*WARNING: This blog is intended for a mature audience. Its contents may include adult situations, violence and sensitive issues that some people might find disturbing. Please read at your own discretion.

10 June 2013

A Pair of Brown Eyes: Chapter 01

It had all started on May...

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Claire got wrapped up by the morning mist as the ship kept moving forward, slowly arriving to its destination. She was feeling a myriad of emotions at that moment; fear and a sense of freedom mingled in her mind, along with uncertainty about her future.

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The ever approaching lighthouse suddenly caught her attention, and she swore she could laugh and cry at the same time; she didn't do either, though, since she had long forgotten how to. The boat finally landed, and Claire, for the first time, set foot on this new continent which promised all kinds of new experiences for her.

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After having her luggage delivered to the room she had rented at a local house for single ladies, she went to her new address herself. Single, she thought. Yes, now she WAS single, one could say. She had never been on her own, and it felt strange; she wasn't sure she could cope with it all. But she refused to indulge herself in such gloomy thoughts, not yet, anyway. As she walked along, the whole town opened in front of her, and she found it lovely, both exciting and quiet at the same time.

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Finally she arrived to her new residence, settled everything with her landlady, and entered. As soon as she did so, she noticed that the room had great possibilities. It was tiny, no doubt, but she was beyond caring for those things.

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The room was well lit, the wall and floor coverings were decent enough, and the furniture seemed solid and in a good state. It was the best she could ever have acquired on her tight budget.

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Claire spent the following days making the place livable, and decorating it to her taste and needs. Luckily for her, she had been taught at school to handle a needle, so she was able to purchase some cloths and sew her own curtains; she could even use the spare fabric to make a matching bed cover.

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When she was done, she was quite pleased with the result. It felt cosy and nice, and the best part was that she had done it all by herself. Perhaps she wasn't doing so bad after all.

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Her next step was to go to the local livery stable and get herself a horse. She would have to rent it until she had enough money to purchase one. She found exactly what she was looking for; a tame, chestnut mare she could easily ride, since she was not very accustomed to it.


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What would her acquaintances in London thought about her new means of transportation? It was very unladylike, back there it would never have occurred to her to be seen in public like that. But, honestly, she didn't care. In any case, she had left behind no one whose opinion mattered to her; well, no one except Eliza, and Claire knew she would approve. Good old Eliza, she sadly smiled at the remembrance.

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When she returned home, her landlady handed her a letter she had just received, so she took a seat on the sofa to read it. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the name on it. It was from Ethel, she had answered her! And was inviting her to tea! This was the happiest day she had had in a very long time. And yet, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about this highly expected reunion.



Chapter 02Prologue

40 comments:

  1. Good start. A fresh start for Claire. I like the idea of her living at a boarding house for some reason. It suits the whole scene.

    Interested to see just how this meeting with Ethel will go. She's an old friend or a new friend?

    That picture with the ship in the beginning was really cool!

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    1. It certainly is a fresh start for Claire, in many ways: one of them being her living at a boarding house.

      We will see who Ethel is in the next chapter ;-)

      And thanks for your compliment on the picture. Making and editing it (well, them, because they're two merged together) was a real pain in the a**! And I'm usually very self-conscious when it comes to my stuff, but I suppose it didn't turn out that bad in the end.

      Thanks for reading. I didn't expect any reader so soon...

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  2. Your pictures are so beautiful. And I so love Sims stories set in other times.I'm looking forward to seeing what Claire does with her freh start in life, and what will happen with Ethel, and who she is to Claire.

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    1. Thank you! Even though you don't know it, your comment has given me just the encouragement I needed, because:

      1) I usually spend a REALLY absurd amount of time making each picture, and wasn't that sure about the result, honestly.

      and 2) My story being a period drama has kept me from publishing it earlier.


      Thanks for reading :-)

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  3. Hm, interesting! I like historical stuff, and I think you captured the feel of times gone by really nicely.
    If I should make a guess, I´s say Claire is a widow. We´ll see ^^

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    1. As to Claire's marital status, I already hinted something in the prologue. And she's obviously dressed in mourning, isn't she? ;-) We'll know a little more about her in the next chapter, there are still many things to be unfolded about her...

      Thanks for reading!

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  4. Hmmmmmmmm.........I'm loving the feel of this! Maybe because it is set in a earlier period. I tend to like things that are set either in some earlier time (or future time!) or has some fantastical element to it.

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    1. I'm glad you liked the settings, I have much fun imagining and creating them, even though they're not very accurate, I know.

      I'm sorry this story has no fantastical elements, though ;-)

      Thanks for reading and commenting! You all have given me great encouragement.

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  5. She seems to be off to a very good start. I love how the boarding house looks! The scenes in town look so real!

    I hope her reunion with Ethel goes well.

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  6. This seems to have the all makings of an awesome historical romance, and I can't wait!

    Your pictures are gorgeous and they complement the atmosphere of your scenes so perfectly.

    I like that she's having a fresh start, but I'm curious about what made her seek the fresh start to begin with.

