Claire Keane
@theartofmadeline
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RMH
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Today's Document
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hello vonnie
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i don't do bad sauce passes
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@persimmonsimmer
Welcome! I play with sims and like to write stories about their lives. Ongoing project: Panorama Build-A-City Challenge.
My rules Panorama chrono Panorama extras
Jump to beginning of round: Prologue | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7
Panorama summaries: Year 1 (Prologue) Summary | Year 2 (Rounds 1-6) Summary
Also slowly building Barge Harbor.
Other links: Archive | Ask
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Under Oath, Over Coffee with Raquel and Hannah Devareaux
Ep. 2 - The Woman in the Culvert
Recorded 10 Autumn · Transcript generated by listener auto-caption software, Air date 11 Autumn
[00:00:02 — intro music: soft acoustic guitar]
RAQUEL: Good morning, welcome, welcome in. You’re listening to Under Oath, Over Coffee. I’m Raquel—
HANNAH: —and I’m Hannah. We're the Devareauxs - wives, not sisters, bringing you our True Crime podcast where we focus on the imperfect victims.
RAQUEL: Because everyone deserves a voice! Okay, so to get into this week’s case, we’ve got a listener email that gave us both a little cause for pause.
HANNAH: This week's email comes to us from Lydia Cowan of Barge Harbor - Lydia writes: “Heyyy ladies! I love your show — you two are simply too cute. Have you been keeping up on the Vandersen murder? I don’t know if it’s even worth talking about — the murderer is so obviously that Carl guy… I heard he’d been brought in for questioning, so I assume they’re about to nail him. Anyway, if you two do end up covering the case, I’ll be listening! Love from a big fan, Lydia Cowan.”
RAQUEL: Aw, Lydia! Lydia, thank you for writing in- you're too sweet! (laughter) But wow, you jumped straight to handcuffs!
HANNAH: Yeah, I think we can pump the breaks just a little. And to answer your question, yes - yes we have been keeping up with the Vandersen case. The investigation is still early, it's active - so active that we actually have to be really careful with how we talk about it. As of this broadcast, nobody’s been charged, and a lot of the evidence we're seeing so far surrounding individual people would be circumstantial at best.
RAQUEL: But you're not saying anything that a lot of other people aren't thinking. So we're going to talk about this case together today, unpack the facts we have so far, and see where we land.
HANNAH: So make sure you have your coffee ready, and as always, we'll start with the most important person to the story.
RAQUEL: At the center of it all - 36-year-old Gretchen Ruby Vandersen.
HANNAH: She’d lived in New Traddery most of her life. Her family moved here when she was a little girl, but she grew up here in the subdivision of Wholesome Heights. The Vandersens were Global Aspirationalists — they attended Our Lady of Aspiration, not the First Aspirational Church, but she still attended New Traddery School. Her parents, Carolyn and Peter, wanted her to feel comfortable with the other local children as they assimilated into the community as a family.
RAQUEL: Unlike most of her classmates who went on to Traddery University, Gretchen went straight to work. She found a job with Roth Media, writing ad copy for inserts -you know, those free grocery and retail flyers you find stuffed in your mailbox?
HANNAH: She’d been especially close to her dad, Peter Vandersen, who passed away while she was still a teenager. Her mother, Carolyn, has said she always worried that Gretchen went looking for father figures after that. The men who fathered her two children were both married, and Carolyn believed Gretchen was drawn to people she could never really have.
RAQUEL: But she wasn’t defined by tragedy. Her friends describe her as cheerful, optimistic, and as cliche as it sounds, the type who lit up a room just by walking in. She wanted everyone to feel welcome. She was the first person to talk to you at a party, but she’d actually remember your name a week later.
HANNAH: She never worried too much about social hierarchies or local politics. Gretchen gave everyone a chance, but friends speculate that sometimes she seemed to misunderstand boundaries. That openness was part of what made her so loved, but it also left her vulnerable.
RAQUEL: She enjoyed the party life, drawn to the energy, the late nights, and the people. And like plenty of others, she got caught up in it a little too much. There were struggles with substance use and addiction, but even through all of that, she stayed committed to her job, never missed a day until those early days of summer, right before she disappeared.
HANNAH: As her mother explained to us, "she could see the neon lights, but missed the warning signs." She loved getting out and about, meeting new people, soaking up vibes, but she didn’t always see the danger in certain situations. She trusted easily, sometimes too easily.
RAQUEL: I hate that phrase, Hannah. I know what you mean when you say it but - we should be able to trust other people. Trust should be normal. But yeah, it’s easy now to get caught between those two images of Gretchen Vandersen - the bright, welcoming young woman that everyone adored, and the woman who’d started to seem a little sadder and a little more desperate to be seen.
