Take a pair of sparkling eyes Hidden, ever and anon

1. Welcome back to Ruth’s (un)Officially Wacky Boolprop Challenge! This is the first
chapter after the rebuild, and although I did my very best, I’m sure you will notice one
significant change: Ruth’s nose (and therefore the noses of all three kids) is now
different. I spent probably an hour just trying to get her nose right, and I used up my
entire supply of cusswords in the process. I hope my failure doesn’t ruin your enjoyment
of the story.
And speaking of the story – last time around, Ruth earned a Gold Robotics Badge (not
that I can prove it), Mrs. Crumplebottom went on the warpath, Oakapple grew up, and we
found out that he’s a very sore loser. I think that about sums it up, so let’s get right back
to the story, shall we?

2. We had to rebuy the Tacky Flamingo, and Ruth gamely headed out to try and get it back
up to Level One again. I have set the goal of having her get the business to at least Level
Three before she passes it on to the heir, whoever he might be. This time around, Ruth’s
friend Mifune Sanders was the first customer.
Mifune is not Wacky, Officially or not. He’s just a devotee of the work of famous fashion
designer Goopy Gilscarbo. This is from the Gilscarbo summer collection: Boating Jacket
With Painted-On Pants.

3. Mifune threw us the star needed to reach Level One. What a pal!
Even if his taste in swimwear is as questionable as his other sartorial choices. Mrs.
Crumplebottom certainly disapproved of it.

4. Of course, Mrs. Crumplebottom disapproves of everything.
MRS. CRUMPLEBOTTOM: Young lady, I don’t see how you can wear such garments
in public! You’re almost naked! In fact, for all practical purposes, you are naked! How
would you like it if I started prancing around here in the altogether, hmmm?
RUTH: Oh, please, Mrs. Crumplebottom, please don’t do that!
MRS. CRUMPLEBOTTOM: Well, I won’t – if you go put on some actual clothing.
RUTH: Right away, Mrs. Crumplebottom, ma’am!

5. But despite Mrs. Crumplebottom’s objections, the Tacky Flamingo actually made it to
Level Two in one (marathon) play session, thereby putting us ahead on the Official
Requirement for one-third of the OFB points. Mifune gave us the star that put us over the
top there, too.

6. I am still abiding by the rules regarding graves, too. Please note that these urns are NOT
on shelves. Putting urns on shelves is a Very Bad Thing Indeed.
How did I recover the urns with a rebuild? Well, I had to create Aren and Valerie in CAS
anyway to restore Ruth’s recessive genetics, so I went ahead and left them alive just long
enough to die and leave me graves. This time around, Aren left his daughter money – and
they never even really interacted. I suppose the lack of inheritance last time was a
symptom of Impending ’Splodiness too, only I didn’t recognize it.

7. I put back everyone’s skill points and badges, and I didn’t even lose the family portrait
needed for the Storyteller handicap, since it was a custom painting really. Ryan’s already
started repainting it. What I did lose was all the progress Ruth had made on the novel. So
she will be staying up all night every night if necessary to finish.
I’d be okay with the noses if I could only restore that novel! (headdesk)

8. Finally, I have taken the liberty of adjusting people’s ages a bit, not only for reasons of
Plot, but also so that I don’t have to play Uni any longer than absolutely necessary. It
takes way too long. Besides, I’ve seen lots of people send everyone to college in a batch,
so they all end up the same age on the other side. If that’s okay, then so is this, say I. Old
Adam rolled Pleasure, by the way.
I believe the correct word for Old Adam is “beautiful.”
Or “handsome,” okay, but the Plot I am planning on using repeatedly refers to his
character equivalent’s “beauty,” so just go with me here. Given that the word used to
describe his father’s side of the family is usually “chicken-faced,” I think he came out
pretty well.

9. And I’m not the only one.
LACI MAMUYAC: So what do you think? Do I look good enough?
BUTTERCUP: Good enough for what?
LACI: And good enough for your brother, of course! In case you haven’t noticed,
Adam’s really hot.
BUTTERCUP: Believe it or not, I actually don’t make a habit of judging the
attractiveness of either of my little brothers.
LACI: Well, I noticed. That’s why I wore the uniform. Lots of guys like the Catholic
schoolgirl look.
BUTTERCUP: Lots of pervy old men, you mean. Eight ball, side pocket.
And what is Adam doing while his sister and her friend are having this embarrassing
conversation?

10. Concentrating on earning a Robotics badge, of course.

11. I was going to have him concentrate on learning the xylophone trick, but he got it on the
third try, just like his mother.
Nothing should be inferred from this, by the way. If Oakapple was a Teen, he’d be on the
robot bench and the pool table too. They’ll both have equal opportunity to build skills and
badges before they go off to Uni and the Plot begins.
Do you like the outfit? It’s a Teen version of Vidcund Curious’s outfit, and it’s the most
old-fashioned I can manage without custom content or not-available-for-Mac stuff packs.

