Under the Eye of the Watcher

This blog is satire. I do not agree with any of the beliefs espoused by the characters in this story. This is for the purposes of storytelling and processing my own experiences with fundamentalist Christianity.

Read Generation 1 from the beginning here!

Read Generation 2 in order here!

Find the family tree here (may contain spoilers).

I’ve had this save file for a few years now, as I wanted to have the entire first generation done before I started posting. This means that some major game updates, like infants, won’t be present for a large portion of the first generation. 

I don’t play with any mods or CC, including poses. Due to this the timeline will be a little wonky and I’ll only have eight sims in a household, and I’m still fine-tuning what kind of custom aging I want to use. 

There is also a significant amount of worldbuilding done. The full document can be seen here, but below is a basic rundown:

Unfortunately, she also picked up Beatrice’s toddler habit of disregarding bedtime, which I have very little patience for. Fortunately, I’m getting more sleep now that she’s older and I’m not pregnant again yet, so I can be more thorough in my discipline.

Alan: Hey, Connor, do you want to come do monkey bar drills with me?

Connor: I think I’d rather read another chapter of the Book. 

Samson: We’re going to read more of the Book tonight. Go out with your brother. Alan, make sure his form is correct. 

Alan and Connor: Yes, sir. 

Later that night…

Eden: Beatrice, why isn’t this chicken seasoned?

Beatrice: Sorry, I forgot–

Eden: You forgot? This is your responsibility! You’d better not forget again!

Beatrice: Yes ma’am. I’m sorry ma’am. 

At bedtime…

Thankfully, Connor is now old enough to join the elder twins in the line-up. He’s not as athletic as Alan, and prefers to spend time sitting around reading. Not ideal for a boy, but Samson is determined to fix that by the time he’s an adult.

It was nice seeing all three of them lined up on the couch in their uniforms, being trained up to be warriors for the Watcher’s army, but it was even nicer to pass Connor over to his father for his training.

It was thunderstorming when we got there, so we spent most of the evening in one of the public buildings. Samson took the opportunity to start teaching Alan strategy with the chess table there.

That night was interesting, being in tents in a thunderstorm, but the storm stopped somewhere around three a.m.

In the morning, Samson took the kids to the lake to fish up breakfast. Beatrice was surprisingly good at it, but Alan took longer. Even though Samson had enough fish for all of us, he had Alan stay and keep going until he caught something himself– it’s important to teach the kids that food doesn’t just show up in the supermarket, you have to be able to provide for yourself.

We all cooked our catches on the fire, and I taught Beatrice how to properly prepare the fish. (Alan managed to catch something about half an hour later).

With no littles to take care of, I finally had time to work out without interruption. In the meantime, I had Beatrice start collecting insects to help support our home remedy production.

In the evening we spent some time with the kids playing horseshoes.

Ethan and Dylan have also learned to walk and moved into the toddler room with Connor. Of all of the kids, Dylan is the only one that has inherited Samson’s dark eyes.

And they all aged up just in time for Baptism Day– the first one I’ve had since Samson and I got married where I wasn’t pregnant or in labor, so this time we actually made it all the way down to Oasis Springs.

The Baptism Center was crowded, as usual, but Alan and Beatrice were pretty excited about the indoor pool, as they always are on Baptism Day.

Samson helped each of the toddlers with their Baptism while I essentially just sprinkled some water on Fiona.

Then the adults got our turn. The whole affair is hectic with so many little kids in a public place, but it was nice to have a quiet moment just to myself.

Samson started them with some physical drills, a toned-down version of what new recruits would get in the military.

Then both of the kids helped care for the garden to get them accustomed to farming their own food.

Then they took care of their respective animals.

After that was chore time. While they did their chores, Samson did some flashcards with Connor.

Beatrice also started learning how to make candles, and of course helped me meal prep and set the table while Alan did some more physical training outside.

Once again, the day finished with a Book study session with their father.

We also got some dew collectors and put up an additional fence to keep curious littles away from the machinery.

Finally, we got a chicken coop and a cow barn. The chickens will be Beatrice’s responsibility, and the cow will be Alan’s. This way we’ll get eggs, milk, and meat, making us that much more self-sufficient.

I have to admit it was nice having a couple fewer people in the house during the day. I only had to worry about three kids rather than five, a significantly lower number of voices crying for mommy and sticky hands reaching for me all the time. 

That evening…

Alan: Dad, Dad, look at this! I made this drawing in class today!

Samson: What the hell is this? Flowers? 

Alan: Uh… yes?

Samson: And how exactly are pictures of flowers going to help us in the Blinding Times?

Alan: Um…

Samson: Exactly. You’re going to be a leader, a protector, and you need to start thinking like one. 

Alan: … Yes, sir.

Eden: Beatrice, I need your help with dinner. 

Beatrice: I haven’t finished my homework yet. 

Eden: Did I stutter? Move it!

Beatrice: … Yes, ma’am.

Later…

The Watcher’s Lens doesn’t celebrate birthdays, but I admit I’ve had this date circled on my calendar all year. Now I can finally get some help around the house from Beatrice.

