New legacy

Hi All.

I'm starting a new random legacy, using Luna (a spare from Generation 1). I had so many plans for Nova, but thinking about them makes me tired -- I had so many save files for Nova and Co., and I writing a chapter meant so much posing and screenshotting and very little playing. So I'm going to write a more casual story with Luna.

You can read about Luna and Friends at my new blog: A Clover and a Bee. 

:D:D:D

Ch. 2.3: Steal Away

Previously, on The Bee Random Legacy--
Nova has left the nest (the hive?) and struck out on her own. Thus far it has been exciting for her: she has launched a career as an acrobat, signed a contract with a vampire (Gaius Gallus) to work in a burlesque show, clobbered a mugger, and met up with Mercury, a mysterious man from her past. Despite her zeal for life, she has been struggling financially and has felt lonely and isolated.

Last time we left our heroine, she had awoken to a mysterious noise coming from the first floor of her apartment…

Nova wishes she had a baseball bat. That’d be very handy right now.  She’s pretty sure she could take her intruder’s head right off with enough force.

 She takes a deep breath before descending the stairs. She’s careful to walk slowly and deliberately in the hopes of sneaking up on her intruder.  She sneaks halfway across the living room before she stops in her tracks.

Teaser: Coming Soon to a Beehive Near You

I have obviously been AWOL for quite awhile. I've had a lot on my plate, and I still do but I guess I'm getting used to it. The Bees will hopefully be back soon. My computer has been fighting me, but I've managed to get pictures and such for a couple of chapters. No promises on how soon those will be released!

I can promise some hopefully-interesting stuff, particularly some hopefully-interesting characters and hopefully-interesting storylines. Things will progress! Until then....

Who is this mysterious person? ;)

:|

I'm still alive, I have the pictures for my next chapter, and I'm heavy with child (haha, just kidding. I am pregnant, but I lost a ton of weight at the beginning and now I'm barely gaining it back. Did you know some women get morning sickness their whole pregnancy? I didn't.). Unfortunately, my computer is having power supply issues so I've been hesitant to run my game. Beyond that, I don't know how much I'll be able to play. I'm considering starting a different legacy, but I have no idea.

Honestly, writing for this legacy takes a lot of time. I'm a very slow writer, and I have to write several drafts for each chapter. I have story notes that are just ridiculous. Beyond that, I find it hard to sit for long periods of time, which is what I tend to do when I play/write. I'm sad to say that I might not be very active anymore (or active at all). The Bees might be on semi-permanent hiatus which blows because I really like them. At this point, I don't want to make any promises--I might be back, but it seems unlikely for now. I have a uterus-turd to poop out in April, a house to renovate by March, and work stuff (as always).

By the way, I'm having a girl and my partner won't let me name her Nova. :\

ETA: Thank you, by the way, for the kind words on my last post. I guess it's TMI, but I was actually diagnosed with pre-natal depression and put on anti-depressants. I'm doing much better now.

Short Intermission

I've been kind of holding off on posting this even though it's been eating at me.

I found out a couple of weeks ago I'm pregnant, and it's very unplanned. Just about everyone around me is excited and happy, and I find myself extremely depressed and ambivalent. I feel like my life is ending. I haven't really been able to concentrate on anything except my work (and even then, I'm not doing as good a job as I usually do). I'm also constantly tired, so when I have free time I sleep. As a result, I really haven't been keeping up with blogs or tumblrs (obviously) and I've been finding it very hard to write. I also feel like "what's the point? Future-parasite will eat up all my time and I'll never ever have fun again" (and I think this while crying uncontrollably, even though I rarely cry). Needless to say, the hormones are absolutely wrecking me, and I've found out that prenatal depression is incredibly real. Hopefully it'll go away soon.

Anyway, I really don't want to abandon this blog. I just want to do mindless stuff for awhile. My midwife actually recommended taking some time to really indulge myself in hobbies that might be seen as "timewasters" if it makes me feel better, so I've been playing MMOs that don't really require me to think (believe it or not, I think A LOT while playing the Sims, so whenever I try to play or write I just end up making myself upset). I have my next chapter half-written, and I promise I'll be back soonish.

Anyway, next time one of you questions how your legacy sim got pregnant when they should be smart enough not to, just keep me in mind.

Ch. 2.2: Bread and Circuses

Nova rather likes the ceramic bears that stand guard outside Panem et Circenses. Red light bounces off of them, making them more imposing.

The building used to be a warehouse, so it’s quite large, larger than what Nova would expect for a strip club. The brick walls—once red—had been painted purple, and circus paraphernalia litters both the inside and outside. There is no sign advertising the venue or its services, but it doesn’t matter. Somehow, the intended consumer seems to find his way here.

