61.06-Party scene is not my scene

 In the previous episode of the Smole...

Hyden: "Something is written on this paper. We are allowed to cheat as long as we don't get caught. Each method of cheating may only be used once, and if a contestant is caught cheating, that question is worth nothing for the team. It won't affect our karma."

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Micah: "Psst Laron. Do you think your table can help create a distraction so that we can ask the bartender for help?"

Laron: "Isn't that cheating?"

Micah: "We can cheat. Don't you know that?"

Laron: "No I didn't. That explains a lot."

~~~

"Question 4. What is the fear of judgement from others called?"

Landon: "Allodoxaphobia."

Laron: "Woah dude. How did you know that?"

~~~

Mr. Earwax-Buildup: "Hey hey hey. What's that on the table?"

Hyden: "Nothing sir."

Micah: "Sir, we just want to improve our mental wellness."

Mr. Earwax-Buildup: "You can do that after the quiz. I'll be taking that."

~~~

Eris: "Oh I love a man who plays hard to get. You don't have to take off your glasses. I just want to get to know you, truly. Here's my number. What's yours?"

Mr. Earwax-Buildup: "Here you go."

~~~

Danny: "OW!"

Mr. Earwax-Buildup: "Are you alright?"

~~~

Ambrose: "I would be very concerned if they used actual corpses for cocktails."

Yvon: "It's so weird it must be true."

Eris: "I think we'll stick to our answers. Water makes more sense."

~~~

Eris: "If either of you say Unholy again, I swear..."

~~~

Hyden: "Mr. Earwax-Buildup, someone just snuck into the toilet!"

Harper: "Hyden!"

Hyden: "Tit for tat."

~~~

Mr. Earwax-Buildup: "I'm not falling for this again."

Laron: "Yo, what the fuck? She's actually actively bleeding!"

~~~

Eris: "A little chaos hurt nobody."

~~~

"26/57 points were added to the pot, and Team Old School Kool earns 2 bugs each."

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Danny: "I didn't want to be a part of the team of Eris and Ambrose but it all worked out in the end. I really underestimated ourselves."

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Eris: "I made a pact with Ambrose and Danny to not use our bugs on each other. Nobody knows yet that I have a correction. I'm searching for a good time to pull leverage."

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Landon: "Hey bartender!"

Landon: "Another round on me! We're gonna get shitfaced tonight!"

Eris: "Woo! You know how to party! You must have been wild in your youth."

Ambrose: "They don't call me The Beast for nothing."

Eris: "So how many men have you dated?"

Ambrose: "A couple. Maybe about one hand's worth."

Eris: "And how many women?"

Ambrose: "Just one."

Eris: "Damn, she must have been bad to turn you gay."

Ambrose: "It's not a choice."

Eris: "It's a joke, hot shot."

Ambrose: "How about you? You don't look like one to settle down."

Eris: "Who said I have?"

Ambrose: "Don't you have a husband and children?"

Eris: "Children, yes. Husband, no."

Ambrose: "I respect you. Being a single mother is tough. Who's looking after them now?"

Eris: "Kyleleigh is old enough to take care of them both."

Eris: "Now enough about me. I want to know more about you."

Harper: "We snuck into a bar once. Do you remember that?"

Hyden: "I do. You said it was the hottest thing in town."

Harper: "Everyone cool was going there! Ines and Patricia and Lola endorsed it!"

Hyden: "But it turns out it wasn't our vibe at all."

Hyden: "It was the first time I had done something bad."

Harper: "Faking IDs, lying to bouncers and bartenders...who knew Mr. Perfect had it in you?"

Hyden: "But never again."

Harper: "We look back on the good times and laugh."

Hyden: "Yeah...but I rather not bring up the past again."

Harper: "Why? Sure it was the wrong thing to do, but it's not really that shameful."

Hyden: "I said let's not bring up the past again."

Harper: "Okay...do you want a drink? We're of legal age now."

Hyden: "I don't drink."

Harper: "Such a goody-two-shoes up till this day."

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Danny: "I can't believe it. What are the odds?"

Laron: "Want a drink?"

Danny: "I could really use one."

Laron: "What are you doing out here?"

Danny: "I just wanted some fresh air."

Laron: "There's no quiz host to distract any more. I don't even know what this is."

Danny: "It's the Christlehurst Mistake."