HANNAH: Gretchen was also a single mom, leaving behind two children.
[00:07:11 — bumper music: soft acoustic guitar]
RAQUEL: So let's talk through what’s been confirmed through released reports and official statements. She was last seen on 6 Summer, leaving her neighborhood, Sunny Wood Heights, on foot.
On 6 Autumn, around five in the morning, a neighbor heading to work noticed something near the drainage culvert by Sunny Wood Park. Patrol officers responded and found Gretchen Vandersen.
HANNAH: Identification was made by her mother, Carolyn Vandersen. The medical examiner confirmed homicide — multiple stab wounds causing blood loss and internal injury. Estimated time of death: 6 Summer, roughly a week before discovery.
RAQUEL: Gretchen had been reported missing on 3 Autumn after failing to pick up her son from daycare. Carl Green contacted Carolyn, and she filed the Missing Person Report that same day.
HANNAH: That report became case number 05 MPR 0207. The classification changed to homicide on 6 Autumn after the body was found.
RAQUEL: Now, about the assumption that Carl is the prime suspect.... So currently, the evidence doesn't really point to that. We know he was interviewed during the missing-person phase and again after the reclassification, and that's actually normal procedure.
HANNAH: And look, according to a source close to the investigation, one that we can't reveal just now but stay tuned... Carl has already been cleared. And it makes sense to me, at least - he gave investigators a lot of information that can be corroborated, backed up by security footage, cash register logs, phone records, so if there was anything out of place, investigators would have everything they need to make their move.
RAQUEL: But for anyone confused by seeing his name written different ways, the variation comes from how names appear on estate documents in New Traddery. Some families here have what are known of as "Legacy Estates," so it's not uncommon to see partners' last names align with whoever is set to inherit that estate, so their children will have the last name, as well.
HANNAH: Exactly - it's a New Traddery thing. One name for work, the other for home. But yes, right now, the case has no suspect named publicly and no weapon recovered, but we know that there are several Persons of Interest still to be interviewed, and more evidence to gather.
[00:14:43 — bumper music: soft acoustic guitar]
RAQUEL: So, we've talked about what we do know - let’s talk about what we don't know. What are the bigger questions still out there in the investigation?
HANNAH: The first thing that I'm asking: how did she end up in that culvert? The site’s only a short walk from her front door, but the condition of the scene suggests she didn’t make it there on her own.
RAQUEL: Right. Investigators found indentations in the ground that looked like something with wheels, maybe a dolly or carry-cart, was used to move her body. There were also signs that whoever did it tried, at least briefly, to bring her back toward her house first.
HANNAH: Which raises a question - why abandon that and switch direction? Was it physical weakness? Where they short on time? Neither? Both?
RAQUEL: The idea that someone started to move her toward her home and then gave up says a lot. It takes panic to start that kind of job and then quit halfway through. And plus, there’s the missing weapon.
HANNAH: The ME's report said a knife, right? No knife has been recovered so far, but retail checks have been going out.
RAQUEL: We also can’t ignore the family connections. Gretchen’s brother, Kyler Vandersen, works for NTPD. He’s already recused himself from the case, which you have to respect, but that’s a brutal position for anyone to be in.
HANNAH: It’s unthinkable, really. To go to work every day knowing your sister’s case file is sitting in the same building. And while all that was happening, her little boy Hugh turned another year older — celebrated his birthday without his mom, while she was still officially missing.
RAQUEL: That one hurts. And it’s easy to see how the family’s been protective since then.
HANNAH: Which brings us back to speculation. People keep circling Carl because he’s the name they know, but Gretchen was a mother of two.
If we’re going to theorize, we can’t ignore the second father — Dr. Alon Wood.
RAQUEL: That's right. He’s a respected physician, he's part of the Wood family, direct descendant of William Key Traddery, but that doesn’t make him untouchable. It's interesting that he doesn't raise eyebrows like Carl Green does. Not saying I suspect him or anything like that - it's just... Hannah, you know where I'm going with this?
HANNAH: I know exactly where you're going with this. I think it's natural- we focus on the familiar name and miss the opportunity to ask important questions. We don't know what we don't know, right?
RAQUEL: Well, I was thinking more along the line of class perception and socio-economics, but sure. I think at this stage, every possibility’s still on the table.
[00:23:33 — bumper music: soft acoustic guitar]
RAQUEL: As for now, we’ll keep watching for updates from NTPD and the Boolprop County Sheriff’s Office. If you live near Sunny Wood Park or were in that area around 6 Summer to 3 Autumn, please share what you know with the authorities.
