2 years ago
Why is Bella Goth missing? The REAL (technical) reason - By April Black / Lore investigation- by me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2HvMVCVqHI
For those of you interested by knowing why is Pleasantview Bella Goth the way she is, from a technical standpoint, this excellent video explains everything, from the 'I am dead token', to her non-appearance in the relationship panel of her family while non being greyed out. Great job as always April.
TL;DW: it's so well done by the devs that it wasn't a mistake (as it was rumored to be), and also, she won't corrupt your neighbourhood - side note, April also made 2 vidos talking about TS2 hood corruption that I highly recommand watching.
So, knowing that all has been set-up so perfectly by the devs, surely, they let us with the ability to discover the truth, right?
Wrong!
But you know what? I'll exploit every single data at our disposal! And make sure that everything is possible to prove.
That doesn't mean this will be true, but this will avoid any possible counter.
Like, we could say: ok so this is Dina Caliente, she wants money, she has alien ancestors, she must have told Don to direct Bella with the telescope, et voilà. But this could be debunked easily with her saying 'I don't know Bella', or 'I don't know how to contact aliens', or 'this was the wrong telescope'. None of those assesments can be countered by game data.
For the sake of investigation, I will consider Don's failed makeout with Bella as the ultimate memory she left in Pleasantview. And also, I will take every information, up to TS3 basegame, to be accurate, even if the devs said otherwise in later interviews, as if I red a book, I shouldn't have to rely on the author's interview for 'patches' on said book.
The unique case of Bella Goth
Aliens always drop you by your doorstep when they're done with you, but in the case of Bella Goth, on that fateful night, she got dropped at the other end of the world, her memories wiped; something compelled the aliens to do something they never did before, to our knowledge, and never did after. Who, made that happen, why, and how?
Let's find out!
Intro: The facts
Let's review this case by starting with the facts as per TS2 release date:
- You need a giant telescope to contact aliens; there's none in Pleasantview
- People working in the science field have an affinity with them, as seen in Strangetown, from a lore standpoint
- Bella has last been seen on Don's roof
- If it is a setup to get rid of her, the culprit must know both Don AND Bella
- Mortimer Goth created the life elixir (important for the theory part)
As you can tell, we hit a major road block here: there is no giant telescope in Pleasantview. Hence, the abduction must have happened somwhere else.
1: Ruling out the impossible
Means, motive and opportunity; we need the three of them before we can accuse anybody, therefore...
The prime suspects are:
- Dina Caliente
- Don Lothario
- Mortimer Goth
- Cassandra Goth
- Somebody else
Dina Caliente: having alien ancestry, it's easy to see why she is the prime suspect. She has a strong motive, money, but she doesn't have the means: the giant telescope, nor the opportunity, as she doesn't know Bella (at least, we cannot prove she does). She's considered innocent.
Don Lothario: is suspect because Bella was last seen on his roof. The only motive could be the rejected makeout, but he lacks the means (his telescope is small), but has the opportunity (he knows himself, as well as Bella). I believe him to be innocent, and yet, involved in some way.
Mortimer Goth: He has no means, but works in the science, we will see about his motive later. He anyways lacks the opportunity, not knowing Don, so he's innocent.
Cassandra Goth: believe it or not, but she has massive implications in all of this. Depending on WHEN EXACTLY did Bella got abducted, Cassandra can either be innocent or guilty. But I consider the failed makeout memory as the last Bella left in Pleasantview, which therefore, innocents Cassandra. Indeed, wanting Don for herself would constitute a motive, but she started dating him AFTER the failed makeout.
Somebody else: we need time to come to their possible involvement.
2: Memory shenanigans
So here is wherein the truth lies, a truth that was under our eyes the whole time. See we here have a case of misdirection by the devs.
- Don Lothario is younger than Cassandra Goth
- He tried to makeout with Bella Goth, as an adult
- But Bella's abduction memory happened during Cassandra's teenage years
- A memory that is coroborated by that of Mortimer Goth (right after Cassandra joined a private school, but before she ages up)
- Not sure if relevant but Cassandra doesn't remember having met Don.
