The End For The Rufflehearts

Hi everyone!

I bet it’s a bit of a shock seeing I’ve updated the blog, being almost two years since I last published a part of the story. I’m afraid it’s not really with good news.

In case you hadn’t guessed from my inactivity, The Ruffleheart Legacy just isn’t something I have the time or motivation for in my life any more. I’ve changed a lot in myself the past two years; in particular, I’m working full time as an apprentice now (and also studying for a qualification alongside it) and am also approaching my 18th birthday (I wrote most of this blog aged 15). My priorities in life have subsequently also changed – while I still love Sims, I am nowhere near as active in the community as I was two years ago, which I kind of miss.

Anyway, I thought all you wonderful readers/followers, who truly encouraged me to keep The Ruffleheart Legacy running as long as it did, deserved to know that it definitely isn’t coming back. I think I also need closure, for myself. But to prevent from leaving it in the middle of a storyline, I’ve searched through my old screenshots and planning documents and can tell you what the future for the Rufflehearts would have been.

Aphrodite graduated, sadly said goodbye to the place that had become her home and agreed with Ben to be boyfriend/girlfriend, before returning home.

There was a welcome home party awaiting her. In the morning (which would have been back to the regular legacy, Chapter 3.1, rather than the university spin-off), she called Ben, got a job as a singer and joined Darwin & Madeline’s band, ‘Love In 2D’, which changed to ‘Love In 3D’.

As time went on, all of the members of the Ruffleheart family grew, progressing in their careers. Darwin & Madeline eventually got married in a small but beautiful ceremony on the beach and, a few months later, had another child. Around this time, they moved out.

Inevitably, of course, Joshua passed away. A similar funeral to Alonzo’s took place, with family and friends reflecting on his life. Love In 3D were going to perform, but all members were too upset to go through with it. Following the death, Aphrodite still kept in close contact with Pearl, Joshua’s girlfriend.

As for Aphrodite, Ben came to move in and the same pattern continued over and over with them; they’d be fine, he’d do something mean, she’d get upset, he’d be nice again and she’d forgive him. But he started to get more controlling and aggressive. Aphrodite met another man while performing who wasn’t particularly good-looking and was very shy & awkward, but something about him made her heart flutter.

Eventually, an affair began, which culminated in Ben walking in on them. He exploded, dragged the man out of the house, forbade Aphrodite from leaving then stormed out to a bar. Sometime when walking home in the snow (despite living in Sunlit Tides, it could get pretty cold in the winter months), Ben had passed out and became frostbitten. When he was discovered, it was too late.

Aphrodite was upset and shaken up, but started officially dating the man from the bar. He was kind and they were so happy together, it was only natural for them to get married. Three children soon followed. The heir for the legacy was gay (I’d decided that whoever had been voted as heir would be gay, as I think it’s important to have representation and it was a storyline I really wanted to tackle), but was supported and managed to have children of their own through surrogacy.

Time went on and the generations flew by. The heir of the tenth generation had one child – a son, named Alonzo. When he became a young adult, they told Alonzo all about the challenge that his Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather – also named Alonzo Ruffleheart – had began. They took Alonzo to the family crypt and reflected on the events that had happened throughout the legacy. They told their son that the legacy was now over, ending with his coming of age.

And so, Alonzo settled down in his favourite chair, a notebook and pen in his hand. He opened to the first page and started to write.

“Hey! I’m Alonzo Ruffleheart. I’m 18 years old and I come from Sunlit Tides. Many, many years ago an ancestor of mine – also called Alonzo Ruffleheart – decided that he would start a legacy. He would record the events that occurred in the family and choose an heir to continue that tradition. I am the child of the tenth generation heir. And I am renewing that legacy.”

~        ~        ~

To everyone who has enjoyed The Ruffleheart Legacy over the years, thank you. You are the ones who made this legacy and I hope the ending can leave you with a sense of happiness and closure, as it is me. I hope you all keep safe, and – most importantly – keep simming!

2013 in review

Well, it’s been a while. Life has been pretty eventful and I’ve had a lot of school work on.

