Holden’s POV, an excerpt from his personal journal:
For me, stretching was where it was at. I loved how strong and flexible my body was. It felt the best, though, when I lowered my forehead to my straight legs and pointed my toes. I could feel the muscles sliding against each other and I imagined ropes and pullies moving smoothly into place.
While other kids were probably drinking and getting into the kind of trouble I hear teenagers do, I worshiped my best asset. There was no way I was going to muck up my chances of dancing professionally by doing anything stupid. My dance instructors told me more than once over the years that to make it, you have to really want it.
It wouldn’t be easy, I knew. Every performer started at the bottom, paying their dues when, hopefully, one day, their big break would come.
Standing, I did some barre stretches. Again, it felt so good. My body was getting stronger every day, my jumps higher, my turns quicker. My ultimate goal was a muscular, but not bulky, physique. Once I was accepted into the Royal School of Dance, I would be training six to seven hours a day and a lot of that would be lifting ballerinas. I was pretty sure this would also improve my build. It sure wouldn’t hurt.
When we were old enough, Rosetta and I began attending different dance classes. At the time, I was quite distraught at being separated from my twin. I didn’t want to continue and all I did was complain.
Finally, after this had gone on for some time, it was explained to me that male and female ballet dancers focus on different aspects and, therefore, Rosetta and I could not continue together until later. Even with this explanation, I found it hard to continue. It wasn’t until we compared notes about our classes and Rosetta told me her classes consisted of learning pointe techniques, focusing on soft upper body movements and flexibility that I understood how much better my classes were!
My instructors concentrated on different turn varieties, muscle strength and soaring jumps. I know I’ve already said it, but from the beginning, I liked learning how to jump properly. It felt like I could fly. When I felt my muscles working, the feeling of strength in my body made me invincible.
“Why are you just standing there?” Rosetta asked, making me jump slightly because I didn’t know she was watching me.
“I just finished my cooldown,” I mumbled.
“Dreaming of ballet,” she teased, wrinkling her nose.
“Pretty much,” I said as my cheeks flamed red.
“Mother and Father will be joining us any moment,” she said as she took a seat, folding her hands primly in her lap. “You don’t have time for a shower.”
Frowning, I dried my face off as best I could with a towel. “Are you sure? It wouldn’t take me but a minute – ”
Rolling her eyes, she firmly interrupted me, ” – There’s no time, you’re just going to have to deal with it. Put your OCD tendencies away for a half hour while they’re here.”
“I don’t have OCD,” I grumbled, flopping down next to her.
“You’ve never been diagnosed, true. You certainly do meet up with a lot of the characteristics, though, from what I’ve read.”
“Talk to me again about it when you have your medical license.” She never knew when to let anything go and her constant diagnoses were getting less and less tolerable lately.
“Oh, I will,” she promised.
“There is nothing wrong with me, Rosie.”
“Hmph. There’s plenty wrong with you. But really, there’s plenty wrong with everyone. I just wish you would confide in me as you used to.”
“You’re talking again about the incident behind the club with Fletcher Klark.”
“Isn’t it obvious that you need to confront your feelings for the opposite sex?”
OMG. Really? Was there no escaping this topic with her?
“Why is this so important to you?” I demanded.
“Why isn’t it important to you?” she countered.
My blood was boiling so bad, I could barely sputter out my words. “I’m not saying it is or isn’t. Why do you have to be so pushy and bitchy about it?”
“I care about you.”
“You care about me or you’re dying to know if I’m gay or not?”
“I simply thought it would be better to face this with your twin then floundering around later about it. I’m sorry. Do you really think I’m bitchy?”
I sighed deeply, trying to regain some semblance of control over my emotions. She was probably the only person who could push me this far and still be forgiven. That didn’t make me any less irritated, still, I lied. “No.”
She immediately laughed and I could tell she saw right through me.
We both became instantly quiet as our parents sat down on each side of us.
“What is funny?” Dad asked.
Rosetta stifled a giggle, then with all seriousness said, “Just a joke only twins would understand, Father.”
Without trouble, he accepted this and began speaking on something different altogether. “We have an important announcement.”
“Oh my…” Rosetta said.
“What?” Rarely was my sister short on words. She was perceptive enough, that the trepidation she was showing now was enough to make me concerned. “Is something wrong?”
Before our parents could say anything, Rosetta answered me. “Are you having a baby, Mother?”
“Good heavens no!” she exclaimed.
“Yes, I think you two are enough to deal with,” our father said with a small smile. “It is time we talked about what you will do once you graduate. We have no doubt you will both get into the schools you have applied for, but there are other arrangements to think about.”
