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The family we choose

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Another community lot for my Victorian England inspired save file, "Rule Simtannia", a vaction rental Alto Seaside lodgings. This once grand house was bought up by social climbers Vita and Nicholas Alto and cut up into several increasingly tinnier rooms. Despite the veneer of luxury, this is little more than a bed and breakfast but it still remains perfect for the newly emerging middle class to holiday in the city.

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As her niece settled into her new life, Eleanor took a return to hers. The war, though she hated to say to say it, brought with it many opportunities she otherwise might not have ever had. All through the city, several posters sang out calls for more nurses, even Negro nurses were wanted, as more and more men were sent to the frontlines.

Eleanor had once upon a time, dreamed of a career in medicine. The world have moved quickly but unfortunately, not quite quick enough so that was yet still out of her grasp. Nursing, on the other hand, was something she could do.

So she signed up and began work at a base just outside Evergreen Harbour, servicing German prisoners of war and her brothers on the front. It was rewarding work of course, but she still couldn't deny the envy she felt as she watched the doctor, a man only different to herself because of his sex, carry out complex and intriguing cases she longed to sink her teeth into. Maybe one day, she'd tell herself as she grew greener with envy, a comforting lie as the winter of her life drew in ever closer.

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The 1960s introduced modern family planning, giving women access to contraception and legal abortion for the first time. This newfound control inspired a shift in maternity fashion, from restrictive smocks to stylish baby doll, trapeze, and A-line dresses.

In the 1970s, with Roe v. Wade and the UK’s Abortion Act as well as widespread access to the pill, pregnancies were increasingly planned. Women embraced folk-inspired looks like pinafores and peasant blouses, while trousers became even more mainstream. The US Navy’s first maternity uniform reflected growing acceptance of pregnancy in the workplace, although many workplaces still banned maternity wear in their dress code.

The 1980s brought legal protections like maternity pay and anti-discrimination laws at last. Maternity workwear expanded, while casual styles like oversized jumpers, leggings, and sweatsuits grew popular.

By the 1990s, pregnancy was no longer hidden. Demi Moore’s Vanity Fair cover redefined it as bold and beautiful. Women embraced everything from business casual to statement looks.

In the 2000s, celebrity culture and social media made pregnancy more visible. Inspired by Moore and several other pregnant celebrities, many women shared their journeys publicly, with tv shows like friends helping to normalise y2k fashion during pregnancy.

The 2010s saw the decline of maternity-specific retailers as fast fashion made adapting mainstream styles for pregnancy easier and cheaper, women stuck to casual clothes like jeans and t shirts.

Today, maternity wear blends seamlessly with everyday fashion. Pregnancy is now a marketable moment, with influencers and celebrities showcasing styled bumps. The only true difference is the trend of glamorous maternity photoshoots (probably inspired by Beyoncé’s instagram breaking birth announcement) featuring sheer, flowing goddess like dresses. However, as we reach the halfway point of this decade, it is difficult to say what the future of pregnancy and fashion would be like as birth rates continue to fall and women around the globe lose rights and protections their mothers once fought for.

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As the ground hardened with frost and the crop gave up their sweetest fruit, Willa suddenly realised that a year had passed since that fateful night where she'd hobbled down unfamiliar roads combing through strangers for a sense of family.

It was strange to think that that little baby she'd held close was now walking and babbling and even stranger to think Abraham, through no one's fault but his own, had missed out on everything.

Willa was disappointed. A year with no word from her husband, had even the ever pessimistic Olive thinking he was gone for good. Willa didn't want him back, at least not as a husband, not anymore. The time apart had made her wiser, but she did so wish Dulcie could get the chance to know her father.

Be that as it may, there was nothing much she could do to change things so she and Olive took in extra mending and laundry to throw their children the best birthday they could. They’d be both mother and father to Dulcie and Algernon (who they had taken to calling Nyon) if they had to be.

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For Francisco, the United States joining the Great War represented a turning point for him. Since the Mosley family’s move to the city and his exposure to socialist politics, Frank had grown cognisant of the massive inequality he was subject to, due to both his race and class. It had been a childhood dream of his to live in a land free of such, a place where no governments cared about something so superficial, a world where he could be just a man. And the prospect of having to die for a country that wouldn’t even bury him next to who they actually considered people, brought this dream back into focus.

And so, he and Isaac, his partner through it all, embarked on a journey to the only country free of such exploitation- Liberia, a land that meant freedom.

As they hopped off the canoe, they met with a chap called Arthur Groff, a fellow member of the Universal Negro Imrpovement Association along with his wife. Frank and Isaac exchanged pleasantries, already feeling an odd sense of home.

“I’m quite certain you’ll find our little city the perfect home,” Arthur said in a thick southern accent though Frank was quite certain the young man had never set foot in America. He tossed some coins on the floor towards the young boy that had rowed Frank and Isaac over from the main port.

