I‘m currently enamored with my historical save, but also want to try some of the new scenarios, so I thought why not combine these? This thread will document my scenario gameplay - with some set dressing.
December 1, 1760. The French have surrendered the frontier settlement Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit to the British just a couple of days ago. The give or take five hundred residents can already tell that their lives won’t change for the better, as new taxes get introduced and the new government doesn’t display any interest in maintaining a good relationship with the local indigenous people. But they abide… for now. And that is just as well in the eyes of the military governor, seeing that no British settlers are interested in moving into town (yet), but prefer to travel westwards.
Some settlers, however, smell opportunities in the changing winds…
CC SOURCES
I don't remember all the sources anymore, but most of the costumes are from this creator at MTS https://modthesims.info/d/635619/18th-century-british-aristocrat-outfit.html or were found via this blog (that has great stories, b.t.w.) http://historicalsimslife.blogspot.com/
For puritan sims here is a lookbook with links: https://linzlu.tumblr.com/post/182508365576/1-adult-male-hat-outfit-2-adult-female-hat This one also has the iconic hat: https://www.patreon.com/posts/puritan-sims-89450636
Here is a good source for historic cc (not just outfits), scroll down to search by century/decade: https://simshistoricalfinds.tumblr.com/tags
And finally I screenshotted my historical outfits folder in case you want to search by filenames ;)
…like the Martinez family, consisting of Pablo, Jennnifer and their children Sofia and Leonardo. Jennifer is a correspondent of the Boston Gazette and excited about her new life at the frontier. Pablo’s occupation is hard to describe. Basically he attends every festival that has skill, strength or targeting contests, wins these and then sells the prize for a living.
(Ingame she is a journalist and he a professional athlete.)
CHAPTER 1: A LESS THAN WARM WELCOME
A quick look at their outfits: https://abload.de/img/screenshot150020xfp8.png
At the moment everyone is wearing their winter clothes, though. In Fort Detroit the Martinez have learned that the house the Boston Gazette has purchased for them is not located within the settlement itself, but somewhere in the vicinity. Two thousand additional settlers make their living off the forest or the river – now there will be four more, provided they can follow the vague directions they received in town.
The family had followed a trail, reasoning that this would be the safest way to reach their new home. They could already see a straight wall between the trees, when suddenly Sofia broke off and ran across a meadow. What might the child have spotted, that had caught her interest?
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_16-25-25ahf7g.png
Oh, right. The summoning circle.
Well, that’s on me for plopping them into an ongoing story. This being the lot right across from the standing stones, Grace Anansi, the local witch, often comes here to commune with the spirits. As do some of my played sims.
Sofia: “Oh, oh, look, brother! A summoning circle! Shall we talk to the dead?”
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_16-26-1696ixu.png
Sofia was a Hot-Headed child, she of course had to jump to the opportunity, always acting before thinking. Leonardo to the contrary, was mean. Talking to the deceased might be fun, but getting his sister in trouble was also fun. Safer, too.
Leonardo (yelling): “Mooom! Daaad! Sofia is talking to the DEAD! Is she allowed that? Say she isn’t!”
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_16-27-2253f4u.png
While the parents were still uncertain how to react, Sofia already rose from the chalk circle. The ghosts of the departed had reminded her that however heavy her own troubles might feel to the child, at least she was alive. The girl felt bolstered and ready to start her life in her new home.
“In” had to get taken literally in this case, because after willfully interacting with the circle Sofia got grounded.
The family eventually found their new home. Maybe adding some toys to it would keep the children busy and discourage them from touching things they shouldn’t touch again? This might also be a good time to tell Sofia and Leonardo that we of course brought their rocking horse along. One day soon it might go up into the attic, waiting for the next generation to re-discover it, but for now it was still cherished.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_16-51-56piiu2.png
At this point the scenario demands to buy a dining table, enough beds and a toy. We are also to assign the beds to the children, bath them (not finished), send them to bed (not finished) and have a family meal.
For real, EA? “Play with toys”? The infamous objective that never ever checks in the childhood aspirations? Granted, the children are playing with cc here, but I also didn’t have luck with a proper toy chest. Ugh… I might have to resort to the “just hug a stuffed toy” workaround later.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_16-58-43zme1j.png
A family meal would have been perfect to break in the new dining table… if only either of the couple could cook. They had just placed their “Household help wanted” notice at the community board in town, there was no chance of a maid knocking at their door already. And so Jennifer had to bite the bullet and cook something. One couldn’t go wrong with a nettle soup, right? Just chop up onions and potatoes, add the grinded nettle leaves and stir well?
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_17-02-40fcfs9.png
The result was barely edible (ingame: normal quality). It was, in fact, so bad that Sofia refused to eat more than a spoonful. Her father instructed the girl to put the leftovers away (that was an optional goal, that didn’t complete). There was no telling how hard it would be to secure provisions for winter in this place, so every morsel had to get saved.
As if that hadn’t been enough drama for moving in day, the Martinez met a local and that one didn’t exactly make the best first impression:
After the soup Jennifer left to collect some rumors or at least return with a nice sketch to send to her employers back in Boston. While his wife was at work, Pablo decided to try out one of the hunting bows he had found in the house. Now the man tried to avoid eating meat whenever possible, but there might be archery competitions around here that he could enter in.