Laron: "How do you know? Frequent this bar?"

Danny: "As a matter of fact, I used to. I was posted here to teach for a few years before I got a more fitting job at Sims University."

Laron: "Woah. So you must know lots of peeps here."

Danny: "For better or for worse."

Laron: "What does that mean? Got many enemies here?"

Danny: "Me? No. But there are some disgruntled ex-students. Like the bartender."

Laron: "I couldn't tell you knew him."

Danny: "Good. I hope he forgot me too."

Laron: "Why is he disgruntled?"

Danny: "He tried to cheat on the intro course. He plagiarised. And I don't take plagiarism lightly."

Laron: "Ah that's fair."

Danny: "He claimed that I crushed his dreams but looking at where he is today, I say he never had what it takes to get a job in tech in the first place. He can't even keep his own hair."

Laron: "Woah bro. Low blow. It happens to all of us eventually."

Danny: "Not me."

Laron: "You did nothing wrong though. Why are you afraid of him?"

Danny: "Excuse me?! Who said I'm afraid of him?"

Laron: "Aren't you avoiding him? That's why you're out here, ain't it?"

Danny: "Puh-lease. I have nothing to hide. I just don't want to hear his grouses again. Now you can go on and enjoy the party inside. I'd love to join but I think age is getting to me."

Danny: "I don't remember this bookstore...fuck. That better not be another of my student. Hopefully he doesn't recognise me."

Micah: "Ah, you found me."

Danny: "Micah! Didn't expect you to be here."

Micah: "I'm just here enjoying the company of a good book. Party scene is not my scene."

Micah: "Want a seat? I don't mind company."

Danny: "Sure. I asked one of the PAs how our short did, and she said it hit over 500k views in one day."

Micah: "That's impressive."

Danny: "That's horrible. We can do so much better especially since we're doing a collab."

Micah: "We're not chasing views, remember? We're trying to help those we can't reach physically."

Danny: "And we're not helping enough of them."

Micah: "It's not a KPI to hit."

Micah: "Danny, be honest with me. What are you really in this for?"

Danny: "To help others of course. I cross my heart."

Micah: "Don't you find it tiring trying to beat your previous video? Why not just focus on who we can help, however small it may be?"

Danny: "I'm disappointed in you Micah. I thought you would know better. But you're so ambitionless."

Micah: "And that's fine. At least I'm happy."

Danny: "Do you know what happiness is? It sure isn't lazing around and patting yourself on the back after talking to one Sim. It's about productivity. It's about fulfilment. I'm not a sociology teacher but it's like Maslow's hierarchy of needs."

Micah: "How many views do you expect to hit per video?"

Danny: "Based on past experience, about 500-600k in the first day back when I was doing it solo of course. So with you in the picture, it should be higher. You can't just settle, Micah. You have to keep building new targets for yourself."

Micah: "And what happens once you reach that goal? What happens if, let's say you get 800,000 views in your next video? You fulfilled, yes?"

Danny: "Of course. I feel fulfilled that I touched the lives of 800,000 Sims worldwide."

Micah: "And then what?'

Danny: "And then...we aim higher and reach out to even more of them!"

Micah: "Let's say your next goal is 900,000 views. You hit that. And then what? 1 million views? Let's say you achieve that. What do you do next?"

Danny: "What's your point?"

Micah: "My point is that it sounds like a constantly moving goalpost. How can we truly be happy from an infinite target?"

Danny: "It's about delayed gratification. That brings more happiness."

Micah: "I'm not surprised you think that way. We've been conditioned as a society to peg our own worth on our contributions. We have to be productive and reap rewards. Many scientists talk about delayed gratification and deferring happiness, but I have a different view. Instead of endlessly deferring happiness and chasing never-ending fulfilment, why not slow down?"

Micah: "Oliver Burkman coined it as the productivity trap. In our relentless pursuit of productivity, ironically, we end up feeling like we always fall short, like you have with your current video. Because we set that goal, we end up being too hard on ourselves when it's not hit. And when it is achieved, we don't celebrate it; we move on and aim higher."

Danny: "So you're all about instant gratification?"

Micah: "No. Instead of seeing happiness as a form of gratification, or a rush of serotonin, we should be seeing happiness as peace and contentment instead. Some things are just beyond our control and the moment we tell ourselves it's impossible, once get out of the productivity trap, we will truly find ourselves free and happy."