    Is Ethel connected to the man we in the prologue? His sister maybe? I don't know why but I'm anxious over the reunion, maybe because Claire feels anxious too?

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  7. Ooh I'm excited to find out more about Ethel and why Claire left London. I'm glad she liked her room at the boarding house and it's cool that she could make her own curtains. I love the historical style time period she is in. =)

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    1. You'll get to know Ethel better, rest assured. And, yes, Claire is a very resourceful lady.

      Thanks for reading.

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  8. It's nice to see Claire is able to depend on herself when she needs to. She seems very capable and I'm sure that's going to come in handy as she gets herself acquainted with her new surroundings. I'm glad she received the response she was hoping for from Ethel and I hope her meeting goes the way she imagines. She could probably really use a friend right now.

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    1. Yes, Claire is a very resourceful woman, although she's not really aware of that herself. And she's in great need of a friend, let's hope she can find that in Ethel.

      Thanks for reading!

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  9. I *love* the setting and feel you have established for your story. This is a time period you don't often see in sims stories. It seems like a completely fresh start for Claire, but the fact that she is wearing all-black tells us there is more to her story. I'll be looking forward to learning who this Ethyl is.

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    1. Aww, thank you so much... :-D. Yeah, period dramas are really scarce in sims stories, and that was one of the many things that put me off when I started writing this, but, well, I just guessed that as long as I liked it... that's all that mattered.

      There's definitely more to Claire's story than just going for a fresh start. You'll get to know who Ethel is in Chapter 02.

      Thank you for reading :-).

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  10. I have to admire Claire's spirit with her new start. She's not pining or wasting her time in reflection, she's taking charge and making plans, building a life for herself. Hmmmm, I wonder what the meeting with Ethel will lead to?

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    1. Claire is an admirable woman (that's what I think at least), and she's accostumed to be as efficient as she possibly can because..., well, that will be revealed later on... ;-). Her meeting with Ethel is very important to her, so let's hope everything goes well between the two...

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  11. Very interesting... I had to smile when I read that she sewed her own curtains and used the spare (green) cloth to make a bed cover. Reminded me of Gone with the Wind ;)

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    1. Gone With the Wind, eh? Actually, it never occurred to me, but now that you mention it... I'm a movie buff, so who knows? Perhaps "unconciously" I was thinking about that... Hehe!

      Thanks for reading.

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  12. Her little home is sweet and her horse pretty. Reading on so I can see what made her flee from a seemingly well-to-do life to this pauperish existence.

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    1. Hehe, thanks, bulding it was much fun. That's exactly what she's done, she's gone down the social scale, and that was quite a bold move to make in those days.

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  13. Claire is very industrious, yet she is in an emotionally fragile state. I like seeing her doing her best to make a life for herself, she is very brave.

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    1. She is everything you said, yes. If she'd just start believing it herself... *rolls eyes*

      Thanks for reading.

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  14. Your pictures are beautiful, and I love reading unique stories such as this one. Claire is a very interesting character, and I can't wait for more story to unfold.

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  15. Your pictures are gorgeous, and I love reading stories like this. Claire is a very unique character, and I can't wait to find out more about her. :)

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    1. Sorry for the double comment. I had to type it over again, because I kept getting an error. Sorry about that. LOL

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    2. No worries about the double comment. Blogger has this annoying habit of acting up sometimes >:-(, sorry about that.

      Wow, unique? That's such a nice compliment :-D

      Thanks for reading.

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  16. Lovely chapter. Your story-telling abilities are wonderful.<3

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    1. Aww, thanks! I'm not so sure of them myself LOL.

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  17. I like the old fashioned feeling to the story. Riding horses, the dress everything. Great story so far. Will be following for sure.

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    1. Hehe, thanks! I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story.

      Thanks for reading :-).

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  18. So, I did say I'd eventually get round to reading your story... and here I am (a gazillion years later)! I love, love, LOVE the premise, although I am slightly jealous of your attention to detail: the town, the fashion, the little props... they are all so perfect! I am a complete amateur compared to you, it seems!

    And Claire is so beautiful :3

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    1. Oh, hello! This was such a nice surprise! :-D. But, you've just left me speechless... Jealous?! :-O *blushes*

      I'm so glad you liked it, thanks for stopping by :-D! *blushes some more*

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  19. This is a neat start for Claire, and we learn about her personality, skills and tastes through the way she occupies her rented room -- that's a lovely way to present a character.

    I love that the chapters are short and full of details about the story.

    Claire is already in my heart :)

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    1. I'm glad you appreciate that, because I see her room as an expression of her true self.

      My chapters are all rather short, yes.

      Thanks for reading and for your words :-D.

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  20. Love your pictures! I enjoy stories that have historical elements and was so happy to find your story! :) Anxious to read more about Claire and find out who Ethel is.

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    1. Awww, thanks a lot! Happy to see you happy :-D.

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  21. Amazing artwork and story. I couldn't stop reading.

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