penultimatefan02

[penultimatefan02]

Oops, Accidently Kicked Out the Kids

Hey all, just a public safety announcement from a fellow fan. If you are renovating the workshop and delete the room(s) with the cribs, the kids will leave.

My builder's kids were found later in the evening attending a town hall meeting. Do you see the direction the toddler is crawling? Oh yes, he took the LONG way home. My builder picked up the baby and followed him up the hill, past the temple, down the hill, past the game center, through the tunnel, and finally home.

The little dude went right to bed.

The good news is they soon grew up and morphed into one creature. We named it Sloth.

[penultimatefan02]

Kinda Sorta Humble? - Workshop 2.0

"Stay Humble" at twilight:

(A New Beginning at Level 7 - Story Here)

See level 5 and 6 workshops at #mtas humble

It's been quite a journey from level 6 to 7. The exterior is complete and now my focus is on the interior. Afterward, it's on to level 8. I have no idea where this build is headed, but I look forward to getting there.

"Stay Humble" at twilight - continued:

Early afternoon:

After Dark:

The Fam:

The date in-game is Spring 24, Y2. Marker is now in his preschool years, and Crayon is a rambunctious toddler who spends her day spinning in circles at the highest point of the workshop (I should have named her Compass). Anyway, keeping up with her is exhausting - for Pen. Mwahahaha. That man will speed across town like the Dickens to change a diaper, so he can't be all bad.

Thanks for visiting!

[penultimatefan02]

A Humble New Beginning...

Not long ago, my Builder and Pen, along with their two children, Marker and Crayon, were enjoying e-life in a quaint Sandrock workshop. Then one day, the evil game owner, me, had to free up space to fix a save error, but in doing so, mistakenly poofed the family out of existence.

Yep, I deleted the profile. My blue-haired Builder was no more. I had humbled the Stay Humble workshop into oblivion.

I blinked.

Here is the final picture of version 1.0. It stayed humble while it lasted.

May we include a moment of silence for the lovely family:

(Insert quiet time)

After a moment of reflection, I was ready to move forward with version 2.0. Although, for it to work, it had to be meeker, quainter, homier, and much more meager! The situation called for an immediate speed run.

Anxious to get on with it, the new Skinny married Pen by Autumn 7, Y1. Marker was born on the 5th of Winter, followed by Crayon on the 21st. The workshop reached level 7 by the 5th of Spring, Y2. I was now back where I started.

You know, besides having lost a workshop, my builder, and story progression - the only major change was my perspective. Here, for example, was the first version of the 2.0 workshop.

I deemed it sufficient for a rebuild, but then asked, “What would Pen do?”

My knee jerk reaction was to add height, as shown below:

Yeah, maybe I should have named it "Jack Rabbit" instead.

Alas, it wasn't right, it was far too manly for a humble workshop. Moreover, my builder deserved better than to reside in a giant love rocket. So, after failing to Jedi mind trick the shop into proper form, my Pen perspective needed retooling.

That's when the obvious occurred to me - the shop didn't need height, it needed to bulk up instead! The epiphany meant a major course correction. The top got turtled and I focused on adding mass - like the 'roid rage men on TikTok.

Finally, after several lifts, nips, and tucks the shop could be deemed Pen worthy. Maybe I'll coin the design style, Victorian Sandpunk.

And now, for the very first time in Sandrock history, I present to you a sneak peek of "Stay Humble 2.0," in all its (less) erect glory:

I'm working on a separate post for the remaining exterior shots, but until then - stay humble. View photos of the 1.0 workshop at the #mtas humble tag below.

[penultimatefan02]

Workshop Update: Still Humble

The original level 5 workshop now has two bedrooms to make space for a couple of energetic toddlers. The lot is at level 6 but decorated as though it is the end of the game.

With 80k gols on hand, it's time to expand to level 7, but before that I wanted to capture 6 in all its glory. Once 7 is fully decorated, I'll share an update.

VIDEO: Tour the Level 6 Workshop.

[penultimatefan02]

Pen & Logan vs. Duvos (AU)

This amazing day happened because my builder was late gathering materials to build Lefu's jacuzzi. Instead, they decided to finish up the next day. That morning, Pen woke at the workshop instead of leaving for the airship, so my builder asked him to follow.

Pen fought for Sandrock until Daisy left for the Northern Plateau. After that, Pen stopped following.

