Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Already in Progress! It’s the only story that starts in the middle! And it’s got a picture of a penguin trying to reach fish on the cover! I have to apologize for my less-than-stellar update record of late. I was moving. When I finished moving, it was Thanksgiving – time to travel. When I got back, Boolprop was moving! But now that everyone’s moved and the dust is mostly settling at the new forum, I decided to be sure and finish up a chapter for you. I hope you remember what happened last time, because I am terrible at recaps. And anyway, our story is always Already in Progress…

I thought the flu epidemic was over at the Couderc-Littledragon house, but apparently I thought wrong. A visit from the exterminator took care of the original source of the infection, but unfortunately did nothing to stop the person-to-person transmission. There’s a pregnant woman in the house, and she cannot get sick under any circumstances.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the household went into Quarantine Lockdown. All infected Sims were locked in a room containing all the necessities of life, and were kept in the room until I got the popup announcing that they were healthy again. Then, and only then, was the door unlocked. In retrospect, they might have healed faster if I had put sinks in the room to dispose of the dishes instead of trashcans. Anne in particular kept trying to take the trash out and then dropping it into a big smelly roach-attracting pile on the floor when it turned out the door was – surprise, surprise! – locked.

Lucy recovered in world-record time, and neither Sally nor Troy took sick. Since Sally was usually either asleep or peeing, Lucy and Troy had a lot of time together. LUCY: Listen, you. What do you think you’re going to do about my daughter and her baby? TROY: Er, I was thinking that I can’t handle the midnight feedings, but if Sally pumps, I’ll take the day shift so she can sleep. (notices Lucy’s face) That wasn’t what you were asking about, was it? LUCY: What are you going to do about giving the baby a name? TROY: I’ve always liked Imani, but Sally says she wants to name the baby after me if it’s a girl and after her if it’s a boy – That wasn’t what you were asking about either, was it?

LUCY: What are you going to do about a last name? TROY: Oh, well, the baby will be a Langerak, like me. (checks for Lucy’s reaction) Er, won’t it? LUCY (satisfied): I’m so glad we agree! I knew you’d do the right thing. (hugs Troy, not entirely gently) Eventually. With guidance. TROY (as Lucy walks away): Oooookay. What was that all about?

TROY: Sally, there’s something I want to ask you… SALLY (distressed): Oh no. You’ve been talking to my mother, haven’t you? TROY (uncertainly): Ye-es. But I thought you’d be happy! SALLY: I would be! It’s just – look, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I love you, and I’m happy to keep on as we are if you’d prefer. We can get our own place if you don’t want Mom to keep nagging you about “making an honest woman of me.” TROY (as light dawns): Ohhhhh, is that what she was going on about? SALLY: …You’re not asking because Mom strong-armed you into it? TROY: No. I’m asking because I love you and I want to be with you.

SALLY: Then yes! Yes! Yes! (sniffles, then throws herself at Troy and begins covering his face with kisses) TROY: (staggers) Oooof! Warn me next time you want to do that, okay? It – (kisses Sally back as she lands a kiss on his mouth) I mean, your center of – (again) Of gravity isn’t – (and again) Isn’t – (and again) Oh, system crash with it! (gives up talking in favor of kissing)

Sally Couderc is now… well, Sally Couderc, actually, since she didn’t want to change her name. But she’s a married woman, and can now call herself “Mrs. Couderc” if she wants to. Sally and Troy have agreed that the baby will be a Langerak.

And speaking of the baby, we’re about to find out what it is! Sally would have to give birth in the bathroom. (sarcastically) It’s not like there are any other rooms in the house or anything. SALLY: No, it’s huff puff written: “ImportantLifeEvent” ugh “ImportantLifeEv- Even-” aaaaaaugh “equals” owwwwww “eq- eq- equals GoTo – ” AAAAAAAAAAAAA! TROYYYYYY!

But it was all worthwhile in the end. Meet Tamara Langerak! In the Jewish naming tradition to “name after” someone means that you start the child’s name with the same letter, and I’ve always liked that tradition better than the one in which you just give the child the exact same name as whoever they’re named after. So since Troy begins with a T, and so does Tamara, Tamara actually is named after Troy. Traditionally, it’s bad luck to name the child after someone living, but I’m not worried.