But what you probably want to know is – am I coming back? I wish I had a simple answer. All I can give you or now is probably. I really want to because I love the Rufflehearts and all you lovely readers, but it’s a fair bit of work and I do have so much on. Motivation is also lacking quite a bit. I enjoy writing The Ruffleheart Legacy and don’t want it to fizzle out like too many other blogs. In fact, I’ll change my answer to hopefully. So…see you next year in theory!

Oh yeah, and WordPress sent me this facts thing. Somehow I got more views this year despite writing over double the posts last year. WOW! Thanks guys 🙂 Anyway, it’s pretty interesting.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,200 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Sims Giveaway!

Hi guys, hope you’re enjoying Aphro’s Adventures In Uni! Just thought I’d let you know over on my Tumblr, I’m hosting a giveaway. You can win The Sims 3 High Tech and Design Stuff as well as 300 Simpoints! Enter HERE

Aphro’s Adventures In Uni: Part Four

The break home was short-lived. I was soon back at uni and had a lovely welcome from Ben.
“Great to see you again, babe,” he told me with (GASP) actual sincerity in his voice.

The day passed pretty uneventfully, yet the next day, there was enough drama to last me a lifetime! I woke up to smell the wonderful, unmistakable scent of waffles cooking – yum! Whoever cooked tended to make enough for the whole dorm to share and I was more than ready for some food. Turning on my MP3 player, I skipped downstairs to be greeted with the sight of smoke swamping the kitchen.
“Aphrodite, help!” Blair Jansenovich, one of my roommates, yelled. In my teenage years, I’d saved Dad’s life by putting him out when he was on fire, so I tried to keep calm and I yanked the fire extinguisher off the wall and directed it at the blazing oven.

By the time the fire brigade arrived, the only proof there had ever been a fire at all was the charred insides of the cooker.

Full of pride at my heroic act, I allowed myself to skip class and study on the computer instead; I’d still be doing the work, but I didn’t have to worry about going out and about. It was going fine…until I heard a wail from the kitchen.

Clutching his stomach was Blair, who had charcoaled the waffles earlier. Apparently he was still desperate for waffles, but couldn’t cook them fast enough. He collapsed to the floor in starvation. It wasn’t long before the Grim Reaper arrived.

I was devastated and really shaken. After sitting down for a while and coming to terms with it, I saw Ben saunter into the living room. I rush towards him, seeking a shoulder to cry on.
“Oh Ben, isn’t it awful, i just can belie-” To my utter horror, Ben pushed me away.

“Babe, you’re creepin’ me out. Back off, yeah? You’re so needy, you’re smothering me!” It just kept happening again and again; I’d trust him, fall for him and then he’d be all d-baggy, I’d get upset and he’d be sweet again. The cycle wouldn’t stop repeating and I couldn’t bring myself to end it.

Tears began to roll down my cheeks – they soon turned to big, ugly, unstoppable sobs.

Suddenly, I missed home a whole lot more. I wanted my Daddy. I wanted my Mummy too, although I knew she was far, far away. But the person I really, really wanted was Darwin. Things had been shaky with him ever since Dad chose me to be the heir, but we’d been so close when we were younger.

I loved him, how could I have let it get awkward between us? I dialled his number and waited nervously.
“Hello, Darwin Ruffleheart!” my brother greeted cheerfully, a generic greeting for unknown callers.
“Hi Darwin. I-it’s me.”
“Aphro?” he asked, confusion tainting his tone.
“Yeah. I just wanted to say…I…erm, well…look Darwin, I miss you – I miss us. You’re my brother and I don’t want to lose you because I was chosen as heir.” A huge silence ensued.

“…I miss you too. I’m sorry, I over-reacted. I love you little sis.” I couldn’t stop a huge grin breaking out on my face.
“Love you too big bro.”

Aphro’s Adventures In Uni: Part Three

Back to the kiss. And my gosh, that kiss. It went on for-pretty-much-ever.

After that, we just played video games and didn’t really mention it. I think we were both a little stunned at what had happened. Of course, Ben “Cool” Trigger was attempting to act calm and unfazed. Psh; I could see that he was shocked at my sudden display of affection. We played on the Xbox until I eventually excused myself to go to bed – I had an exam the next morning.

I woke early to read my textbook (while listening to music on my MP3 player). Nothing like a last minute cram before an exam, huh?

