A New Newcrest

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THE FAMILIES

FROM THE BEGINNING

NEW NEWCREST NEWS

"Gone? What do you mean, he is GONE? Acklay can't be gone! They have to marry, he and Ashley!"

"He just ran away in the night like the coward that he is."

"This is all your fault, if you'd raised that boy right...!"

"What do you mean, this is our fault, if you weren't raising little temptresses by the dozen...!"

"Silence! With Acklay gone, Ashley will just have to bear her shame alone. And now get out of my office!"

"... Young man, his isn’t just a 'mistake' you can shrug off, that you can disregard by saying that you are saved! This is sin with consequences! What was done in secret has brought a life into the world, and now everything is exposed..."

"We always knew that you were trouble, we always knew that you were a bad egg, and now you've brought more shame upon our family! How dare you! How dare you get that girl pregnant, you useless reprobate!"

"I know, Acklay, I'm so sorry... but can't you just go along with it? Nobody believes you, anyway, and the baby needs a father, and we can get married and then once we have a bit of money, we can go away together... I can't take it anymore, Acklay..."

"Thanks for getting that girl pregnant, it's so nice to go back to you being the family fuckup! So much for your stupid idea that you're better than I am!"

"Do you want me to pray with you, Acklay? I know this is a very big thing and a very serious thing, but I believe that you can be saved if you just do the right thing now. You've made a mistake, but we all make mistakes, we all sin, and I believe you'll be a great dad, you have such a kind heart under all that gruffness..."

"How dare you disobey me like that, I am your father, as long as you have your feet under my table you will do what I say. You're lucky that I haven't kicked you out long ago, you're nothing but a mistake. All of my other children have turned out fine, and then there you are, defying me at every turn..."

"I really thought better of you, Acklay. I'm not mad, I'm just very disappointed, you were always my favorite little boy in the world and it hurts so much to know that you're not as good as I thought you were..."

"ENOUGH!"

Ashley,

I can't do this. I just can't. I'm sorry that you're in trouble but I can't go through with marrying you. Those people... they all hate me, they all disdain me, they all think they'd be better off without me, so I'm giving them what they want. I'm leaving. Don't try to find me.

Acklay

"I cannot believe that I am here again!"

"I can't believe I'm here, either."

"Curb your attitude, Acklay! This is exactly what I've been expecting from you. The fruits of your spirit have been rotten from the time you were a young boy, and the whole church knows it. You should be grateful that your parents have taken care of you for so long, and endured the burden that you are!"

"It's not my baby! I swear, Ashley and I have never... she just told everyone! She's lying!"

"Of course you would deny the consequences of your wicked deeds, like the sinner that you are!"

"But it's not my fault...!"

"SILENCE!"

"Hah!"

"Frank, Suzie, your glee is premature. I can't believe another of your daughters has fallen pregnant out of wedlock! Your family is causing one scandal after the other, and while you claim to be raising children for the Watcher, I cannot help but think that something must be wrong with your faith and your training of your children! Five children grown up, and only ONE of them displays the proper obedience to the commandments of the Watcher! And Kayleigh got married so young that the credit for that should go to the Bell family that also raised my excellent wife!"

"But we've done nothing but follow the Watcher's commands...!"

"If you had, we would not be in this situation. There is just one solution. Acklay has to marry the little slut."

"Ashley Rogers, are you PREGNANT?"

"Of course not, mom, what would give you that idea?"

"You look pregnant! And you're gaining weight and you're sick, and you've never been sick a day in your life."

"Maybe I should go to the doctor?"

"No. You're gonna pee on this pregnancy test, right now."

"All right. If you'd just give it to me, and I'll go..."

"No. You're a sneaky one. I'm going to watch."

"Mom!"

"You will obey!"

One extremely uncomfortable bathroom trip later...

"ASHLEY ROGERS! How DARE YOU! After all your sister put us through! How dare you besmirch the family name like that! Do you know what the people at church will say! I'll never live this down, first Kayleigh, then Leanne, now you... they'll say that I'm raising sluts!"

"..."

"You've dishonored the Watcher with your choices, you have dishonored your father, wait until he gets home and finds out about this! Another daughter pregnant, I cannot believe it, you're just a little slut like your sisters. I have no idea where you've learned things like that, we're a WATCHER-HONORING FAMILY! This would never have happened if you were just behaving as you ought, you little reprobate..."

"..."

"Have you nothing to say for yourself?"

"No, ma'am."

"Who's the father of this little bastard?"

"..."

"WHO, ASHLEY!"

"..."

"TELL ME NOW OR YOUR FATHER WILL BEAT IT OUT OF YOU!"

"... Acklay Miller."

"Acklay... I need your help."

"What now?"

"I'm pregnant."

"WHAT? HOW?"

"Well, there was this guy... or rather, a few guys... at the club, and I think what we did was what makes babies, even though I didn't know that at the time, and, well..."

"Ashley... what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I just don't know. Maybe I can get an abortion? With the way everyone at church goes on about them, they can't be that hard to get, right?"

"But that would..."

