The Matriarch Legasea, Ch. 2By fraulineTaube (originally posted on the Exchange)

This is a joint legacy between thinmintsim and me. Come see the next generation of Legaseas!

Welcome back to the second chapter of the Matriarch Legasea, a joint legacy written by thinmintsim and yours truly. Chapter 1 is on thinmint's page, and a short prologue can also be found on my page. After you read the chapter, you can vote in the heir poll at either Boolprop or SiMania.

We are playing by the rules for a matriarch legacy, invented by mitinkitten. The rules can be found at www.boolprop.com. Basically, no one can live in the house but the founder and her descendents, which means no spouses or roommates. Males must be alien impregnanted. Not too bad, right?

This legacy is told by the heirs, so I am going to turn this over to Atlantica. If I have anything to add, I'll put it in an author's note at the bottom. Have fun!

"Hmm, how do you begin a memoir? I can't very well say 'Dear Memoir' or 'It began on a dark and stormy night.' I will have to ask my agent about this. People will expect it to be polished, coming from me. I suppose for right now, I will just have to start like this . . ."

"My name is Atlantica Legasea. I am the daughter of the famous Oceania Legasea, a mermaid who ventured out of the water and on to land in order to create a family of her own on Sirenum Scopuli. My mother valued independence above almost everything, and decided never to marry or live with anyone but her descendents. I have learned many things from her, and I and all of my descendents will carry on her vision. I was raised on this island, along with my older brother, Caspian, and my twin sister, Marmara. My story starts when I was still quite young."

"I woke up one morning and everything felt very different. I had a strange feeling, like destiny was calling. This turned out to be correct. It was that day that Mom gave me the news that would change my life. She had asked the advice of her friends, and together, they had decided that I should carry on the name of the Legaseas. I was deeply flattered, and more than a little anxious."

"From that day on I worked even harder than I had before. I had trouble with school when I was younger but I put that behind me. I had made up my mind that I wanted to bring material comfort to my family and make a name for the Legaseas. I decided the best way to do this would be by struggling my way to the top of a career in business. That's why I studied twice as hard as before."

"This was a difficult time for our family because things had really changed recently. It turns out the residents of Sirenum Scopuli, including my other mother, Song Del Mar, were rather nomadic. Every so often they would pick up and move to another part of the island, and a different set of residents would move to the part we lived in. There seemed to be two main groups that did this. I thought it was exciting to see all the new faces, but my mother missed Song awfully. It changed her, and unfortunately she was unable to interact with us like she used to. It was difficult, but we found ways around it and kept our bond strong, even though Mom mostly kept to herself."

"Soon after, Caspian moved out. He had dreams of being a great politician and he was eager to get started. He told us he would keep up with his painting on the side, too."

"Only a few weeks later, it was time for Marmara and me to leave for college. I was so excited to go. I couldn't wait for the new opportunities that college would bring, and I just knew that it would help me reach my goals quicker."

"Still, part of me was reluctant to leave Mom all by herself. She told me over and over that she would be fine. She planned on overseeing the building of a new house while I was gone, and had quite convinced me that she would be too busy to get lonely. You can't help worrying about the ones you love, though."

"That first time that Marmara and I stepped foot on campus, I was indescribably happy. I was looking forward to the next four years, and I was glad that Marmara was with me. She had been my best friend as long as I could remember. Since her teen years she had been preoccupied with romance and dating, but I knew at heart she was the same Marmara I had always known."

"A story about the day to day life of college would not be that interesting. I did a lot of homework, wrote a lot of papers, went to a lot of lectures. I was determined to do my best and make the most of these four years."

"That doesn't mean life was all seriousness, though. I made good friendship with several people, including a fish named Dor. We got along fantastically from the moment we met."

"The Dorfish is an interesting species, in that it is the only fish with legs and no fins whatsoever. They're sometimes also called a mitinkitten, although I can't fathom why. From what I know, they're found in lots of different habitats, although they do best when seperated from their natural predator, the Gage. This particular specimen just went by Dor, and was very nice. We became fast friends immediately."

________Dor, aka mitinkitten, writes Miyazaki's Art, a fantastic matriarch legacy, and is the originator of the idea.

"Besides making friends, I was also falling in love. I met a girl named Melissa Kelp. She wasn't a resident of Sirenum Scopuli, but was going to college at the university here. She seemed so charming and knowledgeable about love, although I should have been suspicious at how quickly our relationship moved. I thought at the time that she must have really cared about me."

"Marmara and Melissa spent a lot of time together. I was happy to see them getting along, but it started to worry me when Melissa spent more time with Marmara than with me."