“I-“ Frank began, before recoiling in shock as he watched the boy scramble to the ground for the money. “You don’t have to-“ he began, addressing the boy, as he bent to help him with the money. “I’m sure Arthur here didn’t mean to-“

Arthur interrupted him, “oh leave him,” he chuckled, “they’re quite primitive people, the locals, it’s like throwing a stick for a dog, it entertains them.”

Frank didn’t know what to say, the boy was a person, just like he and Arthur, he hadn’t imagined that even in Liberia, people, men like he and Isaac, would be caged by the circumstances of their birth. As Arthur led them through the town and into his grand house, Frank couldn’t stop thinking back to the earlier interaction. Had he made a mistake coming all this way, he wondered, to the same enemy under a different cloak.

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The second lot of my Victorian london save file "Rule Simtannia", this time a community lot. Situated on what was once a natural spring bath famed for being the resting place of a certain sea monster, this land was purchased by a landgraab ancestor in the 1700s and revitalised into a community market.

There are several activities for sims to undertake with a bar, small café, skill building objects like punching bags and flower arranging tables and of course several selling tables both stocked and unstocked as well as lots of screenshot opportunities of course!

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Willa and Olive quickly settled into their new life on the outskirts of Moonwood Mill. Olive had her baby, a little boy she called Algernon, and together with both of them and Dulcie, the four made their own little family.

Keeping up with both of the infants was quite the challenge, Dulcie was constantly on the move but hated to be put down and little Algernon had a mighty pair of lungs for a chap his size!

It was a wonder either Willa or Olive had time for much else, but they did. Willa took in mending for some extra money, Abe having left with all their savings, and Olive did the neighbourhood’s washing.

Together, they tilled a little patch of land that grew just enough to feed them all. All in all, it was a difficult way to live, and despite the constant worry at the back of her head of Abe’s eventual return, Willa found that she was as close to happiness than she had ever been before.

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Back to doing what I do best...

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Meet the first household of my historical England save file- Rule Simtannia!

Taking inspiration from the age old British tradition of lighthouse living increasing one's propensity to madness, this household is made up of Johnny Landgraab and the ghosts of his dead relatives.

Like the old story goes, Johnny left his very well-to-do family for a career in the arts, something very below the station of a good Victorian gentleman. A few months into his new life in the city, his parents and brother passed in a horrific fire leaving poor Johnny haunted by his guilt.

This build consists of a small cottage style bungalow with just one room, the lighthouse which has a small living area, an outhouse and small farm and pond.

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Hi hi! I've got a few WCIFs for your 'dressing up teen' post [/788440814615412736]. Where can I find the 2000's hair for the girl and the 80's hair for the guy? :0

Hi cydippida, you can find the 80s hair here (i used the universal overlay by the same creator to make it blue) and the 2000s hair here.

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Hi @vintagecrazysims for some reason tumblr decided to delete your ask as i was replying but the questions were so fun and thoughtful that i wanted to have a go anyway. So I'll try by best to approximate my original replies

For deciding a character's personality and goals, i mostly rely on the game itself, i randomise traits, let my sims make decisions about likes and dislikes, randomise aspirations etc. because otherwise i'm sure my characters will end up as different versions of me lol. For willa for instance, both she and her brother Felix were goofballs so it was easy to build a close relationship then during her mean streak childhood phase, i wanted some tension and what better way than a relationship with your brother's best friend?

A specific historic event I'm excited to play is definitely the thirties and all that comes with it (though i think i might have been slightly propangadised by @aheathen-conceivably lmao) I mostly play working class sims and i've decided to only have female heirs going forward so the thirties being such a period of change is exciting.

I think I have tried to explore deeper themes around marriage with this generation and Willa and Abraham's relationship as well as Cata and Oliver's interracial marriage in the previous generation. I definitely do think it is for sure tricky to do so with the sensitivity required and also in a realistic yet not gratuitous manner. I wish I could delve a little deeper as the story unfolds but i'm quite conscious of the fact that these are people's real life experiences and might not be the best thing to showcase via the medium of the sims (and by someone with limited experience like me)

Do I plan to have more than four children? I think the answer to that is yes and no. Having multiple children is such a slog (especially with infants oh my god) and i'd like for my world not to be wholly populated with distant relatives by gen 5 but i do think some decades call for it like the fifties for instance.

I mean i'd like to think my characters are unique and deep, I find that as i continue to play, my characters are definitely becoming more fleshed out, but with generation 1, i'm not too sure. I've started planning out storylines a bit more behind the scenes to hopefully improve my characterisation.

My favourite character? In my original scatterfield legacy I think it was Beatrix (gen 1 spouse) for sure but right now it's definitely Willa. I think it might change to Dulcie however, as the twenties are such fun and she's the best baby right now.