Alan is active, like his father, and is always badgering him to go through drills with him.

Beatrice is quieter– she’s content to play by herself when I don’t need her.

With her help, I’m able to make more food ahead of time so that I’m not spending as much time cooking. It’s a small thing, but as Samson likes to say, every small inefficiency contributes to the overall disaster.

Now that they’re old enough for proper beds, Samson went to the military surplus store in town and got some basic furniture. The whiteboard will be where we write down their weekly chores. We may need to switch to bunk beds eventually, but we’ll see.

This means, of course, that they’re also of age where they legally have to go to school, and Strangerville is too small to have a co-op. However, the law that says they have to be educated by someone with an education degree has a loop-hole that allows parents to customize their kids schedules to some degree. So we’ll be enrolling them in public school three days of the week, and two days of the week they’ll stay home for what Samson calls PT– physical training. As long as we don’t teach them core curriculum (math, science, history, and Simlish) we won’t be violating the law. Samson wants to devote the time to work-outs and survival training.

This time around I’m trying to see it like Samson, as an endorsement from the Watcher. It helps that Samson is willing to occupy the older boys and handle their flashcards and core skill teaching.

It also helps that Beatrice is already adhering to her role. She keeps the boy who isn’t working with Samson busy by talking to them– maybe she just wants attention, but it’s helpful either way.

1:43 a.m…

Samson: Babe, come look at this email I got!

Eden: What does it say?

Samson: It’s from someone who lives nearby. His family is also preparing for the Blinding Times; he saw our story in the newspaper and wants to meet us. I think it’s a great idea– imagine, a whole network of self-sufficient households standing with each other during the tribulation! 

Eden: And maybe some marriage opportunities for the kids… 

Samson: Exactly!

Phone ringing…

Eden: What do you want, Rachel?

Rachel: Hello to you too. I saw that story about you in the Daily Strange. 

Eden: Great. And?

Rachel: Just thought I’d ask if you’d ever do an interview for me. 

Eden: With your portfolio? I don’t think so. You’ll just twist everything I say to fit your anti-Watcher agenda. 

Rachel: I just report the truth, Edie. 

Samson is eager to spend time with Connor now as well as Alan. He even volunteered to potty train, though Connor is so independent that he hardly needs the help. I’m taking it as a blessing for myself, honestly.

I take it as a blessing– I have three younger boys that dominate my time after all. I am getting better at taking care of newborns, though– better and faster.

My days are dominated by the kids– who’s crying, who needs a bath, who needs to be fed– and housework, always cooking and cleaning dishes and rotating laundry.

When I finally stumble into bed, anywhere from midnight to four a.m., I’m always praying for the Watcher to grant me an hour, just an hour, of uninterrupted sleep.

Reporter: Good morning! I’m Lisa Anthony, reporter for the Daily Strange. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Jamison. 

Eden: Nice to meet you. Come in– Samson is waiting for us in the living room.

Lisa: Let’s get down to business, shall we? Five kids in four years! Was this a series of happy accidents? I can’t imagine a couple who would want to do this on purpose.

Samson: It was purposeful, actually. Having many children is part of our faith. 

Lisa: Which faith is that?

Samson: We’re adherents of the Watcher’s Lens. We believe in following the example of Mother Iris, and that the Blinding Times will soon be upon us. I’m sure you noticed the solar panels and wind turbines on your way in?

Lisa: I did, yes.

Samson: That is to help us stay self-sufficient during the Blinding Times. We’re teaching our children to be prepared, as well.

Lisa: Very interesting. Eden, may I call you Eden? How was it for you having so many children back to back like this? 

Eden: Well, I wouldn’t say it was comfortable. But I believe that’s the point– pushing through the discomfort to show the Watcher my obedience. My body was built for this. 

Lisa: Were you nervous about having your children at home rather than at a hospital?

Eden: Not at all. I knew the Watcher would take care of me. 

Lisa: I see that you both take your faith very seriously. So why stay in Strangerville? If I’m not mistaken, I don’t believe there’s a Watcher’s Lens church in town.

Samson: There isn’t, but we keep our faith strong at home. If the Elders see fit to build a Hall here, we would of course be overjoyed, but for now we’re managing on our own. What denomination are you, if you don’t mind me asking. 

Lisa: Oh, I’m not religious. 

Eden: That’s a shame. Before you go I’ll grab you a Watcher’s Lens pamphlet. You might find it interesting, what the Book has to say about women working outside the home.

He’s also been upgrading our appliances to use less water and break less often. I want some of the self-cleaning additions that my father had in our house, but that takes lower priority.

Samson: Babe, you won’t believe this. I just got a phone call from the local newspaper, and they want to do a story on us!

Eden: What? Why? 

Samson: Well we’ve had five kids in a little over four years– in a tiny town like this, that qualifies as news. And it’ll be a great opportunity to spread our faith! 

Eden: Okay, so when’s the interview?

Samson: Tomorrow.