This challenge is based on Morbid's Ultimate Decades Challenge. It is a very involved challenge, and there are also spreadsheets (a blank one is available in the challenge write up), to track your family's progress, and also to keep track of what "year" it is. For instance, year 1300 lasts a mere 4 sim days. And, there are certain restrictions that come with the time period you are working on, such as what harvestables you can grow, and restrictions on items you can't use during that time period (for instance, in 1300, there was no electricity, so you can't have a tv). This challenge is not for the faint of heart. as it involves "death rolls" to coincide with what could have happened to your sim during a certain time period (disease, etc.). For someone who gets very attached to their sims, this, in itself will be a challenge for me.
Most gamers play this challenge with mods and cc; however, I won't be. This will be played as a vanilla game. I have, however, up-dated all the builds in the world I will be playing in to reflect off-the-grid builds. Some builds have been replaced and new builds have been downloaded from the gallery. For this time period, I have chosen to live in Henford-on-Bagley, and most of the residents' clothing has been updated; however, I can't account for those random townies' clothing, or sims from other worlds popping in. @Snarkysims has actually re-done Henford-on-Bagley as a Medieval World, and I have used some of her builds in my gameplay. Additional medieval builds have been placed in Newcrest. Not quite the same as you can see modern buildings in the background, but I had an overflow of lots that I wanted to use, and that is where I placed them.
But since today was St. Valentine's Day, William had a plan. It had been a long time since he and Francesca went on a date together. In fact, he had only gone on one date with Francesca, and it had been chaperoned by Agatha Crumplebottom. That was the night he had proposed, and since then, they had not gone out alone, except to attend the Finchwick Garden Fair. William loved Francesca very much, and wanted to make today special for her. And so he had asked Rahmi Watson to come over in the afternoon, and he and Francesca would head to the Gnome's Arms Pub for a dinner date together.
https://i.postimg.cc/rwvpSPt6/besse-got-im.png
It seemed that the chores took longer than normal, especially since the children seemed to be more demanding than usual. William did have a chance to talk to Francesca about his plans to take her to dinner that night, and said he would watch the children while she got ready. When Rahmi Watson came over, William took a few minutes to get ready, too. William told Rahmi that they would return in a few hours, and the hackney that William had arranged arrived and they were off.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When they arrived in Finchwick, William took Francesca aside.
William: "Anything you wear looks good, Francesca, but tonight, especially...you literally took my breath away when I saw you come out of our bedroom...I am indeed fortunate to have found such a beautiful, funny, and caring wife like you..."
Francesca: "Oh William...you are making me blush with your words. I suddenly feel all shy and nervous around you...like...like...it's our first date all over again..."
William: "Ah...but this one will be better,,,because I can now take you in my arms and kiss you whenever I want..." he said and then swooped her in his arms for a passionate kiss.
Agnes Crumplebottom: "Have you no decency? Standing here and practically canoodling each other in public! Don't you know that there are children who live here?" she said as she smacked William again.
https://i.postimg.cc/VvSyG7Xn/how-dare-you.png
William: "But...but...we're on...a....date..."
https://i.postimg.cc/50CM47kg/2-hit-agnes.png
Agnes was hearing none of it, and smacked him again, "I recognize you...you're the one from The Wild Fox Inn & Tavern...on a date you say? Is this what you do...just go on dates with all the fair maidens and then sully their honor? Don't worry dear, I'll protect you from this...from this scoundrel!"
William: "No...stop...this is my wife....she's the only one I've ever gone on a date with..."
https://i.postimg.cc/wM6DqJ4f/i-know-you.png
Agnes stood up and straightened her outfit and pointed a finger at him, "Well, this better be your wife...or the whole town will know of your infidelity...and you will be severely punished. And, I would refrain from demonstrating this revolting behavior in public from now on. Our town does have morals, you know, and you had best abide by them..." and with that she huffed off down the street muttering to herself.
https://i.postimg.cc/wBHQw7Dk/WALKING-AWAY.png
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Francesca came over to him laughing, "So...is this how all our dates will be? You kiss me and risk getting accosted?"
Francesca raised her eyebrows: "Oh? So you would risk anything to have one kiss with me?"
William gazed into her eyes, "Yes, Francesca, I would risk it all to be with you...." he said and then took her in his arms again and kissed her tenderly.
While they were enjoying their dinner, Agatha Crumplebottom, the Matchmaker came and sat between them. Oh gosh! It was almost like they were on their chaperoned date again.
