kingdomofwildwood

[kingdomofwildwood]

I didn't get too many photos of the Shepherds' house, but it's the nice, bucolic, peaceful kind of small farmer cottage you'd expect. A well-stocked kitchen, a cozy sitting area, some pokey but largely nice bedrooms upstairs, and a paddock for the sheep...

[kingdomofwildwood]

Meet Aimee Shepherd.

Aimee is the smartest person in this house, to her deep and eternal chagrin.

Aimee doesn't want to inherit the sheep farm. She wants to go off to college in some far away land, come back to Wildwood, and start a university. It's a job that Brighton thinks is suitable for women, yes, but it's one that will get her out of here and let her broaden her horizons, and maybe even meet that special someone she quietly dreams of meeting someday.

Here's the problem: Aimee is the only one qualified to manage the sheep farm.

Brighton's getting on in years. He can't keep track of figures as well as he used to. And he can't adapt, at all. The way he does things will be the way he does things until the day he dies. Athol can herd sheep, but he can't handle sick sheep... or dead sheep... or changes in how the sheep need to be handled. He can do what he's told, but he can't be inventive.

Money is wretchedly tight, and getting tighter by the year. Someone has to do something. And it might as well be Aimee, right?

Except... no one will listen to her. Brighton thinks she's a stupid little girl who needs to be protected; Athol mostly follows Brighton's lead.

Aimee feels stuck, and angry, and like she's watching her entire life unravel. And she knows- all too well- that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

[kingdomofwildwood]

Meet Athol Shepherd.

Athol is a simple man. He likes a good horse. He likes a good song. He likes to sit on the fence and watch the world go by. And he likes, more than anything, to go home and stay there.

He's not the sharpest shearer in the shed, but he's kind (when he notices he should be) and well-meaning (when he means anything at all), and for most people, that'd be enough to give them a decent life. Unfortunately, Athol is the heir to the Shepherd's farm, and is going to have to learn things. Business, animal husbandry, the 'three Rs'... And he's good at none of them. Folks in the village say he's going to have to find a good woman, and soon, or the farm is cooked.

Athol thinks, sometimes, that the only reason he got adopted is that he's a Hero. Sims with unnaturally coloured hair are said to be heroes, favoured by the Watcher to do great deeds. Athol wants to believe this is true, wants to with all his heart-- but he just can't see himself doing anything heroic any time soon.

Will his ~heroic nature~ win out, or is Athol doomed to watch his dad's legacy crumble around him?

[kingdomofwildwood]

Meet Brighton Shepherd.

The problem with Brighton is that he's set in his ways, and, fundamentally, a very selfish person.

You'd never guess that, looking at him. This man adopted not one, but two, war orphans. He's kind to them, by the standards of the time and place. He treats them like his own. He's very proper and respectable to the ladies in town, and unlike certain farmers, Matt, he's never done anything with them that'd raise eyebrows.

Unfortunately... Brighton mostly wants children so that he can have a support for his old age and to give him grandchildren in the years to come. He's trying to raise the two of them to take over his sheep farm... and to do it the way he thinks is right.

He's also ... profoundly old-fashioned, believing girls should be sheltered from the hard things in life and shouldn't do nasty things like, say, run the family business. This is in NO WAY going to cause his children SO MANY PROBLEMS LATER.

Finally, Brighton's got some secrets. They're nothing earth-shattering-- nothing anyone would bat an eye at-- but he's determined to take them to his grave.

Next up, we've got our heir...

[kingdomofwildwood]

Meet the Shepherds.

The Shepherds, on first blush, look like a fairly prosperous yeoman family. Brighton, an aging bachelor, adopted two teenage war orphans who call themselves 'twins' despite looking nothing alike; they came to Wildwood to find more and better pasture for their sheep.

On second glance... oh, boy. The Shepherds are a mess, and the only reason no one's noticed it yet is that Aimee has been working her tail feathers off to make sure of it.

Let's dig in, shall we?

[kingdomofwildwood]

...And Kinov the time cop returns in the dead of night, with a present for the family.

An incredibly expensive, incredibly stolen vase, that could raise them from humble chicken farmers to something greater.

What will Nina do with it?

Well, we'll have to wait and see, because the Cuccos' rotation's over!

We're moving onto the Yeoman families now! Starting with one of my favourites...

[kingdomofwildwood]

As the round comes to an end, two things have become clear. Lahna has a plan to get out of here. She's going to marry into Renna's family, whatever it takes!

[kingdomofwildwood]

"LAAAAAARS! Mom says it's MY turn on the climbing wall!!!"

[kingdomofwildwood]

Oh, Catboy-Business-Reviewer-kun, we've got to fix you.

Those khaki shorts just... do not go with the world we've established here.

[kingdomofwildwood]

Lars is so excited to meet all these new people and can't wait to help mind the store in a few years.

[kingdomofwildwood]

(Hey friends- I'm sorry I've been so absent lately, but I've recently become a full-time student and haven't had time to spend on anything much!

I'm hoping to start updating Wildwood regularly again soon- I'm going to add a bunch of stuff to the queue today. I've been inspired a ton by Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, so hopefully I'll have some CC for you too.)

[kingdomofwildwood]

Inside, Punch Bonemeal is disgruntled.

"I CAN'T FIND THE BEAVER!!"

That does seem to be a recurring problem for you.

Behind the shop counter, Nina remembers she left the house door unlocked...

[kingdomofwildwood]

I don't care if you build, gameplay, story tell, create custom content -- or all of the above. If you're over the age of 30 -- reblog!

[kingdomofwildwood]

Back home, the townie population of Wildwood (such as it is) examines the Cuccos' wares (such as they are).

They've mostly got eggs for sale, with a side of garden veg and a beaver that Locke definitely didn't poach.

We really have to do something about the Catboy Business Reviewer's outfit. It doesn't fit Wildwood at all...

[kingdomofwildwood]

"Do you girls need a chaperone?"

"Graaaaaaan..."

The mood is ruined. Lahna says her goodbyes, and scarpers back home.

[kingdomofwildwood]

And, in a moment of passion, the girls share their first kiss!

[kingdomofwildwood]

Seething in jealousy, Renna takes the initiative!

And it's quite successful!

You would never guess they've only got one bolt from how much they autonomously carry on... without ACR, even.