Over at the Littledragon-Miller house, Sam has been busy working out. Apparently she’s been consuming more calories than she’s been burning lately.

Cathrynne has taken up the piano, just like her mother. Honestly, I see very little of Dante in her except for her tendency to ask people to dance with her. (I find that Nice children ask to dance with older relatives more than Mean ones.) Perhaps once she becomes a Teen it will be more obvious.

Being Elders with a very Comfortable bed, Harkon and Nirel are awake for large chunks of the night. This means that they get to go on lots of late-night (or very early-morning) dates to the park or the diner. SERVER: Okay, that’s one bowl of chili and one – Yow! I’ll, uh… I’ll just come back with the food in a minute, shall I?

Of course, this is generally a very affectionate family.

Very affectionate indeed.

Adam is not about to blithely take advantage of Amy’s naturally affectionate tendencies, however. ADAM: Sir, I wanted to talk to you about your daughter. HARKON: Do you want to move in? ADAM: Wow, that’s direct. Um, I’d like to be with Amy, and I don’t really have a place to offer – HARKON: You can’t move in. Sorry. ADAM: But it would only be until I can get a job – ! HARKON: No, I mean you literally can’t move in. We have five people and three cats already. Any more would violate city ordinance.

So, in the interest of more space, Amy moved out and took Latifah the cat with her.

She wasted no time in asking Adam to move in with her. He, being an intelligent man with good taste, agreed.

Adam then wasted no time in showing that he is a good match for Amy. See? Neither of them has the sense to come in out of the rain. It occurs to me that Adam and Amy both have repeat names: There’s an Old Adam in Ruth’s, and there have been two Amys in AiP already. If anyone has any suggestions for nicknames, I’m all ears. And speaking of Old Adam…

Leonid is proceeding with his “insurance” plan for Dmitri’s future. OLD ADAM: Capital! He will not do for my older daughters, but I think he is of an age to make a match with my youngest, Rose. She is four. LEONID: Is good age difference. Wery suitable. OLD ADAM: I have always thought so.* Truly, I cannot get over how noble his nose is! *Both Old Adam and Leonid are married to women older than themselves. Old Adam comes from Ruth’s (un)Officially Wacky Boolprop Challenge, which you should definitely check out. [/shameless self-promotion]

OLD ADAM: Then we are agreed: when they have both graduated University, Dmitri and Rose shall marry. If the marriage does not go through as planned, there will be a heavy forfeit. LEONID: Is deal! (The fathers shake hands, very pleased with themselves)

LEONID: Is wery good deal I made this afternoon, zaika. Arranged marriage with nice girl and built in guarantee. (with sudden worry) Oh dear – we are not specifying who will be paying heavy forfeit. Is being us, I think. TRIXIE: Why should we have to pay a heavy forfeit if his rotten little girl doesn’t want to marry Dmitri? LEONID: Oh, but look at him! Who is not wanting to marry perfect angel like Dmitri! …Dmitri, stop strangling cat, please.

It wasn’t too much longer before the perfect angel Grew Up Well. In the hallway, you’ll notice, in front of his crib. Which he now can’t sleep in.

This led to a little creative rearranging of the furniture. Now everyone has a place to sleep, but it’s not ideal. For a start, Ariadene will be a Teen soon, and she’ll probably want her own room. Little brothers are notorious for their lack of understanding and tact, particularly when it comes to new, sensitive, girl-specific matters. I’m sure I’ll think of something…

A better look at Child!Dmitri, because I think he’s gorgeous. Sure, that looks like a flower on his shirt, but when you get closer, you can see that it’s a radioactive teddy bear. Or possibly a LEGO man exploding out of a chrysanthemum. Well, that’s what it looks like to me, anyhow.

And because Ariadene and Abhijeet have not gotten enough screen time this chapter, here’s a picture of them smustling. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer it when the smustle isn’t in sync. Mostly when people dance a non-partner dance, the only time they’re in sync is when they’re on Broadway.

