into a teen too before too long and my goodness did she
turn out pretty. I knew from the beginning that she would have the looks of
a heartbreaker, but it seemed she had a bit of the potential in her
personality too. She wanted to focus on romance and friendship in her
life.* I guess all the parties we had when she was little had an effect on her,
because she declared that her goal in life was to become a professional
party guest. I was sure she would have no shortage of invites.
*Romance/popularity

Marianas was really glad to have another teen to confide in. These two
had always been close, but now that they were both nearly grown up,
they could talk about more grown up topics, I suppose. At the very
least, they kept caught up on all the hottest gossip from school.

We have an old well on our property that some – like my uncle Myrio –
profess can grant wishes. Atacama really wanted a boyfriend but she was
having a hard time finding one at school that met her fancy, so she decided
to try out the well.

To her surprise – and my consternation – it worked extremely well,
and she was soon dating not one, but two different boys with
extremely similar looks and fashion sense. I guess she had a thing
for brunet boys in brown hoodies. Sorry, dear, I’m not trying to
embarrass you! It was rather funny, though.

Although Atacama had that wild streak to her in her dating life, she
was an entirely responsible young lady in all other parts of her life.
She was extremely close with Sunda and Tonga, and she played
and read to them constantly. Marianas had always been good
about making sure they did their homework and chores, but it was
Atacama that played with them when they were done.

Ghost visitations picked up again for a
while. I even saw Dad, though it was not
how I had imagined the encounter
going. It was actually kind of frightening
and alarming! The girls’ great-great-
great grandmother Orca was out pretty
frequently as well, though she seemed
to enjoy the company of the ghost cats
to scaring people, though she did make
an occasional exception.

Sunda and Tonga were constantly clamoring for the company of
their older sisters. They had even started talking about what it
would be like when the four of them were at college together!
They were in a bit of a rush to grow up, in my opinion, but
perhaps I’m biased since I wanted my girls to stay young and
with me forever. It broke my heart a little that all but one of
them would not be returning to live with me after college, but
such is the way of the world. Children grow up and lead their
own lives, and that is for the best whether it pleases me or not.

It had been a long time since we had had a kitten in the house,
and I decided it was time for Coinchenn to become a mother,
too. I got to know a neighbor’s cat named Flotsam. He was a
fluffy blue thing and very playful. Luckily, he and Coinchenn hit it
off right away with a little coaxing from me. I was hopeful that
soon we would have a nice surprise if they kept their relationship
up.

Sure enough, Coinchenn eventually became pregnant. I was so
excited to see what her kitten or kittens would be like. I just
hoped that Chessie would behave herself. She seemed to resent
it when we got the beds and pet house ready for Coinchenn to
relax in her new delicate state. I had always loved Chessie, but I
did wonder what it was that had come out in her to make her so
cross where Coinchenn was involved.

The girls continued to spend all their time together at home.
Atacama also picked up a job, which surprised me mightily, but
then she was rather more responsible than you might guess
about a person that wanted to be a professional party guest. I
had always secretly dreamed of my girls succeeding in school
and work, becoming a real overachiever, and it seemed that
Atacama would be the one to fulfill that dream!

Marianas was no slouch, either. One evening when I was working late,
she arranged for the headmaster of the local private school to come
over for dinner.

Their visit went extremely well and
Marianas convinced him to let her
and all three of her sisters into his
school, the same one I had gone to
when I was their age. It was
wonderful to see them getting all
the advantages in life, and they did
look rather smart in their new
uniforms.

Atacama kept getting promoted in
her job, and she went through a
variety of positions with quite
ignominious uniforms. Even
coveralls couldn’t dim the light of
Atacama’s beauty, though.
However, I’m not sure that even
she could pull off the fast food
worker’s uniform. Those hot
dogs were a doozy, and her boss
made her pull back her
beautiful hair.

Soon Atacama was regarded by many as an overachiever, and my
dream was fulfilled. I was so proud of her, but so were her sisters. I
think she really inspired the younger ones.

I have always had much to be happy about, and my family was no
exception. My girls were succeeding in life in every avenue they tried,
and I was doing my best to keep up my end of the bargain. I
continued to work hard in intelligence, and soon I was back in the
office instead of out in the field in a skimpy dress.

Eventually, the head of the SCIA retired, and I was nominated and
confirmed to take her place. It was so exciting to realize this goal of
mine!
*Brit’s next LTW was to marry off 6, so that’s it for her and finishing
LTWs.