HANNAH: And please remember Gretchen as more than a headline. She was a daughter, a mother, a neighbor, and from what we can tell, a joyful friend.
RAQUEL: But that wraps us up for the week. Thank you again to Lydia Cowan - if you're in Barge Harbor, go pay her a visit at The Speckled Lobster! And thank you to all of you for listening and watching week after week. And as always, keep your hearts open—
HANNAH: —and your coffee strong!
[00:25:00 — outro music fade-out · recording ends]
@persimmonsimmer
Panorama round 7
We made it to the end of round 6!!!
Now, how do we move forward from here? As I mentioned, I do have a plan for moving the next bit of Panorama's plot along slightly faster than round 6's two-plus-IRL-year span. The plan: time skip!
I'm going to play through round 7 as normal, except that I won't be writing posts. The next Panorama post I make will be the start of round 8. This will equal roughly a four-in-game-year time skip.
Just to make something clear: I do not mean to suggest, in skipping round 7, that round 8 is when all the mysteries will be answered. Round 7 is a convenient block of time for me to skip simply because I don't think doing so has the potential to derail the overarching story.
The writing part of all of this is what slows me down, much as I love it. And my slow pace means that for the past two-plus years I've hardly actually played The Sims. So I'm looking forward to playing at a faster pace for just a little while, with the benefit that at the end of it we'll be four in-game years further along.
That said, I'm also looking forward to returning to form in round 8 and catching you all up on what you've missed. That should be a lot of fun, I think. Half the fun for me (at least) is in the writing--I have no doubt that it's because of this little story of mine that Panorama has become my longest-lived neighborhood by far, and it's why I love it and all its sims to pieces.
So there will be a gap in my Panorama posting for a while, but I'll still be around, liking your posts and maybe posting a Barge Harbor build or two.
See you for round 8!
tag! list 5 facts about your favorite sim. then, send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore.
Thanks for tagging me! It's been a few weeks because I needed some time to reacquaint myself with my sims before I felt able to come up with five facts about one of them. But now, here are five facts about:
Yesenia Morales (After the most recent Morales II round, is anyone surprised?)
Yesenia is the most outgoing of the Morales sisters, with 7 outgoing points. She's also very serious. She's often felt out of place in her family and overlooked by her parents and siblings.
She's dreamed of running her own business since she was a teen, but she never had a solid idea what kind of business she'd like it to be. Just that she wants to do something useful and make it a success.
After a string of terrible dates, she'd recently been on a couple of decent ones with a trader named Sabrina Cleary. She was hopeful that her relationship with Sabrina might turn into something real, so when Sabrina turned down Yesenia's invitation to Leonor's wedding it hurt more than she'd like to admit.
More than many of her fellow Panoramans, you could say Yesenia was born in the wrong place and at the wrong time. She's extremely interested in culture and entertainment; if she'd been more fortunate, she would have loved to live in a big city, where she could have attended sophisticated parties and soaked up all the art and music her heart desired. Like her father, she's especially interested in music--I imagine she would've been a frequent symphony-goer if she had the option.
She does not want children.
Panorama Year 2 Family Portraits
Coulson
(L to R) Meda Coulson, Jeremy, Idara Coulson, Iris Coulson
Fuentes-Haddad
(L to R) Mariam Fuentes-Haddad, Walter Fuentes-Haddad, Nadya Fuentes-Haddad, Farah Fuentes-Haddad
Campbell / Jones
(Back row, L to R) Anna Jones, Trevor Jones, Justin Campbell
(Front row, L to R) James Campbell, Joanna Campbell
Pet: Riley
Morales
(Back row, L to R) Cintia Morales, Domingo Morales, Citlali Morales
(Front row, L to R) Nancy Morales, Miguel Morales
Pets (L to R): Sylvie, Pippy, Smokey, Cecil, Bandit
Campbell-Chen
(L to R) Peter Campbell, Phoebe Campbell, Hannah Chen
Pet: Tibby (not pictured)
Morales II / Sprong
(L to R) Alvin Sprong, Leonor Sprong, Yesenia Morales
Worth
Carl Worth
Tipton
(L to R) Sam Tipton, Robin Tipton
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Panorama Year 2 (Rounds 1 - 6) Summary, part 2
Spoilers for round 6 under the Read More.
Panorama Year 2 (Rounds 1 - 6) Summary, part 1
For a year 1 summary, see this post.
Lots has happened in Panorama's second "year," which here means one four-season cycle. Let's look back on the highlights!