I glanced at Mom who looked like she was about ready to explode from excitement. “We’re taking a trip! The four of us!” she blurted.
“A trip?” Rosetta said.
Mom nodded. “We realize that you’re of an age where this may be our last chance to take a vacation together as a family. So that’s what we’d like to do. We want this to be the best summer either of you has ever had.”
This sounded pretty good! “Where are we going?”
“We’re taking you to the very place we had our first vacation with you. The house on the cliff that overlooks the ocean.”
I perked up at this because what I remembered from that first vacation was watching fireworks from the swimming pool late at night and how much fun we had as a family. Those were good times.
“This is great!” I enthused.
Our parents smiled and I could see the relief in their faces that we were so positive about this trip.
“What else is going on?” Rosetta asked, an eyebrow raised.
Dad cleared his throat and said, “The schools you wish to attend are not too far from that vacation spot. Your mother and I were speaking about living accommodations for you while you go to school. It would be too far for you to commute from here. Rosetta’s school has dorms on their campus, but the dance school does not.”
“What do you propose?” Rosetta asked as I waited with baited breath. Were we getting the beach house? I didn’t even know we owned it.
This time, Mom spoke. “I was speaking to your grandma about all of this and she suggested you take the brownstone her father owned. It’s still a part of his estate and no one is living there right now. It’s situated near both schools.”
“Wow, that’s awesome!” I said, grinning from ear to ear.
“We were hoping you would think so,” Dad said. “After our holiday, we will swing by there and show it to you.”
I was beyond excited. Everything I ever dreamed of, it was all coming true!
Rosetta’s POV, an excerpt from her personal journal:
The beach house looked exactly as I remembered it from years before even though we were small children then. I was completely in love with it… the tall palm trees waving at the deepest blue sky you ever saw, the manicured gardens and the salty smell of the sea. Yes, I belonged here, in a fine house like this.
It wasn’t until Holden asked our parents what was happening with this house that we found out they didn’t own it. Rather, it was a home that could be rented for weeks at a time in a popular holiday spot.
While we were there, however, I pretended it was ours and that I lived there permanently. I hadn’t seen the brownstone yet but I was certain it could never be as grand as this.
Mother and Father settled in immediately and it was almost as if they became different people altogether while we were here. Mother’s face was so relaxed as she lazed in the sun, I imagined I saw all traces of wrinkles dissipate as if they’d never existed.
Father spent his time, stretched out next to her on a lounger and vegged. It was clear they desperately needed this. Every so often, their eyes would meet and a tender smile would spread across their faces.
I was happy they had found one another because it seemed to me they could never have loved anyone else the way they loved each other. In some ways, it made me question whether their love was so perfect they should never have had children. I suppose that sounds a strange thing to wonder but it isn’t the first time that has crossed my mind. In some way, I felt as if children had mucked the whole thing up that they had.
Don’t get me wrong. I feel no personal bitterness asking myself things like this. In fact, I have this weird ability to wonder such things with a certain detachment of feeling or emotion. That being said, I know they love us deeply… still, the question remains floating around my head.
Every day we were at the beach house, they had lists of things they said they wanted to do with us for the day. Of course, Holden and I were older now and preferred exploring life on our own. Without needing to consult one another, we assured them they should rest and let us do our thing.
The first few days they protested, but eventually, the dears gave in.
“You’ve got that goofy smile on your face, I know it,” Holden said from behind me.
“How do you know?” I mumbled as I watched my sweet, exhausted parents relaxing for the first time in ages.
“I guess I just know you.”
This made me smirk. I had never tried too hard to hide how I was feeling or what I was thinking. “What you see is what you get,” Mother had once said about me to Olivia. And that was mostly true. The fact was, there were things I wanted and I was just as determined as Holden to get them. I considered myself a good person even if I sometimes told the harsh truth, which also seemed to make me a bitch.
It didn’t matter, any of it. I was smart and driven. This would get me far and if that made people uncomfortable, so be it.
“You’re flexing your muscles again,” I said.
“How’d you know that?”
“I guess I just know you,” I answered with another smirk. The truth was, I could see his reflection in the pool water. He never thought of things like that. “It’s hot, let’s go to the beach,” I said, squinting against the sun at the ocean.
“Yeah, okay.”
The beach house was on a cliff overlooking the beach and ocean but there was a pathway, albeit rocky that led to a secluded bit of beach. My hope was that if my brother was distracted, he would continue our conversation from a few days ago.
