Vermachtnis Legacy - Chapter 6By fraulineTaube (originally posted on the Exchange)

GHOSTS!

Welcome to another installment of the Vermachtnis Legacy! Our host for the chapter is Marissa Chapter Six, who was snookered by her roommate, Louis "Che" Chapter Six, into adopting three unusual looking children who can't seem to decide what season it is. She looks a little bored and confused, no? As long as she instructs the kids to get off the bus at the Vermachtnis stop like we talked about, she'll be just fine.

Let's see, where did we leave off? Oh yes, Leo, the best non-Vermachtnis Vermachtnis had passed on, the elder three kids (twins Jay and Joy and brother Jordan) had left for college, and younger twins June and Julian were close to leaving themselves. The heir poll revealed that you guys really have a thing for June, so here she is - your gen 4 heiress. Her lifetime want is to have 20 simultaneous best friends, and if you remember, she is extremely outgoing and active.

Gabi and Jessie are growing old. These two sims - a pleasure and romance couple - are hopelessly devoted to each other. But will their love stand the test of time? Can two such superficial sims continue to enjoy each other's company when that company is not as smooth and firm? A double birthday will reveal the strength of this bond.

First Gabi goes. In the days leading up to their transition, I tried to dress them a little more like aging parents of five instead of the partiers they were in their youth. It never hurts to age with dignity.

Gabi obviously disagrees. Good to know we won't have to worry about forgetting where the dressers are.

Jessie goes next. You may think, as a romance sim, he is looking so upset because he is afraid to grow old, or because his wife just grew up into a leopard-skinned sack, but really he is grimacing because he imapled his leg on the table.

Ah! Success! Despite being gray and wrinkled, these two are still as in love as ever. They are both exceedingly cute elders in my opinion.

"That's my cue to take off."

Right-o, June. We'll see you at college.

June continues her love affair with yellow. Not too bad at all. Maybe this generation will bring some fashion sense back to the transitions.

Then again . . .

"So, am I smokin' or what?"

Dear lord, Julian, go find an armoir this instant. You are taking nerd chic a little too far. Although I appreciate the effort to line up your shirt seam with the fly of your pants, creating a long, unbroken line, neatly and efficiently bisecting your body. Bad clothes or a statement about the duality of man and how each of us contains two sides? You decide.

June's first want is to join a Greek house and luckily for her, I have just the one in mind. Urele Ara Hoh, the sorority set up by her mother Gabi, is looking for new members. June gives placeholding member Shanna a call.

"Shanna, you're a family Sim, right? Well let me join the house already so you can get out of here and go make babies!"

"Hallelujah, I can finally get on with my life. Sitting at college for 20+ years does a number on a girl that's watching her biological clock."

June moves into the Greek house and gets a little makeover. She had about 4 or so different hairstyles at college because I just couldn't decide which I liked best on her. So if you're trying to judge the chronology of the pictures by the hairstyles, you might as well give up now.

This elusive creature is Chris Phelps. She is the resident streaker, and I want her badly as a contact. However, she has learned that by only running in while everyone is meditating and the game is on fast mode she can escape capture. By the time a sim is directed to talk to her, she is already sprinting away, her altogether fading into the distance.

Shanna, I love you. The best smustler in the whole legacy and she's not even part of it. I will give you a nice life back in Halcyon River Hills. Shanna lived with Gabi through most of her time at Uni, so she actually got to graduate once June joined.

Time to grow up. Shanna makes sure to store her bubblegum collection in her cheek for safe transit back to the main neighborhood.

Meanwhile, Jordan is growing up back at the dorms. Before the heir poll he got to know Mad, a former shopgirl, but she is destined for an heir, not a spare. He then became acquinated with Carla, a cheerleader, but she was not right for Jordan and only liked him when he was fat. Jordan, already a business owner at this tender age, knew that college could not provide him with the same lessons as the real world. Besides that, there was a very special someone waiting for him back in HRH.

