#rep vault....trust me

[megumiifushiiguro]

I am actually manifesting that she releases Need she can even lie and hint it's about matty healy or something

i am actually manifesting that she releases need she can even lie and hint it's about matty healy or something

[cinnamon-coffees]

rep stan b4 rep tv!

[channelrat]

im asking so politely for miss taylor to put her on a vault track

[bettyshoweduptotheparty]

More thoughts on TTPD and the track list

I keep seeing people saying the colour scheme is black and white. I do think white is going to be the associated colour but the cover is much more sepia. Like an old photograph. Goes with the evidence file/academia aesthetic. Rep was much more black and white to go with the newspaper visuals. And grey is obviously folklore. I think the colours being similar is for a reason. I could see it being thematically between folklore and rep. Sweet tortured love, but also sass and vengeance.

I like the fact that we’re getting a title track. Haven’t had one since evermore.

A lot of gaylors seem unhappy about the track titles and amount of male pronouns. If Lavender Haze has taught me anything it’s to WAIT FOR THE ACTUAL SONGS before making a snap judgement on the titles. I’m not excusing Lavender gate but all was in fact fine when the song came out. I trust the process with the music until we have whole songs. Not interested in judging titles.

However, I did find it interesting and totally unexpected that she dropped the whole track list two months in advance. No mystery or slow unveiling. Seems odd. Almost like the quick judgement on the breakup album branding is intentional….

Track 5 is So Long London. So it’s a sad song. Gaylors seem disappointed, and all the swifties collectively decided it’s a Joe breakup song. Could be. Maybe in an ironic way(like London Boy). But in British use of the phrase ‘so long’ it means ‘until I see you next’. Is that what you’d say to someone you’re breaking up with? 🤔 My mind immediately went to leaving a place you love and have good memories with until you can go there next. That’s what I felt when I moved from London to the countryside. Taylor lived in London for a year to recover from everything that was 2016 and to start the love blackout, just her and her lover away from the world. She’s often described that as her happiest year. I’m doing better than I ever was. So I could see it being a goodbye to the city that helped her recover from all of that, until I see you next. I’d love a homage to London song but that’s just me :)

And one more thought on the bait and switch that we all fell victim to 😉 I too totally thought rep tv was coming. But every day that album lives another day in its current form I’m honestly relieved. There’s so much at stake with rep and I don’t think we’re there yet. The rep vault tracks are what could be the karma album. And we all remember that the reputation album we know and love is the version that had its wings clipped. I really don’t think that, having got the chance to revisit this, Taylor would want to make another half truth version. If she’s gonna put her name to it, she’ll make it fly this time. And I don’t think we’re quite there yet. So I’m looking at this new album with a very open mind, because I know rep tv and/or karma are waiting for us when the time comes.

[heroicgartist]

How Vault Tec Rep and Kent Connolly parallel each other and cute relationship headcanons (REALLY SELF INDULGENT)

Tbh I feel like Vault Tec Rep (David Dwecker) and Kent Connolly must've known each other in their past life because I sometimes think back to the way he mentions how Kent is crazy and I just like running off that idea that Crazy Kent is a nickname David gave to him XD

I think it's a cute idea that David and Kent were kinda maybe childhood friends because their dynamic would make too much sense to me. Kent being the Silver Shroud fanatic that he is while David is a fanatic of having stress inducing levels of work ethic for Vault Tec.

I can see Kent endlessly rambling on and on about whatever new story has been produced about the silver shroud to even rants about inconsistencies and flaws with new continuity being made.

While David doesn't really care about whatever childish fictional material Kent likes no matter how grounded Kent says it is, I think he could've gotten motivated by Kent's spirit no matter how timid he may be about it towards other people. He likes how charismatically excited Kent sounds through the stutters. David might've felt jealous about his boundless sense of enthusiasm for one fictional hero. That his spirit seems to be energized even through potential lore/continuity disappointments because holy heck Kent really speaks a lot.

All of this leading up to post-war Kent and David taking opposite stances of their post-war lifestyle. While it is cut from the same root of needing something of the past to push on towards the future. Kent using his forever bound passion in the Silver Shroud to spread the hope and investment he had for the story althroughout the commonwealth wherever he can. To spread the spirit of the Silver Shroud to whoever who wants to aspire being him. His sense of idealism makes use of his past albeit not-at-first practical skills in order to have an actual real Silver Shroud in the Commonwealth. His influence he felt from fiction managed to become possible even in a post-war environment.