Ch. 2.1: Supernova

 Although she’s technically an adult now, Nova still enjoys a good puddle-splashing. It’s been raining for days in Sunset Valley, and she’s been cooped up in her tiny, one-bedroom apartment for far too long.

It’s time for adventure.

There had been a job fair at her high school a few days before graduation: police officers, doctors, businesspeople, and journalists had all tried to woo the senior class with promises of low or no-paying internships that would eventually lead to “bigger and better things.” But Nova don’t play that game. She’d rather be like her mom—self-sufficient with a side of kooky.

Ch. 1.28: Bright Star

“Thanks for everything, I guess,” Nova says, “Sorry. That sounded mean—really, thanks. You may want to work on your communication skills though. You’re kind of terrible at human interaction.”

Ch. 1.27: Deus ex Machina

Nova is rarely left wordless.

Ch. 1.26: Lost & Found

Rain lightly bounces off of Nova’s shoulders, creating a misty halo. She delights in it—any sort of inclement weather drives most other sims indoors, leaving her free to jog the streets without any interruption. She doesn’t know what it is about a young woman jogging, but it drives men nuts. She usually wears headphones to drown out the hoots and whistles of drive-by harassers, but she abandons them today in favor of listening to drumming of the rain.

Life is beautiful.

Ch. 1.25: Unstable Element

 Where is he? Last he remembered, he was--wait, where had he been? The memory is slipping away. He tries to seize it, but it wiggles away, evading his grasp. All he knows is what’s in front of him.
 
He shivers—he’s cold, frozen straight through to his bones. His marrow has turned to ice. The room is too bright, the florescent lights intensified by the white walls and the metal chambers that are surrounding him. He rubs his face as he steps forward, frosty air billowing around him. He’s not quite sure where he’s going, but he feels like he must walk. The shadowy figure of a man stands in front of him, hazy, impossible to distinguish. The man speaks.

“Mercury,” he says, but everything after that is incomprehensible.

Ch. 1.24: Your Leash is Too Long

So far in his short life, Zenith has failed at pretty much everything he’s tried. He wasn’t very good at ballet—inevitably quitting despite Nova’s protests—and he is always chosen last for any team in P.E. class. He’s failing math, despite Solaris providing weekly tutoring sessions, and Polaris has given up teaching him to drive after weeks of nightly lessons.

But Zenith is really, really talented when it comes to music He excels at every instrument, though he prefers guitar. It gives him a certain ethos among his peers. He may be the dolt who gets F’s on almost every exam, but he's can play more than just "Smoke on the Water."

Ch. 1.23: Happily Ever After

Hooves pound against the ground, reverberating through the valley. Despite the sunny day—beautifully punctuated by a light breeze—there are no birds singing, no animals frolicking. All is silent, save the wind and the beating of the hooves.

A striking young knight rides the white steed, his dark locks falling across his face. His armor is in desperate need of a good shine, and his horse is near exhaustion, but he is determined.

Ch. 1.22: Smile

“We meet again,” Nova drawls, “Knew this day would come sooner or later. Ya done wrong, and as sheriff 'round these parts, I’m gonna be remedyin’ that.”

Silence.

“Don’t try to plead for your life, pilgrim! It ain’t gonna help ya now.”

Nothing.

“Don’t care ‘bout your wife ‘n kids! You’ll pay for you done to me and the other nice folks of this county!”

Ch. 1.21: Aftershocks

 “Oh thank the maker you’re here, Polly. I’m about ready to light myself on fire,” Lyra looks suitably suicidal, “If I have to listen to another goddamn whiny hipster song I am going to lose my fucking shit.”

The coffeehouse is somewhat hipster-esque—gigantic posters are plastered on the walls, beat poetry books line the community library shelves (“Take a book, leave a book!” a nearby sign declares), and the barista is sporting some pretty rancid dreads. Pretty typical coffeehouse stuff, really.

Ch. 1.20: Rawr

“Don’t go too far, Nova!” Solaris calls after his sister, “stay in eyesight!”


“Whaaaa---?! I can’t hear you!” Nova howls into the wind. It’s a total lie, but she ain’t gonna let no punk-ass brother get in the way of her fun. She stares ahead, her gaze fixed on a secluded beach on the horizon. Adventure awaits.

