I'm a Lizzie Borden nut, and one of my main projects in Sims 2 has been recreating the Borden family.  However, being a Lizzie Borden nut does have its disadvantages.  For starters, you realise instantly and painfully how far off everything is: the infamous stairwell from which Lizzie laughed down on Bridget is hard to place properly without throwing off proportions of other rooms.  And you get a little steamed when your Sims' happiness depends on things that aren't 1892-compliant.  Like, oh, private bowling alleys.

Another problem is that there are very few actual photographs of the Borden household members, and the few that exist are often grainy and not good for fine detailing.  Likewise, I am upset over certain small points--Lizzie Borden was a rather heavy woman, and Abby Borden was notably obese, details which do not render well without heavily customised body-meshes and specialised period clothing to fit.

This is Lizzie:



Lizzie is the social butterfly of the family, longing for company, outings, and good times.  She also wanders around in her underwear in a manner most unseemly for an unmarried woman in late-Victorian Era Massachusetts.

And Andrew Borden:



After two days of Andrew Borden, I kind want to kill him myself.  He insulted Lizzie in front of her guests; he smacks around poor Abby and the maid.  Most unpleasant old fart.  But a snappy dresser!

Abby Borden, Lizzie's stepmother:



Abby is a pleasant if dull woman who spends all her time watching soap operas and cooking.  She adores Andrew and considers his constant abuse as his way of expressing affection.  Poor dope.  She also loves Lizzie, her only confidante.

Bridget Sullivan, the Maid:



Bridget Sullivan--often called "Maggie" by the Borden household, who didn't bother to distinguish her from their former Irish maid--was described as a hard-working, honest young woman.  After the murders, she refused to set foot in the household again, which only makes sense really.

Not pictured: Lizzie's elder sister Emma (who was out of town on the day of the murders) and Uncle John Morse (of whom surprisingly little is known).

And of course, because I could do no less . . .





After Lizzie's acquittal and Abby and Andrew's apparent resurrection, naturally, there is some tension between members of this household: tension that can only be numbed and suffused by drinking coffee.



Um . . . a whole lot of coffee.



Gallons of coffee.



Until I suspected that Lizzie might have killed 'em just to see if the maid would clean up anything.

Lizzie, in a despair born of a sinking social meter, finally calls up the medieval sailor Sims from next door.  At the dinner table, things seem to be going along singingly.  Lizzie was pleased at the prospect of new friends.



But when they adjourned to the sitting room for entertainment, the sailors' true nature showed itself.  "Whaddya mean, you don't know 'Fire Down Below'?"



And really, it's just not a good idea to mock the piano-playing prowess of an unstable former axe-murderess.  And wait . . . is that Abby giving her the thumbs-down?  Abby!  How could you?  After the disastrous dinner party is over, Lizzie gives Abby a piece of her mind.



Wary of any confrontation in this house of blood and infamy, Bridget frets nervously in the doorway, ready to bolt to the phone if Lizzie shows signs of heading toward the woodshed.  Over her shoulder, the ominous reminders of  Lizzie's last bout of temper stain the wallpaper.



But tomorrow is Sunday, and the Bordens head to bed, prepared to hitch up the buggy and drive into town.  Will the Good Book save this dysfunctional family?  Not likely, but stay tuned!