Coinchenn soon had her kittens. Yes,
multiple kittens this time!
They were so sprightly. I tried to take a
picture of the three of them many
times, but I could never get them in
the same frame.

Coinchenn seemed very pleased with
herself, as well she should be. She gave
us a two girls to choose from, as well
as a boy kitten. We named the boy Iku-
Turso. He was white with light blue
eyes. His sister Tiamat had the same
coloring, but the other girl, Ogopogo,
had the rainbow-sherbet pinkish base
that we’ve seen in many cats before
and has grey eyes. It will be interesting
to see how they grow up!

Coinchenn’s mother, Chessie, ignored Coinchenn as a kitten and
bullied her frequently as an adult, but Coinchenn set out from the
beginning to be a better mother. She nuzzled her kittens frequently
even though there were three of them for her to divide her
attention between. She had great relationships with her kittens from
the beginning. As expected, Chessie ignored these kittens as well.

My girls were smitten, and I have
to say I too was entranced by the
darling little kittens. I don’t think
their feet touched the floor much
based on how much snuggling they
got. All four of my girls frequently
took time to play with the little
darlings.

Unsurprisingly, the birth of kittens brought out the ghost of my
kitten-loving foremother, Thalassa.

Since we would only be raising a female cat, we gave Iku-Turso to
Ti. Poor Mandy! She is even more outnumbered by boys now. We
kept Ogopogo and Tiamat to see how they would grow up. Lu has
already asked to adopt whichever one we don’t keep. We always
make sure to have homes for the kittens we breed! Anyway, both
girls were fussy little things and we had to get special bowls or
else they wouldn’t eat their cat food!

Chessie passed away from old age
and was laid to rest in the cemetery
with the other cats from whom she
was descended. Meanwhile,
Coinchenn continued to be an
excellent mother to Ogopogo and
Tiamat and spent all of her free
time caring for her kittens.

The girls were keeping busy. Atacama was still going on dates, but
she had widened her pool to include brunet boys with green
hoodies! Ah, variety!

Sunda and Tonga were growing up so fast, it seemed. They
would be teenagers before long, I knew, so I spent as much time
as I could with them while they were still little. Once my
youngest two became teens, it would be time to move on to the
next chapter of our lives, so I savored these moments. Still, it
felt like one day I was getting a welcome-home hug from one of
the girls . . .

. . . and the next they were growing up in front of my very eyes. I’m
quite embarrassed to say that we were all so busy that I forgot to
throw a big party for them one year.* Sorry, girls! You know how
scatterbrained I can be at times.
*Whoops! They were all really busy and the birthdays escaped me.

The twins grew into lovely young mermaids. All four of my girls were so beautiful, strong,
social, and passionate about their lives and interests. Sunda was interested in romance like
Atacama, but she also wanted to live a comfortable life. She aspired to be the best in
athletics. Tonga wanted to life a life full of leisure and friends, and reach the heights of the
culinary world. All of my girls have a somewhat carefree, easygoing aspect to their
personalities but still aspire to have great careers, and I know they will be very successful.
*Sunda: Romance/fortune – Hall of Famer
Tonga: Pleasure/popularity – Celeb Chef

Sunda had heard good things about the
well from Atacama, so she decided to try
it out. She said the results weren’t so
great and not at all what she expected.
*Lol! I have never had this happen
before. Poor Sunda. It was just about the
creepiest thing I have ever seen in a video
game. Watching Mrs. Crumplebottom
crawl out of that well reminded me of
Samara in The Ring. Spooky!

That same evening Sunda got into a fight with some very cross old
lady. I’m still not really clear on the details, but the poor thing lost
the fight despite being in peak physical condition.

Sunda tried again a few days later, but
it went no better than her first time.
It looked like romance was not in the
cards for her, or at least not with
assistance from the well. Perhaps
Atacama had dried up all the magic.

Tonga was also going through a rough
patch too, but she was not the one
suffering the consequences. Although
she and her twin got along great, Tonga
had some quarrels with her older
sisters. Although she always came out
on top, her relationships with them
were suffering. I’m sure they’ll work
things out, though.