"Eventually I found out why."

"Marmara apologized to me immediately, even as Melissa fled so she wouldn't have to talk to me. My twin sister told me over and over that it was a mistake, that it had only happened this one time, but I could hardly even listen to her. I felt so betrayed."

"I didn't know what to think. My twin sister and my girlfriend, the two people in the world I was closest to, had gone behind my back. I was crushed."

"I told all of this to Dor. She was such a good listener. She gave me lots of advice, but she always got really quiet if I wondered whether Melissa and I could ever get back together. Dor was really supportive during this time and we spent a lot of time together."

"I tried to pretend that I was okay with Marmara, but inside I was still furious. Even though our dormmates thought we acted very friendly, I was seething and I could barely stand to be around her. I switched between anger and hurt. It was no way to feel about a sister, especially a twin."

"One night Dor and I had gone down to the Palm Club to take our mind off our finals, which were coming up fast. She started asking a lot of questions about our friendship. I wondered what she was getting at. Finally, she threw her cards down on the table and said, 'I can't stay friends with you, Atlantica.'"

"Before I could even ask what that meant she whisked me off my feet and kissed me. 'I'm crazy about you. I can't be your friend and listen to you go on and on about Melissa when I'm the one that really cares about you!''Dor,' I said. 'I had no idea you felt this way, but . . . I think I feel the same. I just wish you would have told me sooner.'She smiled at me, kissed me again and said, 'I've been telling you forever that there's always other fish in the sea. '"

"With the support of Dor as my girlfriend AND my best friend, I really began to do well in school. Besides getting great grades, I studied up in lots of different skill areas, kept the dorm clean almost single-handedly, and I worked out until I was quite strong. These were really productive years in my life, and I hoped they would bring me closer to my goals."

"Soon I was graduating with honors. It seemed like the time went by quickly. I felt like I had changed quite a bit in those four years. Just one thing remained for me to do."

"I talked to Marmara, and we finally set things right in our relationship. At last we were friends again. It felt really good to finally forgive her and let things go."

"When I came home, we had a small get-together to celebrate my graduation. I invited Dor and one of my new colleagues, Queen Renee*. My mother invited her best friend, Captain SJT*. Together we had a small dinner and caught up on what was going on. Mom revealed that she had big news."

_______*Queen Renee, ruler of icebergs, is also known as cowforbrains1 and writes the newly reincarnated Fear Legacy. She did get her own fancy costume, but she just likes power suits too much to change, I think.*Captain SJT goes by SJT7771 on this site and SJT on others, and writes a legacy and a very funny little series called Boolpropia.

"While I had been away at college, Mom had been busying overseeing the building of a new house. It was so much more spacious than the one we lived in now. She told me we would need the room when I started having kids. I think she did a nice job and I was proud to already be living in such a large house, but I will miss our old house - it was so cozy!"

"I wanted to get situated in my job before I even thought about raising a family, though. Luckily for me, the local Sirenum Corporation, Inc., Ltd., LLC was so impressed with my college transcript and resume, they hired me to be their new CEO on the first day! I went to one day of work as CEO, and realized that I was ready for the big time. That day, I went to work as a CEO, but I came home as a business tycoon. It turned out all the hard work I had done in college of skilling, studying, and networking, had paid off much faster than I thought it would! I felt so happy, I felt like I would be in a good mood for the rest of my life."

"I immediately called Dor over to celebrate. And, ahem, we did. Even a memoir need not tell all . . ."

"I soon threw a housewarming party to celebrate our move and my promotion. I hadn't told anyone but Dor yet, but I had something else to be celebrating. I was getting a little round around the middle, but I was pretty sure it wasn't the Chinese food we were having! I invited Dor, of course, and my sister. I suspect Marmara must have told Melissa something about the party, because she decided to crash it. I vowed to stay civil. Also in attendance was a friend of mine, the water fairy, Taube."

"Unfortunately, Taube has kind of a bad reputation around Sirenum Scopuli and she lived up to it. She and Melissa were flirting quietly in a corner, but Marmara saw the whole thing. Although I felt bad for my sister, it felt kind of good to see Melissa get what was coming to her. That Taube sure is trouble, though."

"All the screaming in the dining room must have bothered the neighbors, because a cop showed up to break up our party! She looked like she might have already broken up one too many parties that night, though, if you know what I mean. Mom had been having a quiet visit in the living room with her friends, but the cop made them leave, too."