Pablo hadn’t fully went around the house, when suddenly a stranger talked into him in the rudest imaginable way:
https://abload.de/img/screenshot15004p3c9k.png
The man introduced himself as a teacher and claimed that he “was doing things differently at his school”. Alright, Pablo believed that. This being the frontier, there had to be made concessions. Maybe he could donate chalkboards later.
However, the teacher already spoke on, claiming he “knew” that Sofia and Leonardo were intelligent and creative children. Beg to differ, Pablo thought, but they are both dumb as bread. I have to know, I raised them. Creative? Maybe. If playing with occult leftovers counts.
But even so, the teacher blared on, the children were getting Ds by the dozen. Excuse me, please? We only just arrived, they weren’t in school a single day and back in Boston they had solid Cs. What nonsense are you pulling out of your backside there, Mister? You drunk?!
So if the problem wasn’t the children, it certainly was the parents, the teacher claimed, and that he would watch the family and visit again. Now that was some conclusion! And a thinly veiled threat? Hello? What a “welcome” to town!
I don’t tolerate talk like that from npcs, so I plopped down a teleporter statue and searched for the newly created teacher sim. The idea was to give him a quick makeover, get a screenshot of Pablo yelling at the man and then fire aka delete him. Pablo may be less easily provoked than me, but even he wouldn’t take sass like that from a man he pays to teach his kids the ABC. After such a stunt the teacher wouldn’t find work in the area again anytime soon.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_17-09-37g1c1p.png
However, at this point the teacher broke into tears over the Martinez’ garbage barrel.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_17-09-51a7er1.png
Pablo: “Okay, okay! I give you a second chance! We pretend this encounter never happened. But from now on you are on your best behavior, got it?”
The first night in their new home wasn’t refreshing for the Martinez family, especially not for the children. Up in the attic something was lurking… something that wasn’t entirely of this world. And it had chosen Sofia’s bed for its lair.
Of course. What did one expect, after moving into a house right across from a circle of standing stones and a summoning circle in the backyard? Tomorrow the parents would have to ask someone to remove at least that last one. Only they would have to be careful, because of the Witchcraft Act of 1735, a law that criminalized not the misuse of magic, but the belief in it in the first place. Accusing a person or object of having magical properties was illegal, the accuser would now have to name actual crime. In a way, magic had changed from an identity cornerstone into a tool.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_21-54-099ycwa.png
Times were changing, sometimes for the better, other times just for the more weird. But one thing hadn’t changed: When afraid, sneaking into mom’s bed is best! And so poor Pablo had to spend the rest of the night exiled from the master bedroom, despite not having done anything wrong. Afterwards the children slept normally, or so the parents believed.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_22-22-08slfux.png
Jennifer: “Leo! Will you stop harassing the poor attic bats already!”
Leonardo: “No, mother! It’s not fair that they should be allowed to sleep, when we can’t!”
Jennifer: “You still can’t sleep?”
Leonardo (small voice): “No…”
Getting the “children slept well” checkmark was difficult. I don’t follow routines with my sims, they go to be when their energy is low, regardless of time of day. The first night that was 1:45, way past midnight. But even sending the rugrats to bed by ten didn’t do the trick. The internet eventually suggested to let all sims sleep at the same time, so I drugged them into sleeping through with modded tea and milk:
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_22-49-58j2cku.png
Pablo: “You know what? We will go to bed early, too, today, your mother and me!”
Jennifer: “Yes! And if something comes after you in your dreams, we’ll hear that in the dreamland and come to your aid quickly!” (looking doubtful at Pablo) “Only I don’t think I can sleep at nine-ish already…”
Pablo: “And that’s where this chamomile tea comes in! To think that we dismissed hand-picked local tea as inferior to proper Earl Grey, haha!”
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_22-51-40rger7.png
Meanwhile Leonardo: “And to think that I’d drink milk again like a baby at my age… Frontier life sure is HARSH!”
The Martinez were settling in… Whenever Jennifer was out gathering material for her articles or sitting buried in her papers actually writing them, Pablo did the chores and spent time with the children.
He couldn’t help but notice that the kids had a short attention span and were prone to abandoning tasks before they were fully finished:
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_00-02-0337iv1.png
By now Sofia and Leonardo were too old to write their skittishness off as “they are just kids”. Measures had to be taken to teach them discipline and, even more importantly, inner peace!
They didn’t really quit, I canceled the interaction to get this picture.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-01-421qigc.png
Jennifer: “If that good for nothing teacher of yours can’t do his job, then we will have to do that, too. It’s a shame, but that’s the way it is.”
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-23-45uwf4n.png
The children’s problems sorted out in this way, Jennifer and Pablo had more time for each other. Or had they? Truth was, the couple was living next to each other, not together. They only ever met in bed, what was fun, but as of late their relationship felt more like a woohoo partnership than a marriage.
They also hadn’t found any friends in town yet. The knew the teacher, but not as a friend. They had asked the witch for help, but neglected to ask her name. And in the name of professionalism Jennifer even actively avoided getting closer to the people she interviewed on a regular basis, same as Pablo kept his distance from the soldiers at the fort whom he trained in the use of the now. The Martinez, although surrounded by people all day, were lonely.
Neither partner spoke their concerns out loud, but they both were in a (silent) agreement that the situation had to change!