I know he thinks I’m horrible and pushy because I keep bringing his sexuality up. In my mind, it didn’t matter how he felt about how I was acting as long as he faced the truth of who he was, whatever that was. For the longest time, I’ve been extremely worried that he would continue on to dance school and find himself in tons of experimental relationships I’ve read about, never knowing what it is he’s after or needs. He would be taken advantage of and he would be hurt over and over again. It occurred to me he wouldn’t understand my reasoning, so I never wasted my time in providing an explanation.
He was just ahead of me, wading into the crystal clear water. The beach sparkled like a treasure chest of gold, just like his angelic hair. He was sweet and unsuspecting, all that was missing was his halo.
I couldn’t let anything happen to him.
“I thought the water would be cold but it’s nice,” he said, running his fingertips through the salty liquid, making little ripples.
“Yes, it is,” I agreed. After another moment of silence, I cautiously said, “I know I’ve irritated you a lot recently with my questions.”
I closed my eyes, half expecting a thunderstorm of inappropriate metaphors to be hurled at me.
Instead, he seemed to look out at the ocean and endless horizon with some thought. Then he said, very calmly, “It’s not easy to answer you.”
“Because I’m your sister?’
“Because I don’t know.”
“How can you not know? In everything I’ve read, people seem pretty certain they either like boys or girls. Or both, even.”
He shrugged and didn’t respond for so long, I didn’t think he was going to. Finally, he said, “I don’t think like that.”
This was getting even more interesting than I imagined it would be. “What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain. It’s like…” there was a long pause again, “… like, I might be attracted to someone and only think about it later… if they’re a guy or a girl.”
“So, you’re bi?”
Again with the pausing. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I know I’m different. I’m just not totally sure how to explain it.”
Suddenly, I did feel bad that I’d given him such a hard time. He really didn’t know what was going on. All this time, I just thought he was refusing to confide in me and it was driving me insane.
“Do you know what I think?” I asked him. “I think it doesn’t matter. We’re all different in some way. I really am sorry I gave you so much trouble over something so stupid.”
He didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to. We spent the rest of the afternoon skipping rocks in a pleasant silence.
That evening, we went to a nearby teen club further down the beach. It was a pretty happening place considering this was a vacation community. I didn’t think there would be so many teens around.
Like the other nights we’d come here, we decided to play pool. We had a pool table at home that we were quite competitive with. It was in moments like these that I missed Christopher the most because he was absolutely splendid with billiards. He was on his own family trip with Olivia and so we wouldn’t see him until we arrived back home.
“You call that a shot?” I laughed, egging my brother on.
“You can’t beat me,” he said.
After I took my shot, I stuck my tongue out at him. “What were you saying?”
As the game went on, we became more serious, arguing with each oher about rules and who sank what, when.
We couldn’t help ourselves and Christopher wasn’t there to be the voice of sanity.
“Hey, I haven’t seen you guys here before,” a familiar voice said.
Holden’s face lost all color as we turned to face the kid that had greeted us.
“Fletcher Klark?” Holden sputtered.
I’d never seen him without his baseball cap so I didn’t recognize him for sure right away.
“Oh! It’s you two, what are you doing here?” he suddenly asked when he realized who he’d said hi to.
“We’re uh, on vacation,” Holden mumbled, staring down at his feet.
This drew me to anger more than anything else could. “What? Don’t answer him! He’s the dirtbag that torments you!”
As quickly as I said that, Fletcher grinned evilly and said, “Oh do the ballerinas have a problem with me?”
“No problem,” Holden said, much to my dismay.
“Leave us alone, Fletcher!” I shouted.
“Hey, twinkle toes, your sister is upstaging you again,” Fletcher laughed.
Holden took a deep breath. I was about to give this guy a piece of my mind but my brother shot me a strange look… it was as if he wanted to handle this himself. I cringed and closed my eyes, desperate for an idea what to do.
“She does upstage me, you’re right.”
Fletcher squinted his eyes tightly, glaring at Holden. “What? You’re so stupid.”
Holden’s gaze didn’t waver. “I can be, that’s for sure. I heard you’re pretty smart, though.”
As I stared from one boy to the other, I could see clearly enough that both Fletcher and I thought Holden had lost his mind.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Fletcher demanded. “You’re an idiot!”
“Yeah, I heard you just fine. I’m stupid and an idiot. Got it.”
“Holden – ”
” – I’ve got this,” he firmly said.
“I don’t get what’s happening,” Fletcher said. “You’re a pretty boy.”
“I’ve been told that. Maybe that’s why you think I’m gay.”
“Or maybe, you’re just gay!” Fletcher said, his voice going up an octave.
My brother stood there, calm as ever and said, “Maybe. I haven’t figured everything out yet but when I do, I’ll be sure to fill you in.”
