A/N:
What possessed me to write this? I'm honestly not entirely sure. It's just a way to get over my writing funk so I can continue with the fics I've already started. It's based off a challenge for one of my favorite game franchises, The Sims. I've loved The Sims since I was in high school and The Sims 2 and expansions were the latest and greatest. This fic takes place in the world of The Sims 4. What I'm basically doing is playing a day or two of the game and then writing the events down as they happen in third person limited prospective for now, though it'll be in multiple third person prospectives later on.
The challenge I've chosen for this is the so-called Legacy challenge. For more information on the Sims 4 variant you can google it. But basically you start out dirt poor on the largest plot of land available and have to try to build your family up through ten generations. I'm only following the rules loosely, though, and not scoring myself. In this challenge I will, however, adhere to specific rules of succession. My family is a strict matriarchy meaning only girls/women can inherit the title of head of family. If there's no girls born my family will be over. I also have a strict rule of blood inheritance. Adopted children can inherit as much as a blood child except for the title of head of family. Lastly I will prefer that the next heiress have the eyes of the founder, bright green, passed down through the generations and the hair of her father. Then again who knows what will happen.
Also the reason I'm not doing this in a blog format with pictures galore is because, frankly, I hate taking pictures. I'm horrible at it mostly because I'm visually impaired to a pretty moderate degree. I play basically with my face pressed to the screen Or less than a foot from it more or less.. That in mind I'll likely make a lot of silly mistakes and waste a fair bit of time in game because of this. Hopefully, though, this will only result in amusing twists to my story. For example in another game I accidentally fired my restaurant chef and she later died in my restaurant at the dinner table as she was rather old. I meant to praise her, dang it! You'll see another of these blindish bungles in this chapter with a certain male chess partner.
Anyway this isn't really meant to be taken seriously and is just for fun with no discernible plot whatsoever. I hope that simmers and non-simmers alike will enjoy this little break from my normal writing style and genres. Mostly, though, it's just fun for me to play, write, cackle, and dream up what your reactions to this will be. XD Enjoy!
The Prienia Legacy
Chapter One: Prienia Blooms
No, Artemisia Prienia had decided from a young age, she was not like them. She refused to be like them. Her family with their patriarchal stuffiness, their disdain for anything and anyone that was even slightly worse off then they. That was practically everyone, of course, since the Prienia clan was known for their wealth. As far as the Prienia men were concerned women were benieth their notice as well so long as they weren't needed for something-cooking, cleaning, or sex-which they expected immediately and without complaint. Fortunately Artemisia had not been forced into performing the third act before she had left. She knew, though, some pervert cousin or another had had their nasty, beady eyes on her,. Many boys did then, even when she was a teenager.
Since she was small she had dreamed of going far, far away from the Prienia clan's reach in the heart of Dragon Valley. It had taken years of stashing away small amounts of cash, in the amount of S13000, but she had finally done it just as she became a young adult. Out of her small fund S1200 alone had gone into her travel fare. A further S10000 had gone into the purchase of a large plot of land in a small community known as Willow Creek in Simerica, far away from Simland and her former clan.
Artemisia was determined to live life on her own terms. Though independent and otherwise repulsed by her former family she was a gentle soul who wanted nothing more than to create her own family on her terms and help others. She was a generally cheerful person if a bit clumsy. Ever since she was a young teen she had decided she wanted to be a doctor mostly because her father had always said women couldn't be. As soon as she arrived on her empty plot of land she applied and was accepted as a medical intern making S18 an hour. With so little money to start out with Artemisia decided to keep her purchases simple to begin with. She baught a cheap grill, chair, tent, toilet, and shower. Even so she was left with a piddling S185. Oh, well! She could always go to the park to practice certain skills, like Logic, she thought she would need as an aspiring doctor. It would be the perfect way to meet new sims as well, perhaps even a handsome man she could connect with. A gal could hope, right?
Looking around she was disheartened to see the first few chess tables taken up partly by a couple of elders who didn't look much for sharing or conversation. Her face lit up, however, when she saw an empty table. As she neared she spotted a handsome young man with pale blond hair and piercing eyes of a light blueish gray. He introduced himself as Wolfgang Munch. For the next few hours they played against one another at chess. Neither of them were particularly good at it though they still managed to enjoy themselves.
"This," Artemisia thought, "Might be a man I could stand to know better,"
After they tired of chess Artemisia and Wolfgang began to talk. She cracked some jokes he found only somewhat amusing. Switching tactics Artemisia then began asking Wolfgang about himself. Despite his lackluster responses to some of her jokes she found herself liking him more. Half listening to his responses Artemisia contemplated asking him to stargaze with her as it was already after dark.