As you can see Jennifer has become famous from her writing. Meanwhile Pablo has switched careers to a custom Archer career.
The Sheep Fair
Come spring Fort Detroit held a sheep fair – the perfect opportunity for the Martinez to make true on their promise to socialize more and do more things together as a family. They donned their Sunday best and went to town.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-38-388idwv.png
Things were starting off interesting when Hervè Bouleau, the curio shop owner, entered blue wool into the competition. Had the man dyed the wool or had it gotten harvested from some strange foreign creature…?
Hervè is Strangerville premade Erwin Pries adapted to this setting. His surname derives from a slavic word for “birch”, so I translated that to get his French name.
The children decided to have a little contest. Whoever would return with the more valuable trinket from one of the marketstalls would win! https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-40-44mndrg.png
Leonardo proved a master haggler even at his young age. He chose the most expensive object for sale, an egg with a rainbow-colored shell. https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-40-546xfdm.png
Meanwhile Sofia couldn’t soften the vendor’s heart. But she found something neat, a nut that gave milk. Leo’s egg might just as well have been colored with water-resistant paint, a clever fake. But the “chocolate nut” was real beyond doubt. And so Hervè, as a neutral instance, declared the girl the winner.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-45-06tzecn.png
Would you tell me where you got that sheep from, Gav? I know full well that your household doesn’t have any sheep or llamas!!!
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-50-09szdqg.png
Pablo had heard that the “Remorse” had come down the St. Lawrence river in early spring and dropped a shipload of convicts from England off in Fort Detroit, but he hadn’t expected to meet one of them so soon. Or at all.
Gavin: “You’ve seen plenty convicts already, you only weren’t aware of their backgrounds. What do you think we do all day, walk up and down the whopping four streets this fortress has and cut people’s throats? Ey, the vendors are already doing that.”
Pablo: “Really? Now that I think of it, that Caroline and John do look rather fishy. Should have guessed they are criminals.”
Gavin: “Oh, yes. They are the worst. Even I wouldn’t dare make a move against them.”
John and Caroline are actually a merchant couple whom Gavin works for. So it’s very true that he wouldn’t act against them – they have to write him a recommendation when his time as their indentured servant is up, after all!
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-46-39weiq1.png
Meanwhile the children were enraptured by the single sheep that had gotten washed and powdered for this contest by its owner.
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-47-08v0c6e.png
Sofia: “I want one at home!”
https://abload.de/img/01.11.23_23-49-14defd1.png
But even more exciting was when a woman in a fancy red dress opened a conversation with the children. Exciting and also a little frightening, because she was no other than Laura, wife of Todd William Seymour, 8th Earl of Hertford and currently military governor of Fort Detroit! She talked to the commoner children so amiably that Leonardo in the spur of the moment offered her the rainbow egg as a gift. Laura accepted it with a wide smile.
And so Leonardo went home two experiences richer: He had made good deal at the marketstall and spoken face to face with an aristocrat. I think that warrants switching him to the Social Butterfly aspiration.
Meanwhile Sofia has learned that the greatest treasures often are the on first glance unassuming objects. She also spent more time playing with the sheep than her brother. Once back home she will switch to the Artistic Prodigy aspiration.
I don’t actively play the governor household, but Laura’s acting here is perfectly in-character. The Seymours and their retainers are all enfant terribles.
Sometimes it was hard to live with all the change. A new home, new work opportunities, the children growing into distinct personalities with longterm goals… In comparison the “new” calendar, that was in effect for eight years now, had become normality. Spring 1761 was the first year the Martinez couple didn’t found it odd anymore that the years had changed in the middle of winter instead of in March as it used to be. And the twins didn’t remember it any differently anyway.
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_21-22-381oc9h.png
Living alone was a challenge other than any other the family had faced so far. Even when you were on friendly terms with your neighbors, in a moment of disaster they simply couldn’t rush to your aid quick enough. And such a disaster could strike any time – an ember jumping from the fireplace to the furniture was enough.
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_21-20-30szikk.png
Back in Boston Pablo could have had the armchair repaired easily. Out here at the frontier there were not enough skilled craftsmen. In the end the man had to order a new one from Boston (and probably all the way from London). It would take time to arrive, time during which doubt about their decision to move to the frontier threatened to sneak into the couple’s hearts…
There was the Durand couple with their little daughter right next door. They were acting as intermediaries between the British settlers, the remaining French settlers and the original inhabitants of the region, the Seneca-Iroquois
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_21-31-355bcfv.png
Jacques Villareal with his legion of children and step-children was a seasoned trapper and fur trader, one of the respected founders of Fort Detroit. Them being French, however, the founders got sidelined a little more every day. The role of community leader was shifting to one Mister Phillips, a pig herder living on an island of his own in the Detroit river.
The Martinez had already met one of the Phillips family’s indentured servants at the sheep fair. The day when the Villareal served them a wonderful pork roast at their house was when they learned more about the Phillips and Hog Island. For the first time the “Oh, right, we heard of them before” moment occurred and Jennifer and Pablo realized that they weren’t quite that new to Fort Detroit anymore. Connecting names, faces and deeds was becoming increasingly easier.
It was a good feeling!