I thought the exam went okay. But I needed something to take my mind off studying…I was gonna throw a party! I–well, okay, a roommate– cooked up some tasty delights, as Ben ran up most of the university to convince them to attend.

A fair amount of guests turned up and the party was going well. The drink was flowing, people were chatting, some dances were broken out, all was well…

…until the police came. The party was swiftly broken up.

And hey, Ben and I still lived at the dorm, so our juice kegging could continue into the wee hours! It was safe to say we got super juiced.

It was with an aching head and nervous heart the next morning when I received my report card. How had I done?

An A! I’d got an A in my exam! YES!

I had one day of fun before I went home for a break and I intended to be rebellious! First of all, I decided to try a herb. I knew peppermint was meant to improve moods so I tried a bite.

Not. Rebellious. Enough. I went to the car park and tagged the ground a few times for good measure.

Hmm…one more rebellious act…DUMPSTER DIVING! It stank, but I found a chair, so…score?

Craziness over, I sought out Ben.
“I’m gonna miss you, Ben,” I told him as I took his hand.
“Yeah, well I can’t blame you, it’s me!” Urgh, did he always have to ruin such cute moments? With a coy smile, I let go of his hand and  grabbed my packed suitcase. He was hot, he was fun and MY could he kiss…but he did certainly have d-bag qualities.

I said goodbye to my dorm room and my roommates. One journey later and I was back at home! Dad was waiting at the door, ecstatic to see me.
“Welcome home sweetie – for a little while, anyway.” He engulfed me into a hug and held me tightly. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too Daddy.”

Aphro’s Adventures In Uni: Part Two

The day after the party and I was certainly feeling the side-effects of being super juiced; my head was aching, I feel nauseated and even the tiniest sliver of light made my eyes burn. The worst part? I had to go to class. I slung my backpack on my shoulders and ran to the Thomas School of Art.

Class was fun and all my classmates seemed pretty friendly! As I’d chosen 24 credit classes, most days I had to go to two classes with only a short break in between. To amuse myself in the meantime, I got a bite to eat at the coffee shop, which soon turned into a part of my class routine.

University was great, but I needed some fun too. Thus, I bought myself a keyboard so I could practise ‘tinkling the ivories’ away from home. It really helped pass the time or wind down after a particularly frustrating class.

Another way I relaxed was playing pool with Ben. We had a table in our dorm and, if we didn’t have class until later, we’d spend to late morning having a game together. Actually, the more time I spent with him, the more we got on and the less of a d-bag he seemed.

One evening, we were having some juice in the living room and he turned to me.
“Let’s go watch the stars.”
“That sounds nice,” I responded, a hopeful edge to my voice.

We reclined outside, the chill of the hard ground barely noticeable as we leant into each other.
“The night sky is so beautiful,” I whispered, my heart thumping. Perhaps this was more than attraction. Was it to early to think of…love?

“HAHAHA, those stars look like boobs!” Yup, way too early. Romantic moment: shattered.

The next day, while eating a slice of key lime pie at the coffee shop, I was suddenly inspired to start a protest. I strutted up to the podium and cleared my throat.
“Greetings fellow academics. I speak to you today to announce a protest at the university quad in three hours! Dig out your megaphones and set to work painting those picket signs, it’s time to bring down the fury!”
“What are you protesting about?” Well plumbob. I hadn’t thought of that; I just liked the idea of protesting.
“Um…nuclear…um…nuclear waste…is bad. Or something like that.” I was making it up as I was going along, but the diners were pacified.

Three hours later, I was heading a campaign and people were actually listening! I was just stringing together random inspirational clichés like “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’! So let’s all stick together, knuckle down and make a difference!”.

They lapped it up and the protest was considered a success. I was buzzing as the crowd gathered around me and threw confetti.
“To VICTORY!” I exclaimed.

Prosperity had sparked an interest in rebelling in me. I couldn’t resist graffiting a car park that same week. I had to admit, the rush I got from disobeying authority or going against people’s expectations was intoxicating.