"I attend Buckingham High School. I also work as a babysitter at Babysitters Anonymous," Wolfgang prattled, his higher than average, almost boyish voice finally slamming into Artemisia's thoughts like a freight train.
"Shit! Shit shit SHIT!" She thought frantically. She'd wasted her entire afternoon and evening chatting up a damn teenager? Feeling more than a bit disturbed Artemisia made some feeble excuse about needing the ladies' room and beat a hasty retreat.
Upon arriving home Artemisia immediately headed for the toilet and then the grill to make some late dinner. It was almost midnight and she was exhausted. Despite almost burning the hotdogs and/or herself they miraculously turned out edible and she ate quickly. Droopy with sleep she shuffled into her tent.
Shortly after 10:00 that morning she shot out of the tent in a frenzy. She was to be at work at 7:00, wasn't she? But no! Taking another look at her schedule she saw that this was Thursday and, thus, one of her days off. Sighing in sleepy relief she jumped into the shower to wake herself up. As she showered a couple of neighbors stopped over, seemingly wishing to welcome her to town. She had more things on her mind than paying attention to a couple of random elders and women, though. Quickly she ate a leftover hotdog from the night before before washing the dishes in the sink she had hastily purchased just for that reason. Taking a deep breath Artemisia figured she'd try her luck at the park again.
Upon her arrival she found herself somewhat disappointed. If she was going to play chess she could at least find some handsome, fertile guy to play it with, right? And not a teenager this time! She needed to find a man soon, whether she married him or not, to get closer to her goal of having a big, happy family. A husband was optional but children she bore herself were, Artemis felt, a necessity.
She finally found an opponent by the name of Bjorn Bjergsen. He wasn't particularly handsome but he was blond much like teenage Wolfgang Munch. Artemisia thought she might fancy blonds, at least at the moment. Like the day before she played chess for a few hours and then began to chat Bjorn up a bit. She learned that he was older than her, a full adult, working as a secret agent at S.I.M.S. She wondered if Bjorn wasn't particularly bright since, well, shouldn't he be keeping his secret agent status a secret?
Eventually Bjorn started to get antsy in his chair. It seemed like things were going so well, too! Suddenly he bolted away from the chess table much like she had done with Wolfgang Munch the previous evening. But she was determined to not give up. Quickly she ran after Bjorn who, by this point, had entered one of the park bathrooms. She didn't stop to think of how foolish she was being, stalking a guy all the way to the toilet. But their was a burning question she simply had to ask.
"Are you single?"
"Uh... I'm married, actually," Bjorn responded awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot in what Artemisia thought must be embarrassment. She bet he wished he wasn't. Though she tried not to be vain Artemisia knew she mostly failed in some respects. Back home the boys, extended clans and not, couldn't get enough of her flashing red hair and verdant green eyes. Some even joked she must be a gene mod baby straight out of Oasis Landing, one of simanity's future enclaves, itself. It was hard for her to imagine any different reaction. But here it was.
"Erm if I had organized the alphabet I might be tempted to put U and I together..." She trailed off, her cheeks aflame. Bjorn, scant feet away from the toilet, shifted again. Artemisia felt immediately embarrassed. In clan affairs you get what you get and that was the end of it, none of what they called pick-up lines. She had heard that one on the train from New Sim City. It was only then that she remembered the response of the girl it had been used on.
"Well I'd have put F and U together," she had sniffed. Artemisia was snapped back to reality when she felt something wet ooze,hot and smelly, over her feet which were clad in gold colored high heels. Her eyes opened wide, spotting Bjorn awkwardly dancing like a little boy in his trousers.
"First a teenager, now a man who pees himself? What the hell kind of luck is this?" She demanded internally. Not sparing a second look at Bjorn Bjergsen she fled out the bathroom and then out of the park towards home. Some distant part of her mind felt sorry for his wife and idly wondered if Bjorn wet the bed as well. Bjorn Bjergsen, Bedwetter Extraordinaire! She shuddered at the image and felt grateful she had so narrowly dodged that bullet... or a turd.
Fortunately it was early enough she could enjoy her dinner of a hamburger and go to sleep in time to wake up, bright and early, for her new job. She was so excited; women of the Prienia clan had never actually worked. That is, of course, unless one counts serving egomaniacal men. Whatever being a doctor, intern though she was, threw at her Artemisia Prienia felt certain she would excel. That, of course, remained to be seen.