[penultimatefan02]

Pen vs. Logan - Over the Cliff (AU)

Logan was impossible to knock down but Pen's Space Punch™ ultimately won him the battle. The fight was popcorn worthy entertainment, so I will AU again.

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This is a small, level 5 lot, but it's decorated as if it were level 10. The date is 4.8 in Y1 and my builder and Pen are married with a baby due soon.

Of course, this could only mean a workshop expansion is on the horizon... Let's see if they, and the workshop, can "Stay Humble."

[penultimatefan02]

Stev's Jail Speech was about Pen

(At this point I'm convinced of it)

Today, I was collecting some Pen photobombs for a future post when I stumbled upon screenshots I took of Stev's jail speech. What got me was that the screenshot folder intermingled the shots with those of Pen's jail speech to Burgess. Seeing them together, well, I about choked on my coffee.

HOW DID I NOT SEE IT UNTIL NOW! I mean, I always thought Stev was talking about Pen, but now I'm convinced.

The screenshots and further discussion are under the cut. I'd love to read your interpretations of both conversations as well.

Now, some may argue that it's foreshadowing Stev's journey to Evershine, but the dialog was written when they were making MTAS. At that point, they had no idea Stev would become popular enough to bring back for another game.

The context of this scene is set so the builder begins by listening to Burgess and Dan-bi speak with Pen. Afterward, it sets up the Builder to speak with Pen directly. The last step is to approach Stev before taking the stairs to leave.

The Duvos soldiers drop a few hints about Pen while in town, but this scene is pure foreshadowing. The entirety of it was designed to deliver the player a powerful message.

"Everyone deserves a second chance." In video games, yes, they do.

I rest my case.

[penultimatefan02]

My Time at Sandrock - A Grand Workshop

(Exterior Photos, and Interior Video)

Including interior and exterior this project took about six months.

Headcanon: My builder is married to Pen and has two children with him. The Builder is as self-obsessed as Pen is, which means they are in constant competition. The decor reflects their personalities.

Please keep in mind this house tour is end game so the pics may include late game events. The video is nine minutes long, please forgive the length as it's a REALLY BIG house on a level 10 lot.

Chutes and Ladders is its name, and you'll see why.

Here's a link to the Inside Tour!

Thank you for touring!

[penultimatefan02]

Chutes & Ladders Workshop

For this workshop my goal was for it to neatly fit a level 10 lot but not take up too much ground space. After six months I finally finished the exterior and interior.

In December, I posted an earlier version on Reddit (level 7), but this result is quite different.

By making the ground level rooms smaller they mimic tiny store fronts instead of being connected to a massive workshop. It was a bit of a twist that worked out. It's a bonus that the house is very functional in its layout.

Pics of Pen's rooms were posted a bit earlier. I will probably post pics of the house/yard/rooms in smaller chunks because it's a lot of house to photograph.

I may have gone a bit overboard, but it was a lot of fun to build.

[penultimatefan02]

Pen's Man Cave

Pen's Gym

[penultimatefan02]

The Pen Dillema in the Outback

(an opinion)

A while ago I left the Eufala Outback because of a shift in tone within the discussions surrounding Pen. Using the word narcissist (or any combination of) to describe Pen or his actions started to become taboo. A few users were guilted into apologizing for their offense, me included.

What did I write that was so offensive? I quoted Dave, Pen's writer, to defend using the word narcissist as a descriptor. My comment wasn’t about me, or my preferences, it was about defending those who have a valid perspective on such a divisive character.

Then I got hit with negativity and I caved. I apologized for being insensitive. What faced my apology was a wall of users telling me how wrong using the word narcissist was and how anyone who uses it should feel bad about themselves (gist, not wfw). The pack basically told me to sit down, face the corner, and reflect in shame.

I left instead.

The Eufala, at present, is not a healthy or safe space for Pen fans. Users have thrown their personal trauma onto the group to carry. They armchair diagnose him and declare their opinion fact. They berate users who refer to Pen in a way they don’t like by using guilt as a weapon. It all became very personal with way too many eggshells being tossed out to navigate. It felt manipulative, and ego driven.

If the Eufala Outback is a safe space for Pen fans, it should be safe for those who see him as narcissistic and flawed but with potential for growth. It should be safe for those who only see Pen in the negative if they are kind. It should be safe for those who wear rose-colored glasses. It should also be ok to describe Pen as a narcissist.

