Yet another scenario gameplay thread

When Tamara invited Daneel over, he arrived angry at the lot, what suited me well to advance the plot:

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Say what you want about Daneel, but as a Phillips he is loyal. When he heard that Emma’s diary was missing, he immediately went to look for it and he had some choice threats for Tammy in case she might have read the diary.

From her reaction to simply seeing him, Daneel deduced that Tamara had indeed read it all, and that caused him to pause. Here was a stranger who knew most of the Cahill/Phillips/Reed dirty laundry. First and foremost how he had tried to threaten George into selling him the junkyard for an apple and an egg in 2032, using young Erwin as leverage. And also his affair with Emma's mother, only she hadn't really dated Daneel, but his memories of Caroline's late husband. It was complicated.

https://abload.de/img/21.11.21_21-18-03mnj7j.png

But if you phrased it a little differently, then here was an outsider who could look at the Cahill/Phillips/Reed troubles objectively.

In the spur of the moment, Daneel grabbed Tamara and dragged her outside.

“Okay, here’s the deal: For putting your nose in things that do not concern you in the least, I’ll make you listen to MORE of that stuff! If that won’t help me solve my romance problem, then I don’t know what will.”

“Romance problem?” Tamara stammered. “I thought you and Caroline had let go of that unhealthy obsession!”

“Oh, that! Yeah, I guess so... Oh, what gives! It probably won’t ever really end! But there are two sweet and innocent girls in my life now that Emma probably didn’t write about. I better tell you from the beginning...”

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A look at Daneel's romances. His ill-fated first romance with Caroline Phillips was covered in Junkyardstory. After it ended, Daneel grew closer to Siobhan Fyres, but fun as they were for both, their dates never went anywhere deeper. Only recently did Daneel meet Chika Tachibana at a party (none of Tammy's). I was playing an altogether different sim, but noticed these two flirt in the background. Their romance bar is almost gone by now, though.

But in any case I have way too many potential partners for Siobhan, so if Daneel found love elsewhere that would help immensely.

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There was something about “Tammy”, that made people want to open up to her. In Daneel’s case, he didn’t even have to say anything. The woman had already noticed that he and Chika Tachibana were quite close.

“So should my next party be a wedding?” she joked.

Daneel: “Two weddings... except one cannot be the groom in two of those.”

Tamara: “Oh, so there is another one?”

Daneel: “Sort of. There’s Chika Tachibana and then there’s Siobhan Fyres, and they... see, they are pretty much the same. I can talk to them about the same things, take them to the same events... only when I go with Chika, we both have to save up beforehand and book a couple of tiers lower than when I’m with Siobhan.”

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Tamara: “Seems to me you already have decided.”

Daneel: “Ey?

Tamara: “You obviously love Chika, but your head tells you that Siobhan is the better catch. And so you stall indefinitely, unable to ditch your loved one, but also unable to violate your materialistic principles by choosing her over Siobhan.”

Daneel: “There's... merit to what you say.”

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One “hook up” interaction later it was settled. It was still too early for wedding bells, but the lovers were finally going steady!

I said I didn't know if I'd continue playing, but you know how it is. One sais "just five minutes more" and then those become two hours. In my case the game threw me a curveball that motivated me to continue Tamara's story (and thus the scenario). Only not exactly in Detroit.

Enter Byron Schubert with a phone call. You see, there was a reason why he had so readily parted with those 500 dollars for Tamara’s benefit. Because every hour the woman stayed in the neighborhood, and especially the house he was handyman for, was actually benefiting Byron. He enjoyed talking to, seeing and just being in the room same with Tamara. And now it had clicked that this meant he was in love!

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But was Tammy feeling the same? Well, she certainly didn't feel a dislike for the man. Byron made her feel safe, he eased the tension that came with the unfamiliar undercover gig. Byron also allowed Tamara to let go, to be more herself, that elusive entity that was neither Governor Tamara Donner, nor Partygirl Tammy. But none of that was love. Still, there was a part of the woman that was enthusiastic about the idea of checking if their shared (however brief) history together might perhaps become the basis for something more. If things went downhill, she'd be gone from Detroit soon enough anyway, right?

For starters Tammy agreed to a date in a Botany Restaurant.

Of course it didn’t go without complications...

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Turned out the Phillips family had decided to visit the very same restaurant the very same day: Caroline, her daughter and her new husband, Emma's step-father. As I had stated in the prologue, Amadeus is perfectly able to recognize Governor Donner on sight. Caroline so far didn't, she just saw a general likeness. But soon as Amadeus points it out to her, Caroline will be able to see the full truth, too.

Amadeus: “Why did you invite the Governor to our family outing, Emma? When you said you were considering to bring a friend, I had assumed Max Villareal!”

Emma: “I invited the who, dad?”

Amadeus: “Why, Governor Don...”

