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Sputnick Legacy - Gen 1.6 - NLC 3 Challenge
I posted this to supernovasims2.com on Friday, but I completely forgot to do it here! Whoopsie! Anyway, away we go....!
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"I'm taking this pizza straight up to my room," Posey announced. Even though the Sputnik girls had only been living in the Academie Le Tour's Happy Hamlet dormitory for a few hours, the cook had yet to show up. A pizza was sure to draw hungry dormies into the kitchen, and Posey didn't feel like sharing.
Unfortunately, life in the dorms was all about sharing. Sharing computers, sharing gossip, and even sharing showers. The girls had arrived first thing in the morning to stake out the best rooms in the dorm, but their fellow dormies came in and out as if they owned the place, using the desks and bookcases despite the fact that there were several located in the first-floor lounge.
Even when it came time to go to sleep, it wasn't uncommon for another student to be reading a book in the same room. Juniper would have probably slept better if her unwelcome guest hadn't been dressed up like a giant llama wearing eyeliner.
Some of the dormies seemed utterly incapable of taking care of themselves, to the point where they neglected even the most basic of needs. It was a marvel to think they had made it all the way to university without having been potty trained.
When the cook finally showed up, her culinary skills left a lot to be desired.
"Are you an acutal chef or a lunch lady?" Posey asked, disgusted by yet another meal of gummy spaghetti swimming in tomato paste. "I can whip up a Lobster Thermador that would break your heart, but I have to eat your generic mac n' cheese? You, woman, should be ashamed!"
(Note: Posey autonomously hated the cook on sight - it was the first time she showed off her lack of nice points. :>)
Because of the horrendous food, Posey wasn't surprised when a fellow dormie decided to up and die of starvation after returning from class one day. She had probably preferred to starve rather than eat another bowl of wallpaper paste.
"Why do you suppose we seem so much more advanced than our fellow students?" Clover asked as they soaked in the greenhouse hot tub. "Is it due to our superior E.T. genetics?"
"Mom doesn't have alien genes, and she's pretty competent," Juniper pointed out.
"But she did pee herself that one time..."
"Yeah, but she had just been struck by lightning!"
Perhaps it all came down to guidance. Clover didn't really enjoy doing her term paper, but her conscience, that little voice that had always guided her, wouldn't allow her to slack off, even if she wanted to.
Posey didn't slack off either, but she took a more creative route to completing her papers.
"Hey Esmerelda, since you're always in here, using my desk, my books, and even my bed, I think you might owe me a favor, don't you? A favor that involves ten pages on adolescent psychology, proper APA formatting, and credible source use."
"Oh... okay!" Esmerelda looked very nearly flattered at the chance to do Posey's paper for her. Having 9 charisma points definitely had its perks.
Juniper liked to study with friends, and since her sisters were the best friends she had, she would take turns making study dates with both Posey and Clover.
They all found time for fun, too. The campus had a few clubs and bars that held weekend open-mic nights - it was a great opportunity to practice their Black Sabbath cover songs. Clover's voice was curiously similar to Ozzy Osbourne's.
Posey enjoyed going out for other reasons.
She was introduced to WooHoo by a smooth operator with Elvis hair and a Hugh Hefner smoking jacket. She had always assumed her first time would be in a bed, but these days the photobooth was more secluded than her dorm room.
(Note: Woohoo #1)
Fortunately, the dorm had a photobooth, too; not so fortunately, the dormie she seduced lacked Elvis' powerful hip gyrations (not to mention his blue suede shoes). After the deed, Posey was left frustrated and unsatisfied - the greasy dormie seemed to enjoy it, though.
(Note: Woohoo #2)
Thankfully, a cute E.T. with even cuter ears and a tail showed her a delightful time out in the hot tub. Posey was done with dormies after that; who wanted to WooHoo with someone who never showered, anyway?