Yes, Jordan, after donning matching clothes, wooed and married Dor, also known as mitinkitten. Although his business is doing well, he hope all the proceeds from Dor's legacy (Miyazaki's Art) and from her patent on the idea of the matriarch legacy will help them make their way in the world. Oh, by the way, Dor seems to be pretty levelheaded in my game, and is so far entangled in no bizarre romances. =)

They live in a nice house with their two daughters, Susanne and Marlie. Wonderfully enough, they have a great relationship and are frequently found somewhere in the house flirting or kissing. I'm so happy to see Jordan was carrying Gabi's blond hair as a recessive gene. Both the girls are natural blondes, which makes for a rather striking face combined with Dor's eyes.

Julian, one of my favorites from this generation, also dropped out. He is a knowledge sim with a desire to be Chief of Staff, and as we all know, medicine is not a field that requires higher education. With some gentle rehabilitation, Julian has taken his nerd chic look back down to acceptable levels.

He married his lady in pink, former bunny Katie Chapter Four, in a very rosy ceremony. They are currently expecting their first child.

And we return to college, where June is trying to get her sisters to join her sorority.

"Hey Jay, you're a romance sim - you'd make a great sister, sister! What do you say?""Not now, I am trying to see how long I can stand here without blinking. Why don't you go bug Joy?"

"Joy, Joy, come join my Greek house. We have computers, and bookshelves, and lots of table space for assignments."

"Not nowwww-uh. I'm almost done with the level. Oh shoot, the boss ate me. Don't break my concentration when I'm playing Rainbow-Faced Pirates 2: The Reckoning!"

I imagine Joy sounding exactly like my little brother in this slide, back when he was playing Castlevania on the NES and told me not to breathe because it was distracting him.

Jessie is supremely thrilled with the marriages of his children and often wants engagements and grandchildren. I know he's an elder, but this is still unusual behavior from a romance sim. I'll take it though - its supremely endearing.

These twins are quite different. Here's Joy, getting her first kiss with the only guy she will ever kiss and whom she will eventually marry when they graduate. Meanwhile, Jay's doing what she does best - skanking up the sidewalk.

See? Joy's a one-man woman. She picked this guy out of the college directory and they have three-bolt chemistry. Here is my little secret for making friends or meeting spouses for spares at Uni: call the directory, then sort by chemistry with the little bolt symbol. Even if you've never met them, the sims your sim has the highest chemistry with will jump to the top of the list. You can then pick one you like and chat away until you know them well enough to invite them over. Its like a free blind date, except you can see their picture beforehand.

This is a little awkward. June, with her 10 outgoing points, is a hot tub nudist. Methinks she should show more modesty around her uncle, though. Like at the main house, UAH is frequently visited by Gordon.

Oh man, if I was doing a Uglacy I would be scooping this guy up. As it is, he's just another woohoo for Jay and another best friend for June. They tend to share sims like that. I figure, if they're going to be hanging around the house anyway, might as well fulfill wants with 'em.

June starts on the path to 20 best friends. She was already friends with her parents and grandparents, but she didn't get to grow up as much with most of her siblings, so she works on befriending them at school. In the course of four years a Uni, with a popularity sim and a romance sim in the same house, we used upwards of 20 stands of friend-making glasses.

Guy: "So, I've, uh, heard some rumors about you, June. They say you're not exactly following the usual path for heirs, and that your chosen spouse is, um, an unusual choice."

"If you're asking if I'm gay, then the answer is yes. No need to beat around the bush about it, I'm pretty open about it."

"Really?"

"Well, in that case, why don't you tell me a bit more about how you guys, uh, you know . . ."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. College guys are all alike, aren't they?

Anyway, the rumors are true. There aren't a lot of eligible bachelors in this neighborhood anyway, and one of June's turn-ons is makeup. The other is red hair, making Edith Custer, a local DJ, a prime choice. Edith's not bad looking at all and warmed up to June rather nicely. Once I downloaded some pregnancy-enabling mods, I was ready to introduce a little diversity into the Vermahctnis legacy. Plus, I am trying desperately to breed recessive eyes, or really, anything but dark blue, back into the legacy, and Edith has a nice pair of gray peepers.

When I'm focusing on June, this is usually where the other two can be found. Joy's so serious and non-needy compared to her sisters that she kind of fades into the background. She can often be found working on schoolwork or perfecting her pinball skills. And yes, she still spends a lot of time in front of the stereo, dancing. Jay is a bit of a homebody when she's not romancing, and like to cook for the members of the house or bring home pizzas.