Although perhaps Ariadene should have spent more time on her schoolwork and less on her dancing. Her grades are slipping pretty badly – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Sim child wad up their report card and them stomp on it before. And speaking of slipping…

That’s exactly what Eileen is doing. I think Mifune’s death tipped her over the edge, but she’s often only in the green because I refuse to buy her yet another bar. Or a big fancy vacation home the family will never use. Or a Sculpture Costing At Least Twice The Money In The Family Bank Account. The store is still bleeding money. I had to sell furniture to be able to pay the bills. I am not buying some huge ugly expensive statue! Obviously I am a big huge meanie.

Fortunately, Eileen rolled the Want to Earn Some Money. Also fortunately, even earning $1 from the money tree counts. Crisis averted! I’m not going to add money trees as a regular part of this household because I like that they’re losing money. It’s way too easy to get the bank balance ridiculously high in this game.

Eileen and Charlie like to stand around and complain about how terrible life is for them. (scoffs) They’ve still got a fully-stocked indoor bar, don’t they? And those curtains cost more than the rent on my apartment. You know, a lot of families in their position would just economize, maybe downsize. They could live comfortably off the proceeds for quite a while. But noooooo, it’s stand around and drink and talk about how I’m a big huge meanie. Which I am not!

I make sure they get aspiration points! See? For some reason, Charlie really likes to wash the dog…

Speaking of whom… Venus the dog is now an Elder. Much as I like animals, I think the lifespan of pets is just too darn long in this game. By the time they turn elder, I’ve pretty much forgotten about them.

I’m sure you will all be please to hear that Oliver and Oakapple’s little family is still doing well. The girls spend time skilling, fishing, and gardening, while their fathers spend time acting as if they have three bolts instead of one.

It may not look like much still, but the farm stand is doing very well. One or the other of the girls is usually busy restocking while the other one sells. Sometimes they have to take a break from selling to run the register, but they never take a break from restocking. After all, people can’t buy it if you don’t have it! Saigon has reached her Silver Sales badge, I believe.

In fact, the farm stand is profitable enough that the family can afford a plant light for the upstairs room in the farmhouse. Now the girls won’t pass out on the lawn before morning. When they earn a little extra money, I plan to put some sort of crafting station up here, to build skills and keep them out of trouble at night.

There was even enough money for our Family Sim to call the Matchmaker for a date. She Wanted to Fall In Love, but given the state of the family’s finances, we couldn’t afford more than $20 for a date. Everyone knows that won’t get you good chemistry.

But what it will get you is a little aspiration bump from the date rerolls. The date ended up as Lame, but they did seem to get along okay – this is just going to be a “let’s be friends” relationship, I think. Incidentally, if you ever wondered what the Coach wears when he’s not on duty screaming at college students for being slackers, this is it.

And speaking of the Matchmaker, let’s swing on by the house of Oakapple’s sister Buttercup. As you can see, it’s on the small side.

This became particularly relevant after Albert’s father’s husband and girlfriend both died.* ALBERT: Honey, I was thinking… We can’t leave Dad all alone in that big old house of his. BUTTERCUP: So we’re going to move in with him? ALBERT: Nooo-ooo. Eight people and a dog rattled around in that place when I was growing up. I was thinking that we could find a new place, smaller than his but big enough for everybody. BUTTERCUP: Why, if he’s got a mansion paid for already? ALBERT: The heating bills for that place routinely ran into three digits a month. Sometimes four. *Albert is originally from Everybody Loves Bertie; full details can be found there.

And that is exactly what they did. The green-skinned gentleman is Albert’s father Bertram McClellan – Bertie for short. Those of you who have been following Already in Progress for a while may remember him from the cover of Chapter 12.

Bertie fit right in – he’d always been in touch with his family, and they came to visit occasionally, so he was friends with everyone already.

But Grampa and Jo have always been especially close. JOSEPHINE: Grampa, do you think any boys will ever ask me out? BERTRAM: Of cowse they wiww! And wemembew, you’we awwoed to ask them out too. JOSEPHINE: I don’t know… What if they say no? BERTRAM: Then they’we obviouswy mentawwy deficient. But how’s about I hiwe the Matchmakew to find you a date, just fow pwactice? JOSEPHINE: Really? BERTRAM: Weawwy. A $5,000 date, I think. Nothing but the best fow my pwincess. JOSEPHINE: (hugs Bertram exuberantly) Thank you, Grampa! You’re the best!