(Note: Woohoo #3)
Inspired by her little sister's string of lovers, Clover decided to try WooHoo out for herself. It was okay, she supposed; certainly nothing to write home about. If it was the only way to get a baby, though, she would gladly endure it.
Juniper didn't need nor want a man. She was majoring in drama and had plans to become a famous actress who adopted babies from Simfrica.
The fact that her twin was setting out to partner herself up with a man didn't bother her a bit. Not one little bit.
Posey's plan was to become a relationship counselor. She thought it would be terribly exciting to listen to couples complain about each others quirks all day long; she never planned to be part of a couple herself, so she would be imminently qualified to offer unbiased advice.
She wrote her junior year term paper on the co-dependent nature of first-born twins and got an A+.
Co-dependency was something she was blissfully free of.
(Note: Woohoo #4)
She wasn't sure where it came from, but she seemed to have a knack for knowing what men wanted. If they wanted someone shy and coy, she would give them shy and coy. If they wanted scary, she had plenty of that, too.
"I'm the alien queen and I demand that you suck my face, fairy-boy!"
Everyone had a weak spot, and she only had to find it. Her studies in psychology were only making her better at it, too.
Near the end of junior year, the dormies started complaining that the girl who starved to death was haunting the grounds. Most sightings of her took place in the kitchen, perhaps because that was where the food was kept.
Posey hadn't believed it until she saw the ghost for herself.
After that, the girls decided they had had more than enough of living in the dorms. So just before their senior year, they pooled their scholarship money together and rented a small house on the edge of campus.
It wasn't much more private and secluded than the dormitory had been. Other students were still forever dropping by to use their books and watch their television.
Kyla-the-Cow also took to showing up unannounced. Unlike the llama, who was definitely annoying in his own way, Kyla-the-Cow was nasty and enjoyed starting fights...
...And playing lame pranks.
No matter how often Juniper shooed her away, she always made her way back to the house again. The dormitory had been haunted by a ghost, but the house was haunted by Kyla-the-Cow.
Somehow, Posey had figured out a way to get along with Kyla-the-Cow. Maybe it was those psychology classes at work again. Or maybe a good joke about WooHoo was the universal ice-breaker.
Personally, Posey thought that WooHoo itself was the universal ice-breaker. She enjoyed the trysts she had with her lovers (most of them, anyway), but had yet to meet one that sent that triple-bolt of lightning directly into her heart.
(Note: Woohoo #5)
After a Friday night at club P.U.R.E., though, she thought she might have found him, that elusive triple-bolter. He was an E.T., like her, and dashing and funny, too. He made her absolutely weak in the knees, but before she had a chance to lure him into a dark corner, he was gone. She hadn't even got his name.
But she would find him again some day - she was sure of it.
***meanwhile***
Life back a the shack was moving along nicely. Jesse had finally tricked the plants into thinking it was sunny out by simply telling them it was sunny out. Quite a trick, and one he was proud of.
He and Paulette missed the girls a lot, but they enjoyed having the whole shack to themselves again.
It wasn't until Jesse spotted Posey at a club downtown that he remembered just how out of reach his daughters were, now that they were at Academie Le Tour. They were shaping their own lives now, choosing friends and careers and...maybe more.
Why would they want to move back to the beach shack and rope themselves to a legacy?
They wouldn't.
Which was why Jesse needed the Gypsy.
"It's a list of tasks extending for ten generations. I've already completed the first legacy task, and one of my children must complete the next task."
"And I'm supposed to help you how, exactly?" The Gypsy asked, looking skeptical.
"A compulsion spell."
The Gypsy's eyes widened.
"Let me explain..."
And he tried to, as best he could, repeating many of the same things that he'd said to his parents and to Paulette, but before he could get very far, the Gypsy held up a hand to shush him.
"Look, Mister, I don't care how you're screwing your family over, I only care that you can pay me."
"I'm not screwing them over!" Jesse protested. "I would never do that to my girls - I love them! But I don't know the history of my people, and I want to make a history here, on this planet. Ten generations from now, my family will look back and be so proud of what they accomplished, of all the adversity that they overcame..."