"Pretty soon, my suspicions were confirmed. I was definitely pregnant. I had an incredibly easy pregnancy. I was never sick once, and I felt so good that I spent a lot of my time painting. I began to see what Caspian had liked about it - it was rather relaxing. Plus, I sold many of my paintings as masterpieces!"

"Dor was absolutely delighted about my pregnancy. She almost couldn't stay away from my bump. I was so glad we had ended up together. She looked like she was going to be a great mom. It was too bad she couldn't come live with us, but I was determined to uphold my promise to my mom, and Dor respected my feelings."

"It seemed like the time rushed by. Before I knew it, I found myself have labor pains."

"Luckily Dor was over at the time, and was there to cheer me through the whole delivery. She was so excited when I finally gave birth!"

"We had a beautiful little boy with my eyes, and Dor's golden fish skin. He also had red hair! I thought instantly what a handsome little boy he would be. He seemed very smart too, so I named him Loligo*."

______*The loligo squid lives in the Pacific near California.

"He was darling to be sure, but I was a little apprehensive. I knew all about finances, and bookkeeping, and stocks. I didn't know that much about babies. My poor mother was too lovesick to help me. She couldn't even bring herself to pick Loligo up; she would just stand there and sigh. I realized for the first time that, although living in a matriarchy was a blessing, it was also a bit of a curse."

"Luckily for me, Dor seemed to have much better instincts. I invited her over frequently, and she was all too happy to cuddle and feed Loligo until he must have been spoiled rotten. They seemed to have a great relationship from the very start."

"Time passes quickly, and we found ourselves celebrating Loligo's first birthday."

"Loligo grew into a handsome toddler. He was such a neat little baby, and so friendly and active. He was always crawling up to people and demanding attention. He was a darling little boy."

________Loligo's personality is 8/9/8/0/5.

"Loligo was still just a little rugrat when I became pregnant again. Once more, Dor could barely keep her hands off me, and between me and Loligo, she had barely a free moment when she wasn't cuddling someone."

"Because Loligo was still so young and I was pregnant again, I was taking a lot of time off of work. I really began to get into the creative side of my personality, and found that painting was a passion of mine. I loved the satisfaction of selling my creations at high prices! It was during this second pregnancy that I also wrote my first novel, Seahorses and the Jellyfish Who Love Them. You may remember it, it was on the Sirenum Best Seller list for a long time."

"Now that Loligo was a toddler, I think Mom felt a little less intimidated by him. Although she still didn't interact with him as much as I would have liked, she found time to be with him, and they quickly built up a great relationship. Loligo was friends with everyone he had ever met, and often visitors that I had invited over would make a beeline to play with him. He was just that charming."

"I got lucky again and Dor was visiting when I gave birth. They say the second birth is easier, but you never get used to it!"

"This time I had a beautiful little daughter. I wanted a daughter so badly, so I was so happy when she came. She also had Dor's skin, but she had inherited my hair, and her grandmother Song's eyes! I thought she was so beautiful and unusual that I named her Anemone.

______A sea anemone is a strange and beautiful animal that resembles a plant. They are found in oceans and tide pools all over the world.

"I had the happy family I had always dreamed of, but I decided that one more child would really be perfect. I thought three was the best number for my family, but I decided to wait until Anemone was a little older."

"Loligo was a sweet and good child. He learned all of his toddler skills very quickly, and he was generally happy."

"Anemone, on the other hand, was a fusser, and seemed to cry just for fun. She kept me on my toes those first few months!"

"Eventually, she too grew up into a toddler and I was even more impressed by her beauty than I had been when she was a baby. She was still a troublemaker, though, and I often found her sneaking out of the bathroom with a mischevious grin on her face. I think this side of her personality came from the fact that she was so playful and had so much energy, but she was still very loving, like her brother."

______Anemone's personality is 3/2/8/10/7.

"Dor, of course, could barely keep her hands off of her. She found her adorable at all times, although I do have to note that Dor was not the one mopping up after her toilet exploits."

"While his sister was toddling around causing mischief, Loligo had matured into a handsome little boy. He was such a joy to be around, because he always cleaned up after himself and seemed to relish his education."

"In fact, Loligo was bringing home straight A's from school every day. He really got a kick out of getting a great report card."

"Where was I during this time? Well, I was still at home mostly, because of the kids, and because I finally found myself pregnant with my third child! I have hardly any pictures of myself from this time because I was so busy. Before I knew it, I was in labor again. This time I had a bit more of an audience. Dor was there as always to coach me through, but my friend, Amazon Cel*, had been watching Loligo and they both rushed in when they heard me yelling."

