Hello! Welcome back to our regularly scheduled installment of Ruth’s (un)Officially Wacky Boolprop Challenge: the story that puts the “Savoy” in “Wacky”! I hope you didn’t have any trouble finding the new forum.

Last time around, Leila and Lisa became Teens, Rose became a Child (and engaged), and the aliens refused to abduct Old Adam despite his filling out of the warranty card for both the new Farstar e3 and the new Dance Sphere. Myrna took up baking, and Phoebe spent time building skills and making friends with her sisters.

I do believe that’s everything, so let’s get on with the story, shall we?

This was a very difficult rotation to play. For starters, the ghosts were out and about with a vengeance. There were plenty of pee puddles to mop up every morning.

The Tacky Flamingo dropped down to Level Seven due the the deaths of several playable customers, and Adam had quite a bit of trouble doing anything to rectify that. This is partly the fault of the customers.

JERRY RYAN: So what’s with all dese flamingos? Dey’re really tacky an’ pink an’, an’ tacky an’ stuff. Youse should use somethin’ classy, like… like… dogs playin’ poker or somethin’.

OLD ADAM (faintly): Dogs playing… (in stronger tones) Thank you for your suggestion, sir. May I suggest a soak in the hot tub? There are no flamingos in its immediate vicinity.

The gnome got stolen yet again -- although this time I was actually able to see who stole it. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, to be honest. I wasn’t able to prevent the theft…

On the other hand, there’s always more than one someone willing to go steal it back. On this particular night, Phoebe won the coin toss.

The aliens continued to refuse to abduct Adam.

(yells at the aliens) He’s not getting any younger, you know!

(darkly) I may have to break out the big guns…

Myrna refuses to stay off the Dance Sphere.

Unlike her father, uncle, and grandmother, Lisa did not learn the xylophone trick on the third try.

She didn’t get it the fifteenth time, either. Thank goodness for all that extra time in college.

Er, assuming there’s any free time around the Plot, that is.

The stove mysteriously disappeared. I swear I didn’t sell it or anything, but one minute it was there, and the next minute it wasn’t.

And Adam seemed to be suffering some sort of a meltdown.

MYRNA: Adam, what did you bring home?OLD ADAM: A birdcage. It is a birdcage, Myrna. See? MYRNA: Are we getting a bird?OLD ADAM: No! I cannot abide birds -- they smell of feathers and throw seed everywhere.MYRNA: Okay. Why did you bring home a birdcage, then?OLD ADAM: Must I have a reason for everything?

The birdcage was an attempt to raise Adam’s aspiration sufficiently to allow him to use the Energizer. It failed.

But the capper was that even though Adam had all the skills, friends, and going-to-work-on-time credits for promotion, his job performance meter just wasn’t moving. Finally, in desperation, I sent him to work wearing the Noodlesoother.

Historical note: This is the first time any Sim in my game has ever worn this thing.

It worked.

But not without side effects. Adam climbed right back out of the Energizer.

OLD ADAM: I cannot use this. I am far too rank.

The Energizer will take care of that.

Adam got into the Energizer and got back out again immediately.

OLD ADAM: I cannot use this. I am in too desperate a need of the lavatory.

The Energizer will take care of that!

OLD ADAM: Ah. Never mind. Although I am now ranker than ever before. And the trousers are unlikely to be salvageable.

The Energizer will take care of all that!

Adam got into the Energizer and, again, got back out immediately.

OLD ADAM: I am too fatigued to use this. I must now pass out in a puddle of my own filth.

Will you just get in the damn Energizer and stay there?!

No, Adam can’t hear me. But that didn’t stop me yelling at the screen.

When he finally consented to stay in the Energizer, Adam’s motives were so far into the red that it took two sessions for his meters to be back at full green. I have never seen that before.

The real lifesaver this rotation was Myrna.

Myrna, who made crepes suzette without setting fire to anything.

Myrna, who ate enough of them to retain her figure despite the time she spent on the Dance Sphere.

Myrna, who repaired everything that broke in good order.

Myrna, who was actually the only one home at noon to be allowed to fix things…

Myrna, who single-handedly raised the ranking of the Tacky Flamingo by fourteen stars.

TATTOOED CUSTOMER: Flamingos? Really? You decorate with actual flamingos? Awesome!

I tried a new method here: most customers who have at least one star under their belts will stick around until their Comfort or Energy meters hit bottom. Customers with less than one star won’t.

So Myrna has been going up to new customers who have no stars and using a friendly socialization macro on them. This macro was explicitly stated to be challenge-legal in the discussion thread on the previous incarnation of Boolprop, although I can’t prove that now. I have to say, it’s amazingly powerful.

Basically, you choose it for your Sim, and they automatically repeatedly initiate friendly interactions, like “Chat,” “Tell Joke,” “Play Catch,” or (if you let it go on long enough) “Friendly Hug.”

Myrna ended up with several new friends by the end of the rotation.

And she was tireless! She’d arrive at the Tacky Flamingo mid-morning, and she’d stay there until the vampires came out, with no signs of flagging.

