Just a quick intro: if you’ve never heard of the Sims 3, you might be a little lost reading this blog. Here, I will be chronicling the story of my Sims 3 Legacy Founder, Aisling Ayers, and her future heirs. To find out more on the Sims 3, please visit the official forums (http://www.thesims3.com/) and you can find more information on legacies here: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/39862.page. Pinstar1161 must be acknowledged for creating this challenge and its many rules.
~~~ * ~~~
I was always scared off by the rules of legacy playing, and I was all set to start my own version of the legacy where I could have a smaller lot and more simoleons, move lots as my family grew, and pick the same LTWs over and over, if I knew how to achieve them. But as I was about to begin, I had a change of heart.
Why?
I nearly exploded my left hand while trying to fill a second hand zippo with compressed butane gas. [Never do this by the way. I have burnt three nails and I have singed hand-hair.] My first thought? My hand looked like a sim who’d tried to repair a computer without any handy points.
Bam.
Life needs to be interesting, and in order to keep it interesting, new things need to be added into the mix. So I relented. Rules? I hate ‘em. But the game? It sounded pretty interesting. Challenging enough to keep my interest for ten generations, but doable too. So I copied the rules down diligently into a nerdy little notebook, and looked up some names with meaning.
I came up with Aisling Ayers. It means Dream / Heir. Perfect.
I didn’t want her to be a Mary Sue, but I didn’t want a troll whose features I’d have to stare at for ten generations, so I made her a little too pretty. She’ll do though. Her freckles, upturned lips and quirky hairdo will be nice little genetic markers to look out for in future generations.
Ayers Founder - Generation 1
I’m following a rule that says all heirs have to have a “family trait” so I picked Family Oriented first. I also gave Aisling the following traits: Frugal, Green Thumb, Perfectionist and Loves the Outdoors. Her Lifetime Wish was Creature-Robot Cross Breeder.
So my sim was created. Next thing I needed was a lot. (Not “a lot”, but rather one lot of land. Yes, simspeak.) For this legacy, there’s no real choice, lot-wise. There are two towns, and one viable lot in each. So I went ahead and bought 15, Summer Hill Court, for 14,700 simoleons, leaving my wee founder with only 1,300 to build and furnish a house. Ha. Yeah right.
Having built a few lots before, I was able to use a couple of tricks. I gave the illusion of a house by placing two columns a few squares apart. I was then able to place a roof over them. Voila! The perfect home for she who Loves the Outdoors! I wanted her to have a toilet (aren’t I generous), so I did concede and build one wall (the jack needs to be against the wall for obvious plumbing reasons). I also gave her a bed. And a small table and chair. I used the free terrain tool to give the floor a sandy finish, and I painted in a pebbled path to the front door (or the place it would be if there were any walls).
Aisling's humble abode
And so, Aisling was installed in Sunset Valley. Now all she needed was (1) a job, (2) a man, and (3) well, that was it really. I started with the job. She already had a wish to join the Science Career, so I let her at it and she applied for a job there. She started work the following morning, with, I might add, a dazzling green plumbob from the “beautiful vista” and “at one with nature” moodlets. Nice.
Having only $99 left after building Aisling’s “house”, I thought I should make use of her frugal trait and find some free nosh. After her interview in Landgraab Industries Science Faculty, Aisling nipped round the back and harvested their garden. After snacking on one of their apples, she made her way to the library to use their loo. Then onto Sunnyside Strand to the Grillathon, where she wangled a free top-notch tri-tip steak.
She did a spot of fishing, and then made her way to the supermarket to sell her wares ($28 for the fruit and veg, and $10 for two fish).
After all this money-saving, poor Aisling was a bit sleepy, so she made her way home for a well-deserved snooze.
I’m really beginning to appreciate Aisling’s “Loves the Outdoors” trait, as she woke up with the twin moodlets of “At One With Nature” and “Beautiful Vista”. It’s always good to start a job in a good mood. Her first day of work was uneventful, but she was a bit stinky by the time she’d finished, so I sent her straight to the gym for a long, hot shower. Squeaky clean and rejuvenated, I thought it was high time my Legacy Founder started looking for a mate, and the gym was buzzing with hot male totty.