Just then, Fletcher must have noticed he and Holden were wearing the same band t-shirts and he groaned loudly. “I like the same band as a gay ballerina! What will my friends say?”
Holden shrugged, “Who cares? Be your own person.”
I was getting less and less worried about Holden and found that I was stifling giggles behind my hand. I’d never seen anyone handle a bully this way before. Go, Holden!
Fletcher was clearly running out of steam but he wasn’t giving up quite yet. “Why do you wanna be a ballerina, anyway? Why not be a man and lift weights?”
“Real men don’t lift weights, they lift ballerinas,” Holden said with a straight face.
In spite of himself, Fletcher’s angry face suddenly cracked in half with a smile and he laughed. “OMG, that was funny.”
“Great. So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to play pool?” Holden asked.
Rosetta or Holden? Who will be the heir?
Rosetta Susan Sprague
Traits: insane, mean-spirited, good, cat person, star quality *
Reddish-brown hair, gray eyes.
Holden Leo Sprague
Traits: loser, neat, virtuoso, natural cook, genius *
Blond hair, gray eyes.
* Please Note: All traits in my story are randomized for every character.
Author’s Note: The quote: “Real Men don’t lift weights, they lift women” (which Holden changed to say “ballerinas” was said by Nigel Lythgoe).
Well, here it is, the big vote! Remember, you are voting for whichever twin you want to be the generation 5 heir. There will not be a chapter next week as I prep a gen 5 save and the poll continues. It will close at midnight on April 18th. Thank you for your participation and support!
It is all up to you. Vote as many times as you like:
[polldaddy poll=”9974780″]
Oh man! I kinda feel sorry for the guy who eventually marries Rosetta. She can be a real nag and will, no doubt, drive her poor husband crazy. Sheesh, girl, just let up a little. LOL!
Hahahaha! I loved how Holden handled Fletcher. He used psychology on him instead of brawn. Holden’s a pretty cool dude, and I think I’m going to like him a lot. Plus, he’s total eye candy. 😀
LOLOLOL! Oh, that made me laugh so hard. I feel sorry for any guy that marries Rosetta, too. I mean, can you even imagine? I don’t think she knows how to let up.
Holden is smarter than he seems, I reckon. lol Oh, my gosh, I thought he was eye candy, too. hahaha
My lord I never supposed Rosetta could be insane? ahaha I am dead ! Maybe it’s insane to ask question about sexuality or even mean-spirited I don’t know . However, she is bolder than Holden.
However Holden is a looser and his answers to Fletcher indeed are comes from a genius brain. He has more developping his traits , he for now developped his virtuoso traits with dancing. You have to follow the right note, and tempo to synchronized with the dance steps (memories of my own dance class this is how myself I remind the whole dance the music was my best friend)
What a great chapter, it’s so sad there is no following for both of them because they are a such good pair.
Oh, I was not very happy with the traits they ended up with. lol Still, I think it will be interesting to see how it all turns out with them. You’re very right about dancing fulfilling the virtuoso trait. That’s awesome that you took dance.
Don’t worry, Rosetta will still appear in the generation even if she isn’t the main focus. 😀
I hope so because both are very interesting together of course they have their life to live in their own but twins can’t be separate lol.
I took dance from 8 to 10 and I stopped. My knees are cracking often and it’s not healthy for me. I couldn’t learn the choregraphy by heart if I didn’t match the right step with the right tone .
I definitely think you’re right about twins and how they can’t be separated.
I always thought dance was very difficult and I admire anyone who is able to. 😀
I did my best with my cracking knees and my round back lol. I was a child.
Separate twins got the same life even if they are separated for a long time. Ain’t mad?
That’s the truth 😀
😉
Loooooove Holden’s hair back like that!
I was happy they had found one another because it seemed to me they could never have loved anyone else the way they loved each other.
You got that right!
I suppose that sounds a strange thing to wonder but it isn’t the first time that has crossed my mind. In some way, I felt as if children had mucked the whole thing up that they had.
*sucks teeth* You don’t know what you’re talking about lol.
Fletcher?? Oh my goodness. Here we go…
“Real men don’t lift weights, they lift ballerinas,” Holden said with a straight face.
HA!! Go Holden!
Wow, that in that last pic of Rosetta, she looks just like Marty, and Holden looks just like Xalen! How do these kids keep changing? LOL I didn’t realize she was insane and mean-spirited! I like the different take you presented on these traits.
I don’t know who I waaaaaaaaaaaant! Don’t make me voooooooote! [insert adult-sized tantrum]
You are the second person to mention Holden’s hair, so this style definitely needs to stay! lol
Rosetta thinks she knows what she’s talking about. Hahaha She’s got a lot to learn, that’s for sure.