So it must be an error, right?
Maybe... unless...
BELLA HASN'T BEEN ABDUCTED ONCE, BUT TWICE
According to Cassandra, Mortimer and Don's memories, that's the only possible explanation. The first abduction might have been an accident, but the second is not, as aliens behaved in a way they never did before.
3: it's just a theory...
(And I mean it, just guesses, no facts from now on!)
I normally wouldn't get TS3 involved if it was trying to answer and retcon certain points in the process. The thing is... it left me with even more questions.
Let's rewind time, over 50 years back, where we will find the answer.
The odd woman out: Lolita Goth
So... Considering Gunther Goth's profession in The Sims 1 (College Dean, aka education) and her name, we can assume that she, in fact, was designed as being his lover.
What does that tell us? That in the Goth family, you marry who you're told, not who you want. I suspect her early demise to be not so accidental, and Gunther had to marry Cornelia, with whom he has a terrible relationship score as the game starts. Are the devs trying to tell us something?
Maybe that Mortimer himself didn't marry whom he wanted...
Before we continue, long story short, while I was redownloading mods to get back to The Sims 2, I came accorss one whose name caught my attention, because it was referencing something else and I caught it: 'Genetically correct Cassandra Goth'. So I watched the video, and in it, it's said that the mod author made a mix between Mortimer and Bella Goth, because Cassandra Goth LOOKS LIKE KAYLYNN LANGREAK.
What if, in fact... Cassandra Goth's genetics were accurate all along? What if her real mother was Kaylynn Langreak?
I demand a DNA test!
So from then on, it's pure theory, and one POSSIBLE, out of other possible, explenation.
When TS2 starts, Kaylynn should be dead, or at least older than Mortimer Goth, unless she had access to the elixir of life, which she would have a hard time to afford, due to her position as a maid... unless she's been given said elixirs by a very caring inventor.
Noteworthy: She started her relationship with Don AFTER he got rejected by Bella. We'll come back to that later.
If it is true, if Kaylynn was Mortimer's lover, if she was Cassandra and Alexander's mother, then Bella would be a forelorn romance sim, akin to Daniel Pleasant, who Kaylynn would later start a relationship with. Crazy how things come full circle.
Most importantly, it unlocks our final suspect. One who had the means, the motive, and the opportunity. I won't beat around the bush and say it right there and then.
What really happened is that...
BELLA
GOTH
SET HER OWN DISAPEARANCE
Conclusions: Memories; that's what keeps people from forgetting
Side note: Ok so there's many things here that goes against the neighbourhood's storytelling (with a happily married Bella, a Don who seem to indicate her where to look on the telescope...), as well as her interview, but this essay tries to connect the actual dots (sims' existance at certain points in time where they shouldn't, the lack of a visible giant telescope, Cassandra's genetics, etc...) in a certain continuity.
The reality of The Sims is that we're left without any decisive evidence to fully convict somebody... Well except that DNA tst I asked earlier.
So the last thing to discuss is obviously the why. Why would Bella want out? Why aliens agreed?
Memories. That was the bargain. We can assess that as this is the second odd behaviour coming from aliens. They don't erase memories. But they did. And I assess that those of Kaylynn Langreak (and memories of her from others) were part of the bargain. A memory-less Kaylynn Langreak would thereby default to do what she does best for a living, and, according to TS3, that was cleaning.
This also explains (or well, give one explanation) why Kaylynn started to leave memories AFTER the failed Bella makeout, known as the final Bella memory.
The motive of Bella, in this essay is obviously to leave this life behind, and start anew, far away. The means was (ok this one isn't factual) something she learned during her first abduction, pheraps, for which a small telescope was enough. The opportunity was Don, obviously. Why? He owns a computer, alongside his telescope, which Bella doesn't. This MIGHT have been instrumental alongside the means.
At any rate, during the first abduction, she displayed something that interested the aliens so much, that they, themselves, went against the lore of the game and took her away the second time.
And there it is, the conclusion of a crazy rambling. A love aspiring, yet deprived woman willing to start over, far far away was the cause of the fabled abduction.