______*Amazon Cel, a warrior and the only survivor of a shipwreck on Sirenum Scopuli, is also known as Celinou4c and is currently writing the Legacion.

"I had another daughter! I was overjoyed. She looked very much like Anemone, with my hair, Song's eyes, and Dor's skin. She was very strong and intelligent, even from the beginning, so I named her Orca.

________An orca is also known as a killer whale, and is the largest predator in the ocean. Like all whales, they are mammals, and are very smart.

"After the birth of Orca, Mom took me aside. She had been seeing a doctor to work on her problem, and although she was never completely cured, she was much better than she used to be, which allowed us to even have a conversation. She hugged me, and fastened something around my neck as she leaned back. 'My dear daughter Atlantica,' she said. 'When I came to this island many years ago, all I had was a huge plot of land, my dreams, and this sea gem necklace that my father had given me. Now that you have three children and are living out my dreams, I am very confidant that they will live on. I want you to have this, as the official head of the Legasea family.' I was stunned, and it was all I could do to say thank you and hug her, with tears in my eyes. I had always wanted to make my family happy and my mother proud, and it was overwhelming to see how happy my commitment to her ideals had made her."

"It seems like I am always saying that time was passing, but my publisher says I must not spend too much time on the little details. A year went by, and we were celebrating Orca's birthday."

"To my great surprise, she grew into her tail! I had almost resigned myself to the idea that none of my children would carry on the mermaid silhouette that both I and my mother had, but Orca pulled through. Her red tail looked so nice with her golden skin. Orca was a lot more mellow than her older sister, and even nicer than her brother. My little baby was growing up."

_______Orca's personality is 10/5/7/3/8.

"By this time, Anemone was a child like Loligo. All three of my children got along well, and they were all best friends from all the time they spent together in the nursery. It was so nice to see them playing together, and it also freed me up to concentrate on my paintings and novels."

"Anemone was becoming more beautiful with every year of her life, but she had a lot of spunk. She tended to sneak away from her homework to go play. In a lot of ways, she reminded me of myself when I was little. Because of that, I made sure to watch her closely, and she kept her grades up."

"Orca had the sweetest personality of the three. She was a little shy, but loved to be adored, so she was often underfoot when we had company over. She was also very beautiful, and people loved to coo over her."

"In time she too grew into a child. She was very neat, a child after my own heart, and she often cleaned up after her brother, and especially her messy older sister."

"They were great friends despite it, and were almost inseperable. They looked a lot a like, but I thought I could see a little difference. At any rate, their personalities were very different."

"Loligo had finally entered his teen years. Although one could occasionally catch him acting like it, he was still as well-behaved as he had been in his youth. I was really glad to have him around the house to help with the girls. He often reminded me of my big brother Caspian, who had helped out with Marmara and me when we were little. Loligo decided that he would dedicate his life to a quest for knowledge. He had always admired Grandma Oceania, so it made sense."

"Loligo just adored playing with his sisters. He did it without anyone asking him! I just know he'll make a great father someday."

"Anemone followed Loligo into teenhood, and she was simply stunning. She told me shortly after her birthday that she really wanted to be surrounded by family when she got older. I was a little surprised that my little hellraiser had a domestic streak in her, but it was also nice to see her settling down for a change."

"Not everything was happy during this time, however. Mother passed on, at the age of 83. She had a hard life in her elder years, and I greatly regret that she was not closer with the family. Still, we were all her best friends at the time of her death, and she got to see that her dreams would be continued, so I suppose she was as happy as she could have been. We buried her in a plot at the back of our lot and said our goodbyes."

"Orca probably took mother's death the hardest. Orca had always been the quiet and thoughtful one, and she spent more time than usual tidying up the house, keeping her thoughts to herself."

"Loligo, meanwhile, was immersed in his search for knowledge. He was becoming so skillful in so many areas that he had already earned lots of scholarship for school. I was very proud of my firstborn."

"Around this time, I had a falling out with some of my business partners. I decided that the career I had dreamed about in my youth was no longer for me, and left the position of business tycoon. After speaking with an agent, I finally had the confidence to pursue a life as an artist. As I was working my way up through the art world, I was also writing and painting a lot at home."

"Anemone continued to be playful and a little unruly. She did always love the nursery bathroom, although I thought it a little strange that a girl of her age would be playing such silly games."

"Around this time she expressed an interest in dating, and began going to the local hangout, the Palm Club. She insisted that her dates were very innocent. To listen to her talk, you'd think all they did was play games the whole time!"

"However, I remember going to the Palm Club with Dor in my youth, and I believe I can still recollect the kinds of things that went on there. Although I was secretly happy for her, it was hard for me to believe my oldest daughter was becoming a woman."