"Julian, so nice of you to come over and be my best friend!"

Yes, at the end of sophomore year, Julian brings his twin up to 9 best friends. Kind of hard to believe these two are twins, though, isn't it?

One more best friend and June is halfway to her lifetime want, with four more semesters to go before she even returns to the main house.

Time passes swiftly and all three girls are finally in their senior year. Only now does June start to claim some priority, influencing her sisters to write her papers while she rushes to complete her lifetime want.

Seems fitting her own brother, Jordan Vermachtnis is the 20th best friend, ensuring June a perpetually platinum mood in her final semester. I thought this want would be the death of me, but getting it done in college actually made it somewhat manageable.

Hmm, ladies, do you think we have enough pizza? KNOCK IT OFF! What do you think this is, the Trellis Legacy?

*Thintmintsim's latest chapter of the Trellis Legacy contains even more pizza than this one, if you like that sort of thing. And its a great read, pizza or no pizza.

You may be wondering, who are these freaks? Well, you see, my computer hates me, so these are the Vermachtnis girls, if you can believe that. With all three in their final semester, grades maxed, all that was needed was for them to take the final. When I went to load the Greek House though, it loaded about 3/4 and then crashed the whole computer. Five times in a row. I began to freak out. I had just downloaded some new objects and put them in the house, so I thought one of those might be the problem. I removed my entire download folder, but I still couldn't load UAH. Desperate, I used the move household tool to forcibly remove the three sisters from the house and plunked them down on an empty lot. We lost lots of photos, paintings, and reward objects that couldn't be placed in the inventory, but I safely rescued the girls from the house. I went ahead and played them for a little bit before reinserting some custom content. So, this is how they looked when I loaded them up. Very strange.

"Congratulations on looking like a total skank, sis.""Hey, you too, June. Isn't it amazing how tacky Maxis makeup looks on our beautiful dark skin? Not everyone can pull off bright pink lipstick, peach blush, and smoky purple eyes like we can!""I know, good thing we got rid of all the tasteful makeup."

AHHHHH! Quite a few of the friends had had makeovers, resulting in several of the townies and NPCs running around with custom content. This means we had quite a few visitors over the next couple days with no eyebrows or bizarre facepaint. And this is June's girlfriend, Edith, who apparently decided it was custom hair or nothing for her.

Custom content was restored as a graduation present, right in time for an end of the year bash. The other problem with the move is that the previous house was old and severly depreciated, meaning we barely got any money for the sale. So June, Joy, and Jay built themselves a party pavilion and called it good, figuring the next generation could actually build a house.

Following the party, the girls took turns growing up. Here's June as an adult, ready to head back to the Vermachtnis manor to continue the legacy.

Joy goes next. Joy went on to marry her fiance and is working her way up the medical career track, while supporting her lazy twin sister. Joy is - surprise, right? - expecting.

And last is Jay, with stunningly poor clothing choices. Jay lives in a duplex with Joy and her husband while she finishes her lifetime want to have 20 lovers. She remains single so far.

Back home, June changes her hair again and reunites with Edith, who has allowed her hair to grow back in. Edith Custer moves in, bringing with her a fair assortment of skills and $19,000. (!) She has a very mellow personality, slightly playful, grouchy, and lazy and very neat. She's a knowledge Sim with the lifetime want to be Chief of Staff, a LTW that I am beginning to really despise because about a third of the Vermachtnis family has it and it is so boooooring.

There, she cleans up okay, though. How cute, our little wannabe-punk grouchy DJ.

Following some particularly satisfying car woohoo (lullaby!), June proposes to Edith.

I then realized that with the pregnancy mod, the initiator is the 'mother.' So I accidently got Edith pregnant, when I had meant to have her knock June up . . . somehow. Anyway, we quickly rectified the situation, and before any vows had been spoken, I already had two pregnant sims on my hands. If either of you have twins, I will kill you.