Tamara: “Make that “Governor Don’t talk about it” and I’ll cover your bill, Mister Stern-Phillips!!!”

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Host: “A table for four, I take it?”

Tamara: “A table for two and another one for three. But only one bill. On Tamara Donner, isn’t she a dear?”

Host: “I dunno. I mean, her covering YOUR bill is neat. But the other guys are some of the richest people in this city. The governor paying THEIR bill smells of business and politics having a date.”

Emma (probably): Then be glad I left Max behind, otherwise I'd dragged the organized crime into this, too.

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Despite having mingled with the common people for two weeks, Tamara wouldn’t have considered asking a handyman to a date. For all her efforts to make life better for everyone, there had always been a barrier between the different social classes in the politician’s head.

Maybe any other day she’d turned down Byron. But today her having helped Daneel sort out his heart’s troubles was still fresh in Tamara’s mind.

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And that turned out for the best!

It was humbling to learn that between the two of them Tamara wielded the political power, but as a person was base and simple, while Byron was the one who had to repair toilets for a living, but apprecciated art and enjoyed philosophy.

Byron educated Tamara about a painting of the late Carl Manfred, and Tamara in turn educated Byron about the artist as a person. If it hasn’t chosen a new body yet, Carl’s spirit might just look down on the couple and wonder “I have done this?!”.

At this point Tamara had gathered all the intel she had come for, now it was time to made amends to everyone who had unwittingly contributed. And so the next party the woman threw, a keg party in the Phillips penthouse, she hosted as her real self. Also invited were Elijah Kamski, the Thorntons and the Cahills.

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Caroline wasn’t shy about expressing her opinion about someone using her family:

“You lied to me and little Emma, you kept lying to us when we trusted you, using us as like tools in your own schemes!”

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Elijah: *whistles*

Amadeus: “What?”

Caroline: “Sorry, Kamski, but this man is already spoken for!”

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At this point Tamara had already come to the conclusion that the company Amadeus was CEO of, CyberLife, needed government aid. The other major job provider in Detroit, the Rooftop Farm, just couldn't manage the number of people looking for jobs on its own. The help came with a series of requirements: CyberLife needs to keep the Space Program running and dedicate funds to android health, even though neither would rake in the large profits Amadeus had in mind.

(That doesn't mean much for the scenario, but both are very big plot points for my overall story.)

The next to receive a little attention from the government was Urban Farms. Tamara hosted a Gala dinner at the Rooftop Farm to bring some publicity to the place.

The “Gala Dinner” was actually a sampling of cakes and pies made with fruit from the rooftop farm.

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Byron: “Well, this is something! UFD has succesfully fended off large scale investors and politicians alike for two decades now. But for you they made an exception... Governor Donner.”

Tamara: “Mr. Khanna made this exception not for the Governor, but for Tammy. This is the first place where I felt welcome after coming to Detroit. I want the farm to continue make people feel good and cared for.”

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Byron: “I guess so. And I’ll watch your career with interest...”

Tamara: “That... was a joke, yes?”

Byron: “Wish it was. But, see, I’m like those gnarly, dark trees, while you are the lush and full and glowy ones. They may share the same soil, but they belong to different worlds.”

Tamara: “Yet they both nourish something: The Sixam Plasma Fruit is a critical part in the vampire diet and the Growfruit are the best fertilizer there is.”

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Tamara: “Since this my last night in Detroit, I might just as well parttake in a tradition of this city: Stealing the rooftop farm’s rocketship! - It has two seats, by the way...”

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Dang, Byron was right! The Thorntons really need a reduction in rent. Everytime that thing launches, the apartment building’s windows need serious cleaning.

The next morning:

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Byron: “I want to believe I only dreamed that we crashed the UFD’s insanely expensive rocketship in the countryside. But I can still smell the burning rubber and cables.”

Tamara: “Too bad! Then we have no choice but to stay together until we have repaired it...”

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Tamara and Byron had not even fully settled in, when a friend from Detroit waltzed through the front gate: George Cahill!

Zooming a bit further in... yep, I was right. That’s Caroline in the little park.

And over there at the town square...

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Peggy: “Hello, I’m Peggy Reed! We haven’t met, but Caroline is my grandma!”

I’m melting! Caro has Peggy for the weekend! This may open the door to Caroline’s and Daniel’s family branches spending Thanksgiving 2047 together - another useless fact in the light of the scenario, but so welcome for my save. I must say, this scenario is doing the Detroit save some serious good.

But how did all her friends find Tamara so quickly? Well, I guess a rocketship is hard to overlook.

Oh, what gives. Better invite the couple from yesterday's Welcome Wagon and call an impromptu party!

I DIDNT KNOW!

I only have Seasons for two days, so when “Attempt to kiss under a mistletoe” appeared in my sims’ romance menu constantly, I assumed a bug or mod issue.

Out of curiosity I clicked the option, expecting that they’d maybe try to rout somewhere and then wave failure. But then Daneel did this:

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And that is the story of how I learned that sims carry mistletoes to go.