Holden sure turned things around on Fletcher, didn’t he? LOL
I don’t know how they keep changing. I notice different things like that at different angles, too. It’s so weird.
Their traits are killing me, Jes. Like, for real. LOL
And, I know what you mean about not wanting to vote. haha This is why I have left it up to you guys. 😛
Oh I feel you on the traits! I love a love/hate relationship with them. On one hand, I always wish for “easy” traits. But, on the other hand, I enjoy the challenge of getting an odd mix of traits. I don’t like them to be cookie cutter either, so (like in a legacy situation) I don’t like to portray the same trait in the same ways. Like, in my legacy, I had 3 insane sims. The first one, she was relatively normal except she had voices in her head that made her do interesting things lol. The second one, I made up a traumatic situation that brought on the insanity, and he only spoke in song lyrics afterward LOL. The final one was normal, but he had a Tourrettes-like condition and randomly shouted out mean things. He also was very spontaneous and had crazy ideas. Even in 3D currently, I have that going on. Jonathan, Maya, and now Aubrey all have the romantic trait. I think it’s the hardest to make different, but I’m trying! Jonathan is like a walking, talking, ginormous heart lol. He loves love and everything that has to do with love and wants everyone to experience it. Maya is more into physical love and is constantly looking for someone to share it with. And Aubrey…well, I’m still developing this, but I’m trying to make her more theoretical with it? Like, love is more something she thinks/dreams about. You’ll see her say “that’s so romantic” a lot, but she doesn’t necessarily act crazy like the other two lol.
Ooooh! Those are such good ideas! I like how you come up with an interesting way to portray each one differently even though their traits are the same.
When Rosetta rolled mean-spirited and good, I was temporarily at a loss. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought she should go into politics or something. Seems like she could be mean-spirited and ruthless in getting what she wants, but not corrupt, so she’s good? That’s what I was kicking around anyway.
Holden, of course, would dance, if he became heir. And then, I would bring that loser side in somehow. hahaha No one can win all the time, right? 😛
Nope. Not at all. lol
Good and mean-spirited IS quite a challenge! I’m not sure how I would swing that. I’ll have to think about it! I tend to think of aspirations as heavy influencers on a sim’s personality too. I was most challenged by Jonathan’s sister, Janessa. As a child, she had the active trait, but her twin had the mean trait, so I made her to be very sweet. But when she aged up to teen, she got the good trait and it was perfect! But she also got the serial romantic aspiration. GAAAAH! I was like, how do I make this sweet girl want to date everyone but still stay in character?? I had to think reeeeeeeeally hard!
The things our brains go through! LOL In a previous story I did, I didn’t go by any rules at all. Instead, I changed their traits depending on what I wanted the scene to be like. For instance, if I wanted pics for an argument, I gave the two sims the insane trait. When they talked to themselves, I took pics and it looked like they were yelling at each other. I didn’t use poses back then. lol
Niiice! That’s very similar to how I do the majority of my stories now. I only use poses when there aren’t any game interactions that give me what I want. I’ve got most of the animations memorized and know which ones make the kind of expressions I need! LOL I actually use very little to no mean interactions for fighting scenes! There are plenty of friendly interactions that make the sims have the craziest looks on their faces lol. I just catch them at the right time.
But, similarly to what you did, in the Joneses, I initially gave Mary the jealous trait because I wanted her to be tense a lot. But, after the divorce, I didn’t need that anymore (plus that trait is annoying as heck!!!!!), so I changed it to something else more like Mary lol. Same with Juliana. I need her to look sad a lot, so I gave her the gloomy trait.
Oh, yes, that makes perfect sense! As Simlit writers, I think we have to think outside the box a lot to get the effects we’re looking for. I use poses when I’m doing something really weird, like having Marty the bride ride on a fire truck, or making a monster. hahahaha
HA! Yeah we totally have to think outside the box to make things look good an exciting. One thing I love to do is find other uses for common animations. I don’t remember what story it was (maybe the Joneses?) where I took pictures of the OMG-like animation from the pregnancy announcement and used it a completely different scenario because it was perfect lol. And? As legacy storytellers, I don’t know about you, but I sure get tired of saying the same things over and over in the same ways. Well, your legacy isn’t traditional (which is awesome) and doesn’t lend itself to repetition, so maybe you don’t feel that way. So, I’m always looking for different ways (and different facial expressions) for announcing marriages and pregnancies lol.