Ch. 1.19: We'll Meet Again

A warehouse—foreboding, reaching up towards the sky. Dried grass surrounds it, swaying slightly in the breeze, and stale water leaks from a rusty pipe. Dead bugs and clumps of brown leaves swirl in the resulting puddle. She swears she can smell rot and dust and maybe even death, but that can’t be possible, not in a dream. Unnerving.

Ch. 1.18: Stranger Danger

“You are so immature,” Elysia complains. Luna, Solaris, Zenith, and Nova have been traipsing around the playroom, generally causing a ruckus. It’s distracting her from her very important magazines—how was she going to find out which member of Sim Direction eats grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast if her obnoxious siblings wouldn’t be quiet?!

"Seeking the Truth" Private Messages

He settles onto the cold floor of his bedroom and opens his laptop. It was a present, of course. A respectable man wouldn’t purchase a pink laptop, but he’s not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth.  The laptop whirrs to life, the bright screen illuminating the dim room. He mindlessly cycles through all of his usual websites—Simnation news, Simbook, Know Your Simeme—before opening up the Seeking the Truth Wiki: “Your Home for Conspiracies and Apocalypse Preparedness.” He becomes so engrossed in the article of the day (“The Zombie Apocalypse and You”) that he jumps when an IM window pops up on his screen.

naynay: hey...
cottoneyed: holy crap, where have you been, Naomi? I’ve been worried sick. It’s been forever!
naynay: I’ve been busy. ...
cottoneyed: Busy?
naynay has gone idle.
cottoneyed: Naomi, answer me? What do you mean, busy?
naynay is no longer idle.
cottoneyed: Naomi?
naynay has gone idle.
cottoneyed: This is bullshit. I f*cking love you. You can’t ignore me like this.
naynay is no longer idle.
naynay: they came to my house...
cottoneyed: who?? Who came you your house??
naynay: aliens...
cottoneyed: You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you okay?
naynay: i am now....
naynay has sent an attachment:

naynay: that was right after they came.
cottoneyed: Shit. I’ll track those bastards down, skin ‘em alive.
naynay: they’re long gone...
naynay: they came here months ago...i’ve just been too scared to contact anyone...
naynay: they said if I posted on the forums again, they’d lobotomize me...
cottoneyed: Are you okay?
naynay: hunter I’m really scared...
cottoneyed: Do you want me to go to LP?
cottoneyed: I can take care of them. Shit, I bet I can talk to some of the people from the forum. Some of the preppers,* and I keep in contact with them pretty regularly.
naynay: who have you been talking to?
cottoneyed: Well, scowl_face finally got f*cking banned for harassment, but like she’d be any help. Greys is just a kid, so he can’t help, either, though he wants to. But I’ve been in contact with Ptolemy and Skully. They seem smart. I think I can trust them. The rest are sheeple.
naynay: and you can come to LP?
cottoneyed: I’ll be there tomorrow if you need me to.
naynay: could you please? I’d feel so much better if you were here...
naynay: I love you...
cottoneyed: I love you, too. I’ll get my GO bag together. Stay where you are. Do you have a BOL planned?*
naynay: yeah, there’s a warehouse on the outskirts of town....we can go there and not be bothered...unless they already know about it....
naynay: they know everything hunter...i’m so worried...
cottoneyed: Do they know about me?
naynay: they didn’t mention you...
cottoneyed: Then they don’t know everything. I’ll be there by 0500.
naynay: you’re the best….stay safe!!!
cottoneyed: I always do.
cottoneyed has signed off.

***

Author’s Note: Surely you hadn’t forgotten about our dear friend naynay (aka Naomi Nita) from Chapter 12? And cottoneyed from the “Seeking the Truth” forum posts? Good. :D

*Preppers: a survivalist or prepared individual; GO Bag: a preparation bag, “go bag” or “bug out bag”; BOL, "bug out location."

Ch. 1.17: Bee Larvae

“Yeah, this’ll do nicely,” Lyra shields her eyes from the setting sun and scans the horizon, “I can see living here.”

“It certainly is lovely,” Crux agrees, “breathtaking, even.”

“I’ll get a house close to the beach, swim every day and hit up the casino every night—I’ll be living’ the high life. No more of this dry heat, endless sand bullshit.”

“I think the safety and remoteness of this town is more compelling,” Crux wants to hurry this along. Lyra and Crux have been visiting various towns around Simnation for months, investigating demographics and gauging political and social leanings. They’d run into some strange towns during their adventures, as well as some forgettable towns, but this one was different. It’s normal, but eerily so. Everyone had been kind to the duo thus far, and no one questioned their appearance. It seems they found a winner, but Crux is nervous, uneasy. Something feels off—it’s too perfect, too welcome, too accepting.