63.17-Fish are friends not food

In the latest mission, Ashley and Cassius had to remember Japanese words and communicate them to Ashley, Thelma and Octavia who had to create and take photos of these words. 30/75 points were earned to make the pot 254/820 points. There was confusion over a missing photo and some bridges were burned while others were mended. A majority vote led to the highest scorer Cassius's execution. Only four remain. Do they know who the Mole is? Who is the Mole?

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Thelma: "I knew Cassius was going to vote to execute the highest scorer because I led him into thinking that. What surprised me was that Ash and Lee also voted that way. I expected the majority to vote to execute the second lowest scorer so I wanted to go with the flow. But what karmic delight it is to see Cassius execute himself. He's just a lot of hot air."

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Octavia: "What are you staring at?"

Ashley: "Is it me or are there a whole lot of Sims on our front lawn?"

Octavia: "Oh my goodness. You're right!"

The contestants' next mission is right at their doorstep. We found 16 Sims with a connection to one another. The contestants have 20 minutes to group the Sims into four groups with a common theme. One Sim may appear to belong to multiple groups but there should only be one correct solution where each Sim appears in one group. Each correct group of Sims earns 20 points.

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Ashley: "We agreed that each of us would take one row. It's the fairest way to divide labour."

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Ashley: "Hi, what's your name and are you interested in the dark and macabre?"

Phoenix: "My name is Phoenix and I am not."

Ashley: "Boring. Next."

Ashley: "Can each of you introduce yourselves?"

Austin: "I'm Austin Le. I am 20 and moved to Tokyo last year to work at a marketing company."

Florence: "I am Florence. I am 33 years old and work at an art gallery."

Jeramie: "My name is Jeremie Martino. I'm not from Japan. I'm 44 years old  and work as a surfing instructor."

Ashley: "Florence, you work at an art gallery?"

Florence: "Yes. I actually work at the Mayumachi Art Gallery."

Ashley: "For how long?"

Florence: "3 years."

Ashley: "What keeps you going?"

Florence: "I enjoy art and allowing more Sims to know about the history of Mayumachi is good."

Octavia: "Rena, what's your favourite food?"

Rena: "Anything with wasabi."

Octavia: "Wasabi. Got it. Kirby, what about you?"

Kirby: "I like pizza."

Octavia: "That's not the connection then."

Suzuki: "I live in Mayumachi. I have never been to Tokyo."

Ashley: "Neither have I! We have so much in common."

Ashley: "How about you?"

Anna: "I couldn't afford Tokyo. I don't have a job right now."

Ashley: "I didn't catch your name."

Gregorio: "Gregorio."

Ashley: "Do you like pancakes?"

Gregorio: "I do."

Ashley: "Do any of you like pancakes as well?"

Jeremie: "I do."

Austin: "I do as well."

Ashley: "I think I found the first connection."

Ashley: "What about you Florence?"

Florence: "I enjoy grilled salmon."

Jeremie: "Then you're my enemy. Fish are friends not food."

Thelma: "You're well dressed."

Jan: "Image is important."

Thelma: "A good first impression."

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Octavia: "We had no idea what we should be looking out for. We asked random questions like a bunch of crazy stalkers, hoping to get some leads."

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Ashley: "Does anyone else like pancakes?"

Octavia: "I asked about food too! Rena here likes anything with wasabi. Would you eat wasabi pancakes?"

Rena: "I never tried but I think so."

Ashley: "Can you stand up please?"

Octavia: "Switch places with the woman in front."

Ashley: "Hey you with the bob. Do you like ravens?"

Sofia: "I don't have an opinion about them."

Ashley: "Suzuki, do you like ravens?"

Suzuki: "I feel the same way as Sofia."

Ashley: "I think this is the birds row. We have a phoenix and two Sims who feel the same about ravens."

Octavia: "What have you gathered?"

Thelma: "I know about their names and family history and occupation."

Octavia: "What are they?"

Thelma: "It's not important. There isn't a common pattern among these four."

Octavia: "But there could be with mine."

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Octavia: "Thelma was being very guarded and selfish. She took the last row so I had no visibility over what she was doing but she didn't want to share information because she kept claiming it wasn't important. If it's not important why do you ask about it then?"

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Ashley: "Ash Ash Ash! I have one row done! It's all about birds."

Ashley: "Are you sure?"

Ashley: "Yeah, don't you believe me?"

Ashley: "You're right. I need to trust you more and let you do your own thing. So that's two rows."

Octavia: "Which are your favourite travel destinations?"

Florence: "I never want to leave Japan."

Sandy: "I love Japan as well. I visited Tokyo for the third time last year."

Kirby: "What a coincidence. My third time was last month."

Robin: "I've been to Tokyo thrice as well but I like Korea more. I can buy more skincare items."

Thelma: "Where do you supply your crops to?"

Aldo: "A factory will package them and distribute them to grocery stores."

Ashley: "Should we call everyone else for a meeting?"

Ashley: "You're really thinking this through Lee. Let's call them for a meeting."

Ashley: "Guys Ash and I have completed two rows."

Ashley: "The first row likes pancakes and the third row is related to birds."

Thelma: "Have we checked?"

Octavia: "I checked the first row. We moved one of my Sims to his."

Octavia: "I think the third row is complete too. All of them like Japan."

Ashley: "That means we're done."

Thelma: "I don't think it's that easy. Maybe the solution is simpler. What if one of the rows is just to group Japanese Sims together?"

Octavia: "There are five Japanese Sims."

Thelma: "It makes more sense than 'Sims who like Japan'. That's nearly everyone."

Ashley: "There's one way we can check. Let's all focus on Thelma's row and try to find a connection. If we can justify the connection then we've done it."

