Chapter Three: Hope in Devastation

A few weeks passed. Cooper was working hard at his new job, meeting new people, and though he'd rather be coming home to a wife and kids after those long days at work, he came home to an empty house and his guitar. He practiced and played and bought sheet music when expenses allowed for it. He was dropping in weight, living off of the bare essentials, paycheck to paycheck. He thought about selling the house and moving into something smaller, but he didn't have time to go through with a move. He was a hard working young man on a mission to achieve his goals, and at this rate, nothing could stop him.

...Except for, maybe, his cooking skills.

(Yeah, he put waffles in the oven... then burnt them.)

Or the lousy sink in the kitchen that broke down every other day...

...in turn flooding the kitchen...

...and the bedroom, and the bathroom. The bathroom sink didn't work, either. Unable to make room in the budget to pay for a repairman, Cooper had no choice but to attempt to fix everything in the house himself.

Poor Coop had a lot on his hands with the old house. He soon learned that chances are, if you buy something at a cheap price, it will act cheap, too. He was learning so much by the day, and although life seemed to treat him with a lot of tough love, he didn't mind. To him, it just made him stronger.

One night, after spending a day cleaning at the music hall and then cleaning his home, he decided he needed some fresh air. He walked out his front door and sat on a bench he had purchased, took a deep breath, and leaned back to watch the stars. It had now been a few months since he moved to Sunset Valley, and his mind began to drift off and think of how far he had already come.

He was deep in thought when a bright light in his flashed in eyes and snapped him to attention. He instinctively put a hand over his face to block it out, yet continued to try and find its' source. It was a car. A car he had only seen a handful of times since his first day in town. And it pulled into the driveway of the home across the street from his.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up straight, hastily brushing the dirt off his jeans with one hand and smoothing his hair back with another. That girl. That beautiful, beautiful girl. He hadn't met her yet, but their eyes met in passing once, and from that day he was hooked. She was never home when he knocked to introduce himself, and now here she was, pulling in to the driveway and unloading groceries. It was late at night, but she was awake, and now he was, too. If he didn't walk over now, he might never get to meet her.

He waited until she had gone inside before walking over. As he rang the doorbell, he found himself nervous... he wasn't sure why, but there was just something about this girl that made him feel... incredible. He had seen her around town, at stores or the gym or a coffee shop, but never long enough for him to say hi. This was it. His chance.

She opened the door after what seemed like ages.

"H..Hi... Can I help you with something?" she inquired, finding it odd that a stranger was at her door at 11pm on a Monday night. Cooper smiled wide, and tried... note, tried... to form sentences. What did he want to say to her anyway? He hadn't prepared a single thing to say.

"Hi!... uh... my name's... I'm Cooper. Cooper B... Baron."

She looked him over, staring at his sweaty, torn shirt and pants. He stared sheepishly at his feet, smiling and embarrassed. He realized he should have at least changed into clothes that didn't have holes in them, first. But it was too late for that. He looked back up, getting lost in her icy blue eyes. It was those eyes that had hooked him, and he knew he'd have to start talking soon before they went away.

"I'm new here. And I live across the street... I figured I'd... introduce myself. Y'know, since we're neighbors and all." He stuck out a hand, offering a shake. "I'm Cooper Baron."

She smiled a half-smile and let out a small laugh, confused but entertained.

"You said that already," she laughed again. They stood there for a moment in awkward silence, but smiles could be seen on both of their faces. "Well, come on in," she grinned, waving a hand inside. "What's your story?"

"My story?" Cooper repeated, confused. He was not prepared for that question. Well, any question. ...Who was he kidding? He wasn't prepared at all.

"Well, everyone has a story," she spoke intriguingly, raising an eyebrow and turning around to walk into her living room. Cooper followed her, captivated by this statement, wanting more of every word that left her lips.

The two talked well into the night about pretty much everything. Cooper loosened up and let his humorous, loving, friendly personality shine, and her care-free, almost hippy-like personality was enchanting and... well, not gonna lie, sexy.

Cooper had never met a girl like her, and his heart was beating so fast, he thought he might fall over. Maybe he didn't have to be such a hopeless romantic... at this point in time, there seemed to be hope!

It was the early morning hours before Cooper realized she hadn't talked much about herself just yet. Her name was Elenna, he got that much. She had moved to Sunset Valley about a year ago searching for a better job. Cooper divulged into most of his personal life, telling her why he was here, what he wanted to, and his hopes for the future. Whenever he asked her a question, she either took her time answering it, danced around the subject, or became defensive. When he asked who she lived with, that was it for the night.

