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beanstalk_simsIt's my legaversary! And honestly, I never thought this legacy would take three years and longer - I thought it'd take much less time! But it's been so much fun that I don't mind it taking so long.
So to celebrate, I've put together a little something - things I've never shared about the legacy, interesting facts, and so on. Basically, I didn't have a lot of time. But I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Caution: If you haven't caught up completely with the legacy, there may be spoilers under the cut
1. I Don't Have Favourites, But...
My favourite heir so far has been Maddie - despite the fact she wasn't particularly liked by those who read the legacy. She's my favourite because she has been so much fun to write; she's very different to the women who have come before her in the story. It was actually fun writing a selfish character who followed her heart and did what she wanted.
I do feel kind of bad that Maddie's death was briefly touched on, but it was always my plan to kill her off, along with John. Eventually, if I have the time, I want to go back, shoot & write John and Maddie's final night, and finally do it justice. I think the couple deserve that.
2. Hex Has A House!
Unlike most of Hex's previous homes, the lot he currently lives on is actually playable. Due to the fact Hex doesn't age in the story, his lot wasn't played, only staged scenes took place there.
The apartment Hex shared with Lee in Mirage was actually an apartment building turned residential lot, with the other floors converted into sets for scenes as needed. For example, Lee's bedroom was actually on the floor above the apartment, because I only needed it for one or two shots. All of the poseboxes and such were crammed into the tiny bathroom, and the room next to the kitchen.
I'm quite happy with how the new house has turned out, though it has no storage space for poseboxes and such.
The last time Hex had a house that was actually playable was in the original Rubix 'hood, when he was romantically linked to Kendra.
3. Alternative Endings
In my original notes for generation four, Lavender and Mark never split. Nor did Lavender end up with Hex. The original idea was for Mark to miss out on Maddie's upbringing, but sort himself out for the twins - leading Maddie to dislike her father, etc. etc. Mark and Lavender had three bolts, afterall.
But he liked to heart-fart other sims, and Lavender started to feel a little boring to me. So I split the couple up in order to make her more interesting - honestly, I sort of wish I'd chosen a different heir for generation four, which leads me to my next point...
4. The Other Wrongway Girl
I wish, wish, WISH I'd picked Rose for my heiress of generation four. Genetically, Lavender and Rose were the same. And honestly? I don't remember for the life of me why I picked Lavender. But Rose was much more interesting, with her story-writing, imagination, and then finding her Prince Charming.
Zeke would've been my generation five heir instead of spare and so on. Zeke still hasn't found a partner or settled down in game at the moment - I managed to recreate him. I didn't want to let go of the Phelps line.
I think I'll always wonder how the story would've been if I'd picked Rose. But I'm guessing Lavender was my first choice - and after changing my mind in previous legacies, I've tended to stick with my first choice since then. But as you can tell, even that doesn't always work out.
5. The Way We Were
This is the earliest picture I have of Jim, my founder. These were tester shots I was messing around with back in 2009, because I'd just discovered poseboxes, and Jim was a recreation of one of my favourite sims.
The original Jim Wrongway was a face-one sim living in a neighbourhood that was built on the "sample" template, in a massive house. He was still blonde, still green-eyed, still s3. But I think he was a Knowledge sim back then. Anyway, he married a face-one lady I made, named Carly. She was a red-head, and I remember nothing else about her. Anyway, they had twins girls, the names of which I've forgotten.
New Jim, founder Jim, had his face template randomised and his aspiration rolled, hence why he ended up with much more interesting features, and as a Family sim. I prefer new-Jim.
6. The "What If" Game
Basically, I constantly wonder what would've happened if I'd gone in a different direction. Just last night, I was wondering what would've happened if Ash had been the generation two heir instead of Liam. Truthfully, I wanted Ash for my heir, but Liam won the heir poll.
Anyway, if Ash had been heir, the alien boy second left would've been main-line generation five. Because he was the only descendant of Ash by this point - that's Dimitri Collins:
Jim -> Ash -> Frankie -> Hero -> Dimitri
I think it's cool just how different things could have been. That said, there are some choices I am glad I didn't make - like Alice (generation three) for heir, as she has been really dull to play!
7. A Woman Scorned
This is the original Ariel. I'd actually shot a prologue before I released the legacy, where Ariel was an elven princess who had taken a shine to Jim, but was crushed when he didn't return her affections. I decided against the idea, but never got round to deleting Ariel - hence why she appeared in later chapters, and is still about now.
In fact, Ariel was created before Ralph was. The more you know!
8. The New Wrongway On The Block
I am so excited to be finally working with Romeo! He was born when I did last year's legaversary celebrations, and I'd extracted him and played him in a variety of neighbourhoods. Romeo was my favourite out of his generation from an early age. However, a month or two ago, I was this close to choosing Sierra for heir over him.
However, I kind of decided it's time to have another male heir. Afterall, the girls have ruled since generation three now. It's time for a change!
9. Support Cast: Also Fun To Write
Lucy Burb is a blast to write! She is so much fun, and it's been my intention for her to befriend Romeo since they were children. Lucy was actually featured in a chapter at John and Maddie's dojo, when Romeo takes his first martial arts class - hence why Romeo recognised her when he first arrives at university.