I’ve been Holden all the way. I’m even moreso now, because I’d genuinely love to see Rosetta in the Inheritance. Right now Xalen is the obvious leader of it. Rosetta seems to know how to sway her father to her own way of thinking at times, so it would be fun to see who really “runs the show” if she was installed there too. And I’d love to follow Holden for more typical life story type things. 🙂
Rosetta’s musing about her parents being so in love they maybe shouldn’t have had children made me wish I could pose to her the flip side – that maybe they’re only THIS in love BECAUSE they had children. I know I was pretty sure that I couldn’t love my husband any more than I did…and then we had children. 🙂 I don’t figure it’s like that for everyone, but there are certainly couples where it applies.
I’m loving Holden’s different outlook on sexuality too. I know that I’m a little different than most in that I can’t find someone attractive unless I get to know them. Like, I can look at someone and think “Judging by typical beauty standards that person is physically appealing,” but the actual physical attraction doesn’t come unless I know them at least a little. My friends all talk about their celebrity crushes, and I just… can’t make my brain work that way. I don’t know those people. What if he’s a jerk? *hehe* Anyway, looking forward to hearing more from Holden about what makes him tick. 🙂
I’m so glad that we get to follow both of these kids at least, no matter which one wins.
Oh, wouldn’t that be something? To find out who really runs The Inheritance if Rosetta joins. LOL They are both a bit overconfident and like to take charge. I can see it now! lol
That is so interesting and does sound a bit like Holden regarding attraction and knowing the person first. Honestly, that really makes sense about celebrity crushes. I’ve often wondered how that works since you’re only seeing the persona they show to the public. It’s not like we really know them.
I’m really glad we get to follow both kids, too. I spun Dax off, but this is the first time I’m doing that with main characters. I guess I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
I voted for Rosetta, with a name like that she’s destined to something important! Then again I just adore artistic Holden! So I’ll be happy to see what you make out of the poll – it will sure be Worth reading! 🙂
Thank you, freja 🙂 I’m so glad you think so. I do have some stuff plotted out for both of them since I don’t know who will win. And I’m kind of excited about it. LOL 😀 I think Holden should dance, as we already know… and looking at Rosetta’s traits, I’m thinking she might do well in politics. lol
She knows what she wants and is good at convincing and defending, so politics or law should suit her fine! Will we hear about the one who wasn’t selected? Like you’ve done in other generations?
That’s what I thought regarding Rosetta and a career path, too. 😀
Oh, yes. They will not only appear periodically in Generation 5, but I’m spinning off a story that will revolve around The Inheritance. So, whoever is not the heir will join their parents on the team.
Great!
Although I love and admire Rosetta’s straight forwardness, I have been Team Holden since day 1!! So I had to vote for him. Either way I am excited to see what will happen next!!
Me, too! LOL 😀 Thank you for voting! I can’t wait to see who the heir will be!
Whoa! That is a really good thought/question Rosetta had about her parents being so much in love, they never should have had kids……it is something to think about.
I’m so intrigued by those traits! But I still would love to see Rosetta win the vote. To see you write a mean character for a change…would be so much fun! Although, I’m trying to imagine mean spirited with good. How does that work?
It was fun to see the bully method used with these characters. I think you wrote that super good! I wonder what kind of friendship this could be between them. I wonder if Fletcher is questioning his gender preference too.
I’m glad you liked that question Rosetta asked herself. She has this ability to think about things like that without being offended. lol
Oh, to write a mean character! 😀 😀 That does sound like fun! I think the only way to reconcile the mean-spirited and the good is for her to go into politics.
Thank you for showing me the bully method. I really enjoyed incorporating that into Holden’s handling of Fletcher. And speaking of Fletcher, that is a really good question! Maybe that’s what bothers him the most?
Rosetta was being pretty pushy. She didn’t understand that there’s more than just straight, gay, or bi, and maybe she’s the type of person who wants to see things in black or white and have clear answers. I’m glad she realized where Holden was coming from.
Wait, was that the beginning of a friendship with Fletcher? Holden really kept his cool there, proud of him.
Noooo, I couldn’t view the heir poll results so far. 😉
LOL You’re right! They’re hidden! 😀 😀 I’m just that kind of evil. 😛
You’re very right about Rosetta and how she sees things more as black and white with clear answers. In the end, it was good she finally realized how pushy she was being.