I hope you'll have as much fun playing this amazing game than I had writing this
D.
For those of you interested by knowing why is Pleasantview Bella Goth the way she is, from a technical standpoint, this excellent video explains everything, from the 'I am dead token', to her non-appearance in the relationship panel of her family while non being greyed out. Great job as always April.
TL;DW: it's so well done by the devs that it wasn't a mistake (as it was rumored to be), and also, she won't corrupt your neighbourhood - side note, April also made 2 vidos talking about TS2 hood corruption that I highly recommand watching.
So, knowing that all has been set-up so perfectly by the devs, surely, they let us with the ability to discover the truth, right?
Wrong!
But you know what? I'll exploit every single data at our disposal! And make sure that everything is possible to prove.
That doesn't mean this will be true, but this will avoid any possible counter.
Like, we could say: ok so this is Dina Caliente, she wants money, she has alien ancestors, she must have told Don to direct Bella with the telescope, et voilà. But this could be debunked easily with her saying 'I don't know Bella', or 'I don't know how to contact aliens', or 'this was the wrong telescope'. None of those assesments can be countered by game data.
For the sake of investigation, I will consider Don's failed makeout with Bella as the ultimate memory she left in Pleasantview. And also, I will take every information, up to TS3 basegame, to be accurate, even if the devs said otherwise in later interviews, as if I red a book, I shouldn't have to rely on the author's interview for 'patches' on said book.
The unique case of Bella Goth
Aliens always drop you by your doorstep when they're done with you, but in the case of Bella Goth, on that fateful night, she got dropped at the other end of the world, her memories wiped; something compelled the aliens to do something they never did before, to our knowledge, and never did after. Who, made that happen, why, and how?
Let's find out!
Intro: The facts
Let's review this case by starting with the facts as per TS2 release date:
- You need a giant telescope to contact aliens; there's none in Pleasantview
- People working in the science field have an affinity with them, as seen in Strangetown, from a lore standpoint
- Bella has last been seen on Don's roof
- If it is a setup to get rid of her, the culprit must know both Don AND Bella
- Mortimer Goth created the life elixir (important for the theory part)
As you can tell, we hit a major road block here: there is no giant telescope in Pleasantview. Hence, the abduction must have happened somwhere else.
1: Ruling out the impossible
Means, motive and opportunity; we need the three of them before we can accuse anybody, therefore...
The prime suspects are:
- Dina Caliente
- Don Lothario
- Mortimer Goth
- Cassandra Goth
- Somebody else
Dina Caliente: having alien ancestry, it's easy to see why she is the prime suspect. She has a strong motive, money, but she doesn't have the means: the giant telescope, nor the opportunity, as she doesn't know Bella (at least, we cannot prove she does). She's considered innocent.
Don Lothario: is suspect because Bella was last seen on his roof. The only motive could be the rejected makeout, but he lacks the means (his telescope is small), but has the opportunity (he knows himself, as well as Bella). I believe him to be innocent, and yet, involved in some way.
Mortimer Goth: He has no means, but works in the science, we will see about his motive later. He anyways lacks the opportunity, not knowing Don, so he's innocent.
Cassandra Goth: believe it or not, but she has massive implications in all of this. Depending on WHEN EXACTLY did Bella got abducted, Cassandra can either be innocent or guilty. But I consider the failed makeout memory as the last Bella left in Pleasantview, which therefore, innocents Cassandra. Indeed, wanting Don for herself would constitute a motive, but she started dating him AFTER the failed makeout.
Somebody else: we need time to come to their possible involvement.
2: Memory shenanigans
So here is wherein the truth lies, a truth that was under our eyes the whole time. See we here have a case of misdirection by the devs.
- Don Lothario is younger than Cassandra Goth
- He tried to makeout with Bella Goth, as an adult
- But Bella's abduction memory happened during Cassandra's teenage years
- A memory that is coroborated by that of Mortimer Goth (right after Cassandra joined a private school, but before she ages up)
- Not sure if relevant but Cassandra doesn't remember having met Don.
So it must be an error, right?
Maybe... unless...