12. Speaking of Oakapple, he’s busy making friends with Oliver Littledragon – the runway
model from the last real chapter, remember? If he’s playing video games, he can’t steal
the gnome.
OAKAPPLE: Why did you do that? You made me lose another life! Stupid idiot!
Although that sounds like a real good way to inspire him to go after it again, Oakapple.

13. Oakapple has a tendency to yell at people. I suppose he takes after his father in that
respect.
OAKAPPLE: Hey! That’s our invisible newspaper!
RYAN: I’ll have you know I’m a police officer, young lady! Next time I won’t let you
off with just a warning!

14. Despite what Aren and Valerie seem to think, I am very glad that Ryan married in. He
has been nothing but an asset to this challenge. He earned a Gold Robotics badge in what
must be record time, built a servo (which I’m counting for the points even if it doesn’t
exist now), painted Official family portraits (multiple times) for the Storytelling bonus,
and earned three career rewards without being promoted.

15. He’s also Taught most of the kids to Study at least twice. Three times, in the case of
Oakapple.
Why three times? Well…

16. Just after Ruth finished making a servo and thereby proving that she does indeed have a
Gold Robotics badge, another house in my brand new ‘hood developed a problem: a
newly adopted child rolled the Want to be friends with herself. As I am sure you know,
that is a sign of imminent and terrible ‘hood splodiness.
But I just rebuilt this ‘hood! I haven’t played but five days out of the whole thing! (A
single rotation is 24 days total – three per each of eight households.) This is NOT FAIR!
So I sat down and figured out that I had done, or at least might have done, five things that
could potentially mess the ‘hood up big time. One of them was absolutely unavoidable,
one unfixable without another complete rebuild, and three didn’t have to be problems at
all as long as I restored from my nice clean immediately-post-rebuild backup and
remembered not to do anything stupid.
Which is what I did. So some of the pictures you see here are from the first rebuild and
some are from the second. I figure it makes no difference, since pretty much the same
things happened both times through.

17. The first time through, Buttercup spent a bit more time with her, ahem, “creative” plants.

18. The second time through, she brought home her cousin Eddie* instead.
BUTTERCUP: Hey Eddie, what’s the name of your friend with the glasses? The one who
makes the funny faces all the time?
EDGAR: Funny faces…? Oh, you mean Albert? Albert Adams. Why do you ask?
BUTTERCUP: No reason. – Ha! Gotcha! Darn, I missed.
*Edgar Miller is the son of Ryan’s brother Tyrone and a really nice telescope. But since Tyrone was a
member of the Most Logical Brotherhood of the Telescope and since their main purpose in life is to be
abducted and impregnated with alien spawn, it’s all good.

19. The first time through, Oakapple had to be content with hugging Daddy.
Not that he doesn’t still do that, of course. He does.

20. It’s just that the second time through, I remembered that I was planning to buy him a
bunnybear to hug too. If he doesn’t have one later on, one of the scenes I’ve got in mind
won’t work.
OAKAPPLE: You’re my best friend, Bunthorne. Do you know that?
BUNTHORNE:
OAKAPPLE: Oh, I like him fine. But you won’t cheat at SSX3.
BUNTHORNE:
OAKAPPLE: I do not! And anyway, I can tell you all my secrets, and you’ll never tell
anybody, will you, Bunthorne?
BUNTHORNE:
OAKAPPLE: (chortles) Oh, Bunthorne, you’re so funny!

21. Laci Mayumac had no more luck the second time through than she did the first.
LACI MAMUYAC: So, Adam, what are you doing on Saturday?
OLD ADAM: I had not yet decided. Why do you ask?
LACI: Because if you aren’t doing anything, I thought we could go to the movies.
They’ve got that period piece at the Majestic – the one with Brendan Fraser as the
plantation owner who’s secretly a member of the Underground Railroad and who falls in
love with one of his “passengers.”*
OLD ADAM: Ah. As it happens, I have just remembered an important engagement on
Saturday.
LACI (suspiciously): What engagement is that?
OLD ADAM: A very important one. Please excuse me – I think I’ll eat my sandwich in
the basement.
Old Adam likes creative, Rubenesque girls. He does not like black hair. Laci is 0 for 3.
Which seems like as good a place as any to stop, mostly because I’m out of pictures.
*This was the plot of a dream I had once. My subconscious hires good writers and frequently attracts big-
name stars.

22. Notes, disclaimers, and other trivia
Apparently, I shouldn’t try building a servo, ever. I’m only half-joking – my ‘hood went
bad right after I’d finished both times. Since I built a servo twice, and have photographic
proof of that, I’m not building any more. I need the time to work on the Official Novel
anyway.
The title of this chapter is a song from The Gondoliers, sung by a man who is missing his
wife something awful. Well, she might be his wife. Or, alternatively, he might be the
King of Barataria and therefore already married to the daughter of a Grandee of Spain.
But whether the woman in question is his wife or not, he misses her.
Oakapple’s bunnybear is named after Reginald Bunthorne, one of the rival poets from
Patience. See? You can’t escape the Gilbert & Sullivan naming theme, no matter what
you do.
Until next time, Happy Simming!