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_21-34-31czeow.png
Still within walking distance from the Martinez’ house was the Anderson residence. It belonged to an actual Esquire, a Lieutenant of the occupation army, who was living there with his son Connor, a youth at the verge of manhood.
Leonardo and Sofia had heard all kinds of tales about the Andersons: that they were spellcasters, explorers and heroes. Meeting the duo in person somehow left the children with the impression that father and son were also a rather troubled pair. What was ailing either aristocrat the children didn’t learn, of course.
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_21-35-0137d4w.png
Oh, c’mon, Leo, I know my building skills are less than adequate, but starting a conversation with “Insult house” is still rude!
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_21-35-42vxff7.png
Naturally Connor Anderson, a very Proper person, was less than welcoming towards the boy after Leo’s slip in tone. He let Sofia ride Greymane, but not Leonardo.
Note: The Phillips and Andersons are played households in the save I dropped the Martinez into, the Durands and Villareal important townies.
Sofia: “Yes, father! I was thinking how difficult it is to get inspired with all the distractions. I find myself thinking of the laundry and it sort of numbs my feelings. But then looking at the doesn’t help at all. The forest and hills call me to run till I drop. All the smells of spring are just too much to contain in a single heart!”
Pablo: “The things you concern yourself with these days… When we were eleven, our thoughts weren’t that deep.”
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_22-31-14oodas.png
Sofia managed to get inspired, after all. However, when Pablo saw her drawing of a bat, he wondered whether being inspired was such a desirable state of mind, if it produced things like THIS.
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_22-36-53ymezd.png
Meanwhile Leonardo was struggling with more ordinary problems. The day he got deeply hurt by an agemate, he decided not to bother with children anymore. His path to fame and fortune was to socialize with adults solely, who were much more sensible!
When Governor Seymour of all people walked by the Martines’ house (what he often does for some reason), Leonardo KNEW that he was on to something. Not just any adult would do, only the famous and influential should be worthy his attention!
Both children’s decisions led them to the same place: The Anderson residence.
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_22-36-56gqdwp.png
Lt. Anderson was willing to let give Sofia lessons at playing the pipe organ. She played it as loud as possible while still keeping the tune (She entered a LOUD phase, while Leo got a MEAN phase, that unlike Sofia's didn't manifest much in gameplay. Or maybe him being mean anyway I just didn't notice a change, lol).
While the girl practiced, the man would play chess with her brother. Leonardo was proud to have earned the highborn officer’s attention, but admittedly didn’t make much progress at getting closer to Anderson on a personal level.
Meanwhile Connor was sitting next to the fireplace, studying a book of histories and mysteries, occasionally copying something onto a chalkboard or even into a bound booklet. At first the children thought the young man was learning to read and write, because Connor often hesitated before putting something down and would stop in mid-sentence. But then the Lieutenant revealed to them that his son was writing a modern version of an old tale. A whole book, really, how awesome was this?
Sofia was full of awe for Connor, whereas Leonardo’s relationship to the neighbor remained so-so:
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_23-02-28z1iof.png
Connor: “You know, if I was a petty or vindictive person, then I’d insult your house back now!”
Leonardo: “Uh… I’m still too small to do laundry or repair stuff. Mom says the bending and stretching would be bad for our bodies, my sister’s and mine. And mothers know best!”
Connor: “Oh, do they?”
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_23-04-54qzc1i.png
In retrospect Leonardo probably shouldn’t have said that. But in the spur of the moment he hadn’t considered the effects his words might have. Only later the realized that there was no wife in the Anderson household. Connor didn’t have a mother!
Connor fell silent and left the room. He then took out the trash and the dried laundry before he left.
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_23-04-56fsius.png
Time passed. Leonardo had much greater success at socializing with Mister Phillips, who was of a similar social standing to his own family. One day the man had precious advice for the boy:
John: “You need to find friends your own age.”
Leonardo: “What? No! They are all childish! And mean.”
John: “Because Max didn’t invite you to his kinderfest, correct? Well, thing is, when you want to go far, you need to forge connections. You don’t have to like the other children, or they you. But they need to remember you, so that they think of your name when an opportunity arises that they could pass on to you. Even better if both of you are tied up in a back and forth of favors.”
Leonardo: “That’s what I have you for, Mister Phillips! And young Mister Anderson, sort of.”
John: “But you will want to scatter your seeds far to ensure that as many as possible grow into strong crops. Trust me, it’s for the better.”
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_23-08-52nicrj.png
And so Leonardo grumpily started connecting to agemates again. Although for Emma Phillips and Max Villareal “playing with Leo” really was just another opportunity to spend more time with each other. The son of a founder and the daughter of the wealthiest British settler striking a friendship was viewed as a good sign by the residents of Fort Detroit. So if these two were the “prince” and “princess” of the settlement, Leonardo concluded, he was well-advised to remain in their circle. John was so clever!
Leonardo grew up to teen regretting having spent much of his childhood trying to get ahead. There is a notable deficit that he just cannot compensate, a need for childish, lighthearted fun.
His first aspiration will be Leader of the Pack, representing the continuation of his networking efforts.
Character value wise the youth is prone to throw tantrums and despite his lofty ambitions he is rarely there when there’s work to be done (including deskwork). On the upside teenaged Leo is very talented at defusing tense situations peacefully.
https://abload.de/img/screenshot15021u9iar.png
Sofia I gave two everyday outfits, one for work and another one for leisure. If she could, she’d always wear her soft, comfy mokkasins and the practical trousers, but alas, that would be unbecoming for a girl.