Ashley: "I'm so excited for 80 points at last."

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Ashley: "I was so focused on finding trivia or obscure connections. I don't believe that the connections are superficial."

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Ashley: "Can each of you share some interesting facts about yourself?"

Ashley: "Have any of you been to a graveyard?"

Octavia: "One question at a time Lee. Let them answer Ash first."

Jan: "My grandfather served in WWII."

Haruto: "I contracted pneumonia as a child."

Letitia: "I can read French."

Aldo: "I am employed by a Japanese farm."

Ashley: "There is no connection between them."

Thelma: "That's what I'm telling you. We must be wrong somewhere. We need to be very precise about what the connection is. We can form too many false patterns easily."

Octavia: "I'm noticing that there are four Sims with hats."

Anna: "I'm not wearing a hat."

Octavia: "Fine. Headdress."

Ashley: "Oh my god. You are so right. Good eye Octavia."

Octavia: "But you said this row was complete?"

Ashley: "Oh yeah. Hmm. That's odd."

Octavia: "What is the connection with this row?"

Ashley: "Phoenix here is called Phoenix. That's a bird. The other three feel the same way about ravens."

Octavia: "Which is?"

Suzuki: "We have no opinions on ravens."

Octavia: "Lee, seriously?"

Octavia: "Up, up, up. You sit down. I'll fetch the others."

Ashley: "Octavia, what are you doing?"

Octavia: "We're overthinking this. There are exactly four Sims with headdress. Lee's bird connection isn't a connection at all."

Ashley: "But we agreed the pancakes was right."

Octavia: "Well we must be mistaken."

Ashley: "You sit down here."

Ashley: "Why?"

Ashley: "He's wearing green, duh."

Ashley: "But this man here isn't."

Ashley: "Then he has to go Ash."

Ashley: "Go where?"

Sofia: "Where do I go?"

Thelma: "Hang on. Suzuki, you sit there."

Octavia: "Yes, come sit here please. Thank you."

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Ashley: "With under 10 minutes Octavia suddenly started a revolution. So many Sims were shuffling around all of a sudden it was hard to keep track. So much for taking one row each."

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Octavia: "This is a confusing row. What could it be? Japanese men?"

Ashley: "You need to get up and sit in front."

Octavia: "Lee, what are you doing? We aligned that the third row is for Sims with headdress."

Ashley: "But then my first row won't match. I have Sims in green. I'm sure you can find another pattern."

Octavia: "It's not about what we can find. It's about what's correct."

Ashley: "You're Vietnamese?"

Austin: "Half-Vietnamese."

Ashley: "Asian. Good enough. Can you go to the back?"

Letitia: "So do I move or stay put?"

Octavia: "Stay put. Don't listen to her."

Austin: "Hi, I was told to sit at the back. Where do I sit?"

Octavia: "What? Oh fuck it. Hey you. Stand up and move to the front."

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Ashley: "That went well. I made so many new friends. They just need makeovers though. Many of them are too colourful."

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"Contestants, you had to find patterns among 20 Sims. It was a chaotic 20 minutes but you have claimed to find the four connections."

"What do the first row of Sims have in common?"

Ashley: "They wear green except one which wears black."

"What do the second row of Sims have in common?"

Thelma: "They are women who either like Japan or live in Japan."

"What do the third row of Sims have in common?"

Ashley: "They wear headgear."

"What do the last row of Sims have in common?"

Octavia: "They're men."

"It goes without saying that you didn't get all rows correct. In fact, you got none of them correct."

"Let the Sims organise themselves."

"This is the correct answer. But the mission is not over yet. You can still earn bonus points. You may or may not have a connection with these groups of Sims. You have 5 minutes to decide whether or not to sit with the group and which row. A correct match earns 10 bonus points while a wrong one loses 5. You are not allowed to speak to them. Good luck and your time starts now."

Ashley: "We can't speak to them. How are we supposed to know?"

Octavia: "We can be systematic about this. Let's go row by row."

Ashley: "I don't see what their pattern is."

Thelma: "Nevermind. We shall move to the next row first."

Ashley: "This group of Sims wears long pants."

Ashley: "They're all blonde except one."

Octavia: "Maybe the flower lady dyed her hair."

Ashley: "I always wanted to dye my hair a darker colour."

Thelma: "What about the third row?"

Octavia: "Two Japanese men and two black women."

Thelma: "Racial diversity?"

Ashley: "We're not a very racially diverse group here. Maybe none of us belong to this group."

Ashley: "The last row are full of old Sims."

Ashley: "Don't be rude Lee."

Octavia: "She may be right. So I go over?"

Ashley: "Yes do it. I'll go to the second row."

Octavia: "Hey wait a moment. I realised what this group's connection is. They have moles on their faces!"

Thelma: "I have a mole on my face. I'm coming over."

Octavia: "Where do I sit?"

Thelma: "Maybe you don't sit at all."

Octavia: "I hope we're right."

Ashley: "The only one I'm unsure of is Lee."

Ashley: "Trust me."

"Time is up. You have decided that Ashley and Thelma both belong to this group of Sims. Are you right? It's time to find out what the connections are."

"The first row of Sims have names that are also names of capital cities: Phoenix, Florence, Austin, and Sofia."

"The second row of Sims have each been to Tokyo thrice."

Ashley: "Oh. I've never been to Tokyo."

"That's 5 points out of the pot."

"The third row of Sims are unemployed."

Ashley: "Oh I'm unemployed. That's where I'm supposed to sit."

"The last row of Sims have moles on their faces."

Thelma: "I do have moles on my face as well."

"That's 10 bonus points. You've earned 5/80 points for this mission. I hope that your pattern recognition skills are better in finding the Mole's behaviour."

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Pot: 259/900