A fuse inside of me had been lit and I had to do something big I normally wouldn’t. I lay on my bed, wondering what to do. Inspiration hit me. Oh yes. I knew what I wanted to do. Bolting down the stairs, I came to a stop when I almost collided with Ben.
“Watch it, you clums–MMF!” I grasped his back and silenced his mouth with mine, kissing him with the passion I had stewed up in me.

It was obvious I’d taken him by surprise. I pulled myself away, bemused at my own actions.
“Did I tell you to stop?” Ben barked, recovering from the shock with a smug grin on his face. Our arms entwined around each other as our kiss was renewed.

Aphro’s Adventures In Uni: Part One

Hey! I guess my Daddy’s probably told you a lot about me; I’m Aphrodite (Aphro or Aphie for short) and I’m the first female heir in the Ruffleheart Legacy. What did I do as soon as I became the heir, you ask? I adopted a kitty! Meet Moustachio, my little man. Dad told me he had two cats when he was younger, but they’d had them adopted because they were too much hard work; psh, how much work could a little kitten be?

I was playing with Moustachio out front when a llama approached! Well…a man in a llama suit. He dropped a bucket filled with University goodies on the doorstep.

I took the bucket of goodies to my bedroom. There was some pretty cool stuff in there!

I took the aptitude test and came out with the suggestion of Fine Arts. I kinda had a desire to be a singer when I was older, so I could certainly see that working.

However, to go to university, I had to be a young adult; luckily for me, it was my birthday! I didn’t want a lame costume party like Darwin’s; I wanted an awesome pool party with topless men! Auntie Saff and I played a bit of frisbee until the hotties rolled in.

It wasn’t long!

It was a LOT of fun! Saffron got a little drunk, but hey; it was a party after all!

The guests cheered as I transitioned into a young adult.

One drastic makeover later…

D’you like it? I completely changed up my hair and style, but I thought it suited me.

Off course, I graduated from school as most likely to take over the world; I was also valedictorian!

As soon as I had graduated, I rang up and secured my place in University. But before I could go, I had to say goodbye to Dad. It was difficult. He was getting pretty old and I was worried he would fall ill while I was away. We had the biggest hug, tears streaming down our faces.
“Good luck sweetheart. Go make me proud.”

The family gathered to wave me off as I hauled my suitcase into the moving van. I had to stop myself from getting choked up at the sight of  them waving as the van drove me away.

However, the excitement soon began to take over! By morning, I arrived at De Anda hall, the dormitory I’d chosen to stay in.

I was the first one there. I chose my bed and set to work personalising my half of my room. I hung ancient pictures of Mum, Darwin & Dad on the walls to remind me of home. I also put down a toy I’d had since I was a baby, a cuddly unicorn (Hey, never know when you might need one!), a cute picture and the flag I had received in the freebie kit.

To help during my studies, I was supplied with a sketchpad. I started scrawling down some drawings while waiting for my roommates to arrive.

First to join me was Ben Trigger, a pretty hot jock.

I’d never seen such bright blue eyes before. The contrast with his pale hair made him stand out in an instant. A wave of attraction hit me.

I jumped at the chance to socialise with him.
“Hey! I’m Aphrodite. I know, it’s quite a mouthful; my friends usually just call me Aphro or Aphie. It’s after the Greek goddess of love and beauty.” I realised I was rambling. “Er…anyway. Nice to meet you.”
“Weird name. I’m Ben.” Huh. Well that was a bit uncalled for. True though, I guess.
“Um…yeah. So, where are you from?”
“Look, I just got here, I’m not really in the mood for boring small talk. Go annoy someone else, yeah?” Okay, he was a jerk. A big ol’ jerkface…still hot though.

One by one, the other roommates turned up. We decided to head to the Student Union and check it out. I helped myself to a few freebies. Okay, well, a lot. And I mean, A LOT.

I was super-excited when I was invited to a Juice Kegger party! I psyched myself up for a good time and a lotta drinking. That was, until I was greeted by the host, Rex Lovelace, some old man trying to recapture his youth. The party was lame, with no food, music and hardly any guests.

Mind you, there was one guest I was pleased to see – Ben. Okay, he was rude earlier, but maybe he’d had a long journey. And he was hot. VERY hot. In fact, he was pretty much exactly my type. He wasn’t as stand-offish as he had been. In fact, we had fun together! Maybe he wasn’t such a jerk as he’d originally seemed.