Hey look, wedding party! I decided to actually show up to a party for the first time ever in Vermachtnis history (my simself is a snob) and quickly grabbed myself a bag of chips. I swear I have better manners in real life. Oh, and the bride in the picture is not actually either of the ones getting married today. That's Shanna, and I apparently forgot to change her formal attire. Oh well!

Oh my, Edith. Getting scared in your woohoo undies and veil by your soon-to-be grandfather-in-law. Isn't that embarassing?

"It would be, but I'm a knowledge Sim. I love these kinds of things."

Aww, two beautiful brides tie the knot. Everyone give your best wishes to Mrs. Edith and June Vermachtnis, generation four.

"Edie, my cake tastes funny.""Like taffeta?""Yeah, how did you know?"

Good to see Gordon sticking to his usual routine of dropping by unannounced and hanging out with scantily-clad elders.

"Oh my goodness - I'm pregnant!"

Yeah, heh heh, whoops.

"Hey, me too!"

*headdesk*

Edith and June discover the real reason nature didn't intend for females to impregnate females...because it is just too hard to dance close!

Guess its Darcy's time to go. She was getting to know her granddaughter-in-law, who you can see still hanging out behind the hula girl. Darcy's been platinum for a long time and I was quite ready for her death, but its still sad to see her go. She was the first sim I raised from a baby through her entire life.

"Hey, camera over here!"

What? No, I'm trying to focus on Darcy. You are just going to have to pop that baby back in there, missy!

So I didn't really get a good pic of the birth or the death, since they were going on at the same time.

Ahh, Darcy, the only sim I have played through the entire span of life so far. You grew with me and on me. Rock on, Dar.

Darcy lived to be 80, and her will benefitted 11 people. Listed inheritors were Julian ($2,050), June ($1,850), Gabi ($9,600), Gordon ($5,500) and Caryl, a friend who called a lot in the last couple days ($250).

Jessie comforts little Mathias, generation 5, who escaped the stigma of having a death as his first memory by a few minutes.

Later that night, June also goes into labor, although she has the good sense to make sure my attention isn't divided this time.

"What? No, everything's fine. Oh, that noise? Yeah, I hear it, its just my daughter giving birth. Big whoop. Now what was that you were telling me about the Noodlesoother?"

Edith's baby, and firstborn by a few hours, is Mathias. He has skintone four, blond hair (yay!), and dark blue eyes (curses!).

June's baby was named Maxwell and he has skintone 3, red hair, and dark blue eyes. Edith has gray eyes, but apparently there are none of Asher's or Leo's eye genes left in the mix.

You may be wondering how it is already birthday time. Oh, come on, you know nothing exciting happens in those first three days, especially when you've got two of them.

Here's Max. He is . . . very interesting. Except for the eye color, I'm not seeing a lot of Vermachtnis in him.

And here's Mathias, who is definitely the cuter of the two.

You know how much everyone hates random townies abducting the toddlers? Its even worse when they try to juggle them behind their backs.

Our little irradiated same-age-brothers-but-not-twins. Precious, aren't they? They better be, because they are both as dumb as rocks.

Once the babystage is over, June discovers that she is pregnant again. Jessie is again delighted. He's not even trying to be romance anymore. You should see how much tucking-in goes on with the toddlers.

Oh no! Edith electrocutes herself AND busts out a windowpane!

She then, for unfathomable reasons, decided to visit the mausoleum to sit on a bench. Well, guess who was waiting for her? Darcy shows her true colors as a ghost.

"BOOOO. Why hasn't anyone gone to my family business since I died?"

The shock kills poor Edith. Luckily, June is able to run from the other side of the house to beg for her wife's life, despite (or perhaps especially) because she is 5 months pregnant. She wins the little shell game, and retains Edith. Things are back to normal. Or are they?

We actually have a good nanny! She puts tired toddlers to bed instead of feeding them and autonomously gives kisses. Also, I haven't once caught her in the dance sphere.

Double birthday! But they are not twins! I keep almost writing "the twins do such-and-such" but then I remember, they are not twins!

First up is Max, who looks every bit like Edith's child.

And second is Mathias, still a little cutie-pie and keeping to the Hawaiian dresscode.

"Moooommm . . . we're so tired. Can't you play with the RC car somewhere else? Or at least not at 3 am?"