Danny: "Whatever. I'm not here to hear you preach. I'm the teacher here, not you."

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Landon: "Another round!"

Laron: "Have you heard of Danny Namal?"

Somar: "Danny Namal? Oh he's that two-faced professor."

Laron: "Two-faced?"

Somar: "That's what I hear anyway. They say he's a different guy in real life. But I don't have an interest in coding so I wouldn't know."

Laron: "How about you? Your colleague knows him. He was taught by him."

Melissa: "He's a very strict professor. He used to teach here in fact. Had great results but being in his class was like being on tenterhooks."

Stanley: "You were taught by him too?"

Melissa: "I took an elective back in the day because it was the next big thing apparently. He made me realise I don't like computer science at all."

Stanley: "And if you didn't like it, you were an idiot. If you weren't good at it, you wouldn't be successful."

Melissa: "Oh yeah, that's his famous quote."

Eris: "Wow. Here I thought he was quite the charming man."

Jeanna: "Charming, my ass. He's a stickler for wanting me to dress up more. You too."

Eris: "Pfft. I'm going to order another drink."

Hyden: "Do you think Yvon is ok?"

Landon: "I'm sending her thoughts and prayers as we speak."

Landon: "I was so worried when she hit her head and started bleeding. I hope she doesn't get medically evacuated."

Harper: "That would really suck for her."

Hyden: "Sometimes things just don't go the way we want them to."

Landon: "Let's look on the bright side. Mr. Earwax-Buildup said she was fine and was being attended to. She probably just needs a few stitches at the hospital and then she can continue playing."

Harper: "You're right Landon. I'm glad you're so positive. She wouldn't want us to overly-worry about her."

Landon: "Hyden is just being concerned. It's natural."

Hyden: "She should take care of herself and not exert herself."

Ambrose: "I've had enough."

Eris: "Sloshed already?"

Ambrose: "Naw....not at all. I can keep going till the sun comes back out."

Eris: "It's on."

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Eris: "We had a few drinks and none of us were really thinking straight. But it was completely consensual. I'm glad I can be of service and show Ambrose a new world."

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Landon: "WOAH!"

Landon: "Nobody use the toilet. It's out of order."

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Ambrose: "I did it. After 3 whole decades, I woohooed a woman for the second time. I don't know what came over us. I feel like a slut. But at least she's not married? And it didn't feel all that awful? Not how I remembered it anyway. Good God Ambrose, what has gotten into you?"

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Micah: "We decided to swap roommates since we came to a new place. Yvon didn't get a chance to choose because she spent the night at the hospital, so she'll have to take the bed of whoever is executed today."

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Yvon: "Finally they let me out. I told you guys I was fine!"

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Landon: "Yvon, you're back. Are you fine?"

Yvon: "Why wouldn't I be?"

Landon: "It looked quite bad yesterday."

Yvon: "I've been kicked in the head and trampled on by horses before and I didn't even break a bone so this is nothing. I always survive."

Landon: "Really? You are one strong woman."

Yvon: "Are you fishing for a 'thank you'? Because I don't thank compliments."

Landon: "Of course not. We prepared a get-well card for you."

Yvon: "A gift? It's a little cheap but thank you."

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It is time for the quiz. 10 questions about the actions and identity of the Mole. The lowest scorer will be executed.

Q1: Is the Mole male or female?

A: Male

B: Female

Q2: What are the Mole's traits?

A: Charismatic, dog lover, adventurous, athletic, star quality

B: Computer whiz, workaholic, diva, schmoozer, night owl

C: Great kisser, flirty, dislikes children, rebellious, mooch

D: Friendly, social butterfly, inappropriate, supernatural fan, avant garde

E: Loner, workaholic, brave, athletic, brooding

F: Workaholic, artistic, perfectionist, absent-minded, natural born performer

G: Athletic, neat, family oriented, great kisser, good sense of humour

H: Born salesman, brooding, charismatic, perfectionist, night owl

I: Snob, diva, equestrian, loves the outdoors, lucky

Q3: Does the Mole wear a hat?

A: Yes

B: No

Q4: In Mission 3, what was the name of the Mole's team?

A: Connection

B: YLL

C: Old School Kool

Q5: Was the Mole informed that they could cheat during Mission 3?