Sofia’s love for animals has grown over the years, probably due to encouragement from her vegetarian father. She is still a creative young woman, but channels this into useful skills like knitting, what became her first aspiration, too. Sofia wants to be the perfect frontier settler and would for nothing in the world return to Boston ever!
Sofia is the opposite of her brother in that she is willing to employ violence and not just as a last resort, but as the preferred one. The frontier is wild, after all. Just like Leo, Sofia isn’t one for steady work in the employ of someone else. That’s stuff for convicts (and fortunately as a woman a rabbit hole career won’t be a likely option for her anyway).
Not just the children were growing up quickly, the Martinez’ house, too, was looking much more like their old one in the city had:
https://abload.de/img/02.11.23_23-24-51w9d48.png
1762 was the year of the great drought in New England and a full day of darkness for Detroit. It’s going to be hellish in my save, but with the Scenario sims I’ll probably rush through it quickly.
Soon as spring had arrived not only in name, but the weather was reflecting the season, too, the settlers held a spring fair.
https://abload.de/img/1spring1tni31.png
Their little festival ground had grown a little every year, and this time around there was a new merry-go-round (powered by John Phillips’ indentured servants via a winch hidden in the tower right behind the carousel). There were archery and bowling competitions, horseshoe-tossing, Topple the Llama, swings and Hervè Bouleau’s curio tent. When the festivalgoers got tired from all of these, they could visit the beer tent or Mr. Phillips pork grill.
At the first day of the festival everything was free. (Because this is really the “Night in town” surprise holiday).
https://abload.de/img/1spring2rocsg.png
The spring fair 1762 was when the twins had their first real beer, a special occasion made all the more special by the fact that the beer was real good.
After a little over a year of schmoozing the man, Leonardo finally won Lt. Anderson’s trust. (The secret was to catch Anderson in a conversation with a non-famous sim – Geoffrey Landgraab in this case - and then join the conversation by talking to that one.)
The boy felt validated like never before, as if nothing could go wrong from this point on. That’s why what happened next hit him all the harder:
https://abload.de/img/1spring4gtiu1.png
Leonardo was still lingering at the festival grounds after bis parents had left already. Suddenly a messenger boy handed him a note from Pablo, telling him to come home, and how much hard work the man had put into raising his baby boy.
https://abload.de/img/1spring53kc3k.png
Pablo: “You came! You really came!”
Leonardo: “Of course I came. I wasn’t in London, but at the festival grounds, father! And, really, I’m fourteen, not a child anymore.”
Pablo: “Your sister is no longer a child. You, on the other hand, will always stay one. Look, I know it’s not your fault, but we have to deal with the situation like sensible adults. Well, I have to be a sensible adult anyway, while you… Ah. God. I love you. That at least you can understand, yes?”
https://abload.de/img/1spring6sjio4.png
Leonardo swallowed hard. So that was his father’s impression of him? An eternal child, unable to grow up? Leonardo was the peace-maker, the crisis negotiator, the lad with the silver tongue, able to reconcile even bitter rivals. Alas, when it came to his own differences with other people, the young man’s skills failed him. Instead of replying something diplomatic now, Leonardo yelled:
“So what if I played a little too exuberantly with my old toy horse? Full grown men lay in the grass next to puddles of their own vomit at the festival! You can fall in that, for all I care!”
His outbreak was met with a sad smile and a hug…
https://abload.de/img/1spring7hie2b.png
To prove to his father that he wasn’t the village fool, Leonardo invited his friends to the Martinez residence on regular intervals now. If Pablo witnessed his son have age-appropriate interactions, he might get convinced that this son wasn’t a lost cause?
Despite being the youngest of the merry bunch, Leonardo quickly advanced to their leader. Some of these youths had very good tutors and during their get togethers they shared their knowledge with the rest, alongside their rich, deep and varied life experience.
…okay, maybe not quite rich and deep, but they understood each other ;)
Left to right back row: Kuuno de Ruyter (from Disco Elysium), Adam Chapman (from Detroit Become Human), Sagoyewatha (randomly generated spellcaster), Brandon Colch-Villareal (from the GT trailers) Front row: Leonardo Martinez (scenario premade) with Wolfgang Munch (GT premade)
https://abload.de/img/03.11.23_23-10-30ttflb.png
But it didn’t stop there. One day Leonardo hosted a social event for major residents of Fort Detroit. The guest list included John Phillips (yellow vest, in the armchair), Laura Countess of Hertford (red dress), father and son Anderson and Doctor Landgraab (beige suit).
One of Leo’s aspiration goals was leveling up his Charisma and parties are the best way to do that. His reputation skyrocketed during this session.
https://abload.de/img/03.11.23_23-10-36h9ccs.png
Including Connor probably hadn’t been Leo’s best idea. Ever since the young man had written his one book, he deemed himself an authority on literature and wouldn’t tire of giving Jennifer tips to “improve” her own writing. Connor might no longer count as a youth, but as a full adult now, but he severely failed to grasp the difference of newspaper articles and novels.