"Don't say a word about me killing my baby. I know I'll go to hell for this. But I'd rather go to hell later than live in hell now."

From Ashley Rogers' Diary

I haven't been feeling well lately. I feel so sick and I'm so tired and I don't even want to go out and dance and have fun anymore... but I don't know what's wrong with me. It must be something with my stomach, making food for my family makes me so sick, I have to pee all the time, and on top of that, I'm so sick that I even missed my period!

Later that day...

"Ashley Rogers! Why are you puking all the time! What is wrong with you! I swear, if you've gotten yourself pregnant like your useless sister did..."

Under her breath... "Oh, shit..."

From Ashley Rogers' Diary

I'm seventeen, and I can't wait until I can get out of my parents' trailer. I feel so trapped here! Everyone looks the same, everyone thinks the same, everyone tells me what to do, how I have to think, how I have to be, and I just can't take it anymore. My parents say that I'm under their authority until I get married, but I don't want to get married. Look what my sisters got when they got married! More work, more babies, more people they need to please. I don't want that. I feel like I'm breaking.

Acklay Miller is the only one from church who understands me. I don't care that everyone at church thinks he's trouble, he's the only one who understands and we hang out when my parents make me go to church and to Youth Group. I just need one single person who doesn't talk about the Watcher all day every day!

Sneaking out at night into nightclubs gives me this tiny bit of freedom, but it's not enough. It's just not enough. I feel a bit better when boys give me attention and buy me drinks, but it's not enough. And when I go back home after a night away it hurts even more to be trapped again. But I don't want to stop.

From Leanne Miller's Prayer Journal

When I first found out that I was expecting and then got married to Ashton, I thought that was the end of the world, I was so ashamed of myself for what I have done, for how I have sinned against You, Watcher. But You have thought me that we truly can be refined and sanctified by our hardships, and if we give everything to You in the bad times as well as the good, we can be forgiven and even rewarded.

While my husband still is not a kind man, I have a precious little baby to take care of, and kind and wonderful new brothers and sisters-in-law. My brother Acton is so kind to me, and he showed me the library that is now one of my favorite places. There are so many books and I love reading so much, it's so much fun and it's so interesting and I'm learning so much. Acton doesn't have much time to read, but I always make sure that I take care of returning his books, and picking up his new ones. My brothers-in-law Alden and Arden, who run the gardening service where Ashton works, have been trusting me more and more with taking customer calls, and when they're especially busy (and they're always busy!), I take over the scheduling and some other administrative tasks for them so they can do what men do best, work very hard. And my sister Rose is such a blessing, she helps me take care of baby Treyton when I'm working, and I value her kindness and her friendship so dearly.

Truly, Watcher, you have blessed me, and I am so grateful for all that you have given me!

Dear Lily,

I still miss you so much, ever since you moved to Strangerville, but it's such a joy to have my sister-in-law Leanne in the house! She's such a wonderful young lady and she is such a diligent wife to Ashton, even though Ashton is not making it easy for her to keep sweet and submit to him at all (you know what he is like).

She loves reading and learning so much, and you know I'm not good with that, but with Leanne, I don't feel left out. She loves the library, but she always brings back books that I'm interested in, too, and when I'm taking care of baby Treyton for her, or doing chores, she reads to us both and we talk about what we read, whether it's the Holy Book or something not quite as difficult to understand (but of course less important).

I've missed you and Daisy so much because Acacia is so little and she's so busy with her music and with Adair and it's so lovely to finally have a sister again, and a baby to take care of!

Love you (and still hope I can come visit you one day soon!)

Rose

"Ashton, the business phone is ringing... oh!"

"I'm sorry, Ashton went out with Mason."

"But the phone...! We can't just...!"

"Give it here!"

"But you can't...!"

"Miller Family Lawn Service, Leanne Miller speaking, how can I be of service? ... Yes, ma'am, we take care of lawns! ... Would you like to schedule a consultation with one of the Mr Millers so he can look at your lawn and discuss your lawn care needs with you? ... Wonderful, I will schedule you for Sunday after church. Of course, I agree, church is so very important, we wouldn't miss it for the world. ... Allow me to take down your name, address and phone number? ... Wonderful. Thank you very much, ma'am, we're looking forward to doing business with you."

"Wow. Leanne, wow. I could never! How did you do that?"

"I just listened to Alden and Arden doing it ten thousand times."

"But still... wow. You're so good at this!"

"I feel so cooped up! Don't get me wrong, your family is lovely and I really like how they've welcomed me with open arms, but sometimes I just want a bit of space, and in this weather, I can't go to the park!"

"What about the library, Leanne?"

"The library? I don't know, Acton, what am I supposed to do there?"

"They have a nice play corner for kids, and it's really, really quiet, and nobody bothers you there. And maybe you can even find a book or two that you like? I loved going there when I was still in school and felt like everything at home was too much for me, and I'm so sad that I don't have the time anymore."

"I don't know... it sounds really complicated."

"Not at all, I can show you! Come on!"

"Oh wow! I've never seen so many books in one place before!"

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

"And it's so quiet...! And all the toys...!"