"Do you have money?" The Gypsy said, bored.
"Yes." Jesse handed over a wad of simoleons. Both he and Paulette had lots of money saved up; they had both gotten used to living on very little.
"Great!" The Gypsy was suddenly nice as pie. "For this amount, I'll even throw in a free get-out-of jail card. If you ever change your mind, as the legacy founder you have the power to burn the scroll and undo the compulsion spell."
"Thanks, but I won't change my mind," Jesse said firmly. "What exactly will the compulsion spell do?"
"From the pool of children, the spell will identify the most appropriate heir when he or she comes of age. Events in the heir's life will prompt her to take the path of the legacy task. She will not be aware of the fact that her free will no longer applies. She will either think that her choices have led her down the path, or..." the Gypsy trailed off.
"Or what?" Jesse prompted.
The Gypsy smiled.
"Or she will recognize that fate controls her, and she will curse fate."
*****
"Here you go, Brigette! A little tip for that cute blond you sent last time." Posey smiled and handed a stack of bills over to the old woman.
"Thank you, child. You have become a favorite customer of mine, you know."
"Really? Well hey, thanks yourself," Posey giggled a little.
"I hope that your road will not be a difficult one," Brigette said in a low voice, before turning around with a swishing of skirts and walking away.
Posey puzzled her brow - now what was that supposed to mean? Well, no matter. She was just one final away from graduating!
The cramps started later that night.
At first she had thought it was something she ate, but then they got worse, to the point where she didn't know if she could bear it. The professor saw the look on her face and sent her home, excusing her from classes.
By the time she got back to the house, she was too late.
She hadn't even known that she was pregnant. She wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.
Her sisters did their best to help, fixing her food and rubbing her back, trying to make her smile even though it felt as if she might never smile again.
Not much worked, but she was dimly appreciative of their efforts.
In the days that followed she tried slipping back into old habits, hoping that they might jar her back into being herself.
It was nice while it lasted, but the pain was still there, waiting for the moment of bliss to pass.
When graduation came, Posey had no desire to stick around for parties or ceremonies. She called her parents, instead.
"I'd like to come home," she said. "And maybe stay for awhile..."
"Really? And this is Posey, right?" Her father said. He had never been very good at telling them apart over the phone.
"Yes Dad, it's me. Can I come home?"
"Of course, sweetie..."
Clover and Juniper waved her goodbye and wished her well. Secretly, they were a little concerned. Posey had just graduated with honors and she was moving back home without even so much as a party? Without even a job lined up? Clover already had an interview scheduled at a High School that was looking for an English teacher, and Juniper had three auditions for the next week.
Whatever happened, they hoped that Posey would be all right.
"...and then I got my hair cut. Do you like it? I felt like I needed something new. I felt like I couldn't stand...I mean, like I was tired of being myself. My old self, I mean. I'm still the same, I've just had some things happen. I guess I'm still not over them yet, but I think I will be. Being here with you and Mom will help, I think. I hope." Posey paused and gave a weak smile. She knew she was rambling.
"You're welcome here as long as you want," her father said, giving her a warm embrace.
"And I know that you and Mom will probably want me to get a job and pull my weight, but I really...I think I need some time off. Would you mind if I put off job searches for just a little while? I don't think I should be psychoanalyzing anyone right now, not until I get my head sorted out."
"No," her father said. "I won't mind."
Posey breathed a sigh of relief as she walked up to her old easel. The painting she had been working on when she left for University was still there, waiting to be finished, and she smiled at the sight of it. It was like the canvas had been waiting for her to return.
Being at home felt right, and as she moved her brush over the canvas, painting felt right, too. It was soothing and therapeutic.
Maybe she would become a painter.
Yes, that was it: a painter.