Seeing all of my girls nearly all grown up made me think even more
about Dad. I hoped he was watching and could see what amazing
people they had become. I also hoped that he was proud of me for
the job I had done raising them. Although I faced no major
difficulties in doing so, settling down to be a competent mother
went against some of the silly, carefree nature I had had when I was
the girls’ age. I got great satisfaction from the results, though.

Unfortunately, I am not immune to the aging process either. The girls
surprised me with a really enormous party for a milestone birthday of
mine. It made me feel a little bad about missing that one party for
Tonga and Sunda, but I chose to focus on the love of my family and
friends instead. I’ve grown older, and I’ll leave it up to you to judge
whether I’ve grown wiser too, but I’m happy with where I’m at in life.

That party was a really enjoyable
event. I got to catch up with family
and old friends, and of course
Goldi. It was everything I wanted
such a party to be, and I am so
thankful to the girls for throwing it.

Now that I’m older, sometimes I get a bit more reflective. I love
looking at the portraits we have in our study of the Legaseas who
have come before me. Ever since Oceania came out of the water to
found our family, strong women – and a strong man – had been
leading the Legaseas to happiness, fortune, fame, and most of all,
love. I hope that I have done my part in building that tradition.

Now my last jobs are to see my girls through their teen years, support
them as they go through college, and see them start families of their
own. I’ll be consulting with my friends to help me decide on an heiress.
Any of the girls would be a wonderful choice to lead the family, and I
know that whoever is chosen, the Legasea line will continue as it
always has.

And that, my friends, leads me to where I stand before you and
my four beautiful daughters down here in the front row today.
This is my story. Thank you all for coming out to listen, and I hope
you’ve had an enjoyable time.

“Yeah!”
“Woo!”
“Hurray, Brit!”
“Way to go, Mom!”
“Thank you so much for speaking to the Historical Society today,
Britannic. That was a wonderful speech. Congratulations on living
such a successful life.”

“I couldn’t have done it without the five spirited mermaids you
see before us. I owe everything to them and their love, as well
as my Dad’s. Family is everything to me.”

*And that ends Britannic’s story. Thanks so much for reading through these
two longs parts of the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed them. This has
always been one of my favorite families to play and this generation is no
exception. Flip ahead for info on the potential heiresses and a few outtakes
at the very end, then head to SiMania or boolprop to cast your vote!
SiMania http://z12.invisionfree.com/sim_mania
Boolprop http://boolprop.net

Marianas Legasea
Popularity/family – Rock God
0/10/8/7/10
The firstborn of the family, Marianas has always been very
social and has had the closest relationship with Goldi. She did
a great job caring for the younger girls’ educational lives.

Atacama Legasea
Romance/popularity – Professional Party Guest
4/10/4/7/3
Atacama is, in my opinion, stunning, and there are quite a few
boys in Sireunum Scopuli (all of whom have brown hair and
wear hoodies!) who seem to think so too. She loved to play with
the twins when they were kids and was an overachiever.

Sunda Legasea
Romance/fortune – Hall of Famer
0/10/10/0/8
Sunda, the firstborn twin, has been unlucky in love so far,
attracting the ire of Mrs. Crumplebottom at the well twice, but
that won’t last forever. She has an extremely similar personality
to Brit.

Tonga Legasea
Pleasure/popularity – Celeb Chef
4/10/4/7/1
Tonga is the youngest of the children and also the meanest.
She gives out noogies quite liberally.

Don’t forget to cast your vote! Any of these girls would be a great
choice. They’re all beautiful and have great LTWs. I can’t wait to
see who is chosen!
Now on to the outtakes. These are just some silly or notable things
that didn’t fit in the story. :)

1) I love the toddler-dancing-to-stereo
standing up bug, and always have to take
a shot when someone like little Bancroft
here appears to be a giant toddler.
2) I have no idea what Chessie is even doing
here, but I have a feeling she’s doing it
wrong.
3) The annoying coach got stuck behind
Azolla and a family friend smustling on
the narrow porch during the college
party and couldn’t bother anyone! Thank
you, narrow porch!

1) Bacopa: Multitasking 1, baby care 0.
2) Atacama’s scary, scary whistle face.
3) This guy hates the Legasea and I have
no idea why. As far as I can tell, he’s
never met any of them but he always
dumps our trash and steals our paper.
Thanks again for reading! Until next time,
happy simming!

The Matriarchal Legasea, Chapter 7 Part 2

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The Matriarchal Legasea, Chapter 7 Part 2