Definitely, I was inspired by lots of simmers, both historical like @pixelnrd @applesaucesims @blueshistorysims @300yearschallenge and non historical like oshinsims on youtube who does such amazing family gameplay.

Ooh there are so many historical simblrs right now that I’d definitely recommend. They’re no longer active by @come-hell-or-high-water legacy is still one I return to and re read from time to time. Also love @silverseaming, I just love their sim style

I think you can definitely play with just base game but having the cottage living expansion really enhances gameplay I feel

i dont really use mods outside of the necessary MMCC, TOOL and what not. I do like the enlist in war mod and take hats off indoors as simple quality of life fixes.

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"Earl, that's what he was called. My husband. He didn't deserve to die."

"But neither did you."

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Despite Victorian women spending much more of their lives pregnant than modern women, pregnancy was seen as deeply shameful, and every effort was made to conceal it. Upper-class women often remained at home during "confinement," though change began in the 1890s with the mass release of maternity dress patterns. Loose, dark, patternless garments with leg-of-mutton sleeves- perfect to draw a viewer's eye away from the abdomen, silk aprons, and shawls all helped to conceal pregnancy.

Working-class women, for whom propriety was far from the priority, adapted their usual clothes until no longer possible. Wrapper and Mother Hubbard dresses (what we might now call mumus) gained popularity despite being seen as sleepwear by polite society. Dark colours, aprons, and ribbon belts helped maintain modesty.

By the 1900s, Gibson girl fashion posed challenges for pregnant women as tight waists made for very difficult maternity wear, but some more fashionable women adjusted by separating the bodice and skirt of their dresses. They hid any rough edges with belts and continued to make adjustments, using scraps of fabric throughout pregnancy. For middle and upper-class women, they could now order maternity wear by post from retailers like Lane Bryant, offering styles like waistband-free walking suits, seen as "more healthful".

The 1910s reform movement offered flowing clothes ideal for pregnancy. When this style waned mid-decade, empire-waist dresses gained popularity. Elastic became more common, especially among working-class women, allowing clothing to adapt throughout pregnancy.

The 1920s marked a cultural shift as pregnancy lost some stigma. Maternity wear reflected women’s increased social freedom, with typical waistless flapper dresses suiting both pregnancy and postpartum life.

In the 1930s came a step backwards as pregnancy once more became a source of shame. Upper-class women favoured pleated blouses with room to grow, that were often belted in early pregnancy, pleated skirts with snap closures, and the new "kangaroo pouch" skirt. Working-class women, hit hardest by the Depression, often relied on homemade Hooverette dresses (wrap dresses) but for many, the depression left them without suitable clothes and unfortunately many women lived increasingly isolated lives.

Rationing in the 1940s limited change, and wrap dresses remained common across classes, now increasingly made with synthetic fabrics like rayon.

The 1950s, marked by economic growth and a baby boom, saw maternity wear become mainstream. The standard outfit, a smock top and skirt or capris trousers with embellishments varying by class became uniform. However, this decade was also one where many women entered the workplace which had zero protections against termination during pregnancy. To delay this inevitability, women took to wearing their usual clothes for as long as possible, in efforts to conceal their pregnancy.

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A few days into Aunt Nellie’s visit, she invited Willa out to a café for a small lunch and a conversation.

Willa was dreading it. There was just something in the way Aunt Nell talked to her that made it quite obvious she had her suspicions on why a newly married mother and her newborn were living three to a room at an almshouse, and Willa really didn’t want to sit down and say everything out loud.

Logically, Willa knew that things were not right. She knew that Abraham hadn’t been the best husband, knew that it was wrong of him to forbid her from attending Dad’s funeral and even more wrong of him to leave her all by herself whilst she was in labour.

But knowing something was wrong, knowing that Abe wasn’t the husband he’d sworn to be before God, didn’t mean that she was ready to say goodbye to the boy who’d loved her since they were children. And although she was terrified if him returning one day, she couldn't deny that a part of her just wished he would so they could forget all that had happened and live the happy, simple life she'd envisioned.

Aunt Nell didn’t seem to understand but she was non judgemental which Willa was thankful for. “I’ll go with you,” she said, “stay until you’re settled back at home for a few months and if he turns up, you and I can take it from there.”

“You, I and Olive,” Willa corrected, she’d grown closer to the woman in question during her time in town, and she didn’t want to leave her with no other option- Olive, just like Willa, couldn’t stay in the almshouse forever.

So after leaving Dulcie with Aunt Nellie, Willa hurried back to the almshouse. “I’m leaving,” she said to Olive, “my aunt and I are going back home.” The word still left a strange taste in her mouth, homes were supposed to have happy memories and Willa wasn’t sure hers did.