"One of her dates even left her a karaoke machine! I hoped she was behaving herself appropriately, and that the young lad was simply fond of her."

"Still, Anemone has a trouble streak a mile wide and I didn't always see the same boys around. It seemed to be what she wanted, although it was a little strange for someone who valued family so much."

"Oh dear, Anemone was just looking over my shoulder when I wrote that last passage. She's saying she's embarassed, and how could I write that in my memoir, and on and on. I'll have to leave this alone for a minute to go do some damage control."

"Alright, back to my story. My other daughter, Orca, had become very good friends with Marmara. I was happy to see all of my family getting along, but I did worry about my sister filling Orca's head with wild ideas. When she told all the stories about her crazy dates, I wondered if that would influence my calm little girl."

"Things were so busy all the time with the kids and my new profession that my birthday snuck up on me. Of course, my siblings, my children, and my friends were there to celebrate. We had quite the little party."

"I think I matured rather well, although I quickly realized I couldn't wear as much makeup as I did in my youth."

"Orca was doing very well in school, as were both of her siblings. All three of my children were bright, but Orca really shined in schoolwork. I was so proud of her."

"Even with all the action in our house, I still found time to be with the love of my life. I have always thought it was strange that the natives of Sirenum Scopuli didn't seem to age as quickly as my family did. Perhaps I should write my next book about that."

"I hardly had the time to think about it, though. Family life was hectic, but I loved my little family. All three of my children were so special, and were such individuals."

"Finally, it was time for little Orca to become a teenager. We had the usual group over for the party."

"Orca surprised me, and now I know I should have kept an eye on her and Marmara. My dear, sweet, level-headed little daughter proclaimed after her birthday that she had set her mind on a life of pleasure, full of dates and bubblebaths and time in pajamas. Even though I was shocked, I loved Orca a lot and wanted whatever would make her happy. I had to admit, too, that with a face like hers, she could get almost anything she wanted in life."

"Orca really changed in these years and started spending more time doing frivolous things. She was still a good student and helped me with the housework, though, so I didn't object."

"Anemone started to think more about what a life dedicated to family would be like and tried to brush up on her domestic skills. Although it was a little tough at first, she turned out to be quite the cook!"

"The kids were all great friends with their other mother and loved to spend time with her. It was getting close to the time when the groups of natives would rotate, and go on their journeys. Anemone especially tried to spend time with Dor before this happened."

"Orca meanwhile was flitting about the house like a crazy dragonfly. She kept talking incessently about dates, although I have to admit, I was a bit of a strict mother and hadn't let my little baby go on one yet. I laugh about it now, but I was so protective of her because she reminded me of Marmara and I wanted to keep my youngest innocent as long as I could."

"Since all three of my children were such stellar students, I decided to apply for them to go to private school. They were all accepted, which had been a want of mine for a long time. I was so proud to see them marching off to the bus every morning in their blazers."

"That's pretty much the story of my life. I have lived according to my mother's dreams and have raised my children to do the same. I found it very fulfilling to live like this, relying only on myself and my family, and I'm proud of how far we've come. The portrait that Loligo painted of me now hangs next to the one Caspian painted of my mother. I wonder whose portrait will be next on the wall . . ."

________Thank you for reading Chapter 2 of the Matriarch Legasea. The next three pages will give you more information for the heir poll, which you can vote in at either www.boolprop.com or http://s12.invisionfree.com/Sim_Mania. You've probably heard of Boolprop, but you should give SiMania a try, too. Its a fairly new board but the people there are great! Again, thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed yourself. Please keep an eye on thinmintsim's page for the next installment of the Matriarch Legasea.

First born: Loligo LegaseaKnowledge AspirationPersonality: 8/9/8/0/5

Loligo is a very serious and sweet guy, who gets along with family members very well. He has natural red hair and is the only child with the Legasea eyes and also the only boy. He is named after the loligo squid.

Second born: Anemone LegaseaFamily AspirationPersonality: 3/4/8/10/7

Anemone is very playful and active, which means she gets into a lot of trouble. So far, she hasn't shown any great tendencies for settling down, but she is only a teenager, after all. She has naturally blue hair and blue eyes.

Third born: Orca LegaseaPleasure AspirationPersonality: 10/5/7/3/8

Orca is the nicest and neatest of the three, and extremely beautiful, in my opinion. She seemed to be serious in her youth, but has loosened up in her teen years. She has naturally blue hair and blue eyes. She is the only mermaid this generation.