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Next time we'll see Tamara and Byron, there will be fall in Finchwick, too.

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Both Tamara and Byron had taken vacation days, but their getaway from civilisation wasn’t also a bubble outside time. The lovers could ignore the calendar, they couldn’t just un-see the leaves turning yellow, brown and red.

“What a cold summer we have!” Byron remarked, and: “What a rainy summer we have!”

Tamara understood her boyfriend was quoting some piece of litarature, and even though she didn’t recognize the phrases*, she knew full well what they meant. Their “summer” had long turned into fall.

*... From “Ronja, Brigand’s daughter” a children’s book by Astrid Lindgren

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Their “Goodbye, Summer” party was a full success wiith the neighbors. It also took away from the sting of having to return into their old lives again soon.

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Her mission was finished, but the rocketship wasn’t fixed yet, and before Tamara had not fulfilled that obligation, she couldn’t return home.

Nobody said out loud that Urban Farms could have sent over a couple of technicians and a lawryer anytime they wanted... What people were talking about about were the wonderful autumn and Tammy’s barbecue parties in the Bramblewoods.

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Autumn! That sounded much softer than Fall.

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Legend had it that the rooftop farm’s foremen, Meriadoc and Peregrin Trent, had cobbled together the original rocketship in their freetime, falling back on their android brains, improvisation skill and lots of enthusiasm. That might or might not be true, in any case a janitor and a rocketscience hobbyist couldn’t put the pieces back together on their own.

Their friends from Detroit, like Master Fabricator Lime here, helped with spare parts and advice until one day...

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Byron: “There, done! We even gave it a new paint job!”

Tamara: “You did that - I only wiggled the spray can at the spot you pointed at. It looks great!"

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Naturally the finished project warranted another party, the second-to-last for Tamara’s aspiration.

Meriadoc: “You’ll want to give her a test ride...”

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The sight of a rocketship launching from Finchwick was certainly something!

In the weeks to come the image became available on posters, cups, mousepads and whatnot in the little town’s souvenier shop. It also made the cover of several magazines - and with that Governor Tamara Donner was back in public view.

Tamara’s carefree party life soon got replaced by conferences and charity streams again, while Byron returned to repairing apartment fixtures. Their dates became rarer, but that made them only moreso precious (and wild).

One day Tamara found herself in Port Lllamante, at some obscure Rocket Science & the environment conference. George Cahill was there, too, and even tried to flirt a little. That was the moment when it finally clicked that they were long a couple and should make it official first thing Tamara returned to Michigan!

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When I had just purchased Dine Out, date invitation would always lead to Selvadorada, the cantina being my only restaurant back then. Now I have eight or ten restaurants, and guess where date invitations still lead to? :D

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And with this last social event Tamara finished her aspiration & the scenario. I’ve lost track of time, but her stats say she slept 25 times, so taking naps into account I’d say I played her for something like three weeks? In-story it was closer to two months: two weeks in Detroit and an unspecified amount of time in Finchwick (but not into winter).

I saved Tamara and Byron to my library, then deleted them from the rotational save. They can make appearances in future story scenes, but I don’t want my sims to randomly run into the Governor and her fiance in normal gameplay.

And that concludes the second scenario I played. I also made and discarded again several plans for the Millionaire scenario, without committing to one of them. I’m not interested in any of the other EA scenarios.

- Millionaire scenario outtakes -

Emil is a gardener sim whose plan is to make a million by growing expensive flowers and brewing kombucha.
This is definitely harder than before adding Seasons. When there isn't a heatwave, it's a thunderstorm. And vampires.

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Things we cannot afford yet: a house, furnishings and basic modesty.

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Gotta make concessions - when the indoor space isn't large enough to place the bed because of all the plants, then the bed needs to get placed elsewhere. But I doubt a man who sits in his swimtrunk under an umbrella will mind me sleeping here.

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Day 8 - things are looking better now. Emil has nine thousand simoleons in cash and the maximum number of juice fizzers a single sim can operate (when he stocks the ninth, the first is close to being finished). The next goal is to perfect the lilys (only one more quality tier to go) and full the whole lot with them.

No story this time, but I documented my daily progress.

My scenario sim, Emil, tries to become a millionaire by gardening and brewing/juice fizzing. He starts in Newcrest with easy access to several public barbecues and Lilys (for floral kombucha). Everything that fits Emil’s theme is allowed, everything else strongly discouraged, but still allowed. Sims that move in must not bring money.
Before reaching the money goal Emil wants to have perfect specimens of every flower in the game and own at least one servo (to keep the garden running when he retires to his millionaire estate).

Day by day breakdown of the first season



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The combined office/workshop/showers because I'm reluctant to invest some of my money.

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The greenhouse and distillery at the end of summer. The ladder leads up to two sleeping chambers.