Chapter 4 – Pirates in Paris

Welcome back to my Piratical Legacy. As you can see, firstborn child of Generation 2, Elisabeth Buccaneer, has arrived at Academie le Tour in Paris to undergo a formal education in how to be a lady. Bowing to the demands of Parisian fashion of the day (as to which day... well ... time is a little fluid in this legacy), Elisabeth has purchased a blond wig. She never did figure out that she should dye her eyebrows as well, though.

A few new Simselves have moved to Captain Jack's cursed island. Candi, Goopy, and I have been joined by none other than PikaKyle (Kyle) from www.boolprop.com appropriately dressed in piratical garb. Kyle (Pika897P on the exchange) writes a number of stories and legacies that are well worth checking out.

We also have Marina, aka smoothiequeen87 from www.boolprop.com, joining the neighborhood. As you can see, the others are quite impressed with her mad dance skillz. She writes the Fitzhugh Legacy, which can also be found on the Exchange.

"But maybe I should get back to the story, huh?" "Yeah... who wants to read about Simselves all the time anyway?" Kyle just seems content to go with the flow.

"Chere Mama et Papa...

Life at university is going well. I have made quite a few friends already.

I spend most of my free time studying and doing homework, so I don't have as much time to explore the city as I would like.

I am also learning classical dancing and etiquette from some of the best instructors in Paris. They are quite pleased with my progress thus far.

I am also learning how to cook. Mama, you would not believe the interesting new foods they have here at the university. Truly, France and Paris are a center of culinary learning.

I am also practicing my hand-eye coordination as a lady must be graceful and delicate.

My friends and I are always very ladylike in our manners and dress. Which reminds me - the fashion here is almost as strange as I would find back home on the island! Of course, there are no pirates here.

I have met one young nobleman that I get on with quite well. His name is Shannon Toyonaga and he is one of the most well-dressed young men on campus. He has expressed a desire to sail so, should our relationship progress, I may be able to convince him to move back to the island some day.

Sometimes Shannon and his friends like to borrow my school supplies. I do wish they would wait until I wake up before they come into my room, though.

I am also learning about bacteriology and epidemiology. Did you know that bathrooms and kitchens are the dirtiest part of the house? I am glad that you have a maid to clean properly. If it is not too much trouble could you please send me my sandals so that I can wear them in the shower? I have learned that college showers are not very hygenic.

Shannon and I are pretty good friends now. I would like you to meet him sometime!

I miss everyone so much! Please write back to me soon! Love, Elisabeth

PS - I really like Shannon!

Dear Elisabeth, How nice to hear from you! We are all glad that you are doing well, and Mary wishes to assure you that she will be there soon to attend university as well. Your father is enjoying his retirement quite a bit.

He and I have much more spare time now that Mary is older and you are not living here, and also now that Papa is retired.

Your sister has started entering the dating field. She offered the matchmaker quite a handsome sum (I believe mention was made of three seashells and a rotten plank) and met the loveliest boy in return.

His name is Alon Livingstone, so you can see that he is both French and English.

Mary's friend Marsha keeps calling at all hours and generally annoying us. It was a sad day in our household when she got out of jail when the stalking charges were dropped by Goopy.

Your mention of taking dance lessons has inspired me to send away for a dancing instruction guide myself. It arrived a few days ago and I think I am making pretty good progress.

Mary has been studying hard and is nearly ready to join you. Did I mention that already?

I have been eating a lot more than usual lately. I don't know what it is, but I find that I am always hungry. It is very strange.

I have also been quite ill. Again, I am not sure what is causing this illness.

Well, Elisabeth, it has been a while since I worked on this letter and I am pleased to say that I know why I have been feeling so poorly lately. I am pregnant! I bet you never thought you would be a sister again at your age. Your father and I are pretty surprised as we were not planning to have another child. But the whims of the Goddess are strange. There is a note scribbled in the margin of the letter here: Talk to Goddess. Yell loudly! Of all the nerve! Remember to check with locals to find out if the Goddess is in fact a good Goddess or a sadistic one.

Your father did not take the news of my pregnancy well as he is starting to feel his age and is worried that he won't get to spend as much time with this baby as he did with you and your sister.

But I think he will come around in the end.

Your sister Mary has had her first kiss! But she is very sad because she must now leave for Paris and leave Alon behind. She will deliver this letter to you, she said. Hopefully our next letter will have the happy news of your new sibling's birth! Love, Mama & Papa

Dear Mom and Dad, I have arrived safely here in Paris. The university is very interesting. I was surprised to find that Elisabeth had taken some initiative and rented a small place for us.

It doesn't have a lot of amenities, but it is very spacious and bright.

The construction is a bit rough, but I think we will do well here. We can upgrade it slowly and sell it for a tidy profit in a few years if we wish.

Did I mention that the furnishings are very bare? Still, it is a very classy place with a lot of charm.

Because we don't have much in our house yet, Elisabeth and I often go to the library to study. We like going there because we get the chance to meet a lot more people than we would hanging around a dorm or our house all day. Plus, all of the amenities are free for students to use. It's a big help.