So what was Sofia up to while her brother was busy socializing?
https://abload.de/img/03.11.23_23-10-3919dog.png
Since her parents sternly refused to buy her a chicken coop all of her own, a cow or a llama (Wait, what, what has our daughter just asked for? We must have misheard.), Sofia spent her time knitting. Starting with socks she advanced to sweaters and carpets and eventually was crafting cute plants and animals that had only decorative value, but were a well-received conversation starter.
The game unfortunately thinks she has already completed her aspiration. It’s the first real glitch I encountered with the scenario, all the others being general Sims 4 issues, not scenario specific ones.
https://abload.de/img/03.11.23_23-21-12ylf3g.png
Sofia: “When you marched into my heart, did you step in with your right or your left foot first?”
John (looking down): “Right foot. – Wait, what was that about? I never intended… Cut that out, young lady! Even if you were my age, I’d still be happily married! And take your hand off me!”
Haha, poor John! He climbed up that ladder just when Sofia tried a “Bold pickup line” on Kuuno and with the attic being so small, she clipped into John. One of the optional scenario goals is for one of the teens to score a date. Sofia being the family sim, I gave that part to her.
https://abload.de/img/03.11.23_23-21-52bhel3.png
Sofia: “Ah, haha, my apologies, Mr. Phillips! You barged in just when I lost myself a little. My words were directed at sweet Kuuno here. He’s barefeet, as you can see.”
John: “Yes, he is. Because he arrived on a convict ship and has outgrown his old pair of shoes. This man is an indentured servant! A criminal! You cannot seriously consider courting him?”
Sofia: “Well, one has to buy him new shoes and I don’t see his current owners doing that.”
John: “Sofia, please… Charity I can understand and get behind. Being charitable is good for one’s reputation. But you’re taking this too far. Or this never was about charity in the first place, you’re only using that concept to justify spending time with this good for nothing. I’ll have to talk to your parents about that!”
https://abload.de/img/03.11.23_23-29-1868if3.png
Sofia: “Ours is a cursed love, right?”
Kuuno: “Cuno doesn’t give a…”
Sofia: “Cut that out! Talking like this was cute when you were ten or so! I don’t want a cute, but a handsome boyfriend!”
Kuuno: “Ever the artist, huh? That makes me almost afraid what kind of shoes you’ll get me.”
https://abload.de/img/03.11.23_23-29-38syexz.png
Sofia: “I couldn’t ever afford shoes. My parents pay me even less than your employers are paying you. You’ll have to settle for the low cost alternative to keep you warm!”
Kuuno: “Y… yes, w… wa… warm… Hot, hot, hot!”
https://abload.de/img/04.11.23_00-19-35rfdxz.png
The twins might lack money, but they managed to outfit their friend with hand-me-downs from Pablo just fine. One day Sofia gifted him a hand-knitted sweater.
Sofia: “You can thank Mister Phillips for that idea, by the way. I didn’t think of it myself, it was his suggestion. He reminded me that the nights are still chilly.”
Kuuno: “Phillips? So that good for nothing piece of pig droppings has a real use? Who’d have thought!”
https://abload.de/img/screenshot150286yi5d.png
I was prepared for drama, sweater-curse and all, but their green and pink bars increased normally after the gift exchange. Maybe because they are not officially going steady at this point? Haha, sorry, John, you won’t get them separated that easily!
Anyway, the screenshot shows that both teens have their “aspiration completed” checkmark now. Next they need to get an A or F each. Ambitious Leonardo will aim for that A, while homemaker Sofia will shoot for the F.
@Ziafar This sounds like a question that I shouldn't bury the answer to in the middle of the thread. I'm going to put the info in the first post rn, just scroll up!
The Martinez were well off, but to afford good tutors for their son they had to pool their money with that of other settlers. The resulting arrangement everyone called “school”, despite it not being a proper building like the grammer school, but a gathering of young men at a different residence every day.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-09-08g9f9w.png
While Leonardo attended this school, Sofia stayed home and learned everything a frontier wife needed to know. Often when both her brother and parents were out Kuuno kept Sofia company.
If only Pablo and Jennifer could have seen what a well-mannered person the former criminal had become:
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-11-12w6fnn.png
Not just kept he a polite distance from Sofia when they were chatting (see previous screenshot), at one time he even threw himself at her feet!
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-39-51gffj3.png
Leonardo: “…and he assisted in solving a murder crime and helped explorers document a giant monstrous praying mantis, but despite all of this, our parents still do not approve of my sister’s choice in a suitor. It gnaws at her. I’m telling you, Raoul, I wouldn’t be surprised if one day she ran away!”
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-40-20b7ekx.png
Turned out Leo’s gut feeling was correct!
Pictured is an invitation to the “motive games” Sofia received from Kuuno. In the context of this setting that translates into Kuuno asking Sofia to run away with him and warning her that it would be harsh.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-49-03ghiw2.png
When it became obvious that Sofia wasn’t just late, but had no intention to return home, father and son immediately mounted their horses.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-49-04alii2.png
To the right Sofia’s current motives: Hungry, tired and unwilling to use the toilet at whatever place she was before she absolutely HAD to.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-52-31uyccy.png
The men’s departure hadn’t went unnoticed. As they combed the forest near and far, there were eyes on them all the time and not all of these belonged to the wildlife.