*****
Notes: The Miscarriage was not planned, but I think it worked into the story well. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!
| Archive for Previous Updates |
"I'm taking this pizza straight up to my room," Posey announced. Even though the Sputnik girls had only been living in the Academie Le Tour's Happy Hamlet dormitory for a few hours, the cook had yet to show up. A pizza was sure to draw hungry dormies into the kitchen, and Posey didn't feel like sharing.
Unfortunately, life in the dorms was all about sharing. Sharing computers, sharing gossip, and even sharing showers. The girls had arrived first thing in the morning to stake out the best rooms in the dorm, but their fellow dormies came in and out as if they owned the place, using the desks and bookcases despite the fact that there were several located in the first-floor lounge.
Even when it came time to go to sleep, it wasn't uncommon for another student to be reading a book in the same room. Juniper would have probably slept better if her unwelcome guest hadn't been dressed up like a giant llama wearing eyeliner.
Some of the dormies seemed utterly incapable of taking care of themselves, to the point where they neglected even the most basic of needs. It was a marvel to think they had made it all the way to university without having been potty trained.
When the cook finally showed up, her culinary skills left a lot to be desired.
"Are you an acutal chef or a lunch lady?" Posey asked, disgusted by yet another meal of gummy spaghetti swimming in tomato paste. "I can whip up a Lobster Thermador that would break your heart, but I have to eat your generic mac n' cheese? You, woman, should be ashamed!"
(Note: Posey autonomously hated the cook on sight - it was the first time she showed off her lack of nice points. :>)
Because of the horrendous food, Posey wasn't surprised when a fellow dormie decided to up and die of starvation after returning from class one day. She had probably preferred to starve rather than eat another bowl of wallpaper paste.
"Why do you suppose we seem so much more advanced than our fellow students?" Clover asked as they soaked in the greenhouse hot tub. "Is it due to our superior E.T. genetics?"
"Mom doesn't have alien genes, and she's pretty competent," Juniper pointed out.
"But she did pee herself that one time..."
"Yeah, but she had just been struck by lightning!"
Perhaps it all came down to guidance. Clover didn't really enjoy doing her term paper, but her conscience, that little voice that had always guided her, wouldn't allow her to slack off, even if she wanted to.
Posey didn't slack off either, but she took a more creative route to completing her papers.
"Hey Esmerelda, since you're always in here, using my desk, my books, and even my bed, I think you might owe me a favor, don't you? A favor that involves ten pages on adolescent psychology, proper APA formatting, and credible source use."
"Oh... okay!" Esmerelda looked very nearly flattered at the chance to do Posey's paper for her. Having 9 charisma points definitely had its perks.
Juniper liked to study with friends, and since her sisters were the best friends she had, she would take turns making study dates with both Posey and Clover.
They all found time for fun, too. The campus had a few clubs and bars that held weekend open-mic nights - it was a great opportunity to practice their Black Sabbath cover songs. Clover's voice was curiously similar to Ozzy Osbourne's.
Posey enjoyed going out for other reasons.
She was introduced to WooHoo by a smooth operator with Elvis hair and a Hugh Hefner smoking jacket. She had always assumed her first time would be in a bed, but these days the photobooth was more secluded than her dorm room.
(Note: Woohoo #1)
Fortunately, the dorm had a photobooth, too; not so fortunately, the dormie she seduced lacked Elvis' powerful hip gyrations (not to mention his blue suede shoes). After the deed, Posey was left frustrated and unsatisfied - the greasy dormie seemed to enjoy it, though.
(Note: Woohoo #2)
Thankfully, a cute E.T. with even cuter ears and a tail showed her a delightful time out in the hot tub. Posey was done with dormies after that; who wanted to WooHoo with someone who never showered, anyway?
(Note: Woohoo #3)
Inspired by her little sister's string of lovers, Clover decided to try WooHoo out for herself. It was okay, she supposed; certainly nothing to write home about. If it was the only way to get a baby, though, she would gladly endure it.