"It's getting late. Maybe you should go home," she suggested, walking to the door and opening it. "It was nice meeting you."

Cooper left, confused. Why wouldn't she talk about herself? I mean... what was there to hide? She was beautiful, obviously. Tanned skin, blonde hair, ice blue eyes... and killer abs. He could tell she was rather athletic, and her personality seemed to be rather "go with the flow". He could tell that she generally does whatever makes her happy, and he liked that. She seemed to live by such a simple philosophy... something that attracted Cooper even more. 

He wasn't giving up.

A few weeks went by. They had flirted and talked every few days over the phone, and even once in passing at the local pool. He yearned for more, and one day, he found himself at her doorstep all over again. This time, he was dressed in clean, sharp clothes that showed off his physique... or lack thereof. At least he wasn't sweaty this time. He rang the doorbell, desperately hoping Elenna was home. This was the girl of his dreams... he just needed to get her to talk a little more.

She opened the door, surprised that he randomly showed up again.

"Cooper?" she questioned, looking him up and down with a small smirk. She opened the door a bit more, motioning for him to come in.

"Elenna..." he blushed, and the butterflies were there all over again.

"You clean up nice, Mr. Baron!", she jeered. "Quite the improvement."

They mingled for a bit, and things were going really well. Cooper knew that if he wanted to get to know her a little more, he'd have to ask her out.

"I was wondering... what are you doing Saturday night? I'd love to take you out to dinner... maybe get some drinks? There's this cool bistro downtown... I think you'd really like it."

He was feeling calm, cool, and confident. Ready to embrace the next step of their friendly relationship, and actually see her outside of her own environment.

Then he realized... she was hesitating.

"...Cooper... you're a nice guy. Really. But... I'm married..."

Cooper didn't know what to do. His face resembled that of a deer in headlights... He was frozen. Couldn't move. After a long pause, he managed to speak.

"I'm... I'm sorry...", he mumbled. For the first time since they had met, he couldn't look her in the eyes. He turned to walk out of the house. A million thoughts were running through his head. Why hadn't she said anything sooner? Where was her husband all this time? Why... why did she act as if she liked him back?...

"Cooper, wait... I'm sorry..."

He sensed the hurt in her voice... the shame. Knowing that should have made him feel better, but it just made him feel worse. The girl that he loved was hurt, and to him, that was more devastating than being turned down.

He couldn't bear to be there a second longer. He walked home, head hung low, mind in a fog. At least there was one thing he could come home to that gave him unconditional love: his guitar.

It seemed that in his search for companionship, he had learned only this: Trying to forget how much you loved someone is like trying to remember someone you never knew.

He wasn't going down that easy.

Chapter Two: It's Just the Start

A new house, and new name, a few new clothes...Cooper was well on his way to beginning the life he dreamed of.

The house wasn't much, but it had the basics: A kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, and a spare room. He was excited to have snagged a decent first time home for such a low cost, no matter what the inside looked like. The green and beige wasn't exactly his style, but it worked for now.

Again, humble and basic, but he didn't mind. It was better than boarding school, and he wasn't planning on being home much anyways... he needed a job, and needed one fast. He spent a night in his new home thinking of what he should do... he had no skills, had a basic schooling experience, and had no experience with a musical instrument outside of the xylophone he'd once loved at the daycare. How was he going to get a career  in music if he'd never even played an instrument? His dream was to compose, to work in theater... and that's when it hit him.

First thing in the morning, Cooper literally ran to the town's local theater and concert hall. He had no experience, never had a job, and didn't even have a resume or dress clothes, but he begged them for a job. Cooper's charming personality saved him, and he was able to sweet talk his way into a minimum wage job... as a fan of whoever plays at the theater. His duties were to watch who was playing and jazz the audience up a bit at the right times... and clean up after they're gone. It was something, at least, and he got to be around the music he had yearned for so much in his early life. 

He left the theater with a grin of satisfaction... a grin that said, "I know I can do this."

Upon leaving the theater, Cooper saw a few townspeople loitering outside. He decided to start introducing himself as the new guy in town. They'd know his name soon enough when he began to make it big in music, anyway... but he wasn't THAT cocky. He knew it'd be better to make his introductions friendly and outgoing, partially to get to know the people, and partially to increase his fan-base. The first person he decided to talk to was an older man that appeared to be in his 60's. He had just left a movie showing and seemed easy to talk to, and he was.