Upstairs, I spotted a rather handsome looking bloke working out. So up I sent her, to make a friendly introduction.
She quickly learned that this was Gage Briody, and that he was unemployed. While not having a job is a small disadvantage in a potential mate, it would give me the chance to choose his career. So I didn’t let this get me down, and it certainly didn’t seem to affect Aisling. She got to know him a bit better, and discovered two of his traits: Good and Loves the Outdoors. Wow! This guy seemed to be right down her ally. More importantly, he was single.
After chatting for a few sim hours, Gage seemed keen to get home to bed, so I let him go on his way, and directed Aisling back home. With her day’s wages, plus the sale of her unused Park n Grill, I was able to buy her a fridge. She seemed pretty pleased with this, and spent quite a lot of time clapping and jumping around in front of it. She’s easily pleased. It was the cheapest fridge money could buy.
It was just before bed that Aisling got her second opportunity. Her first, which came through during work, was to wash five dirty plates for Landgraab (cheeky bugger), and this one was to catch three fish and deliver them to the supermarket. These seemed straightforward enough. She washed the plates before bed, and resolved to get up early for a spot of fishing.
Over the next few days, Aisling performed well in work, completed her opportunities and just about survived at home. It was a bit tiresome having her wash her hands twenty times to improve her hygiene bar, so for my own sake rather than hers, I resolved to buy her a shower as soon as possible. I did this on Day 3, and she was pretty impressed. We stretched to a small sofa on Day 4, which meant Gage was able to stay over. They were getting on pretty well at this stage, and by Day 5…
Aisling was pretty chuffed, but Gage's mind seemed to be somewhere else...
A first kiss and a first romance. They were going steady. I was a bit wary as she still only knew two of his traits, but he kept reading and counting money, so I was almost sure he was also Frugal and a Bookworm. To celebrate the first night of going steady, I bought her a double bed, but Aisling was a little disappointed when Gage turned over to go to sleep without even a kiss.
I was worried that the lack of walls in Aisling’s abode would make going to the loo a bit embarrassing, but it seemed that neither Aisling nor Gage had any qualms about public displays of urination. Good thing too, as there was no money for a cubicle.
By the end of Day 6, I thought Gage seemed to be a worthy mate and co-founder of the Ayers legacy, so Aisling proposed, and Gage was pretty chuffed. They celebrated with a Woohoo…
Dun dun dun dun duuuuuun....
And this was the first fly in the ointment.
Despite not clicking on the “Try for a baby” option, a loud chime rang through the post-coital atmosphere of the Ayers lot. Oh no. Aisling, with no money and a low-paid job was never going to be able to afford a baby and all the paraphernalia it would involve. There was only one option: a shotgun wedding, and quick.
Seeing as Aisling couldn’t afford decorations or catering, they decided on a private, almost-naked wedding in their favourite setting: at one with nature. It was beautiful.
Till death do us part...
As a wedding present to the happy couple, I decided to donate a spot of free landscaping…
If I had been expecting Aisling’s moolah to skyrocket at this point, I would have been sorely disappointed. As it was, I was a little miffed. Gage only brought $1,112 to the family money pool. I’d have to get him a job, and sharpish. Before doing anything else though, I bought a baby’s cot and walled in the bathroom. I bought one more column and extended the roof. I was also able to splash out on a couple of counters, a kitchen sink and a microwave, as well as TV and a stunning fence around the house’s perimeter.
It was only after my spending splurge that I thought to check out Gage’s other traits and his family tree… He’s a Computer Whizz and Frugal. There’s a third one, but I’ll have to get back to you on that.
Gage also brought another little surprise along… He already has a baby, who strangely enough, also has the name Ayers. I don’t really know how this happened, but I’ll just put it down to Story Progression.
So by the sunset of Day 8, Aisling is shacked up with her mate in a nice enough residence, and with Generation 2 on the way.
How will Aisling react when she learns Gage’s secret? Will they be able to afford the baby – and will Gage finally get a job? Watch this space!