William just smiled at her and nodded towards a nearby bush.
Francesca: "William...but what if that lady...Agnes...comes by and sees us?"
William:"No, don't worry, no-one will see...it's dark, and I'm up for a bit of danger if you are...even to risk a purse beating..." he said and took her hand in his.
Francesca looked at him and giggled.
And...well...let's just say they had a great St. Valentine's Day date!
https://i.postimg.cc/sXVXHZfs/bush-woohoo-rev.png
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When they arrived home, Rahmi told them that the children had behaved so well, and then took her leave. It was hard to believe that it was already Conrad's birthday.
https://i.postimg.cc/s1FMVfC2/conrad-calm.png
And whoosh, Conrad becomes an Infant, and rolls the Calm trait.
https://i.postimg.cc/2S77XMnW/holding-conrad.png
William cradled Conrad in his arms and looked at Francesca and his other children, and knew he had never been happier.
https://i.postimg.cc/KjtM33NT/happy-family.png
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Over at the Thatcher Farm, it was Leopold's birthday, too.
Thaddeus holds Leopold in his arms and looks at his other children and then at Isabelle. He lays Leopold down in his crib, and then takes Isabelle's hand and suggests they head outside to spend some time together.
Thaddeus: "Isabelle, today is St. Valentine's Day, and I wanted to spend this day so differently with you. But apparently my brother had more forethought than I did, and had asked Rahmi Watson to watch their children, and I could not take you on a date today..."
Thaddeus: "I know, but I wanted to do something special for you. I wanted to tell you that I...that I still burn for you Isabelle...so much...that when I look at you, I cannot imagine what my life would be like without you...I so love you..."
Isabelle: "Oh Thaddeus...my feelings for you have not changed...they have grown stronger...so much stronger...and I am so in love with you, too... In fact, I made you something..." she said and handed him a gift.
A very good St. Valentine's Day! William got beat with a purse again. :D Now, if that doesn't happen on all of their dates I'll be disappointed lol. Happy birthday, Conrad and Leopold!
That Agnes! She was actually working her garden booth and they were at the fountain area, and even though she was supposed to be working, she closed up and came right out when he first kissed Francesca and smacked him with her purse. I was like, oh no, not again. I think she has it in for poor William. And Francesca just stands there smiling and laughing every time. What William does to get a kiss, right? lol He did get a gold date, though.
It was the Finchwick Cow Festival today, and William had decided to enter Eda in the competition. He spent time brushing her and Francesca gave Eda some encouraging words. After finishing their chores, and with Rahmi's arrival, they headed off to Finchwick.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
https://i.postimg.cc/prN527jH/cow-fair.png
It was a beautiful day, and the Cow Festival was in the same location as the Garden Festival had been. William brought Eda over to one of the cow sheds, and started brushing her. She had certainly gotten quite dirty from walking from the Fletcher Farm to town.
https://i.postimg.cc/SKQDjtw0/cow-festival.png
Francesca had decided to enter a bottle of Eda's milk, and there were already several other competitors who had placed their milk bottles on a competition stand. She introduced herself, and found out that one of the competitors was Rahmi's daughter, Rashida. Francesca wasn't sure why, but Rashida looked rather mad about something.
William also comes over to chat with Isabelle, and enquires about his nieces and nephews. Everyone was doing well and Thaddeus was enjoying his time at home with the children while Isabelle attended the festival.
Kim Goldbloom, the owner of the Grocery Market Stall, came over and they chatted with her. She told them that if they ever had some excess produce to sell, that she was always looking for good quality fruits and vegetables and would give them a good price for their goods. She also whispered that during the festivals, because she was so busy, she always gave patrons who sold produce at her market stall 10% more.
William waited for the competition results and chatted with Lavina Chopra. William met her son, Rahul, who did deliveries for the grocery market stall. Rahul then wandered off and headed towards a teen standing near the Gnomes' Arms Pub.
Lavina rolls her eyes, "There he goes again...spending all his time with that Watson girl...instead of minding his job and doing more deliveries for Kim Goldbloom. If only his father were still alive....god rest his soul...he would be able to set our son straight and ensure that Rahul was more focused on his future. And my husband would have already spoken to several families with eligible daughters to secure a dowry and a marriage contract. And now that task falls on me. Oh, what is a mother to do?"