 Though it might have been considered bragging, Cooper instantly brought up his new job with the theater, and explained his intentions of making it big in the music industry. The man, who had introduced himself as Arlo Bunch, was very warm and welcoming. He seemed excited for Cooper, and told him that Sunset Valley's theater was a fine establishment to start his career.

 The two chatted for a bit before parting ways. Arlo was excited to see a fresh face in town and loved Cooper's outgoing and charming personality, and almost instantly deemed him a friend.

"If you need anything, chap, here's my number. Just give me a call. You'll make it well in this town, don't worry."

Cooper was more than happy to hear that.

As he turned around to head toward the music supply store to spend the last of his money on a new guitar, he bumped into a lady walking in to the theater.

Always a major fan of the ladies (he's a big hopeless romantic, you know), he absolutely had to stop and introduce himself. 

After going over the same schpeil about his new job, and attempting to drop a line here and there... she seemed rather uninterested, and explained she needed to head off to the grocery store. ...Wait, weren't you just going to the movies?

Better luck next time, Coop.

After spending an hour in the music store, Cooper left with a guitar and music book in hand. Not exactly ready to head home, he chose to visit the local park he had seen across from his new place of work.

He sat down and decided to thumb through his new book he had obtained from the music shop. Real music! Sheet music! Things he could actually look at and attempt to play! He couldn't wait to start attempting music on the guitar... so before he could even finish the first chapter, he got up and began to walk toward a picnic area full of locals.

He introduced himself to a few people... some were welcoming, and some were not. 

It doesn't help that you tend to flirt with any woman you meet, Cooper.

Stop flirting with them in front of their husbands, too, will ya?

Cooper got his head back on track and pulled out his guitar. He plucked a few strings, listened closely to the sounds of each string, and started playing.

And he was good! A natural musician! He had memorized so much music literature in the boarding school library, he was instantly a natural with the guitar. And people noticed! Slowly, a crowd began to form.

 Pretty soon, everyone in the park came to listen to his tunes. Though they were basic and it was his first time playing the guitar, no one seemed to mind. They all agreed he was outstanding, and nodded their heads happily along to the strumming.

He played well into the night, getting better and better with every minute that passed. People began to go home as the sun went down, but Cooper was lost in the music coming from his fingertips. Happiness consumed him from head to toe, and he stayed in the park until midnight playing his music.

If he could do this for the rest of his life, he was sure he'd be happy. And this was only the beginning!

Chapter One: A New Life Begins

Cooper Baron had a very bland, boring, and monotonous upbringing. Wake up. Go to class. Do homework. Go to sleep. Repeat. That's exactly what his life consisted of as far back as he could remember...

Born Cooperson Samuelson Baronson to his mother, Ambrosia Alora Baronson, and father, Gildwen Patterson Baronson, little "Coop" was immediately given no chance to bond with his parents. After leaving the hospital the day Cooper was born, Ambrosia and Gildwen dropped him off at a daycare center for infants... and went on their merry way to work as if nothing had happened. Ambrosia and Gildwen were workaholics, and their new son was, unfortunately, just a burden to their corporate world careers. Too stubborn to put him up for adoption in fear of looking like the bad parents they were, they decided to provide a constant flow of money to the local daycare if they agreed to keep Cooper past their normal hours. And so Cooper's life began... living in the daycare for 14 hours a day, going home to sleep in a cold crib, and going back to daycare in the morning.

The caretakers in the daycare... they could tell he wasn't your ordinary baby. He was happy and bubbly, always laughing and singing, and seemed much smarter than most babbling babies his age. He was always playing with the center's musical instruments, and was often considered their "one man band". They felt remorse for his situation at home, but gave him all the love and attention they could each day.

But the time came where Cooper was getting too old for the center, and he needed to start school. At the age of 5, the Baronsons removed him from the daycare and sent him to Thorn Bridge Boarding School on the outskirts of town. In a new environment at such a young age, Cooper wasn't sure what to do, and he longed for the attention of his teachers at the daycare. He tried to make the best of life at the school, but there wasn't much room to be himself. Everything was strictly regulated... no TVs, limited computer time, no extra curricular activities, and a set curriculum. His life seemed more jailed with every new day, but his spirit was strong. The older he became, the more certain he was that he could escape his confined life and begin anew. In his downtime, he listened to tape recordings of symphonies and dreamed about a career in music, writing his own songs and finding sheet music in the libraries that he could only read, but not play. His parents sent monthly checks as he progressed throughout the secondary level of school as a sort of reminder that they were still around, but that they weren't planning on seeing him any time soon. Though any other child would have been depressed by the lack of parental figures in their life, Cooper didn't mind. His spirits were too focused on using that money to start a new life.

