She has her own farm now.

Of course she does.

Plants grow everywhere: the door and the windows are littered with flowers.

Well, here goes nothing.

Traci: Hi, can I help you?

It’s nice to meet you again. I see that you inherited your dad’s eyebrows.

Traci: …Excuse me?

You look so much like your mother. And your grandmother.

Traci: You’re an old family friend then.

You could say that, I suppose.

Traci: How comes I’ve never seen you before?

I’ve been away.

Her little farmhouse is warm and inviting. Pictures of a familiar family adorn the walls.

Traci: She’s through here.

Traci: Hey, mom, there’s someone here to see you. She says she knew you growing up.

The old lady turns her head ever so slightly. I know that it’s the person I’m looking for.

She looks like the stereotypical grandma. In our time, it’s been six years. In her time, it’s been decades.

Her pink eyes – inherited from my co-founder James – confirm it.

Hi, Fluffy Rose.

It’s good to see you.

Fluffy: It’s good to see you, too.

She gets up and walks to another room, and I feel like I’m expected to follow.

Once we make it to the kitchen, Fluffy starts peering aimlessly into her fridge. It’s fully stocked with vegetables, which I assume are from her farm. She always was eco-friendly. I get the impression that she’s simply working out what to say.

Fluffy: I wasn’t expecting guests… would you like a snack? I’m afraid it’ll have to be lettuce.

No thanks.

Fluffy: Long time no see.

I know. I almost didn’t recognise you.

Fluffy: I got old, right?

It’s more the fact that your hair isn’t luminous green anymore.

Fluffy: I came to realise that hair bleach probably wasn’t best for the environment. But what about you? You just look old-er.

I’m not surprised. I started The Rose Legacy Thingy when I was twelve – I turn twenty this year.

So… a farm?

Fluffy: Yep! It was the best way of cutting down our carbon footprint. Considering all the electricity the old Rose house used to use up, it was the least we could do.

Talking about the Rose family, there’s something you should know: they’re all gone.

The files all got corrupted. I managed to salvage Fluffy and her husband Ferby from an old Mediafire upload.

Fluffy: That’s awful.

I was gutted when I lost the Roses. Ever since I found you, though, I’ve been thinking about how I could continue telling that story. I want to restart the legacy.

Fluffy: I’m afraid that a Rose legacy will be impossible.

Fluffy: Ferby and I decided to change our names. We didn’t want the kids to be associated with my sister during her reign of terror.

What’s the family name now?

Fluffy: It’s Aster.

Aster?

Fluffy: It’s not entirely different from ‘Rose’ – it’s still the name of a flower. It’s also purple, because your username was Purplehamsterz, and it’s the September birth flower, which is the month you started telling the Rose family’s story way back in 2010.

Fluffy: I want you to continue that story, too. Stay around for a while – I’m going to call a family meeting.

Within minutes, the Aster family are gathered around in the lounge.

Ferby looks just how I remember him – except from the fact that his now grey hair matches the silver eyebrows he’s had since his teens.

Fluffy: Traci, where’s your sister?

Sister? I didn’t know you had any other kids.

Traci: You know Alex – she could be anywhere.

I’ll go and look.

It doesn’t take long for me to find a young woman standing in the vegetable patch. She doesn’t seem to notice me – she’s lost in her own world.

Hello?

Alex: Hi.

I’m an old friend of your mum’s. I came to visit you guys.

Alex: Oh. Cool. Nice to meet you.

She has Bella’s hair colour, and James’ eyes.

Your mum actually wants you to come inside. She’s called a family meeting.

Alex: *sigh* Right. Well, thanks for letting me know.

What’s the matter?

Alex: It’s nothing. Mom’s always just calling these meetings about the farm, and I don’t–

I don’t think it’s about the farm.

Alex: Huh.

Without saying another word, she runs into the house.

Alex: Hey, mom, I heard there’s a family meeting that’s not about the farm. What’s the special occasion?

Fluffy: It’s about our special guest – I see you’ve met Purplehamsterz.

I came up with the username Purplehamsterz when I was 11. You guys can call me Emily now.

Fluffy: Now we’re all here, I guess I should start explaining…

Fluffy: …our family has a strange and varied history. It all starts with our founder – my mother, Bella Rose. She moved to this town in the hopes that she would be able to build a legacy: a powerful family designed to last for at least ten generations. She was… unique. A great politician, but crazy as a box of frogs. I suppose that explains my name.

Fluffy: Before long, she met my father, James Rose, who became her co-founder.

Fluffy: My sisters and I were born soon after their wedding. You kids don’t know this, but I had a twin. Her name was Flump. It’s been years – and she’s long been lost – but the last I heard of her, she was making her living as a drummer, living with her long term girlfriend. Our older sister, well…

Fluffy: I won’t mention her name, but I’m sure you’ve read about her exploits on the news. Remember when the statue of liberty got stolen? That was her.