Tumblr refused to let me save this post when I tried to cover everything in one, so it's coming to you in two parts. Spoilers for rounds 1 through 5 under the Read More.
Round 6 ROS
COULSON Minor: New Haircut: Choose a new hairstyle.
Idara got a new hairstyle with a little help from Iris.
Major: n/a
FUENTES-HADDAD Minor: n/a Major: Nothing Major: Life goes on as normal. Town: The Greatest Idea: Establish a new public park (any kind) for the community’s enjoyment.
Founder's Square was due for a makeover, so I chose to have Nadya revamp it with Carl's help even though the choice meant Panorama wasn't technically getting a new community lot. Before the renovation, Founder's Square was nothing more than an overgrown lot with a well, so now there's a lot more reason to visit. A new fountain commemorates the location of the old well. Side note: All through round 6 I've been aware of how few hangout spots there are in Panorama. The only community lots are a few businesses, a few parks, and a few municipal buildings. I'm really hoping to add some more fun places for my sims to visit before much longer, even if that means bending a BACC rule or two. More on that later, perhaps.
WORTH Minor: n/a Major: Nothing Major: Life goes on as normal.
MORALES I There's always plenty going on in this house, so I didn't roll for a scenario.
CAMPBELL-CHEN I didn't roll a scenario for this household this round, but they had one to carry over from the last round. Minor (continued from round 5): New Hobby. Your sim takes up a new hobby. Over the next three rotations, have them earn a gold talent badge in a new skill.
This was round two of three for Peter to work on his gold fishing talent badge. I'm not sure he'll reach a gold badge next round--I'd probably have to make him fish almost constantly. But I think fishing brings him peace, so he'll continue even after this scenario concludes.
CAMPBELL Minor: Blind Dating: Your sim must go on d4 blind dates.
I rolled a one, so the chosen sim, Trevor, had to go on only a single blind date. Nancy set him up with a trader named Austin, who once upon a time went on a single date with her sister Leonor. The actual date was extremely short-lived, but that doesn't mean things are over between Trevor and Austin.
Minor (continued from round 5): Write a Novel.
Anna continued working on her manuscript.
Major: Nothing Major: Life goes on as normal.
MORALES II I didn't roll a scenario for this household.
TIPTON Sam and Robin were part of Carl's household this round, so they didn't get their own ROS roll.
----------------------------------------
All in all, a very quiet round as far as ROS drama goes! Just one new hairstyle, one new (old) park, and one blind date.
round 6 postscript: election
Panorama's second-ever election day arrived, and Nadya won easily. She had been running unopposed again, so it was no surprise. Yet turnout was lower than it had been for the first election. It was a trend Nadya wanted to reverse.
It was time for the big announcement.
She knew it wouldn't be popular with everyone--at least not right away. Meda Coulson, in particular, had made it clear that she expected the building of a clinic to be the town's next big project, and she had her supporters. But Nadya also knew they would fall in line once they saw the results. It just had to work, and go passably smoothly.
Not too tall an order, is it?
Here goes nothing.
"Thank you, everyone, for joining me here today. I'm honored to be entering my second term as your mayor, and I wanted to begin my term with an announcement.
"I'm proud to have seen Panorama make several great strides during my first term. We opened a school, where many of our children have received their education--mine included. And we installed a town-wide water treatment and plumbing system, allowing clean water to be pumped directly to our homes.
"Now is the time for another bold step toward making Panorama the most advanced, desirable place to live since the Before times. As my next project, I will be overseeing the building of an electrical grid and power plant, with the assistance of Carl Worth and his team of builders and engineers."
There was muttering in her audience at that, and a smattering of applause. Nadya ignored both.
"It's my promise to all of you that before we gather here again for our next election, Panorama will be powered by electricity, leading the way for more growth for our businesses, more opportunities for our children, more safety for our families, and more prosperity for everyone.
"This is my goal, and it's what I'll be working toward every day of my next term. To make Panorama the thriving heart of this region, as we all know it can be.
"Thank you."
Yesenia was in no mood for company, but she didn't have much choice.
She stood to the side, fidgeting uncomfortably, while Citlali and Leonor spoke animatedly about the events of Leonor's wedding.
“—totally not your fault, I mean how could you have known?”
“—really am sorry, though, Lele. I thought we could be friends, but after that . . . I really feel for him, but—”
“I say just stay away, Lali. He’ll drag you down with him. You have to, like, save yourself.”
“Yesenia?”
She jumped, but it was just her father. Holding a gift box.
“Dad? What's this?”
“It's yours. The deed to your mom's store, like we talked about, remember? I wanted to give it to you at the wedding, but I couldn't find you there toward the end.”