The Matchmaker was duly summoned, and Jo paid top dollar for her date. The Matchmaker provided her with vacation townie Joe Grundstrom, made infamous by dicreasy’s Victorian Legacy. I decided to give him a chance anyway. After all, that all happened in a past life. People can learn and grow.

Unfortunately, Joe Grundstrom is not one of those people. JOE GRUNDSTROM: You like cute little puppies? Are you crazy? There has got to be something severely wrong with you! Besides which, they only had one bolt of chemistry. It’s a good thing Bertie’s loaded.

Not that it mattered all that much – I stuffed his inventory full of Expensive Stuff when he moved in, and on the last day of the rotation, he proved that you can take it with you after all. BERTRAM (delightedly): You packed fow me? You wock!

Bertram McClellan, 82 years old. Bertie was the lead singer of Princes of Charming, and a loving partner to multiple people, both male and female. Under normal circumstances, I would never have considered a Polyamory Project Challenge, but it seemed tailor-made for Bertie, and both he and I had fun with it. When it was over, he made a pleasant addition to the B. Shankel household, even if only for a little while. Rest in peace, Bertie. We loved you.

Over at Casa Awesome, Abbey has put on a few pounds, which doesn’t seem to bother Descartes a bit. Descartes has put on a few pounds as well, but since they are pure muscle, they look good on him.

Tim is within two skill points of achieving his LTW of Max Seven Skills. He can get one more from eggplant juice, but he has to earn the last one the old-fashioned way or the game won’t recognize it. He’s still got time on his lifebar, so I’m sure he’ll manage. You may notice that Tim now looks different. I have a personal policy of putting that old-person-type makeup on any Sim aged 80 or over, and Tim has hit that magic number. (Rock Gods and Show Business Icons are exempt from this, since they probably get plastic surgery. Tinsletown is notoriously unforgiving.) Tim is the third Sim ever to qualify.

Rebecca the Romance Sim has been wasting no time in trying to find someone to love. The family is loaded, so she’s perfectly happy to pay the full amount for a date. REBECCA: Oh please, Mrs. Matchmaker, make him tall, dark, and handsome! MATCHMAKER: For this kind of money you can tell me what eye color you want, sweetie.

Cooper Go was indeed tall, dark, and handsome, just as specified. He was also a complete jerk, with negative chemistry. Since there was obviously a glitch in the crystal ball, Rebecca tried again.

The same objections applied to paperboy Abhijeet Wood. ABHIJEET WOOD: You want me to tell you what my interests are? Well, aren’t you nosy! Plus, your hairdo is stupid.

In fact, the only viable candidate thus far has been ubiquitous sales clerk Ratna Miguel. He appears to be both Shy and Nice, although I suppose he could just be Shy. Ratna and Rebecca have a whopping one bolt of chemistry, and Rebecca actually rolled the Want to Be Friends with Cooper while on the date, so we will just have to monitor the situation.

Our last stop today is the home of Mr. Way-Too-Nice and his Heavenly Bride, who are still equipped with three bolts. I have to admit that I’m not so sure how to write this family, as they are just so happy and functional all the time. The chores get shared out fairly, Celeste and Eddie both drop everything if Frederic needs help raising his Fun meter, and in return Frederic does his homework with no fuss.

They even have autonomous Family Story Time in the evenings!

In fact, the only cloud in Frederic’s sky right now is that his two best friends from next door are now Teens and would rather just chill on the swings instead of swinging on them.

But even that is not as bad as it could be, since the annoying little kid across the street has suddenly turned into a big interesting kid across the street – who likes to swing on the swings. On which happy thought I will leave you.

And one quick note for readers who are not familiar with Ruth’s (un)Officially Wacky Boolprop Challenge and who may have missed the joke: this would be why Old Adam is so taken with Dmitri’s nose. Until next time, Happy Simming!