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Oh... I don't know, I'm not big on books."

"That's not all the library offers! We also lend out videos, toys, and gardening equipment, to name just a few things, and even if you're not a big reader, maybe you'd be interested in some cookbooks? Or some picture books with simple stories so the little man can fall asleep better?"

"That would be nice!"

"There's also our knitting circles, our gardening group, our canning society, and our Holy Book study. Or you can just come in and sit for a bit in a calm and quiet place if things get overwhelming outside, or if you need a place to nurse your baby."

"But what does it cost?"

"Do you live in Newcrest?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then all our services are free of charge for you."

"Wow."

"Priscilla, now that Dorothea is a bit older... I'm sure you'll be drawn to her, and want to take care of her more. Look how adorable she is! And she is asking for mama!"

"Theresa, you know I'm busy with Simtube. And she's such good friends with Blanche, I'd hate to break that up."

"But Priscilla, it must be your natural motherly instinct to take care of your baby! You can't just give her to me, or to her aunts, to take care of her. You must want to spend time with her! It's the Watcher-ordained order of things!"

"Maybe in a bit... but right now, I'm so wiped out and I really can't take care of her. I'm expecting again! And I feel terrible. It's really all I can do to keep up with Simtube and promote Max's books!"

From Priscilla Sawyer's Simtube

My darling friends, I am so happy to announce that I'm expecting again! Being a wife and a mother truly is the highest calling for a Watcher-honoring woman, and I cannot wait to hold another sweet, precious baby in my mama arms!

Meanwhile...

"Mama hug?"

"Go away, and bother your aunt."

I don't know... maybe I'm just lucky? I even started playing in German and then switched to English around 2022, and it all works just fine for some unfathomable reason.

I try to keep my mods folder small-ish and manageable-ish, around 650MB currently, mostly gameplay mods and some modest CC. And I upgraded from my gaming laptop to a proper gaming PC a number of years ago (I think if you look closely you see the image quality go up), that helps, too. It's currently about 110 living played Sims, 106 on the family tree, a few dead ones, and a few recurring characters like Lily's poor OB/GYN who tries to explain in vain that birth control does not murder babies. And I turned culling off because I enjoy an illusion of being in control, so there's a lot of Sims, and everything is fine.

I am deeply scarred by Sims 2 legacy gameplay, though (did you know that your save could corrupt, until your game became unplayable?), and I have made contingency plans to move all the fundies to a new fresh save if necessary via the gallery, and even split the save game into two if it becomes truly unmanageable.

From Maxwell Sawyer's Blog

My daughter Blanche and my granddaughter by my son Maxwell Dorothea have also left their cribs behind and are quickly becoming little young ladies who need to be taught modesty and fear of the Watcher. They are the exact same age and are growing up more as sisters rather than as aunt Blanche and niece Dorothea, and as their mothers are both busy with their responsibilities in taking care of their families and spreading the word of the Watcher, my daughters are the ones mainly taking care of them. It is great training for them, for when they will have their own families one day.

I am still not convinced that pants are appropriate attire for grown-up women, but on a girl as young as Dorothea, and with pants as modest as her overalls, my daughter-in-law Priscilla has persuaded me that there will be no harm. The skirts-only standard of course still applies to my own daughters.

What does the wife think of this? Like, is she jealous of the attention given to her daughters? Happy her husband is leaving her alone? That’s gotta be a weird marital dynamic!

Max Sr is big on the emotional incest, unquestionable adoration and devotion from the assigned female at birth children is, after all, one of the perks of the cult. Disgusting.

Unfortunately, Max Sr will not agree to Anne marrying Acton, like, ever, but my girl Anne is going to yeet herself out of her family in a very fun and enjoyable part of the plot that I've been looking forward to for years! And she's gonna have help and it will be a whole thing.

From Maxwell Sawyer's Blog

It is so important to train up your children the right way, and to make it known early on what will be required in their adult lives. Just as I am raising my sons to be leaders and providers, I am nurturing the soft, feminine qualities of servitude and submissiveness in my daughters.

My daughter Henrietta is ten, and part of her chores every day is greeting daddy with a smile and a kiss when I come home from work, and making sure that I have everything I need during the day. She might offer to listen to my cares at work, or offer to bring me a snack, or sing hymns for me so that I can forget the wicked sinfulness of the world, or give me a back rub, just like she would with her husband.

Her sister Margaret, who was my little helper before Henrietta, is giving her tips, and I am pleased with how close both girls still are, even though Margaret is now more involved with caring for the babies in the household along with her sister Anne.

Why am I emotionally invested in the pixel people being happy. How dare you.

If Sharon went for a lavender courtship, her sister Chelsea (who's currently living her best life in Oasis Springs after she graduated from Foxbury Institute) would probably break some land-speed record in her quest to get her out of there. Also, another episode of her screaming at Mark like he's the world's dumbest, most clueless man, which, frankly, he richly deserves (Chelsea telling men that they are stupid is probably the most satisfying genre of post in this entire blog, and she's gonna pop up periodically to tell her father that he's a moron).