Hello! Welcome back to Ruth’s (un)Officially Wacky Boolprop Challenge! I don’t really know what to tell you for the recap. Last time, Myrna threw twin girls, Buttercup threw a girl-boy set of twins, Myrna got herself pregnant again (okay, Adam helped), and Oakapple proposed to Oliver again. Successfully, this time. That recap writer position is still open, by the way. Feel free to apply. (enticingly) I can pay you in imaginary cookies, and I’d be willing to offer imaginary cupcakes for the right candidate… And now, on with the show story!

I may as well start by mentioning that the twins have grown up. I have decided to forego the war paint at the Toddler stage this time around in favor of sweet dresses and authentically Victorian pageboy haircuts, although in Victorian times, the pageboy was unisex until about the age of three. After that, it was pretty firmly a boy’s cut. Anyway, this is Leila.

This is Lisa. As you can see, both girls seem to have inherited their mother’s cheekbones. It’s a little early to tell about the nose yet – after all, the impressiveness of Adam’s nose did not fully manifest until college – but I suspect that Leila has her father’s nose while Lisa has her mother’s. I think they’ve both got their father’s chin, but don’t quote me on that.

And speaking of Daddy, Adam briefly held a job as a Sous Chef. He didn’t enjoy it, and it wasn’t even remotely connected to his LTW, so he quit.

Although not before securing a chocolate-making machine. I believe the theory there was that the family could make chocolates on the side, but the supplies are pretty expensive, plus it uses a ton of electricity.

Myrna found a much better source of additional income, stopping in the Gaming field just long enough to collect the career reward.

The maternity pay isn’t quite as good as in Politics, though. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Hang on a minute – wasn’t Myrna already pregnant at the end of Chapter 12?” Well, yes. Yes, she was.

And then she wasn’t anymore. Unfortunately, in my eagerness to make one part of the narrative flow smoothly, I messed up the flow of another part. I apologize. No need to worry, by the way…

…I don’t have That Hack, so there are no miscarriages. This is Phoebe Shankel. Phoebe is named after a young woman from The Yeomen of the Guard, who uses the fact that the ’Ead Torturer is in love with her to get the man she has a huge crush on out of prison. Of course, since this is Gilbert & Sullivan, all does not go according to plan.

Myrna was thrilled, and immediately rolled the Want to Have Ten Of These, If You Would Be So Good. Ten is out of the question, but one more is not only okay but required. So once again, the kiddies were left in the capable hands of Grandma and Grandpa.

Who were perhaps not as enthused as you might think. RUTH: Ye gods! Potty training didn’t take this long when we had ours! RYAN: How would you know? Your mother did most of it. RUTH: Did she really? RYAN: Yup. And now it’s our turn.

RUTH (V.O.): Well, if it’s our turn, I’m doing it the easy way. MYRNA: Would you like me to make that for you, Ruth? While Ruth is often in the high green, she rarely hits gold or platinum. Myrna, on the other hand, rarely dips below them.

Having twins to train, and two more babies coming up fast,* Ryan and Ruth are determined to take the fullest possible advantage of the Smart Milk boost. *Myrna’s pregnant again, remember?

See? No rest for the wicked. Or for the Toddlers whose grandparents would very much like their lives back, either.

Ruth, in particular, would like her life back. She has been filling in for Adam at the Tacky Flamingo recently. Well, he filled in for her a few times when he was a Teen. Fair’s fair.

The reporter – the one with clothes on – came back, and promptly left again, right after I’d sent Ruth over to be nice to her. Next time, I’m not going to say a thing. If she still leaves, then I’ve got glitchy reporters.

Adam did go run the business once, and ended up on the receiving end of a Crumplebottom Lecture (pat. pend.).

I mention without judgment that it was three times as long as the usual lecture. I also note without drawing conclusions that this was the session in which the business hit Level 6. I’m afraid I can’t show you the picture of the star that put it over the top.

Ryan actually ended up having a bit of free time, which he put to good use working on the latest family portrait. I would just like to point out how clever I’ve been here: when the Official Head of Household changed, so did the color of the tropical outfits. I don’t know what I’ll do when I get to Generation Three, though.

Over at Buttercup’s the sproglets became Toddlers.

And then, because of the way the days broke over this rotation, they became Children. I do apologize for the suddenness of that transition – somehow, I managed to get way out of sync. (sadly) Keeping multiple timelines straight is complicated!

Oakapple and Oliver overdid it on the pesticides and both became plantsims. I carpe’d the diem and made sure that they each spawned a plantbaby before they called the Garden Club.

Oakapple’s daughter is named Saigon, and Oliver’s is named Fantine, but please don’t ask me which is who. I have no idea.

Whether this particular child is Saigon or not, Ruth was ecstatic about having another grandbaby. I’m just pleased she’s pleased – I certainly didn’t think it was going to happen.

Oliver and Oakapple decided that since they already had all the other trappings of a marriage – joint mortgage, woohoo, children – they might as well get the tax advantages too. They held a very low-key ceremony on the back porch, which only Ruth bothered to watch. That was where I was going to end this chapter: a storyline nicely wrapped up, leaving room for one- or two-picture updates in future, with everybody happy. And then…

And then, at quarter to midnight on the last day of the rotation, something wonderful happened!

Wonderful from my point of view, anyway. Not so much from everybody else’s. Well, naturally I wasn’t going to quit while my heir was on an alien spaceship somewhere, having who knows what done to him. I was just as eager to get him back as anyone.

Adam was returned at three a.m., with his needs replenished the same as if he’d just used the energizer. But that’s when the horrible thing happened. Or rather, it didn’t.

I didn’t hear a lullaby! I should have heard a lullaby, and I didn’t! Why didn’t I hear a lullaby?!

Oh, crapnuggets! We’re going to have to do this again!

Notes, disclaimers, and other trivia The title of this chapter is taken from HMS Pinafore, and isn’t particularly relevant except insofar as it mentions a girl and I’ve got lots of those. (defensively) What? I can’t be brilliant all the time! Until next time, Happy Simming!