Juniper didn't need nor want a man. She was majoring in drama and had plans to become a famous actress who adopted babies from Simfrica.
The fact that her twin was setting out to partner herself up with a man didn't bother her a bit. Not one little bit.
Posey's plan was to become a relationship counselor. She thought it would be terribly exciting to listen to couples complain about each others quirks all day long; she never planned to be part of a couple herself, so she would be imminently qualified to offer unbiased advice.
She wrote her junior year term paper on the co-dependent nature of first-born twins and got an A+.
Co-dependency was something she was blissfully free of.
(Note: Woohoo #4)
She wasn't sure where it came from, but she seemed to have a knack for knowing what men wanted. If they wanted someone shy and coy, she would give them shy and coy. If they wanted scary, she had plenty of that, too.
"I'm the alien queen and I demand that you suck my face, fairy-boy!"
Everyone had a weak spot, and she only had to find it. Her studies in psychology were only making her better at it, too.
Near the end of junior year, the dormies started complaining that the girl who starved to death was haunting the grounds. Most sightings of her took place in the kitchen, perhaps because that was where the food was kept.
Posey hadn't believed it until she saw the ghost for herself.
After that, the girls decided they had had more than enough of living in the dorms. So just before their senior year, they pooled their scholarship money together and rented a small house on the edge of campus.
It wasn't much more private and secluded than the dormitory had been. Other students were still forever dropping by to use their books and watch their television.
Kyla-the-Cow also took to showing up unannounced. Unlike the llama, who was definitely annoying in his own way, Kyla-the-Cow was nasty and enjoyed starting fights...
...And playing lame pranks.
No matter how often Juniper shooed her away, she always made her way back to the house again. The dormitory had been haunted by a ghost, but the house was haunted by Kyla-the-Cow.
Somehow, Posey had figured out a way to get along with Kyla-the-Cow. Maybe it was those psychology classes at work again. Or maybe a good joke about WooHoo was the universal ice-breaker.
Personally, Posey thought that WooHoo itself was the universal ice-breaker. She enjoyed the trysts she had with her lovers (most of them, anyway), but had yet to meet one that sent that triple-bolt of lightning directly into her heart.
(Note: Woohoo #5)
After a Friday night at club P.U.R.E., though, she thought she might have found him, that elusive triple-bolter. He was an E.T., like her, and dashing and funny, too. He made her absolutely weak in the knees, but before she had a chance to lure him into a dark corner, he was gone. She hadn't even got his name.
But she would find him again some day - she was sure of it.
***meanwhile***
Life back a the shack was moving along nicely. Jesse had finally tricked the plants into thinking it was sunny out by simply telling them it was sunny out. Quite a trick, and one he was proud of.
He and Paulette missed the girls a lot, but they enjoyed having the whole shack to themselves again.
It wasn't until Jesse spotted Posey at a club downtown that he remembered just how out of reach his daughters were, now that they were at Academie Le Tour. They were shaping their own lives now, choosing friends and careers and...maybe more.
Why would they want to move back to the beach shack and rope themselves to a legacy?
They wouldn't.
Which was why Jesse needed the Gypsy.
"It's a list of tasks extending for ten generations. I've already completed the first legacy task, and one of my children must complete the next task."
"And I'm supposed to help you how, exactly?" The Gypsy asked, looking skeptical.
"A compulsion spell."
The Gypsy's eyes widened.
"Let me explain..."
And he tried to, as best he could, repeating many of the same things that he'd said to his parents and to Paulette, but before he could get very far, the Gypsy held up a hand to shush him.
"Look, Mister, I don't care how you're screwing your family over, I only care that you can pay me."
"I'm not screwing them over!" Jesse protested. "I would never do that to my girls - I love them! But I don't know the history of my people, and I want to make a history here, on this planet. Ten generations from now, my family will look back and be so proud of what they accomplished, of all the adversity that they overcame..."
"Do you have money?" The Gypsy said, bored.