Oh, Fletcher! haha He was bested just a bit by Holden. This very well might be the beginning of a friendship. 😀
I am not comfortable making this choice in either of their cases! =( I finally decided that Rosetta would do very well with the Inheritance because of her inquisitive nature and attention to detail. I’m not quite sure how you can be evil-minded and good together, but it makes an interesting person! And I also couldn’t make myself vote to dash Holden’s dreams, either, although he would eventually make the best of it, or so I would hope! I can see why you put this to a vote, it would be so difficult to decide!! Ouch! ♥
I feel your pain, Marj! lol My idea for Rosetta is that she might make a good politician… she’s good but mean-spirited in that she is ruthless. Either way, I think our next gen is going to be a lot of fun! 😀
I like Holden. He seems to be doing just fine. Maybe he isn’t certain about his own attractions, but some people need more time to figure these things out and that’s fine.
Rosetta kind of worries me at times, but each person has a different thought process and that’s cool too.
I agree completely that it can take time to figure out things like this, and really there’s no rush. I Rosetta intends well but everything isn’t as black and white as she might assume.
I feel honored, that we’re allowed to vote.
Both teens have very interesting traits, which are difficult to handle.
Ok, they’re twins, they always will stuck together in some way,
so I hope will we see how they both will handle their future one way or the other.
Rosetta made me stamp with my feet.
Will you please leave him alone was my thought.
We learned, that Holden is highly sensible, so I imagine he just can’t sort out his amount of feelings in the first time.
He took Fletcher, the bully in a really good way by distracting him.
And I wonder, if Fletcher in fact isn’t very insecure, what bothers him about Holden. 😉
I feel honored anyone is voting! LOL 😀 You will definitely see both of them in the next generation at times.
I don’t blame you for being irritated with Rosetta. She was trying to help in her own way but she was very pushy.
That’s a good point about Fletcher. He very well could be insecure and that’s why he’s such a bully.
I’m kind of living for the idea of Holden and Fletcher suddenly becoming BFFs’s.! Imagine how all of Fletcher’s friends will react when he comes back from vacation with Holden, laughing at all their inside jokes. Yesss, please let it happen. XD Anyway, this chapter almost had me wanting to change my mind on who to vote for, but not quite. I might as well say it, I’m going for Holden. I wanted him from the moment he became a child and was such a frightened pup. I just love his transition into sassy ballet dancer. I really want to see more on dancing, too. I use to love it as a kid. Can’t remember anything about it now, but I remember it was my favorite thing ever.
Wouldn’t that be cool if Fletcher realized he actually liked Holden? LOL That would be hilarious as you said, them coming back from vacay all chummy. LOL
That’s wonderful about you and dancing and how much you loved it. Thank you so much for voting, I really appreciate it! 😀
Weeeeell, I’d like to hear from Marty at least one last time, buuuuut, How about I throw a twist to this vote? You’ve been doing a “he said, she said” with their own unique voices, so why can’t we get them both or is that too exhausting?
As for Holden’s sexuality… I’m seeing this disposition more and more in real life… young people who are asexual, neither gay or hetero, they like people for how they are first and not sexually. It is becoming more and more about deep friendships rather than sex. If they want sex, they go about it differently and dispassionately. It seems to be the genX way.
Don’t worry, Marty will narrate the final chapter. It wouldn’t be a proper goodbye if she didn’t. 😀 That really is a twist! The good news is, the other twin will be in the generation, I’m just not certain how often. But I don’t think Rosetta and Holden could go very long without each other. lol
That’s an interesting point about Holden’s disposition and what you’ve been observing.
AHHH YOU KNOW WHO I’M VOTING FOR! It really is amazing reading from a dancer’s perspective, I can relate to quite a few things Holden said at the start 😛 In fact, my next generation is from a girl dancer’s perspective (so pretty much mine lol). I’m not sure he will win the vote though, Rosetta is also very interesting. Her personality is unique and while it will give her more trouble later on, it would be intriguing to read about, although like Holden, her forceful questions started to grate on me.
I LOVE how Holden handled Fletcher. He calmly dealt with him, while Fletcher, like most bullies, just kept repeating the same shallow insults. It looks like Fletcher lost it at the end there- I’m curious to see if they actually become friends after this haha.
Awesome chapter <3
I’m so glad what Holden said was relatable. That’s so cool about your next generation being from a dancer’s POV! I can’t wait to read that! <3
One thing I think Rosetta would come to learn is that maybe she isn't always right. LOL I don't believe she's realized that yet.
I'm glad you liked how Holden handled the bully. Wouldn't that be funny if he and Fletcher actually did become friends? 😀
That was sooo cute ,, I loved seeing them together. I rolled when Rosetta asked if her mom was having another baby … I am gong to vote now .. struggling between my first choice and trying to make sure I do not want to change my mind!
I’m so glad you liked it, Lisa! 🙂 Rosetta does not have a gift for being tactful. LOL 😛 I can’t wait to find out who you voted for!
I really struggled but in the end I felt like Rosetta would be more in line with her mom’s legacy (so many strong women in that one … she fit right in).