The day came that Cooper attended graduation. He did a quick scan of the crowd from the stage, and didn't see his parents... though by now, he could barely remember what they looked like, anyway. He had spent all of his schooling years at Thorn Bridge, and graduation was one of a handful of times he had been outside since his first day there. As previously stated, it was more like a jail than anything... and Cooper was more than excited to leave. He grabbed his diploma, his packed bags, and his final check from his parents, and boarded a Greyhound bus... destination? Anywhere but there.

48 hours later, Cooper ended up on the West Coast. Suitcase in hand, he got off of the bus and looked at his surroundings... he couldn't believe his eyes. To his right, there was an ocean. A lighthouse. A beautiful beach. Beautiful houses that sat on cliffs above the water... and to his left, hills! Mountains! A valley with homes and businesses and people! People that actually lived their lives, and did what they wanted to! It was the most beautiful place he had seen since his little life at the daycare... and he decided to make it his home.

A few of his first nights in Sunset Valley (as he learned it was named) were spent living on the street and searching for homes for sale that fit within his small, cramped budget. All the money he had was given to him from his parents... and although it seemed like a lot at first, he quickly learned it wasn't much. He was able to snag a home that had been foreclosed upon by an elderly couple. It was small, outdated, and starting to fall apart... but at least it was a roof over his head, and that's all he cared about. As soon as the house was his, he dropped off his things and made a stop at City Hall. If he was going to start a new life in a new town, he didn't want to do it under the name Cooperson Samuelson Baronson. He filled out the paperwork, and after a stop at a clothing store for some decent attire, he came back home with the name "Cooper Samuel Baron". Rolls off the tongue a lot easier, doesn't it?

And that's just what he wanted! Cooper Baron, musician extraordinaire... that's what this town was going to know him as. He was leaving a life without parents and music behind him, and finally doing something that made HIM happy. His mind was racing with ideas of what to do next... his new life was standing right in front of him, waiting to be lived!

Welcome!

Hello!

Well, to start off, I'm a Sims 3 player. I play it here and there between work, school, and life... but I just recently started a new legacy. I've never blogged my legacies before, so I figured I'd give it a shot this time around.

I don't follow all of the rules for the Legacy Challenge created by Pinstar. I don't use cheats, etc., but I do create most of my own sims for my town because I'm not big on the ones that come pre-loaded. If you're a stickler to the official Legacy Challenge rules and want to know how my games differ, the main rules I break are:

Any sim may be moved into the Legacy Family via marriage or move-in except for the following:
Sims created by the player

and,

... there is a very specific lot that must be used. If you move into Riverview, you must move into “345 Riverblossom Hills Drive”.  If you move into Sunset Valley, you will be moving into “15 Summer Hill Court”.

 As stated before, I don't like most of the sims that are pre-loaded into the towns. So I make my own, place them into random houses, and let them live/interact with my legacy as they please via story progression. The second rule listed, though it is the base for the game, I don't tend to follow. I'll sometimes move them into an empty lot, but if I don't have the time to sit and build a house (I get extremely picky when I build!), I move them into a cheap-o to start playing right away until I have the real life time to sit and build a house that I like. I don't know. I'm weird like that.

I do play the legacies through the generations, though. I don't use cheats, as I said before, and I strive to go through all ten generations before moving on to a new family. Sometimes I just get bored with the plotline of a current family, though, and move on to a different one and let my old one progress as it pleases. For me, it's not so much about following the specific rules as it is being entertained and having fun the way I'd like. :) So if I'm posting a legacy that you like, and I start to get bored with it, tell me to keep going. If you like it, I'll try and keep posting it and put more effort into making it interesting.

Oh, I only have one expansion pack, too, so my games are pretty standard. It's High End Loft Stuff, which I know is like, one of the lamest ones out. But I got it for 15 bucks, so I can't complain. I'm hoping to acquire Ambitions and Pets when I get the money.

Ask me questions if you have them! I'm gonna try and do some advertising to get some readers, and I'll probably start posting my current game, The Baron Legacy, sometime today and tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you like what I have to offer!

~Jordan