OMG OMG OMG - Candy what the hell!? I want a look inside her head. My heart actually leaped up when I saw that bat in Valentine's hand, but it is a little early in the story for Rich to get any true deserts
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Whoa, catching Val with Lana didn't destroy Mary's love tags? That's - wow. I've never had that happen. If the act didn't nuke the love immediately, the relationship always decays enough to do it within a few seconds, usually during the follow-up conversation. I don't have any romantic mods (except the one that fixes the failure to perceive make outs as cheating, which isn't really modding), so perhaps that's a difference there. It's great character stuff, though, that meek innate stubbornness and enormous untapped capacity for love combining to keep hold of him in spite of all the reasons to let go
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My game is modded out the wazoo so I didn't even think about it but, yeah, it must've been because it was a casual interaction. Val and Lana are not in love; just barely, or possibly not at all, in lust (by which I mean I'm not sure if they've got the pink hearts). Their relationships with Mary took a hit, Lana's more so because it was already low, but no actual fury on her part. If I'm remembering correctly, that is. Same thing with Dixie when she caught David and Goldie together. She was largely unfazed after the fact, her relationship with David is great--recovered right away--but, again, she's no fan of Goldie's. Perhaps it's a family trait
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I think Mary and Junior's eavesdropping conversation may be the saddest part of that whole painful installment. It's so small - but if this marriage fails this is the crux of why. Mary doesn't just keep a secret; she tells an outright lie about how much she heard, because she has reason to think she can't trust Junior, based on what else she heard. Junior's abandoned Candy - and what she says about loyalty to friends doesn't seem to give him pause - and he's keeping secrets from Mary - no wonder she's scared! He justifies it, this episode, too, lying to Rhett's face about not knowing who the baby's other possible father is, and the fact that he's probably not admitting to himself how bad his father is, is no excuse. At this point the fact that he's following his mother's lead only make it worse
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Junior never got the chance to confront Candy so his dad's perspective, or his sense of it, has dominated and he's basically written her off. He doesn't like to think too much about that whole situation but his last settled impression of what happened is that Candy used him to force his dad's hand and get what she wanted from him the 'real' Rich Mann. The fact that the last time he saw her she was getting slapped around and he hasn't really thought to worry about her, except where it also related to himself, is worrying. On the one hand, he's suggestible, in that she set the tone by how she responded; on the other, he really shouldn't be! That was kind of a big deal. That selfishness he jokingly boasted about runs even deeper than he realises. He's not a lost cause but he was brought up by Rich and Lana
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Junior requires a lot of musing here. I wouldn't take his word for anything, either. He and Rhett are about on a parr, perceptually. They're both capable of figuring stuff out, but it's not the way to bet. And it can be like wrestling Jell-O to get a grip on his character. It's composed mostly of weaknesses, and all those nice points don't do him much good without a strength to hang them from
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Candy's one word is exactly where I was going next! I knew it wouldn't have escaped your notice. It is meant to be ambiguous, that's what Part 3 is for, but in those first few moments Valentine is too focused on the task at hand-getting her out of there, no backtalk, for it to register right away because her silence is less of an issue for him than her not getting a move-on. It actually falls to Rhett to tell her to snap out of it. Of course, Val's also walking a tightrope because he knows how stubborn and defiant Candy can be. His unleashing on Rich is not a new twist on the way their dynamic plays out when Candy's in over her head based on how I reconfigured the scandal backstory. Rhett was too young to have had a role in that mess but his presence is necessary here. Val waited for him, he wanted Rhett with him, so while the comedy comes about because that's just how Rhett rolls, the balance he provides wasn't by accident (even if Val didn't consciously figure that into his thoughts
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It hadn't occurred to me, but this does almost exactly parallel how you interpreted the Hot Tub Dome Scandal. (Which didn't need rewriting because I deliberately included no information about it - most people assume Hot Tub + Romance Sim = Sex Scandal, but those four words could mean almost anything, and that was on purpose, because how you fill in that blank is key to how you read Val.) Candy following her instincts and thinking she's handling things better than she is, check. Predatory older man, check. Val getting the memo late, resorting to violence, check. All that's lacking is Val blaming himself for it and maneuvering to take on the worst consequences, and that may be coming up. Or Candy may derail it
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I don't think Sandy will be willing to relinquish that connection to her children any time soon, unless it happens to be in exchange for a new name, but y'never know. First things first, getting her out of those old clothes. She wasn't quite ready for that change either before I moved on to the next house, especially considering that the only options available to her would've come from rifling through Candy's closet. What a different impression she would've made showing up around town in full Candy "regalia"! (Not especially gaudy, actually, or even skimpy, but definitely conspicuous on Sandy.) Not to mention how impolitic in her position, but perhaps she'll have found something comfortable for spring by the time I swing back around
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I suppose it's possible there's a few of Angel's things that it wouldn't break everybody's heart to see used again, but even if they fit, that'd be inappropriate in a whole different way and in any case she needs something that doesn't scream "mendicant in hand-me-downs." Maybe she could knit herself something that, when put together with secondhand items, would make a suitable fashion statement?
Actually, the simplest thing would be for Valentine to retrieve some of her old clothes on a visit to Daytona. Assuming Virginia hasn't shredded them all.
That sentence did originally read that she might knit something light for spring but I'm not so sure about that. I do love the idea of her getting some of her old clothes back, though, but I'm thinking it will be Hamilton's doing. Possibly a teachable moment for Virgie but, at least, a way of putting this all behind him. I think he's ready, or he will be, when I actually get started playing Round 3.
Edited to add: I love that idea so much I just jotted down a little preliminary dialogue. Now I'm eager to see how it plays out!
I'm really fond of those small but significant transitional moments. It's important for Hamilton and Sandy wearing clothes that fit will be different going forward. And even if it doesn't serve as an invitation, the path will be clearer for reconnecting with her kids. Provided Virginia doesn't make a scene.
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Actually, the simplest thing would be for Valentine to retrieve some of her old clothes on a visit to Daytona. Assuming Virginia hasn't shredded them all.
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Edited to add: I love that idea so much I just jotted down a little preliminary dialogue. Now I'm eager to see how it plays out!
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