A: Yes

B: No

Q6: In Mission 3, which cheat did the Mole use?

A: Ask the bartender

B: Copy another team's answers

C: Seduce the host

D: View travel brochures

E: Give answers to another team

F: Read a book from a bookshelf

G: Make the host cringe

H: None of the above

Q7: In Mission 3, how many times did the Mole cheat?

A: 0

B: 3

C: 4

D: 5

E: 6

F: 8

Q8: In Mission 3, how many questions did the Mole's team get correct?

A: 10

B: 13

Q9: In Mission 3, how many correct questions were disregarded from the Mole's team?

A: 1

B: 4

C: 5

Q10: Who is the Mole?

A: Ambrose de Silva

B: Danny Namal

C: Eris Field

D: Harper Umbra

E: Hyden Jekol

F: Landon Harding

G: Laron Jamisson

H: Micah Myrrick

I: Yvon von Vony

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Ambrose: "Harper wasn't good at distractions. When she brought Mr. Earwax-Buildup outside, it was only for a few minutes before he came back in."

Micah: "Harper was caught red-handed using a cheat a few times, and our team somehow had the most disregarded questions."

~~~

Mr. Earwax-Buildup: "You! Hand me that book."

Harper: "Shit."

~~~

Harper: "I don't think it's anyone in my team but it did feel strange that Hyden didn't want to cheat. I know that's just who he is, but it's just a game. In this game, we have to cheat."

~~~

Harper: "Now's your chance."

Hyden: "I'm not sure I want to cheat."

~~~

Danny: "Come to think of it, I don't think Laron cheated once in the mission. It's great he's so ethical in real life, but that is costing the group a lot of points in the form of wrong answers."

Danny: "I'll use a bug on Micah. He seems the smartest and most likely to figure it out. That's no good for me."

Landon: "I still suspect everyone. Sometimes I even suspect myself. I don't know who is who."

Micah: "As it turns out, the unicorn was important for the last question. Hyden destroyed it. Fortunately I remembered, but nobody else had the chance to look at it and see that clue. It's also a bit worrying how he decimated the plush toy with the knife."

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Hyden: "Do you think there's an answer in this unicorn? It must be sitting here for a reason."

Micah: "Won't hurt to find out."

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Ambrose: "I'm not scared of karma. We still won in the end. I'm sorry Eris, but I'm not sure how to face you after last night."

Eris: "There was a crumpled piece of paper by the bin in the bathroom. Yvon entered it twice and didn't notice. I entered it once and saw it right away."

~~~

Yvon: "I hope that's not a real bomb. Or is this another way to cheat? Explode the bathroom?"

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Yvon: "I didn't get a chance to discuss the mission with anyone else because the nurses refused to discharge me. I hope I won't be the next one out because of that."

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"Contestants, welcome to the Vendon Opera House. This will be a stage for your next mission and the stage for someone to depart."

"Micah and Eris have been bugged."

Eris: "That conniving little..."

"Danny, as the one closest, please pull out the first name for us."

Danny: "Yvon von Vony."

Yvon: "Landon Harding."

Landon: "Hyden Jekol."

Hyden: "Harper Umbra."

Harper: "Eris Field."

Eris: "Danny Malan."

"Ambrose de Silva, Micah Myrrick, Laron Jamisson, one of you will be executed today. Laron, please find the next name for us."

Laron: "Ambrose de Silva."

"Ambrose, you are safe. Please get the last name for us."

Ambrose: "Laron Jamisson."

"Micah Myrrick, that unfortunately means you are the next to be executed."

~~~

Micah: "Delivered to Tower Hill."

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Micah: "We just need to find if there's anything about phobias. Let's see..."

~~~

Micah: "Oliver Burkman coined it as the productivity trap. In our relentless pursuit of productivity, ironically, we end up feeling like we always fall short, like you have with your current video. Because we set that goal, we end up being too hard on ourselves when it's not hit. And when it is achieved, we don't celebrate it; we move on and aim higher."

~~~

Micah: "I won't reflect because it's all speculation and pointless. It could have been the bug, it could have been the few seconds my computer hanged when submitting my answers, it could have been that I was wrong all along. But it doesn't matter any more. I am glad to have taken part in the Smole and it has been a wonderful experience. Thank you for having me."

"Thank you for joining, Micah. We hope to see you soon."

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Pot: 121/290