Pen IS divisive. His fans and his haters are also going to be divisive. It’s part of why the character is such an interesting topic. There is a huge difference between healthy discourse and using the good nature of others to manipulate Pen’s narrative to a group’s own liking.

Merriam-Webster defines a narcissist as follows:

an individual showing symptoms of or affected by narcissism, such as

an extremely self-centered person who has an exaggerated sense of self-importance

a person affected with narcissistic personality disorder

a person who is overly concerned with his or her physical appearance

If someone describes Pen as such, they are not attacking anyone personally. They are simply calling an apple an apple instead of using a hundred words. It’s not in any way a slight on a real person or their history. To think so, is maybe taking a step too far in their own entitlement. We are discussing a fictional cartoon character, so let's keep our wits about us.

Every person should self-regulate their reactions to external triggers. What some users in the Eufala are doing is controlling others as to not be triggered. That’s toxic. If a commonly used descriptor is so offensive, skip it, but don't try to control the person who used it.

Hopefully, the tone will shift back to normal soon and healthy discourse will be had again but right now, it’s too controlled by those who diminish the character that Pathea created by forcing others into the group’s, not the game’s, narrative.

Peace out.

Also, thank you to the one person who reached out to apologize. It was thoughtful and I’m grateful the situation was acknowledged.

[penultimatefan02]

The Last Lover Standing

(It's a thought...)

 “Anyway, since you were easily one of the top three lovers I've ever known, and the only one I still have the address for, I've decided to offer a symbol of my forgiveness.” Pen.

This is a great line. I’d argue that it’s one of the kindest sentiments Pen shares with the builder, albeit in his own underhanded way, of course.

In Sandrock, Pen’s incapable of getting past himself to love anyone. But with the builder, he hints they might be running a close second in the race for his affection. Granted, only he would ever win, but for Pen, it’s significant that he lets the builder run on the track.

In my interpretation of Pen speak, he’s sharing that while in Sandrock he was only ever seeing the builder. He doesn’t have the fortitude to show vulnerability, so instead he gives a compliment but masks it with a slight. While this is a common manipulation tactic for Pen, in this instance, it’s more about hiding his vulnerability than playing mind games.

It was when I wrote about Pen’s Last Words that I reread the letter from prison. After knowing what was in the treasure, the letter hit differently. In it, Pen disassociates the builder from his other partners by stating, “and the only one I still have the address for,” which brings it to the present and the builder is the only lover left standing.

For Pen, this was most likely achieved by imagining all his former lovers pitted against each other in a mud wrestling competition whereupon the builder emerged victorious with mud stuck in their eyes and toes and of course they leapt into Pen’s arms and Pen declared them his winner winner if they buy him a chicken dinner.

Then, he rigs up a cave, ditches the little black book, and it’s all fine until his plan goes pecs up after he betrays Sandrock.

Still though, it’s a great sentence.

Pen pic was made by the talented @ynindusty. I giggled way too hard when I saw it. Thank you for letting me share.

[penultimatefan02]

Wedding Day Antics

Important tip:

If you marry Pen in Autumn of year one, wait a month to get pregnant then after the child is born get pregnant again right afterward. If timed right, both children will be running around town when Pen exits stage left. It will also provide time for the builder to date and marry Pen again so he can move back to the workshop. Once there, he can remind the builder not to forget their kid's first birthday.

For my builder, it was a hard lesson learned but one that I hope others can avoid by timing things better than I did.

Good luck out there.

Sidenote: Check out Fang and Unsuur, what is up with that look.

[penultimatefan02]

Let us take a moment to appreciate Pen doing domestic chores. Work that broom, hubby!

[penultimatefan02]

The Dreaded Rutabaga

It's the harbinger of doom disguised as a root veggie. IYKYK.

[penultimatefan02]

Comparing Pen and Howlett

It never occurred to me when I wrote the theory about Pen and Logan to compare Pen's features to Howlett's. The very observant @shibbledibble pointed out they do share the same nose, chin, and jawline.

So, I went digging for a few pics to compare and found the ones below. While they are at slightly different angles the pics do align close enough to highlight the similarities.

I've got to say, even if it's wildly speculative, I'm intrigued.