"Sorry kids, the about-to-burst pregnant lady gets to do what she wants. You'll understand when you're pregnant someday."

"Uh, maybe you should go get some rest yourself, Mom."

"Ha ha ha, I think the baby is eating my brain . . ."

Max is the new favorite of the ghosties and tries to actually get some rest before his first day of school by sleeping with his mom.

That doesn't work out so well. My ghosts wouldn't be so bad, but they pick on sims, usually a child. Max had a red energy bar in the morning and had to be fed twice during the night to avoid the social worker. Yes, its that bad.

"Shoo flee?"

Baby number 3 is on the way!

"Hello, mother."

"Hmm, you're a bright one, aren't you? A little different, this one."

"Another boy?"

Edith tried to be happy, but inside she felt a little disgusted. Ever since her near-death experience, she felt like she was missing something. Crossing over and then back made her curious about life after death, and her commitments suffered. Although she tried to play the part of happy mother, she felt stifled in the crowded, noisy, messy house, distracted by the petty needs of her family. She longed to study the nagging questions that death had left her. With the birth of another son, these feelings rushed to the surface.

June however was delighted to welcome bacy Morris to the family. June, while not a terribly capable or attentive mother, is a loving one.

This is the alien son of one of Darcy's brothers. What kind of relation to the current family he is, I don't really know. Anyway, he came home from school with Mathias and they are now best friends.

"Where did we go wrong?"

Yes, Max officially had the worst first day of school ever! His needs were so low he didn't get on the bus, so he had to be driven to school two hours later when I noticed he was passed out in the bathroom. He went to school in a severly red mood and earned a lovely C-. Then, when we had the headmaster over later, Mathias was accepted but Max was not because his grades aren't high enough. This is all the fault of the ghosts, mostly Darcy.

While the other family members were frustrated with the ghosts, Edith was intrigued by them. Her two brushes with the dead had left her hungering for more and a wish to see ghosts was ever present in her mind. She loved to talk about ghosts to the exclusion of all else. When she was going off on another of her speeches, June interrupted. "That's great, Edie, but you have to keep focused on your job and your family." Edith was suddenly angry. "I know I have responsibilities," she snapped. "Its all you ever talk about." June looked hurt and walked away without another word. She went to bed, not knowing that was the last time she would ever see Edith.

Edith stayed up all night, neglecting skilling for her promotions, caring for her family, or even caring for herself. She finally found evidence of the spectres that haunted Vermachtnis Manor.

Being scared by the ghost of Darcy was exhilirating, thrilling. Although it taxed her body and wearied her, Edith felt her mood shooting up. Seeing the ghost was like a high for her, and she wanted more.

Edith skulked around the house all night until the ghost fulfilled her wish. Again, the shock of connecting with something from beyond made her feel weak and tremble, but she again desired to see more. By this time her stomach was rumbling, images swam before her eyes as she stumbled, exhausted, around the house, but the wish to see a ghost was foremost in her mind, stronger than all her other desires.

Edith stumbled her way out to the mausoleum, where she had had her life-changing experience. The marble hall was so quiet and cold. For a minute, Edith wondered if it was such a good idea to be out here. She was awfully tired, and she felt horribly weak. She had just about made up her mind to go back inside the house and get some rest.

That is when Darcy's ghost made her final appearance of the night. Once again Edith was thrilled to see a ghost, but the strain was too much for her.

Edith's abused body collapsed. As she lay on the marble floor, she had but a moment to think about the steps that had lead her to this end. As she inhaled her last breath, she wondered if it had been worth it. "June . . ." she sighed, and then the mausoleum was silent. Edith had died from foolishly indulging her wants, and had gone to join the ghosts she had sought during her short life.

When her family awoke the next morning, they were devestated. Edith had been so distant lately, so to lose her without saying goodbye seemed the final injury. Max and Mathias were distraught, and even tiny baby Morris was forever imprinted with his mother's death as his first memory.

We'll stop here. What will happen to the Vermachtnis family when we return? How will June handle her new life as a single mother of three? Will the boys adjust and prosper, or will Max's downward slide continue? Things will get better next chapter, I promise!