The only issue I have with Lucy is her dull genetics. But I can live with that, because her personality makes up for it!
10. The Thing With The Guardian
Unpopular Opinion: I prefer Lee to Hex. Hex is fine and dandy, and seems to be fairly popular with readers, but to me, he's not the most interesting of guys. With Hex, he seems to have a rather lather/rinse/repeat kind of storyline - he eventually finds happiness and has to sacrifice it for the family he protects. Lee, however, is more interesting to me, purely because he has a past, and he has done things for himself, too - like dating Natasha Una.
Another thing I like about Lee is that he wasn't always 'good', and the changes he's made to become the man he is have been fun to explore. And he still is fun to explore! Lee has this rather screwed up sense of morals, too - helping an heiress run away, spiking Hex's drink? Perfectly acceptable - Lee does what he think is right, regardless of the consequences.
There was also originally a plot for Maddie to have a crush on Lee, but I rejected it at the last minute. I can't remember why.
11. What's In A Name?
There has been a name scheme for almost every generation for the whole of the legacy:
Generation Two: Ashley & Liam, named after friends I had in Middle School.
Generation Three: Grace, Eli, Elizabeth & Alice; named after book characters. Coincidentally, I've grown out of the four books these guys came from since then.
Generation Four: Lavender, Rose & Forrest; named after flowers/nature (and maybe Forrest Gump :P)
Generation Five: Madeline, Lance & Leda; named after characters in poems I was studying at the time.
Generation Six: Romeo, Oscar & Sierra; named after letters from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. This was because of John's past working in defence and so on.
I have two name schemes picked for Generation Seven, but I haven't decided on which one to use yet. I suppose I'll decide when Generation Seven actually get here!
As for Spares:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway, that's it for this time! It was a lot of fun putting this together. I'd like to thank everyone who has read the legacy over the past three years, and to those who have commented, etc.
A special thanks to:
So to celebrate, I've put together a little something - things I've never shared about the legacy, interesting facts, and so on. Basically, I didn't have a lot of time. But I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Caution: If you haven't caught up completely with the legacy, there may be spoilers under the cut
1. I Don't Have Favourites, But...
My favourite heir so far has been Maddie - despite the fact she wasn't particularly liked by those who read the legacy. She's my favourite because she has been so much fun to write; she's very different to the women who have come before her in the story. It was actually fun writing a selfish character who followed her heart and did what she wanted.
I do feel kind of bad that Maddie's death was briefly touched on, but it was always my plan to kill her off, along with John. Eventually, if I have the time, I want to go back, shoot & write John and Maddie's final night, and finally do it justice. I think the couple deserve that.
2. Hex Has A House!
Unlike most of Hex's previous homes, the lot he currently lives on is actually playable. Due to the fact Hex doesn't age in the story, his lot wasn't played, only staged scenes took place there.
The apartment Hex shared with Lee in Mirage was actually an apartment building turned residential lot, with the other floors converted into sets for scenes as needed. For example, Lee's bedroom was actually on the floor above the apartment, because I only needed it for one or two shots. All of the poseboxes and such were crammed into the tiny bathroom, and the room next to the kitchen.
I'm quite happy with how the new house has turned out, though it has no storage space for poseboxes and such.
The last time Hex had a house that was actually playable was in the original Rubix 'hood, when he was romantically linked to Kendra.
3. Alternative Endings
In my original notes for generation four, Lavender and Mark never split. Nor did Lavender end up with Hex. The original idea was for Mark to miss out on Maddie's upbringing, but sort himself out for the twins - leading Maddie to dislike her father, etc. etc. Mark and Lavender had three bolts, afterall.
But he liked to heart-fart other sims, and Lavender started to feel a little boring to me. So I split the couple up in order to make her more interesting - honestly, I sort of wish I'd chosen a different heir for generation four, which leads me to my next point...
4. The Other Wrongway Girl
I wish, wish, WISH I'd picked Rose for my heiress of generation four. Genetically, Lavender and Rose were the same. And honestly? I don't remember for the life of me why I picked Lavender. But Rose was much more interesting, with her story-writing, imagination, and then finding her Prince Charming.
Zeke would've been my generation five heir instead of spare and so on. Zeke still hasn't found a partner or settled down in game at the moment - I managed to recreate him. I didn't want to let go of the Phelps line.
I think I'll always wonder how the story would've been if I'd picked Rose. But I'm guessing Lavender was my first choice - and after changing my mind in previous legacies, I've tended to stick with my first choice since then. But as you can tell, even that doesn't always work out.
5. The Way We Were
This is the earliest picture I have of Jim, my founder. These were tester shots I was messing around with back in 2009, because I'd just discovered poseboxes, and Jim was a recreation of one of my favourite sims.
The original Jim Wrongway was a face-one sim living in a neighbourhood that was built on the "sample" template, in a massive house. He was still blonde, still green-eyed, still s3. But I think he was a Knowledge sim back then. Anyway, he married a face-one lady I made, named Carly. She was a red-head, and I remember nothing else about her. Anyway, they had twins girls, the names of which I've forgotten.