They have free dancing lessons as well. The instructors are very talented. That's more Elisabeth's thing than mine, though.

We have decided to start a Greek house here on campus.

Sometimes Elisabeth and I go out for dinner. One of our favorite places has a really good view of the water.

We have also started eating a lot of Italian food, although we usually have that at home.

Did you know that Paris has a lot of native wildlife? We see llamas or cows almost every day!

Elisabeth has been taking singing lessons as part of her training on how to be a proper lady. She has gained quite the reputation as a good singer and is frequently asked to sing at public gatherings. The extra money she earns for doing so is quite welcome.

She also has a very good friend named Shannon, who I believe she wrote about before. He is a very nice young man, and it is quite obvious that Elisabeth has stolen his heart.

Their relationship is so sweet and pure, and they always make sure they have a chaperone. You would be quite proud of Elisabeth for choosing such a wonderful young man. I don't believe they are engaged yet, but it is only a matter of time.

I have met a nice young man as well. His name is Alan Curtin. Well, I will write again soon! I hope mom is doing well and I can't wait to hear about the baby! Love, Mary

Dear Girls, Your mother and I are doing quite well. We recently finished our portraits and hung them in the hallway at home. We are also ready for the new baby. Elisabeth, she is going to have your room as you have indicated that you won't be moving home after university but rather intend to marry your young man.

That crazy lady with the zombie roommates has been stopping by and giving your mother no end of trouble. She keeps saying something about a "fan club", whatever that is

Your mother is still eating us out of house and home. She is almost as big as a house!

She spends her spare time painting and running her business from home. The trek to the village is a bit too far for one in her condition.

I paint as well. The extra money will help pay for Elisabeth's wedding! Anyway, hope to hear from you two soon! Love, Captain Dad

PS - Your mom has had the baby!

It's a girl and we've named her Celeste! Your mom wants to know why I chose that name and I told her and I'll tell you. The Mary Celeste was a ghost ship discovered with its crew missing, lifeboat gone... and cargo intact. Several explanations for where and why the crew left and went have been proposed, including pirates, but it has never really been explained. I doubt it's pirates. If it were me, I'd have taken the ship too. And the rum. -- Captain Dad

Dear Mom and Dad, I've met someone new! Alan Curtain was getting to be a bit of a bore, really. My new guy is named Alan Goss and he's a much better match for me.

We have a lot in common and can talk for hours at a time! He does have fairly bad fashion sense, but between mom and Elisabeth I'm sure we can make him look presentable.

Anyway, we're in love and it's wonderful.

Actually, we're engaged! Isn't that exciting? Alan is even okay with moving back home with you guys and helping to raise Celeste and everything!

Of course, we want to have our own family as well, but we want to live with you guys and carry on the piratical tradition.

Oh! Elisabeth and I have two roommates now too! They're both very interested in the pirate tradition. There's Shenene, a former cheerleader.

And Shelby, an old study partner. They're both pretty cool.

I've also been inducted into this top secret group that I'm not supposed to tell you about.

The best part of the whole deal is the nifty jacket, honestly. They're all pretty useless, plus my ex-boyfriend Alan is a member. Anyway, Elisabeth and I will be home for our vacation soon! We can't wait to see you and celebrate mom's and Celeste's birthdays! Love, Mary

There was a pretty big turnout for Elise's birthday, surprisingly. She and Elisabeth are always furious with each other since Elise is the neighborhood telescope slapper for everyone, but Elisabeth is for the Buccaneer household. They're always slapping each other.

"Mama! Zee cake! Zee bird! Cover zee cake!" "Wind in the sails! Awk! WInd in the sails!" "Away from zee cake, stupid bird!"

And Elise ages into a very respectable looking elder... complete with infant child.

Everyone else is pretty impressed with how non-ugly she turned out.

Elisabeth and Candi had a very intellectual discussion over a game of darts.

Jack and Amin Sims had a discussion of their own. "Listen, mate, I know for a fact that the weather on this forsaken isle is not always going to be sunny, savvy?" "Boy, Chief Captain Jack, you sure are stupid! It's always been summer here and always will be!" "Just wait and see, mate." Jack and I have had several conversations about the upcoming release of Seasons. We're both very excited even though he probably won't live to see it.

"Drink up, me 'eartie!" "Jacques, you did not put rum in zee bottles again did you?" "No, dear."

"'Ere, you take her, love. I need to get dressed for the party, savvy?"

Jack! The rum for the party! *sigh* "I knew there be a reason I was staying away from the couch all morning, mate..."

Juggling empty bottles won't bring the party rum back, Captain. "Aye, I know it, mate. Just remindin' meself that I need to be using the plastic bottles, savvy? Let's just say me left leg had an encounter with the glass ones, aye?"

"Mr Cotton's Parrot, you're possible the longest lived legacy parrot ever, savvy?" "Wind in the sails!"

Finally, Celeste's birthday rolled around.

And she's cute! And miraculously, not a clone of either of her sisters! I was worried about first-born effects... forgot to randomize before she was born. She turned out completely different from both sisters, personality-wise anyway. She looks a lot like Elisabeth, though.