“Then I suppose this is goodbye,” Olive replied in that solemn way she always favoured.

“No,” Willa interjected, “I want you to come with me, stay at least for a while until you figure things out.” Willa had expected Olive to be jubilant at the offer, she knew the other woman had been worried about where to go once her time at the almshouse ran out, and rather selfishly, Willa had been desperate for an opportunity to pay Olive back after her assistance during Dulcie’s birth.

“What will your husband say?” Olive sighed, “there’s no way he’d agree to letting another woman, let alone me,” she chuckled bitterly, “set up camp in his home.”

“It’s my home as well,” Willa murmured softly, at a loss on what to say to this strangely unappreciative Olive, “and who knows if my husband will ever return.”

“He will,” Olive insisted, “they always do.” She turned suddenly to face Willa, and spoke again, this time more quietly, “you don’t want someone like me in your house,” she said, “I’ve done horrible things.”

“We all have,” Willa smiled, “and don’t try to use your pregnancy as another excuse to say no,” she joked, looking down at the bump Olive had not told her about. “I’ve hidden a pregnancy before,” she explained to Olive’s questioning look, “I know what blouses to wear; how to angle my body just so.”

“No this is not a joke Willa,” Olive sounded much more serious, even for her, “I’ve-“ she paused, “I really don’t want this to change things between us but it will.”

“It wouldn’t,” Willa swore, “you’re the sister I always wished for.”

“No Willa stop!” Olive cried, her whole body bent over as she sobbed, “I’ve-I killed a man. I killed my husband.”

“Oh,” was all Willa could reply as she held her friend in her arms, confused on what she could possibly say or do.

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By the 1960s, the teenager had firmly established herself as a permanent fixture of the culture. 1960s teenage girls embraced the “swinging” of the decade with bold, experimental fashion both in terms of the shorter hemlines and unique patterns. The sixties also defined the emergence of the civil rights movements and many young people joined the frontlines of the march for Black liberation.

The 1970s continued the experimental nature of the previous decade as hair for both boys and girls, grew ever longer. Popular wardrobe pieces were bell bottoms, once more for both sexes, polo and turtlenecks , sweaters. The hippie culture that had also begun in the sixties continued to grow.

For the 1980s, music served as a big influence of fashion with Punk and post punk music scenes fuelling alternative fashion. The preppy look of the 1950s was also revived with Peter pan collars, but now paired with light blue jeans.

The trend of music and fashion continued to the nineties as the hip hop and rap genres led to the rise in athleisure wear. The nineties also brought about a new subculture influenced by bands such as Nirvana- grunge. Thrifted fashion paired together in ways that said “I just don’t care” rose in popularity.

By the 2000s, denim, which had once been used solely for workwear, had become nearly inseparable from fashion. Everything from low rise jeans, mini skirts, jackets, shirts and even accessories like bags and shoes was cut from the dark indigo fabric. Teenagers once more looked to celebrities like music stars, feature on television channels aimed specifically at teenagers such as mTV, for inspiration.

In the 2010s, preppy fashion was back in once again, but with a 2010 specific twist- the hipster. Hipsters loved flannel shirts, over sized cardigans and sweaters, graphic prints, and accessories like beanies, fedoras and scarves. Tumblr grew into prominence in this decade, helping fan the rapidly dying embers of the Emo subculture.

The increasingly rapidly changing fashion of our current decade means teens today have a host of subcultures, or “cores” as they call them to draw from. The beginning of the decade was marked by the covid-19 pandemic leaving many teenagers to grow up largely isolated from peers. Social media played a big role in keeping them connected as well as encouraging the growth (and subsequent quick death) of different styles, like e-boys and girls, alt fashion, coquette etc. Teenagers of the 2020s undoubtedly have the most freedom to play with fashion than has ever existed.

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Dear Brother,

It brought a smile on my face when I received your letter. Of course I dread what it means for this war if we have now joined in but I was gladdened to hear you’d signed up. If you are posted anywhere near Copperdale, do send another letter so we might reunite!

I’d actually been meaning to write for a while. I have some news, good I hope. I am a married man now! I know, it was a surprise to me as well. I suppose time makes husbands out of even the most hardened bachelors. Anyway, Hillary and I wed just last month. It was a very plain affair, just her folks (they think I’m Italian, can you believe that? It’s the only way they’d have agreed to it) and a few fellas from the squad. I’ve sent enclosed a few photographs from our day.

And now onto less glad things, I hear what you say about your worries about our sister and the bank. I’d have made the same decision and it’s a smart choice to give the money from the sale over to Willa. Hopefully, Frank can at last man up in this regard and look after her and dear aunt Nell too. Do let me know if you hear from Nesto anytime soon, he hasn’t been responding to my letters.

Your (married!) brother,

Sly