To David though, his past passion all led to disappointment and a eternal feeling of betrayal. He represented a corrupt company that sought to not protect everyone from the threat of nuclear devastation and he has to live with the fact that all his hard work effectively represented a corrupt source of power that left him and other people to rot in the wastes or become freaks of Vault Tec's manufactured nature.

He felt like he had nothing of the past to treasure and even people (and 1 Codsworth) from the past was not enough to liven his spirit of the burden he felt he wrought onto himself. He needed a semblance of normalcy and trust from his past life to rely on, also a voice that he could vent to. Some sort of sanctuary isolated from the present he is stuck with.

While David effectively leaves Goodneighbor for Sanctuary to go back to his lively salesman self. I like to think he visits Goodneighbor (via taxi of course) to chat up with Kent with whatever crazy nonsense he has to say about the NEW AWE INSPIRING VENTURES OF THE SILVER SHROUD IN THE COMMONWEALTH. Potentially asking Kent for a favor to sponsor his vendor shops. Now Kent has to bear a grin whenever David speaks all about business and how it could be beneficial inside the Silver Shroud Radio broadcasts. He doesn't really get why he loves doing business so much ^O^" It just turns out David just really needed something to hook onto which is that all the skills and memories he has of his past life were not for nothing.

*misc headcanons

David has to be the one that pulls Kent away from trouble even when he is scared as all heck in a handbasket. Allowing himself to get beatup by bullies or else seeing Kent hurt would kill his spirit more

Kent knows that David isn't really interested, but he relies on David to be a patient polite listener (he is trained to be that way after all)

Kent uses David as a model because he really takes care of his clothes (THE SAME VAULT TEC REPRESENTATIVE OUTFIT STILL RELATIVELY GOOD BRUHHH)

Whenever David agrees to wear a costume with him, he gets the courage to wear the Silver Shroud costume himself (mainly becuz Vault Tec Rep's manage to look like a cool mysterious stranger kinda fella! Aesthetic awesomeness! B))

David helps Kent with his homework so that he can get an allowance to get more and more comic books and merchandise every week. Kent had hobbies to do, David had a comprehensible learning process! ^O^

David likes smoothskin sole survivor from the past, so he gets soothed that Kent's voice sounds completely unharmed. And also kinda cute on a ghoul.

They make Silver Shroud fanfics together, David on keyboard, Kent on idea machine!

Kent made David steak knife weapons, he likes seeing David happy (to do some good justice with the Silver Shroud! Those steak knives are meant for Tuxedo Mask-esque finishers!!! >:D)

Oh and yeah they kisssssssss >3< Kent comments on how good of a person David is to him. David often has moments of self doubt due to his past with Vault Tec and being the image on people's doorsteps of what Vault Tec is supposed to be. But Kent would bring up how David managed to outlive whoever might've controlled Vault Tec at the higher ups themselves even without their corruption made tech. That they are ready and prepared to make their own future!

Anyways good night! -3-

[tayfabe75]

Hey! You know it's crazy how you were right about literally everything. About the fact that TTPD is not what everyone expects, that maroon, cardigan and other songs are about Matty. I thought that some of them might be, but didn’t even suspect that there were so many songs about him!!

And I really want to believe that this is not the last time we see and hear about Matty as you said. But now it seems impossible. So what do you think will happen next?

Anon, just call me Cassandra! (and you wouldn't be the first!)

But... as much as I'd love to claim credit… literally all I did was just believe Taylor last year when she said 'Cardigan' was about Matty! lol

Let me explain the progression from there:

'Cardigan' was the first song of Taylor's I really listened to, and the only thing I knew about it going in was that it was about Matty Healy! Immediately, I heard an implied history. So, I looked into it and found that their history goes back at least a decade. I discovered the lyrical link between 'The 1' and 'Robbers', and the link between 'Cardigan', 'Betty', and 'August'. Well, ALL of these songs have to be about Matty, then. 'Question...?' parallels 'Cardigan' and 'Betty', and 'Maroon' parallels 'The 1'. I thought, well - these songs must be about him too. If you follow threads like this, you'll find so many more parallels and connections than you are probably prepared for. Here's one hint, for you! Keep an ear out for the Rep vault. Taylor says the tracks will be fire… and I think she's going to burn down a lot of longstanding assumptions about the album. If you want to know what I mean, just listen to 'Ready For It' and stop telling yourself that Taylor namedropping Matty's most popular song is a "coincidence"!