And what's with the strangers using the shower during parties? This has happened on a fairly regular basis since I installed Pets. Very weird.

"Rock beats scissors! Woot!" "I sink zat you cheated, Marie." "How, exactly, does one cheat at Rock Paper Scissors, Elisabeth?"

"I thought I was done with this, doll." "And just think, daddy, soon you'll be emptying potties for your grandchildren too! Alan and I want to have lots of babies." "I can't bloody wait..." *snicker*

Amazingly, Elise managed to teach Celeste all three skills in one evening.

Back at university, Elisabeth and Shannon made their relationship semi-official before moving back to the island.

She asked, he said yes. The presence of Remington in the background almost didn't retract from the romance one bit!

And, oddly, they fell in love after the proposal? Eh.

"Listen, mate, if you'd just wait until I stop showering you might actually make some progress in mopping out the shower stall, aye?" "Sorry, miss."

Finally, Elisabeth moved back home to find a house and begin planning her wedding.

Mary is such a sloppy/playful sim that she doesn't get offended when Cow belches in her face.

No, she returns the favor and they gain positive relationship points. "Cow is funny, mate." Whatever.

Since both Mary and I got sick of looking at Alan's dorky haircut... I forgot to take a picture of the result. Oops! "Nice going, mate." Geez, what is it with Sims criticizing their creators... Anyway, Alan looks really good with different hair and a goatee.

"You can say that again, mate." Anyway, Alan looks really good with different hair and a goatee. "Arr! D'ye have to take everything I say so literally, mate?" If Sims can do it, I can do it.

Ahh... here begins the little adventure I like to term, "Mary's guide to having adventures in projectile vomiting." Step 1: Eat some rotten pizza.

Step 2: Christen the toilet. Repeat as often as necessary.

"How dare you spy on me from across zee ocean, you hussy!" "Geez, lady... chill! And how'd you get here so fast? I was just looking a minute ago." "I am very fast."

"Do not turn your back on me, you petit piece de poisson!" "Hello, police? There's a crazy pirate lady threatening me..."

*Hurk* "This sucks, mate!" That'll teach you to eat rotten pizza.

"I am so unbelievably bored." Obviously, Mary is going to be the heiress. My main reason is that her personality fits it best. Plus, Elisabeth is kind of boring and I'm getting really tired of the French accent. And finally, Mary is gorgeous and Elisabeth looks kind of funny, especially her nose.

And what are you doing, Mary? "Throwing away rotten pizza. I finally got better, mate." Good. Now get rid of that and hightail it back to the island! It's time for Elisabeth's wedding!

Elisabeth's wedding to her french nobleman was a bit success and they moved across the street from her parents. The clifftop house made them a bit nervous, but I promised to build them a fence eventually.

The party broke up a bit prematurely when Gage cleared away the champagne after the first toast, so I didn't get very many pictures. And, uh, you can't really tell that Mary was present to be bridesmaid, but she was. Really!

Ehh... you weren't exactly in gold or platinum aspiration, Mary. "I was when you sent me over here, mate!" Well, that'll teach you to not keep an eye on your aspiration meter when I ask you to do something. "Uhh... isn't that your job, mate?" Ummm... no? *shifty eyes*

Yes, Mary finally graduated... only a few more slides and this chapter is done! Aren't you sad?

"Don't I look stylin', mate? I'm thinkin' o' patenting this lovely pirate-graduation cap combo." It's stunning.

"I found the rum, mate!" I see. Looks like Alan found it too. "Ain't me fiance hot, mate?" Anything you say, Mary. *hic*

"Ready to head back to the island, Alan?"

"I thought I heard my name..." "Oh, hi other Alan... boy this is awkward..." That's what happens when you date two guys with the same first name.

And here's a friendly memo... you should really check to see who's in the stall when you make out with your fiancé in the bathroom.

"Alan! How could you?" "What did I do?" "Not you! Other Alan!" "You cheated! With someone with my name!" "Uhh... I got confused? Get out of here, Alan." "Um, okay?" "NOT YOU! OTHER ALAN!"

"You know, Alan, after that I don't think I love you or can be friends with you anymore. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm about to marry someone else and everything to do with the fact that you just slapped me for cheating."

Such a wonderful party you're having there, Mary. "What's not to like, Goddess? Woohoo AND fights! Arr! A pirate's life for me!"

And with that, Mary headed out of university life and back to the island to begin generation three! Nice to see she's thinking about the important things in life as she heads home.

"Gah! I grew up in dorky non pirate clothes!" Yeah... we'll fix that when you get home. In the meantime, that concludes this chapter of A Piratical Legacy! I hope everyone enjoyed it! ====== Credits: None of the CC was made by me. I downloaded most of it from MTS2, Sapphire Sims, and The Blarney Stone (Dr. Pixel's site). Simselves: PikaKyle, smoothiequeen87, Candi020765, and me! If you want me to post my simself on the exchange, let me know. It's hiding on my personal site at the moment. Gage, Don, and Samara Uglacy were created by Candi020765. Happy simming!