When Leonardo was out of shouting distance as well as line of sight of his father, he heard a voice call out to him. It was Kuuno’s! (It’s a phone invite from Kuuno to Leo.) Still mounted, Leo followed the other through narrow passages and underbrush until suddenly his view opened to a wide open space. Leonardo blinked, trying to orientate himself. He didn’t recognize these particular parts of the woods or exact spot of the river shore. Only the lighthouse was somewhat familiar.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-54-4788inm.png
Leonardo: “Wait a moment – Lieutenant DuBois ? What’s Kuuno doing at your place? And Monsieur Bevvy, too? “
A retired member of the french military and their local correspondent, same as Leo’s mother was employed by the Boston Gazetter? Leo knew these men, not just by name, but in person! Bevvy sometimes filled in as a teacher and DeBois as a coach at the informal frontier school.
Guillaume: “What’s not to understand about this? Kuuno is an indentured servant and Harry bought him when he arrived here. It’s not an occult science, but simple frontier lore.”
The statement was true, of course. For some reason Leonardo had always imagined Kuuno working at a tobacco plantation or sugar press, but on second thought Fort Detroit didn’t have any of that. There were only the homesteaders and the trappers.
Leonardo: “That’s not fair! Kuuno and Sofia cannot just hide with a respected gentlemen! They should, I dunno, live in a cave or abandoned warehouse!”
Harry: “I’m used to Kuuno bringing crawlies home and keeping them as pets, but you all lost me when he brought first the girl and now you. Are you children looking for employment? I can’t pay you… I can’t even pay for the house’s upkeep. Say, what’s that smell…?”
While I was still uncertain how to proceed from here, upstairs a fire broke out and Leonardo raced there autonomously. No screenshot, since the DeBois household is unplayed and the house still has all the modern furniture.
The fire had been visible far and drawn settlers – some wanting to watch, others ready to lend a helping hand. After it had been under control, Leo’s father had talked long and seriously to Mister DuBois, but the boy hadn’t overheard any of what they had agreed upon. When father and son returned home, the memory of the kitchen fire was still fresh in Leonardo’s mind. Everything had been a little much, so it was hardly surprising that he felt DONE with THIS FAMILY.
Leo entered a Distant phase. I took the opportunity to switch him to the Villainous Valentine aspiration, representing his mean side surfacing in the face of recent events. If HE didn’t have a happy family, then nobody should! And what was to blame for the Martinez’s predicament? That cursed courting business!
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-54-49yqfbq.png
The same evening Leo sat down by the fireplace with his father. His emotions were still all over the place and in the absence of Kuuno, Sofia and Lt. DuBois, he directed them at Pablo.
Leonardo: “What if we were wrong to give chase? Turned out Kuuno and Sofia would have been fine at the DuBois residence. I mean, we couldn’t know that beforehand, of course, but there’s so much else you don’t know. Like love! You and mother only life next to each other anymore. Why don’t you just go separate ways?”
Taken by surprise at the turn this conversation had taken, Pablo could only stammer that marriage was sacred. It was not the cleverest response and neither was it spoken in a tone that would have conveyed his authority, leaving Pablo wide open to another verbal attack:
“Yet you don’t treat it as such, you just let it unravel!”
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_20-54-50dgcum.png
At this point I learned that sims cannot “ask to break up with” with household members. Too bad! So next I had Leonardo “demanded independence” in accordance with his Distant phase.
Leonardo: “Then let me go! I want out of this asylum of a household, father! Give me a little money to start my own life, an early inheritance, and I won’t bother you ever again.”
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_21-08-11jdisd.png
Pablo: “Enough! If you don’t want to bother with us anymore, then go up to your chamber, spend your time in the forest or at your friends’ places. There are plenty of ways not to sit on each other’s lap all the time. Take the freedom you need, but before you do so, take one thing to heart: There’s freedom and then there’s lack of respect, such as you demonstrated tonight. Think about the difference! And while you are doing so - No playing with your toy horse!”
Leonardo: “No… horsie?!”
As if that would accomplish anything other than making Leonardo even more tense!
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_21-11-16zkdq5.png
In their defense, Leonardo’s parents tried to mend their quickly decaying relationship starting that very evening. At first it seemed to go well, they were talking about their interests over a chess match, bonding a little. But then Jennifer turned flirty and they ended up in bed again.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_21-13-37iie7a.png
The next day Sofia returned. Leonardo saw her first.
“Oh, just great. Even MOAR family.”
Leonardo didn’t ask what punishment his parents had given Sofia and she didn’t tell.
None, actually, since she hasn’t done anything wrong that the game would have recognized as punishable offense.
Maybe the sister had gotten off scot-free, Leonardo wouldn’t have put that past his parents. Not that she was the favorite twin, but at the moment Leo was something like an enemy of humanity in his parents’ eyes (or at least the thought he was), so by default even the lovestruck sister was an angel in comparison.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_21-13-383qc9j.png
When Kunno showed his face again at the Martinez residence, Leonardo tried to convince him to drop Sofia. Why, even? In part out of spite, but in part out of a sense of responsibility. There was a faint hope, too, that everything would be in order again once that liaison ended.
Kuuno, however, only had rude words for the friend and his unsolicited advice.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_22-49-43o7c69.png
In fact, Kuuno and Sofia waited for the adults to leave the house and then make out in their bed.