A painful lump had risen in Yesenia's throat, difficult to speak around.
“I thought you'd forgotten.”
“How could I? You didn't really think your mom and I would gift Leonor a new business and have nothing for you, did you?”
Yesenia blinked back tears. “I thought— because I wasn't getting married— Dad, I don't deserve it.”
“No need for tears, Yessy. Sweetheart. Take it. Make more of it than we ever did. It's yours.”
“I'll try.” Her voice came out as a whisper. “Thank you.”
end of round 6
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"I can't believe how big you've gotten so fast! It really might be twins. Are you prepared for that? It's not easy, you know."
"Al and I will be able to handle it. Don't worry, Mom."
"How are you doing in there? Growing big and strong?" Domingo cooed to Leonor's belly.
"Working on it," Leonor laughed.
"By the way." Domingo looked up from Leonor’s belly. "Your sister--?"
"I don't know. Out somewhere. You might've missed her again, Dad."
"There she is!" Citlali jumped up.
Yesenia froze in the doorway.
"Oh, hey Yessy! We have visitors!"
"I can . . . see that."
"Don't just stand there! It's just Mom and Dad and Lali. Come in!"
"You're not drunk now, are you?" Yesenia demanded.
"What? No, of course not--"
"Then listen. I've had a crush on you forever, not that you ever noticed or cared. I know you're in love with my sister. I just--want you. I'm lonely and frustrated and I need something to take my mind off of everything."
"You--?"
"If you don't want me to kiss you again, say something."
“. . .”
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"Somewhere we won't be seen."
He hesitated. Then he followed.
Just outside the doorway to the Mercantile's cramped bathroom, she paused.
"Just don't. call me. Citlali."
Peter was mute. That was good enough.
The door swung shut behind them.
Peter was restocking when the door jingled.
"We're closed for the day," he said automatically.
"I was hoping you would be."
"Yesenia? Uh--"
"Ah! Ah! Oh yes--"
Again?? In her state??
I can't. I've tried. I can't take this anymore.
"I'm going out! If anyone cares!"
Sensing Leonor was in need of cheering up, later that day Al did his best to distract her with nursery planning.
"So I figure the crib can go against the back wall, and the changing table against this one--"
"And what are we gonna do about your pottery wheel?" Leonor asked.
"Oh, that?" Al smiled sheepishly. "I mean, we don't really have another good place for it . . ."
"I've never seen you use it."
"I absolutely have! Once or twice."
"OK, OK," Leonor laughed. "But can we please find another place for it? Spring's almost here. Maybe it can go outside?"
"I guess that'd work. It probably wouldn't be safe around a toddler, now that you mention it, with all those moving pieces . . . OK, so what about wall color?"
"You're so cute when you're planning for the baby," Leonor interrupted. "Come here."
"I take it you're not in a talking-about-wall-color mood."
"Later. I'm in the mood for something else right now."
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"Ha. I guess you worked up an appetite while you were checking out the new business."
"Mmph. Starving. Constantly." Leonor wiped her mouth. "I might be carrying twins. It's more common if you're a twin yourself, you know."
"Speaking of. I wanted to talk to you. I've been thinking I should move out."
"What?! You can't move out. Why? Are you mad at me?"
"Of course not. But, Lele, this isn't a big house. There's barely enough room for the three of us as it is."
"There's a whole extra bedroom!"
"Come on, Leonor, we all know you're not going to want to stop at one. And I just feel . . . in the way."
"But where will you live?" Leonor's bottom lip wobbled.
"Hey, it's OK. I'll figure it out. I'm not looking to move out right away. I'll need to talk to Dad and Uncle Walter about building another house first. Or I guess I could move back in with Mom and Dad . . ." She winced. She loved her parents, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that. "But anyway. I think it'll be for the best."
"I'll miss you."
You'll have even less thought to spare for me when there's a new baby than you do now.
"I'll miss you, too."
Watcher, I really wish I knew how to do this right.
Breathe in . . .
Breathe out . . .
Clear mind . . . no thoughts . . . just go blank . . .
* * * * *
"Hey! I'm glad I ran into you here today! You heard about my sister's wedding, right? So, I was wondering if you might want to come? Be my date?"
"Yikes. OK, I'm gonna be honest. I'm not that serious about you, and I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Oh. Yeah, all right. . . . See you around?"
"Yeah, I don't know."
* * * * *
Ugh, stop it! Enough!
Focus! Breathe in! . . .
Breathe out! . . .
* * * * *
No! Go. Away.
Be quiet, go away, stop thinking about--
* * * * *
"Agh! Ow! Delete me, this is useless."