New Jim, founder Jim, had his face template randomised and his aspiration rolled, hence why he ended up with much more interesting features, and as a Family sim. I prefer new-Jim.
6. The "What If" Game
Basically, I constantly wonder what would've happened if I'd gone in a different direction. Just last night, I was wondering what would've happened if Ash had been the generation two heir instead of Liam. Truthfully, I wanted Ash for my heir, but Liam won the heir poll.
Anyway, if Ash had been heir, the alien boy second left would've been main-line generation five. Because he was the only descendant of Ash by this point - that's Dimitri Collins:
Jim -> Ash -> Frankie -> Hero -> Dimitri
I think it's cool just how different things could have been. That said, there are some choices I am glad I didn't make - like Alice (generation three) for heir, as she has been really dull to play!
7. A Woman Scorned
This is the original Ariel. I'd actually shot a prologue before I released the legacy, where Ariel was an elven princess who had taken a shine to Jim, but was crushed when he didn't return her affections. I decided against the idea, but never got round to deleting Ariel - hence why she appeared in later chapters, and is still about now.
In fact, Ariel was created before Ralph was. The more you know!
8. The New Wrongway On The Block
I am so excited to be finally working with Romeo! He was born when I did last year's legaversary celebrations, and I'd extracted him and played him in a variety of neighbourhoods. Romeo was my favourite out of his generation from an early age. However, a month or two ago, I was this close to choosing Sierra for heir over him.
However, I kind of decided it's time to have another male heir. Afterall, the girls have ruled since generation three now. It's time for a change!
9. Support Cast: Also Fun To Write
Lucy Burb is a blast to write! She is so much fun, and it's been my intention for her to befriend Romeo since they were children. Lucy was actually featured in a chapter at John and Maddie's dojo, when Romeo takes his first martial arts class - hence why Romeo recognised her when he first arrives at university.
The only issue I have with Lucy is her dull genetics. But I can live with that, because her personality makes up for it!
10. The Thing With The Guardian
Unpopular Opinion: I prefer Lee to Hex. Hex is fine and dandy, and seems to be fairly popular with readers, but to me, he's not the most interesting of guys. With Hex, he seems to have a rather lather/rinse/repeat kind of storyline - he eventually finds happiness and has to sacrifice it for the family he protects. Lee, however, is more interesting to me, purely because he has a past, and he has done things for himself, too - like dating Natasha Una.
Another thing I like about Lee is that he wasn't always 'good', and the changes he's made to become the man he is have been fun to explore. And he still is fun to explore! Lee has this rather screwed up sense of morals, too - helping an heiress run away, spiking Hex's drink? Perfectly acceptable - Lee does what he think is right, regardless of the consequences.
There was also originally a plot for Maddie to have a crush on Lee, but I rejected it at the last minute. I can't remember why.
11. What's In A Name?
There has been a name scheme for almost every generation for the whole of the legacy:
Generation Two: Ashley & Liam, named after friends I had in Middle School.
Generation Three: Grace, Eli, Elizabeth & Alice; named after book characters. Coincidentally, I've grown out of the four books these guys came from since then.
Generation Four: Lavender, Rose & Forrest; named after flowers/nature (and maybe Forrest Gump :P)
Generation Five: Madeline, Lance & Leda; named after characters in poems I was studying at the time.
Generation Six: Romeo, Oscar & Sierra; named after letters from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. This was because of John's past working in defence and so on.
I have two name schemes picked for Generation Seven, but I haven't decided on which one to use yet. I suppose I'll decide when Generation Seven actually get here!
As for Spares:
- Ash's children - Whitney, Frankie & Julia - were all named after celebrities (Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra & Julia Roberts)
- Ribbon McCarthy, Julia's daughter, was named after a bit of ribbon I found on my desk
- Hero McCarthy-Collins, Frankie's daughter, was named after the character from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Looking back, I wish I'd given her the name Beatrice, as Beatrice is my favourite character in that play.
- Owen Thompson (Alice's Son), David Shahan (Will's son) & Zeke Phelps (Rose's son) are all named after friends of mine.
- Austin Shahan/Wheeler/Wrongway (Eli's illegitimate son) was named after the place, because his mother liked to travel.
- Dimitri Collins (Hero's son) was named after a character from a book a friend got me for Christmas one year. I don't even remember what book it was.
- Robert Wheeler (Lance's son) was named after my partner.
- Ophelia Hollinter (Forrest's daughter) was named after the character from Hamlet - because Heather, who loaned me Ophelia's mother, Betria, used a Shakespeare name scheme in her legacy for the children of Betria.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Anyway, that's it for this time! It was a lot of fun putting this together. I'd like to thank everyone who has read the legacy over the past three years, and to those who have commented, etc.
A special thanks to:
- Esme, for the loan of her simself. Esme was married to Will Shahan, generation four cousin.
- Heather, for the loan of her legacy spare, Betria, who was married to Forrest, generation four spare.
- Ani-Mei, for the loan of Solan, from her legacy, who collaborated with Hex in recent chapters.