Sofia: “I want to be a good settler, so I need to practice household chores a lot. Help me practice tidying up real scrambled bedsheets?”
Kuuno: “Gladly!”
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_22-57-541jet4.png
At this point Leonardo was in dire need of fun and being forbidden to whip out his wooden horse, he sat down at the chess table. He hadn’t moved a single piece yet, when his mother appeared from what felt like the other end of the Martinez lot to reprimand the boy for trying to dodge his punishment.
Leonardo: “I’m not playing, mother! It’s chess! Not toys!”
But Jennifer wouldn’t listen. Literally. She not just refused to consider Leo’s arguments, she simply let the words wash over her.
At this point keeping the teens at home would only have sent the family into a downward spiral. The parents needed time for themselves to sort their marriage out and the twins were old enough to enter employment anyway, so it was decided to entrust them to Lt. Anderson, the neighbor. That way Sofia and Leo could get a taste of adulthood while still being close enough to their home in case they needed their parents.
I bought each “Always Welcome”, gave them a broom/vacuum cleaner and played them on the Anderson lot from now on, while still technically being part of the Martinez household. The scenario thus ran on undisturbed.
Lt. Anderson was of a higher social standing than the Martinez, wealthier, too, yet his home looked poorer and hadn’t improved much in the last few years. The twins soon learned why that was so: Their employer had a tendency to hit the bar (both the local pub and the house bar), a habit that tore through the household funds at an alarming rate.
The household had also sat on a large debt up until very recently, that they started to recover from only now.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_23-29-50cbiui.png
And still, despite all his personal demons, the Lieutenant often found time to listen to Sofia’s worries. For example regarding Kuuno not having shown his nose ever since his girlfriend had moved into the Anderson household. It was as if the boy was holding that against Sofia. Hank: “He needs to come to terms with that you are a complex person in your own right, not just his “rebel bride”.”
Sofia: “Oh, I’m not complex, Lieutenant Anderson! I knit and I have Kuuno.”
Hank: “See? That’s what you need to change. You’re too young to live in the shadow of a relationship gone wrong like… someone I could name. Neither of you or Kuuno is spoken for, you can and should explore other options, both in love as in larks.”
Note: This isn’t fluff text, Kuno indeed regularly called while Sofia was still living at home, but while at the Andersons not anymore.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_23-40-29ymcpu.png
Had he at first avoided Sofia as part of the family he despised, Leo slowly started warming up to his sister the longer they remained at the Anderson household. Eventually the boy decided to not exactly talk to Sofia again, but to help her with the housework.
Hank: “The housework? As in – cooking? No, boy, don’t even think of that! It takes years to perfect and this house is made of wood!!!”
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_23-40-4337dcc.png
Leo: “Argh!”
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_23-41-22fidei.png
Sofia: “See, Leo? Sometimes it’s good to have a family member at hand!”
Leo’s distant phase was over at this point, but now Sofia had entered in a Rebellious phase and didn’t want to return home.
https://abload.de/img/05.11.23_23-41-23fjejc.png
The scenario ended abruptly the moment Sofia got her F. The game assigned her the Savant trait and Leonardo Entrepreneurial. I thought it would do him little good with his low responsibility, but all the going to school and homework had brought the value back into the green, so the trait is useful for him, after all. Each twin also got a re-traiting potion that I will definitely use to remove Leo’s Mean trait.
The results screen claimed that both twins had grown up to responsible young adults, as if both had achieved an A. According to the internet the F-twin should get Carefree instead of Savant.
https://abload.de/img/06.11.23_00-11-09eod3f.png
Sofia has reason to look sad in this picture. Had Kuuno been fussing over her (and Leonardo as a friend) back home, ever since she had moved into the Anderson household the boy hadn’t spoken to her even once. It was as if he considered Sofia part of “t eh establishment” now, not worth his attention.
Sofia solidified the character values she had displayed at the start of teenhood: Controlled Emotions paired with Violent Conflict Resolution is a very dangerous combination, the kind of cold and calculated general. Her responsibility is still in the penalty range, no surprise here, since the adults never gave her reason to work with them, having reduced Sofia to that one relationship they despised. And quite honestly? For half of her teenagehood Sofia had reduced herself to knitting and that one relationship, that wasn’t that great after all, herself. It was time to strike out and discover other aspects of life!
https://abload.de/img/06.11.23_00-11-41ige20.png
Leonardo is still fed up with his parents. He made such progress ever since coming to Fort Detroit, he has friends, the other adults see his potential and guide him towards using it to the fullest, he has varied interests… Life could be so good, if only the persons whom he should matter most to would see Leo for what he is! No wonder the boy’s Emotional Control is still paper thin, but at least he still has his Counselor bonus trait despite the brief dip into Villainous Valentine.
Maybe it’s time to let go and find a significant other, learn what Sofia already knows about love?
Afterword: So how did this compare to how I would have played a regular save? I think the parents’ relationship would have deteriorated there, too. The family would have went to the festival, but meeting a celeb wouldn’t have been as decisive for a modern days Leo as it turned out for the historical Leo. He might have channeled his meanness into becoming a paparazzo after the encounter. Meanwhile Sofia might have filled her room with rodent cages and asked for a cat or dog.
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