William looked at Rahul and the teen, "Did you say Watson? Is that Rahmi Watson's daughter?"
Lavina: "Yes, one and the same. Rashida Watson. Her mother is one of the reasons I don't see "that girl" as a good match for my son. That family is not a good role model for him...not at all. And "that girl" has such gloomy thoughts. She could never be the driving force that my son needs to succeed. You are indeed fortunate William to have such a fine wife as Francesca, who works with you to have the best life..." she said sighing, "I will probably have to speak with the matchmaker soon to find a suitable match for him..."
William was quiet and looked over at Rahul and Rashida who seemed to be getting on quite well. In fact, they looked quite happy together...and the way they looked at each other...it's almost as if...well...it's almost like how Francesca had looked at him when they had been on their first date.
But for whatever reason, Lavina didn't get along with Rahmi, and so she didn't approve of her son socializing with Rashida. He wondered why.
And finally, the results were in and William gave Francesca a kiss on the cheek. William placed third in the competition, and Francesca received a participation ribbon. They were told that the cows would stay at the festival grounds overnight and returned to their farms in the morning by a pastoral herder.
I have never participated in the Finchwick Cow Festival before, and when I had William return home, there was no cow in his personal inventory. So, I checked the household inventory and no cow. I read that there was a glitch, so I had them travel back to the Gnomes' Arms Pub and then back home, but still no cow. And no cow in Francesca's inventory either. I even repaired my game, but still no cow.**Sniff** So, I had to buy them a new cow and named it Eda again. Ugh! Luckily they had the $400 simoleons for a new cow.
@SoulGal7 - if you wait a day or two, the animals will show up in the personal or household inventory, and then you can just click on the sheds to put them back again. I’ve had that happen before to my llama, and I got a new one to replace the one I thought had gone, then it turned up a couple of days later, so I ended up with four llamas instead of three!
Just started reading last night and I'm enjoying your story so much. I'm at the part where the bachelors and bachelorettes are about to meet. Excited to discover who ends up with who.
Got up a little earlier this morning to continue reading and the forum was down again. ?
I'm starting to really appreciate all the research required for this challenge. Very entertaining. I remember telling another storyteller here that some of the subjects she introduced in her writing inspired me to learn more about the subject. It's exactly how I feel about the Decades Challenge. Both yours and Belalucina's.
The family was up early and there was much excitement this morning. The annual Easter Spring Festival was being held in Finchwick.
https://i.postimg.cc/rwLKqfy1/SPRING-FESTIVAL.png
William and Francesca had talked it over, and even though Francesca had never been to the Easter Spring Festival before, and was looking forward to doing 'The Carole' with William, it was decided that they would follow Francesca's tradition of attending church. Afterall, Easter had always been a special holiday for their Uncle Bernard, and this was the first Easter that he would not be with them. So Francesca felt that it would be a fitting memory to her uncle if they attended church together.
William had seen Rahmi at the Cow Festival yesterday, and Rahmi had suggested that perhaps the Fletcher children could attend the festival with her family while the Fletcher adults attended church. William thought that was a good idea, and so that is what was planned.
Rahmi also mentioned that an egg hunt had been organized by King Edward himself. It was the first of its kind in Henford-on-Bagley. King Edward had purchased 450 eggs and his servants were hiding eggs all around Henford-on-Bagley for the children to find. Apparently the eggs had been brightly decorated so were easy to spot. King Edward had decreed that the child who found the most eggs would be awarded a prize for their efforts.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Everyone met at the The Old Stone Church in Finchwick after dropping off their children with Rahmi and her family at the Easter Spring Festival.
Francesca saw Colette and Isabelle and she went over and spoke with them. They all reminisced about Easters past when their Uncle Bernard had taken them there.
He also asked Colette, Isabelle and Francesca if they wanted to say a few words about their uncle. Francesca decided to come forward to the pulpit and told everyone that Easter was her Uncle Bernard's favorite holiday. He had told them that it was a "celebration of a new life", a joyous occasion which held hope for the future. And even though he wasn't with them today, she still felt a special connection with him by celebrating Easter here.
Afterwards, they all headed outside, and just as Francesca went through the church doors, she was hit with a feeling...a sensation...a revelation if you will, and all of a sudden, she knew...she just knew.
She turned and headed back inside, and took William aside and told him that she had a strange feeling suddenly like something or someone had whispered something to her, and she knew that she was with child. William looked at her and did notice that her belly looked swollen.