Fluffy: My older sister got chosen as the legacy heiress – it became her responsibility to continue the family name. It was around that time that your father and I discovered I was pregnant with Traci – we moved out, we changed our names to protect you kids, and I rarely ever saw my family after that.

Fluffy: They continued to prosper without me…

Fluffy: But everything has to come to an end at some point. The Rose family tree was lost. At least – that’s what Emily thought.

Fluffy: She managed to find me – and through me, she’s found you. The Roses aren’t truly gone, we’ve simply become the Asters. The legacy can live on. Girls – I’d like one of you to continue what Bella started.

Traci: What? You want one of us to be the new heiress?

Actually, I was thinking of choosing a new founder, and starting all over again.

Traci: Well, don’t look at me. I’m not fond of children, or commitment. It sounds like you need to have both to start a legacy.

…Yeah, that would be an issue.

What about you, Alex?

Alex: You’ve appeared out of the blue, asking us to give up everything to start a family?

I know it’s a bit random. I could always just create someone new, but I wanted my new legacy to be a continuation of what came before.

Alex: Well I hate to break it to you, but it’s not for me. I have other plans.

Oh?

Alex: Sure. As soon as I get off of this farm, I’m going travelling. Egypt, China, France… if it has tombs to explore, that’s where I’m going to be.

Then why haven’t you left yet?

Alex: …Do you think we earn much from the farm? We eat half of what we harvest and the other half is barely enough to pay the bills. Mom gives me too many jobs around here for me to get paid work, so I’d give anything to move out, but I have no money. It’s a vicious circle.

Do you realise that a legacy founder gets given a massive plot of land?

Alex: For free?

Yeah. You would have a small amount of money afterwards, and I guess you could put that towards your first trip abroad – although, most founders usually spend it on a fridge, so that they don’t… y’know… starve.

Alex: Mom, would you let me leave? Could you do without my help around here?

Fluffy: Opportunities like this don’t come around often. If it helps you to achieve your dreams, then you know I’m all for it. Traci can do your share of the work after you go.

Traci: Wait, what?

You’ve really changed your mind this quickly?

Alex: Oh yeah – if it means I can actually go travelling soon, you’ve found your founder.

There’s more to it than that. You do need to try and establish a family.

Alex: Ohhhh, don’t you worry. I can’t wait to have kids and a husband and white picket fence and all that jazz. Sounds… great.

That sounded incredibly sarcastic.

Alex: Sarcastic? Me? Not at all. I’ll do it – if you let me travel first.

Okay – I’ll pay for your first trip, as long as you promise to uphold your end of the bargain and start the family tree.

Alex: Deal.

The next morning, Alex says her goodbyes.

Alex: I’ll see you soon dad. Any last advice?

Ferby: Marry for money, not love. I married your mother for love and now I spend my days looking after cabbages.

Alex: Dad, you’re such a joker.

Ferby: Yes… it was… a joke.

Fluffy: Sweetheart, you must be so excited. You get to travel and you’re founding a legacy.

Fluffy: If ever you need help, or you want to give up, just come home. I’m very proud of you.

Alex: Thanks, mom.

Traci: Hey sis, can I speak to you in private for a moment?

Traci: Lex, are you seriously going through with this? You’ve never wanted kids or marriage. This should be your worst nightmare.

Alex: Of course it is.

Alex: That’s why I’m going to pull out of the legacy as soon as I’m done with travelling. I’ll be damned if I’m holding up my end of the bargain.

Traci: I wish I’d thought of that. You’re so bad.

You guys do know that I can hear everything you say, right?

The Aster sisters: (gigglesnorts)

And just like that, we’re back at square one. A founder, an empty plot of land, and a new sims challenge. The same Rose family, but with a different name.

Welcome to the Aster Legacy.

~~~

Hi everybody, and thank you for taking the time to read this!

I tried to make this as accessible as possible to those of you unfamiliar with my first legacy, ‘The Rose Legacy Thingy’, so I hope it was easy to understand. If not, let me know, and I’ll do my best to edit it for clarity. All you would have missed were some (frankly awful) jokes relating to the old characters, which aren’t worth wading through years of cringe-worthy teenage writing to get.

If you are interested, you can find it here. There will be very few references to the Roses from here on in, and only because Alex really is a descendant of that legacy – I found my gen 2 spare’s sim file, and toyed around with her and Ferby’s genetics in Create-A-Sim to make their daughters. If you do read it, please don’t let the quality put you off! It’s been seven years, and I’d like to think that my writing style has matured a lot as I’ve gotten older.

Thank you again for reading, and I hope to see you soon when I post chapter one (updates will most likely be on a fortnightly basis, so please do follow to see more)!

~ Emily x