BELLA HASN'T BEEN ABDUCTED ONCE, BUT TWICE
According to Cassandra, Mortimer and Don's memories, that's the only possible explanation. The first abduction might have been an accident, but the second is not, as aliens behaved in a way they never did before.
3: it's just a theory...
(And I mean it, just guesses, no facts from now on!)
I normally wouldn't get TS3 involved if it was trying to answer and retcon certain points in the process. The thing is... it left me with even more questions.
Let's rewind time, over 50 years back, where we will find the answer.
The odd woman out: Lolita Goth
So... Considering Gunther Goth's profession in The Sims 1 (College Dean, aka education) and her name, we can assume that she, in fact, was designed as being his lover.
What does that tell us? That in the Goth family, you marry who you're told, not who you want. I suspect her early demise to be not so accidental, and Gunther had to marry Cornelia, with whom he has a terrible relationship score as the game starts. Are the devs trying to tell us something?
Maybe that Mortimer himself didn't marry whom he wanted...
Before we continue, long story short, while I was redownloading mods to get back to The Sims 2, I came accorss one whose name caught my attention, because it was referencing something else and I caught it: 'Genetically correct Cassandra Goth'. So I watched the video, and in it, it's said that the mod author made a mix between Mortimer and Bella Goth, because Cassandra Goth LOOKS LIKE KAYLYNN LANGREAK.
What if, in fact... Cassandra Goth's genetics were accurate all along? What if her real mother was Kaylynn Langreak?
I demand a DNA test!
So from then on, it's pure theory, and one POSSIBLE, out of other possible, explenation.
When TS2 starts, Kaylynn should be dead, or at least older than Mortimer Goth, unless she had access to the elixir of life, which she would have a hard time to afford, due to her position as a maid... unless she's been given said elixirs by a very caring inventor.
Noteworthy: She started her relationship with Don AFTER he got rejected by Bella. We'll come back to that later.
If it is true, if Kaylynn was Mortimer's lover, if she was Cassandra and Alexander's mother, then Bella would be a forelorn romance sim, akin to Daniel Pleasant, who Kaylynn would later start a relationship with. Crazy how things come full circle.
Most importantly, it unlocks our final suspect. One who had the means, the motive, and the opportunity. I won't beat around the bush and say it right there and then.
What really happened is that...
BELLA
GOTH
SET HER OWN DISAPEARANCE
Conclusions: Memories; that's what keeps people from forgetting
Side note: Ok so there's many things here that goes against the neighbourhood's storytelling (with a happily married Bella, a Don who seem to indicate her where to look on the telescope...), as well as her interview, but this essay tries to connect the actual dots (sims' existance at certain points in time where they shouldn't, the lack of a visible giant telescope, Cassandra's genetics, etc...) in a certain continuity.
The reality of The Sims is that we're left without any decisive evidence to fully convict somebody... Well except that DNA tst I asked earlier.
So the last thing to discuss is obviously the why. Why would Bella want out? Why aliens agreed?
Memories. That was the bargain. We can assess that as this is the second odd behaviour coming from aliens. They don't erase memories. But they did. And I assess that those of Kaylynn Langreak (and memories of her from others) were part of the bargain. A memory-less Kaylynn Langreak would thereby default to do what she does best for a living, and, according to TS3, that was cleaning.
This also explains (or well, give one explanation) why Kaylynn started to leave memories AFTER the failed Bella makeout, known as the final Bella memory.
The motive of Bella, in this essay is obviously to leave this life behind, and start anew, far away. The means was (ok this one isn't factual) something she learned during her first abduction, pheraps, for which a small telescope was enough. The opportunity was Don, obviously. Why? He owns a computer, alongside his telescope, which Bella doesn't. This MIGHT have been instrumental alongside the means.
At any rate, during the first abduction, she displayed something that interested the aliens so much, that they, themselves, went against the lore of the game and took her away the second time.
And there it is, the conclusion of a crazy rambling. A love aspiring, yet deprived woman willing to start over, far far away was the cause of the fabled abduction.
I hope you'll have as much fun playing this amazing game than I had writing this
D.