Chapter Two, Part Ten – I’m So Old!

Saffron soon fitted back into the Ruffleheart family life. She managed to wrangle herself a job in the military.

She trained hard too – I could tell that boarding school had left her disciplined.

Meanwhile, with just three weeks to go before the wedding, Madeline had some very exciting news, especially for Darwin.
“We’re expecting a baby!” she told him.
“NO WAY! YES! Ohmygosh, yay!” he responded, shaking with excitement.

We were sat around the dinner table on evening, over an especially tasty serving of veggie rolls, when Darwin explained:
“What with the pregnancy and such, we decided to postpone the wedding until the baby’s been born.”

With the wedding off (for the time being), I could concentrate on my career. In fact, I completed my lifetime wish! That didn’t mean I wasn’t at risk of the dangers however, as I frighteningly reminded of one evening, while inventing.

Much to my luck, Aphrodite heard my yelps of terror and sped in, a fire extinguisher in hand.
“Keep calm and still Dad, I’ll sort it out.” And with that, she saved my life.

Despite my accident, I managed to get a hero medal for being such a great artist; hey, we were all thinking it, weren’t we?

The months whizzed by and Darwin was soon woken by Madeline in labour. He panicked like crazy, but one can understand – it was his first baby, after all.

A contrast to his earlier anxiety, Darwin soon calmed down and struggled to stay awake!

It was a little boy! My first little grandchild. I also realized that the first child born into every generation of our family was a boy; Dad, of course, then me, then (depending on who you count) either Preston Ira or Blaine. And now, little Charlie! Yep, Darwin decided to call his son Charlie (officially Charles).

They made fantastic parents; I never really doubted that they would. Darwey did his fair share of night-feeds too!

Having two blonde parents, it had always been likely that Charlie would have blonde hair too and it suited him. He really was a sweetie.

I remember that as soon as Blaine was born, Dad had aged into an elder and sadly it wasn’t much different for me. I knew I was reaching my birthday, so Bear and I had a joint party! In a bizarre twist, we wore matching outfits reminiscent of clothes we wore as toddlers (see HERE). We looked silly, but we thought it was pretty funny.

Pearl looked absolutely stunning. I was scared that she would leave me as soon as I turned old, but she repeatedly reassured me she wasn’t that shallow.

As children, Bear had always moaned about how I got to blow out the candles and age up before him, as I was the eldest. I certainly wasn’t in any rush to grow old though, so for once he got to go first!

Bear thought he still looked hot and I think that’s all that matters! He didn’t look too bad though.

Me? OLD. But…not too bad? Let’s be honest, I still had it!

Seeing my hair turn grey reminded me I had an important decision to make; who would be the heir? Darwin had his life planned out in front of him, he was a hard worker, he had a stable job, a fiancee and a son. Aphrodite on the other hand…well, she was an impulsive diva, who had no idea what she wanted to do, where she wanted to go, who she wanted to spend her life with. Yet the control and initiative she’d displayed when she put out the fire assured me she would be a good choice.

I sat them down in the living room. “You know I love you both equally,” I began, glancing at both of my children’s expectant faces. “but the choice I had to make was, who would be the best heir and would carry on the family line. It wasn’t an easy decision, but…Aphie, it’s you.”
“Awesome! Thank you Daddy; I’m so touched!” she gasped, holding her heart beneath her jumper. It took me a moment to notice Darwin huffing next to me.
“What the hell Dad? I’m obviously the better choice! I do all the housework around here, I’ve got an adorable little son who could be the start of generation four, I have a stable job and relationship, I’m older, more mature and if it weren’t for me, you probably still wouldn’t be talking to Aphrodite! I mean, I’m happy for her, but…it just doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m sorry Darwin, but this just proves what a better heir she’d be. Like I said, I love you both the same, but Aphro – the job is yours.”

(Note from the author: Hey guys! The voting is now closed for the heir poll (obviously) and the spin-off university poll. The results for the heir poll was 19 to 11 votes to Aphrodite and the spin-off one was 7 to 3 for going to uni. So, Aphrodite’s going to university! While it is a spin-off, I’d highly recommend reading it, as important things may happen in it that relate to the storyline of the main legacy. I also got a few interesting suggestions for storylines in the poll, one or two I’d already had planned, so…let’s wait and see!)