That’s a really good point! <3
BUT TBH I will love either of them <3
Oh, I’m so glad! <3
This vote was extremely hard, I like both of them so much! But I think the ending there made me make up my mind 😉 <3
I was so sure Rosetta had the proper trait! I guess I was wrong, but she does have very interesting ones, they both do!
I think Rosetta's pushyness (is that even a word? I hope so, lol) comes from her own ignorance and curiousness to know what's going on with her brother, I think she means well… perhaps the fact that she's an open book makes her think that anyone who isn't hides something or that she's helping them figure it out this way… I'm glad that she eventually came to understand her twin though!
On another note, I love the hairstyle you chose for Holden in the first pictures! <3 I recently used it for one of my own sims and I think it's one of the hottest out there, lol!
I’m glad the vote isn’t up to me because there are things about each of them I would really like to write.
Their traits are killing me! I was disappointed in them, tbh, but when I started thinking more about how it shapes their personalities, I got a better feel for what kind of stories they would tell.
Pushiness is a word! 😀 And I totally agree with you about where it comes from with Rosetta. I think she thought she was helping him face something he was trying to avoid, and thereby, preventing him from future hurts. And, I do agree with you that because she’s so open, she thinks he’s just hiding something. She really did come to feel bad about how pushy she was, so that was good.
Yes! I love that hairstyle, too, and was using it for when he dances, but maybe I should change it to his permanent look, eh? 😀
Oh, definitely! He’s so handsome with it 😍 Well, he always is but you know what I mean 😉 <3
LOL That’s awesome to know! I will make sure to change that up ASAP! <3 :D
Hardest vote ever! I love the psychological intelligence of both! Truly remarkable kids!
Thank you <3 I'm sorry the vote was so hard. I guess that's the reason I left it up to the readers... I couldn't decide either! LOL :D
Oh my gosh! The heir vote was sooo hard and I fear the vote I chose will mean a lot of struggle for the one I chose…I love both of them so very much! You made it super hard to choose…
TBH, I think they would both struggle in their own ways. LOL I feel your pain, though, and am glad I don’t have to decide this.
Argh, I don’t knooooooow, Rosemaryyyy 🙁 It’s too hard to vote! Why are you doing this to us? I like Holden and his way of dealing with bullies, but Rosetta has such a unique voice and I think she’d be really interesting to follow… Sigh!!!
I’ll have to think on it some more.
This was delightful as always 😀
LOL Ah, Louise, I’m sorry it’s too difficult. I honestly think either one of them would have a good story, so I’m torn, too. Good thing I don’t have to decide! haha
So clever of you to leave it to others! 😉 I voted, but I’m still really torn 😛
LOL Yes, I push off important decisions whenever I can. 😛 😀 Thank you for voting. 😀
Rosetta’s traits make for a one big mess. No wonder she pressed Holden so much, she’s mean-spirited AND insaneand also I am not surprised she is called bitchy (although I can partially relate to saying exactly what’s on my mind). And I can see how something is not exactly right with her. Her minds works differently than most of our minds do. Labels are the worst you can do. Not everyone fits into them and Holden is probably just too young to tell yet. Chill out, Rosetta!
Funny with is I told my brother he has OCD, too. God, it’s so funny!
I once heard of this way of dealing with bullies. It’s a really great method and I am glad it worked for Holden too!
I do what I said I would. Go, Holden! I can relate to being a loser, too.
TBH, I didn’t like how either of the kids’ traits turned out. lol
I don’t much agree with labels either. I think Rosetta was wrong to push Holden so much but I also feel she thought it was for his best interest. She tends to see things in black and white. You’re also right that Holden is too young to have this all figured out just yet.
That’s funny about your brother. LOL
I thought it was the best way for Holden to deal with this unless the bully was getting physical again. Then, it’s a different story. LOL
Honestly I was starting to get annoyed at Rosetta and all her questions about sexuality. I totally get Holden. Sometimes it’s a big ol’ question mark and all this obsession with labels (which works for many people, and great for them) means people expect you to name what you are/feeling. And sometimes I just want to use that shrug emoji… Haha.
Holden’s way of dealing with bullies is the best way to do it. Agree with them and take the wind out of their sails. If they can’t find anything to throw in your face they’ll have to give up sooner or later if they can see you’re not bothered! But maybe he’ll become a friend after his holiday. After he grows up a bit!
I know what you mean about labels and questions marks. The shrug emoji is the best! LOL
i agree about dealing with bullies and taking the wind out of their sails. Wouldn’t it be wild if they became friends after this? It’s an interesting prospect.