Back in 2016, I wrote an article about some of the “Superstitions” I had with my town. Actions that while not being completely OCD, certainly had signs that were tantamount to “rally hats” or “secret rituals” that could/might change the outcome of the game or your day, especially if ignored.
No. Contrary to appearing most often in my “CrankyOldGuy Uniform” for many Addicts Live, I do not have a special outfit that I wear when tapping. In fact, on many days, I don’t even wear pants (do sweats count?) when I am doing my most ardent tapping and designing.
But, I would also like to say that I have overcome my need/fear/obsession with keeping certain tasks running, 24/7. I would like to say it. But, I can’t.
In fact…it ha gotten worse. Let’s take a look at the original post…and then I will illuminate you on how my symptoms have progressed.
Does Superstition Run Your Springfield? – 04-24-16
Maybe it’s the sports guy in me…or maybe I’m just nuts. But, like it or not, I have fallen into some patterns that started out as “funny little quirks” to keep me from getting bored with the game, and have turned into full-blown “I’m afraid NOT to do it now” patterns that could be labeled compulsive behavior.
Like I said. I might be nuts.
But, the fact is, I need Grandpa to keep feeding the black hole to keep my Springfield safe. And now…I need Mona by his side, and Sherry Bobbins in the energy field!!
It’s not all as crazy as it seems. Really. No. Really…
Let me explain…
Sports players and fans are known for superstitious behavior. There is myriad anecdotal evidence of fans who need to wear a “lucky shirt” or players who won’t shave during the playoffs. This was never brought to more of a head, than the head-case of a father, in the movie “Silver Lining Playbooks” who was so superstitious about his football viewing/betting rituals, that it caused a huge family riff. Great movie…and DeNiro’s character said about superstition, “It’s only crazy if it doesn’t work.”
And I am convinced that it works. So much so, that I have added to my list of “Characters Stuck.”
It started innocently enough, when I realized that if I had Grandpa “Feed the Birds” and placed the bench near the “Little Black Hole”…it looked like he was actually feeding pigeons into the black hole. That made perfect sense, because anyone with a modicum of physics understanding knows, if you don’t feed a black hole, it can gobble up everything around it. And no…I am not wild about the Chinese building a Super Collider that is supposed to be three times as powerful as CERN. They have not proven to be responsible with technology, and the whole “rip a whole in time/space” thing bothers me. But, I digress…
The fact is…I started keeping Grandpa feeding the black hole, on a 24/7 basis. It became an obsession…and has been for more than three years. Read that line again. Three years.
Unless I am FORCED to use grandpa in an update (which is thankfully rare), he is there. And now, since her introduction and being able to “Feed The Birds” with Grandpa, Mona (or her ghost…or her external consciousness manifestation if you are still going with the time/space bit) is there beside him. With Sherry Bobbins floating just beyond the “Quantum Maze” near my Mapple Store and across the street from my Collider.
Grandpa has been in my town…feeding pigeons into the black hole, since my earliest playing days with the Halloween 2012 update when the Super Collider was introduced. Shary Bobbins came along as one of the first and worst examples of the dreaded “wHell” concept that EA used to have in place back in 2013. She stays aloft…because she represents the worst of EA, and she has been floating, due to getting too close to the strange physics in that region. (what is more strange than a collider and the Mapple Store…with a hedge maze thrown in?).
Go with me here. If there is a supercollider in Springfield…and it is run by Springfieldians, and they let a Black Hole escape…there HAS to be some other physics weirdness in that corner of town. It is where the Mapple store sits, after all. And Steve Jobs is certainly haunting it, which would also explain why Sherry is perpetually suspended there, and why Mona can just “Hang” with one foot in and one foot out of this space/time.
Nuke My TOWN???? I don’t think so…Bub. There is serious quantum physics going on here, and it isn’t going to change any time soon.
That would have been fine. But, then the whole, “Keep them doing what seems safe for the town” bit got out of hand…even by my standards.
It started with Cocoa Beanie. I hate Cocoa Beanie. He is Soooooooooo random!! After he was introduced along with the “Ah Fudge! Factory.” He is argued to be “non-cannon,” but he does make a really short appearance in an episode. But, I found him wandering around the Elementary school once he was in my school…and there is just no way to know who is REALLY in that mascot costume. And so…he is perpetually pummeled by kids in front of the factory.
There are less obvious reasons (to some) that I have Herman perpetually selling black market jeans and Agnes “Greeting Customers” at the Sprawl-Mart. Agnes is simply holding onto my “fallback job” (for when I try retirement and need some extra income), and if Herman is selling jeans, he can’t sell guns.
If you visit my town…check ’em all out. They are there…they will ALWAYS be there…forever, and ever, and ever, and… you get the idea.
What do YOU do in your town to keep things interesting?
Keep on Tappin’ – CrankyOldGuy
Like I said. I wish that this was the end to my obsession. But, now, doing a full roll-over of characters has become extremely complicated. Before I can/will do a “Mass Task Send” through my Employment office, I have to check all of my “regulars” to make sure that they are safely doing what I want them to do…to keep my town intact.
Here are a few of the additions since 2016.
I keep ALL of the Terwilliger players “performing at the opera.” I love the animation…and I can keep an eye on them.
I have Mindy perpetually “working on her tan” (because she is kinda hot), and I have RadioActive Man, perpetually “Shirking His Responsibilities” because he is actually ogling Mindy from his rooftop.
I have my permanent “Dystopian Installation” with Outlands Maggie, Meathook, the Ice Bishop of Beverly Hills, Meathook, RamRod and Howard K. Duff all doing their 4-hour tasks, except for Howard, who does an 8-hour task (so it is complicated). I have the whole mess of them waaaaaaaaay off of the grid, in what I call “Florida” (the first weird forced land extension we could only buy with Free Land tiles).
I have had Teddy Roosevelt hunting game almost non-stop…because the animation is awesome, and the animals always get away.
And as of late…I have allowed my dirty old man to surface, and have kept “Femme Fatale” doing “Deadly Gymnastics” almost perpetually. I could watch her for hours.
There are more…but, admitting to keeping the golfers golfing, and those with other casual quirks that make me laugh going when I remember them…well…yes…it does seem a little more than just superstitious.
I can quit any time I choose. I even did it on purpose for a few days, just to prove that I could. It only took me a couple of cycles to get everyone back where they belong. Because they DO belong where I put them. It keeps me from getting anxious…and it works!!!
What do you mean, what do I mean by “it works?” Well…I haven’t had the Roll Back Bug, or any Game Lag, or any other calamities in almost 6 years of tapping. So…it works! Right?
What rituals do you have? Do you have any “Must do” characters that keep your town under control?
In the meantime…I’ll keep cycling my “must” characters. It’s just safer that way.