What Would You Prefer For The Rufflehearts?

Hey everyone!

Sorry there hasn’t been an update in a little while. I had a serious case of PEPS and now I’m having so much fun with UL. But I was wondering…how would you feel about a five-part (probably, it’s liable to change how many parts) spin-off with the heir going to university after Chapter Two, Part Ten is released? Please tell me your opinion HERE!

Chapter Two, Part Nine – Darwin Evolves

I was sculpting in my underwear one morning, as you do, when I realized I was getting a little too hairy again. I decided another waxing was in order.

However, outside the spa, I spotted Pearl in her work clothes as a scientist.
“Hey, I realized I never properly thanked you for my little tour!” I exclaimed
“Oh, it’s fine. I enjoyed it!”
“Me too, me too. But…well…I still feel the need to make it up to you. May I take you to dinner?”
“Yeah. I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

My lobster really was quite delicious and I think Pearl enjoyed herself too – until I was too blunt.
“Pearl…why don’t you take your glasses off?” She looked a little taken aback and swallowed her risotto slowly. as if planning her words carefully.
“I…I guess…I’m a private person. I like to…I dunno, hide myself from other people’s scrutiny. And you…you just came out of nowhere. Popped up into my life and I let you in, like I’d never let anyone in before. This is all so new and strange to me, but you…put me at ease. And I like that.” We smiled at each other. I’d have liked the date to last longer, yet the next day was Darwin and Madeline’s  transitions into young adulthood.

For their birthday, Darwin and Madeline decided to throw a costume party. I was a surgeon…

Aphrodite was a cowgirl…

And the happy couple were a jock and a cheerleader. I couldn’t help feeling a great sense of pride for my mini-me and his soulmate.

There were many other amusing costumes. A personal highlight was chef Rain and hotdog Rory!

There was not much time to admire costumes however, as it was time to blow out the candles.

Meanwhile, I’d spotted a particularly pretty pilot.
“Hey, you’re hotter than a jet engine set to full power!” I joked, a flirty edge to my voice.
“Well, doctor, I think I need heart transplant because mine just burst!” she retaliated, a cheeky smirk on her face.

Who says pick up lines don’t work?

That night she stayed. The best part for me? She finally took her sunglasses off and I could look into her dazzling eyes.

We can’t forget Darwin though! He too had a wonderful night with the woman he loved. They embraced upon the balcony, the excitement for their future together palpable.

Naturally, she agreed when he proposed to her.

Darwin took up a career in music, while Madeline opted for business. Of course, she still played to double bass and they formed a band, Love in 2D, with a promise to Aphrodite she could join when she became a young adult.

Time soon flew past. I finally completed the painting skill.

Just a few months later and it was my baby’s bachelor party. I could not get my head around it. Aphie and Madeline got out of the house and stayed at the relaxation station.

While they relaxed (HA! Who’d wanna do that?), we PARTIED!

Robert, my nephew, called in some party dancers, who were great; mind you, neither of them were as gorgeous as my Pearl.

As the very late night turned into the very early morning, we turned more and more mischievous. Rory stripped off and skinny dipped in the pool.

Robert soon joined.

And, after a bit of encouragement, Darwin and I jumped in too. I blame it on the juice and fizzy nectar!

Nobody noticed the woman walk into the garden.
“Ew, ohmygosh, what the heck have I just walked in on?” she exclaimed, looking horrified.

I scrambled out of the pool and back into my clothes.
“Who are you?” I inquired, with a small hint of recognition at her face.
“You haven’t forgotten me already, have you big bro?” she chuckled.
“Wha-huh-omg-SAFFRON!”
“Yup! I’m finally out of school and got the first plane ticket over here. I can stay, right?”
“Sure! For as long as you want.”

It had been an exhaustingly long night. At 7am, I finally passed out on the sofa; Darwin wasn’t so picky about his location.

(Note from the author: Hey guys! Sorry the update took so long, I was creating my Valentine’s gift exchange present. Don’t forget to vote for the heir HERE!)