COUNTESS ALLYN STRATTON: You like the uniform? Really?MYRNA: Well, of course I do! It’s so unique!COUNTESS ALLYN STRATTON: The stomacher restricts your breathing something awful, and the skirts get in the way when I try to bowl, but a job’s a job…MYRNA: And speaking of bowling, have you heard about our Swimsuit Bowling Night? It’s every Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight. I can comp you a ticket if you’d like to try it out.

Myrna kept everyone on track academically.

MYRNA: Rose, honey, the bus is here. Time to go.

ROSE: But Momma, I’m supposed to finish the extra credit problem.

MYRNA: You don’t have to. That’s why it’s called “extra” credit. Besides, if you miss the bus, you’ll lose more points than you would gain by doing the extra problem. So it’s to your advantage to go to school now.

ROSE (glumly): Okay, Momma.

Myrna’s advice is generally good.

ROSE: Momma! Momma! I got an A+! An A+!

MYRNA: That’s wonderful, honey!

ROSE: A real A+! Can we frame it?

MYRNA: How about if we hang it on the refrigerator?

ROSE: Okay!

Myrna even set about getting Rose into private school with her sisters.

This time, Adam passed out before the headmaster arrived. But Phoebe’s freakout happened indoors this time, so we’ll call it a wash.

Sensible Myrna delegated the schmoozing to the member of the household with maxed Charisma.

LISA: …So I don’t know that I’d actually go for an arranged marriage myself. I mean, not unless they were offering me lots of money for it and my mom was sick and I needed the money or something. (pause, then, prettily) Does that make me a bad person?HEADMASTER: Not at all! I think a sense of familial responsibility is only to be commended!

The choice of topic was a little odd, but the headmaster didn’t seem to mind.

In fact, he minded so little (and Myrna’s dinner of Bass With Squash was so good) that Rose got in with a score of 147 points out of 90.

Adam once again gained aspiration points for Falling Asleep In His Dinner And Inhaling Half Of It Into His Nasal Cavity.

Knowledge Sims! (rolls eyes)

Myrna’s final contribution this rotation was a nice Dream Date with Adam to get his aspiration up.

This probably counts as enlightened self-interest, really, since Myrna gets as much as Adam does, if not more, out of their dates…

The very last day of the rotation, Phoebe went ahead and Grew Up Well. No points for guessing where.

And, in keeping with the trends for this generation, she grew up into a nicely coordinated and not particularly Wacky outfit.

Here you see Phoebe’s Officially Wacky makeover. The jumpsuit is reminiscent of the denim jumpsuits used in some prisons, and the braids form neat rows that are reminiscent of stripes. I couldn’t find any full-face makeup that I liked on Phoebe, but she’s certainly rocking that Wacky brown lipstick!

Oakapple and Oliver are as affectionate as ever.

Maybe even more than ever, now that Oliver has taken to wearing that new cheese-flavored lip balm.

The farm stand has been doing very well indeed, and the girls have plans for expansion. The carpet squares mark the future outer boundaries of the awnings. For some reason, I can’t install them piecemeal.

I have also remodeled the portapotty. Thus far, nobody has displayed the inclination to use it, but I don’t want to remove it entirely. However, the sink just doesn’t fulfill that Water need fast enough, so I’ve installed a shower next to the portapotty.

I see great things in their future.

Jo is now old enough to start dating, and her very first date was a full-priced drop from the Matchmaker. Joe Grundstrom has a bad reputation from dicreasey’s Victorian Legacy, but I decided to give him a chance anyway.

JOE GRUNDSTROM: You like cute little puppies? Are you crazy? There has got to be something severely wrong with you!

This proved to be a mistake. (darkly) Joe Grundstrom, you just watch your back…

Cecil has fallen for Rebecca Tsvirkunov, rather unexpectedly -- and much to the distress of their parents. I disapprove of the match myself. Not because they are second cousins -- I’m all for inbreeding population control -- but because Rebecca is a Romance Sim who is already rolling numbered Wants.

The Flirt that started it all was her idea.

For those who are not sure of the relationship, Rebecca’s grandfather Tim is Cecil’s grandfather Ryan’s older brother. Or should that be “Tim was Ryan’s older brother”? Tim is still alive, but Ryan isn’t. I’m not sure what tense applies…

________

Finally, Buttercup decided to let Albert expound at length on the upcoming changes to the tax code and the advantages of further spawnlets.

This proved to be a mistake.

I have heard of some Simmers routinely having difficulty with conceptions, but most of my Sims catch pregnant on the first try. Even when they are borderline menopausal, apparently.

And speaking of unexpected arrivals…

Just look who came home with Lisa!

And guess which family just got a nice shiny new cowplant?

(in an enticing sing-song) Oh, Joooo-oooooe…!

Notes, disclaimers, and other triviaThis chapter’s title is a song from Princess Ida. I thought it was nicely ironic, since my Sims did everything but hearken this rotation.

Joe Grundstrom did not succumb, even with a locked gate. He and the cowplant stared at each other for ages, but when he got cold or tired or maybe just bored, he waltzed right on out of there. Curses!

The cowplant is now in Lisa’s inventory; it’s too dangerous for anyone who isn’t Joe Grundstrom.

Thank you for reading! Until next time, Happy Simming!