William: "Well, if your Uncle Bernard is here, I bet he is smiling from hearing the news that you are with child. It is indeed a joyous occasion. Francesca, and I am so happy to hear this news..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When William and Francesca returned home, the children were anxious to begin looking for the hidden eggs. Ian, William's father, had come over and was helping the children search for eggs.
The King's servants had done a splendid job of hiding them, and on Benedict's insistent plea, had asked Ian to look in the mailbox and Ian even found one there. Benedict was already carrying several eggs in his sweater. and Ian watched as Benedict looked in bushes and under rocks and gave an excited cry when he found an egg. Ian marveled at the fact that his grandson was a natural collector.
https://i.postimg.cc/Kvb47KPx/EGG-HUNT.png
Benedict's eggs collected.
https://i.postimg.cc/bw3GDts3/benedicts-eggs.png
Inside, Bryan had decided to check under the beds and in the cupboards, and had found several that way. He even found one that was golden in color, and gave that one to his mother as a gift. Francesca was rather touched by his thoughtfulness.
Amelia, on the other hand, seemed to be questioning a bunny herself, asking where the bunny had hidden those eggs. And maybe the bunny did tell her, because she found quite a few in the garden and under the stools on the porch. One of the eggs she found was even a chocolate egg.
Conrad had found one egg, and seemed rather content to just stare at it. He did follow Francesca later as she collected eggs in the chicken coop, and Conrad found a rainbow-colored egg there. Conrad may not have collected a lot of eggs, but the ones he did collect were quite unique.
No matter how many eggs each child collected, they had a lot of fun. Ian had to head home and bid everyone farewell. At the end of the day, a knight from the Knight's Stronghold came to their house and tallied up the eggs that each child had found. Sir Lancelittle seemed most impressed with the number of eggs that Benedict had collected. The formal announcement of the winning child would be put on the notice board at the Gnomes' Arms Pub, and if their child should win, the prize would be delivered by royal messenger later that day. William thanked Sir Lancelittle and bid him farewell.
https://i.postimg.cc/5y1WZzG8/sir-landelittle.png
With the amount of eggs that they had collected, Francesca thought it was most appropriate that they had eggs and bread for dinner. Each of the children placed one of the eggs they had found on the fireplace mantle as decoration, and their little house looked so festive. As Francesca cooked, the aromas of the eggs and bread filled the house. William went outside and picked some wild flowers and arranged them on the table. When everything was ready, the humble offerings looked like such a marvelous feast.
Just as they were about to sit down and have supper, there was a knock on the door. William answered it and a royal messenger greeted him and handed him a rather large stuffed bunny. It was Benedict's prize for collecting the most eggs. Oh what a happy day it was indeed!
One of the Medieval holidays to be celebrated is Easter. Since it was tradition for the de Baskerville sisters to attend church with their uncle, Parson Bernard, I felt that this is what they would continue to do, especially since he had passed. It was a way for them to visit his gravesite and also to get together as a family.
The bunny has always been associated with spring and Easter since early times, and although the "egg hunt" was not popular until the late 16th century, I did modify some real history about King Edward and having some eggs decorated, and incorporated that into the holiday. (See History of Easter below for more info).
With all the eggs they collected, they actually completed the Decorative Egg Collection, and the prize was the large stuffed pink bunny, which actually arrived in the mail the next day. But I figured that since King Edward had planned the egg hunt, that a royal messenger would deliver the prize.
In many pre-Christian societies eggs held associations with spring and new life. Early Christians adapted these beliefs, making the egg a symbol of the resurrection and the empty shell a metaphor for Jesus’ tomb.
In the medieval period eating eggs was forbidden during Lent, the 40 day period before Easter. On Easter Sunday the fast ended with feasting and merriment, and eggs were considered an important part of these celebrations. This was especially true for poorer people who couldn’t afford meat. Eggs were also given to the church as Good Friday offerings, and villagers often gave eggs as gifts to the lord of the manor at Easter. Royals got involved with this tradition too – in 1290 Edward I purchased 450 eggs to be decorated with colors or gold leaf and then distributed to his household.
The custom of the Easter egg hunt, however, comes from Germany. Some suggest that its origins date back to the late 16th century, when the Protestant reformer Martin Luther organized egg hunts for his congregation. The men would hide the eggs for the women and children to find. This was a nod to the story of the resurrection, in which the empty tomb was discovered by women. Find the full article HERE.
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