"Yes." Jesse handed over a wad of simoleons. Both he and Paulette had lots of money saved up; they had both gotten used to living on very little.
"Great!" The Gypsy was suddenly nice as pie. "For this amount, I'll even throw in a free get-out-of jail card. If you ever change your mind, as the legacy founder you have the power to burn the scroll and undo the compulsion spell."
"Thanks, but I won't change my mind," Jesse said firmly. "What exactly will the compulsion spell do?"
"From the pool of children, the spell will identify the most appropriate heir when he or she comes of age. Events in the heir's life will prompt her to take the path of the legacy task. She will not be aware of the fact that her free will no longer applies. She will either think that her choices have led her down the path, or..." the Gypsy trailed off.
"Or what?" Jesse prompted.
The Gypsy smiled.
"Or she will recognize that fate controls her, and she will curse fate."
*****
"Here you go, Brigette! A little tip for that cute blond you sent last time." Posey smiled and handed a stack of bills over to the old woman.
"Thank you, child. You have become a favorite customer of mine, you know."
"Really? Well hey, thanks yourself," Posey giggled a little.
"I hope that your road will not be a difficult one," Brigette said in a low voice, before turning around with a swishing of skirts and walking away.
Posey puzzled her brow - now what was that supposed to mean? Well, no matter. She was just one final away from graduating!
The cramps started later that night.
At first she had thought it was something she ate, but then they got worse, to the point where she didn't know if she could bear it. The professor saw the look on her face and sent her home, excusing her from classes.
By the time she got back to the house, she was too late.
She hadn't even known that she was pregnant. She wasn't sure if that made it better or worse.
Her sisters did their best to help, fixing her food and rubbing her back, trying to make her smile even though it felt as if she might never smile again.
Not much worked, but she was dimly appreciative of their efforts.
In the days that followed she tried slipping back into old habits, hoping that they might jar her back into being herself.
It was nice while it lasted, but the pain was still there, waiting for the moment of bliss to pass.
When graduation came, Posey had no desire to stick around for parties or ceremonies. She called her parents, instead.
"I'd like to come home," she said. "And maybe stay for awhile..."
"Really? And this is Posey, right?" Her father said. He had never been very good at telling them apart over the phone.
"Yes Dad, it's me. Can I come home?"
"Of course, sweetie..."
Clover and Juniper waved her goodbye and wished her well. Secretly, they were a little concerned. Posey had just graduated with honors and she was moving back home without even so much as a party? Without even a job lined up? Clover already had an interview scheduled at a High School that was looking for an English teacher, and Juniper had three auditions for the next week.
Whatever happened, they hoped that Posey would be all right.
"...and then I got my hair cut. Do you like it? I felt like I needed something new. I felt like I couldn't stand...I mean, like I was tired of being myself. My old self, I mean. I'm still the same, I've just had some things happen. I guess I'm still not over them yet, but I think I will be. Being here with you and Mom will help, I think. I hope." Posey paused and gave a weak smile. She knew she was rambling.
"You're welcome here as long as you want," her father said, giving her a warm embrace.
"And I know that you and Mom will probably want me to get a job and pull my weight, but I really...I think I need some time off. Would you mind if I put off job searches for just a little while? I don't think I should be psychoanalyzing anyone right now, not until I get my head sorted out."
"No," her father said. "I won't mind."
Posey breathed a sigh of relief as she walked up to her old easel. The painting she had been working on when she left for University was still there, waiting to be finished, and she smiled at the sight of it. It was like the canvas had been waiting for her to return.
Being at home felt right, and as she moved her brush over the canvas, painting felt right, too. It was soothing and therapeutic.
Maybe she would become a painter.
Yes, that was it: a painter.
*****
Notes: The Miscarriage was not planned, but I think it worked into the story well. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!
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And I loved to read about the girls' life in college, even though I felt very bad for Posey's miscarriage, I am glad she found her way and she feels better now! :)
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