While most people brushed it all off as a "meaningless fling" or a "manic episode", I was studying with my fellow "tayfabes". What we found led us down some strange rabbit holes and ultimately, we landed on some unorthodox theories… so bear with me…

But… what if I told you none of it was accidental? Well, then I'd be quoting Taylor Swift! But for good reason. Rather than believe that Taylor is some madwoman who strip-mined Matty for references over the past year to torture him with yet more public scrutiny… maybe Matty was intentionally easter-egging TTPD since last year! Anyone who believed Taylor about how much he meant to her, or trusted that she would not confess her love to the devil incarnate would incidentally have all the tools to decode the album, while everyone else on Twitter scrambled and made up rumors about… Dylan O'Brien or Julien Baker, apparently? (What was it they said on SNL? "I'm just glad it's not Matty Healy"? Something like that...) Truly, TTPD was about the five stages of grief! And Swifties have yet to move past "denial"… Yikes!

Anon, if you weren't aware, Taylor and Matty are two artists who have romanticized star-crossed love stories since 2008 - "coincidentally" around the time 'Robbers' and 'Love Story' were written, both based on Romeo and Juliet. The good news is that Taylor changed the ending so they ended up together! Think 'Cardigan' is about Matty? Good news! Taylor suggests that James and Betty end up together, too.

So, go ahead, mark my words: This will not be the last we see of Matty Healy and Taylor Swift.

But I can't predict when he will show up in her front porch light. And unfortunately, Taylor seems to romanticize interrupted weddings, so I'm not sure how crazy or convoluted their current celebrity narratives are going to get before a reunion happens. The fans broke Taylor's favorite toy, and I have a strange feeling she's about to break theirs... Are you not entertained?!

I predict we'll hear something from Matty next. 🤞 Hopefully soon, clowning hard for May 3rd! Why? It's a Fortnight since TTPD's release and the year anniversary of "This one is about you. You know who you are. I love you."

Thanks for the ask! 🤍

[taylorrepdetective]

I AM fucking scared of Rep! It is my beloved and experience has taught me not to trust blondie with her own songs 😬

I too am scared, but I am just going to have to trust her. There are a couple of songs that could be improved by better production IMO, so I’ll just hope she’s does that. And the vault tracks have so much potential. Imagine an Aaron produced vault track.

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

Me clowning that “Trust Issues” is a Rep TV vault track to be released on April 5 2024 🤡

[saylonglive]

one of the rep vault tracks' title will definitely be fire-related like hot shit, red flame or sum like that like trust me

[notebookmusical]

Happy Halloween!!! I love you and your dog's costumes! They're so cute..lol I can't remember the last time I dressed up for Halloween, but I might carve a pumpkin later tonight and watch more movies. Are you doing anything fun? I watched a few movies but they were more like campy and from the 80s. I don't really do scary besides some Stephen King movies, but I might watch the Haunting of Venice which I think is on Hulu now. I was saving movies as it got closer to Halloween but I usually let it last the whole week anyway. I have seen both Happy Death Day movies and enjoyed them. One of the movies on my list is called Totally Killer, and it actually seems sort of similar to Happy Death Day actually. There's also a new Haunted Mansion movie and Hocus Pocus 2, which I haven't watched yet, so that's on my list.

The prove it part is so fun and iconic! Although at my show, I don't think she said that. Was that the version that was in the movie too? Yes for Speak Now, it was a lot more theatrical cuz it really had props and a set and it almost felt like a continued story..like she interrupted the wedding but then turned into a princess and got her happy ending. It also had some of the best costumes and really felt like she was telling you her story on stage just like a musical. I wish I could have gone to that tour..or any of her tours. I've only been to rep and eras even though I've loved her from the beginning. All of her tours seem to fit the era at the time and just get better and better!

I hope you have a good time seeing Hadestown this weekend and that your mom likes seeing it! I was honestly shocked by the new Sweeney Todd casting and your post about it was how I found out yesterday but then it was announced today I think..for Halloween! That's so exciting! I'm a little skeptical cuz Aaron always seems a little young to me for some reason but would be interested to see them in the roles. Someone on Twitter joked he was playing Antony lol. What do you think about it?

So how much of Tomorrow x3 did you read? I'm shocked it doesn't get that much better since it seems to have good reviews and has been recommended by people I follow but I honestly don't know that much about it. But even The Night Circus and Starless Sea have mixed reviews and I would rather trust your opinion so I'm sure it's good! So I started the Night Circus last night cuz that's the one I have on my shelf but hopefully I will read The Starless Sea at some point. I like it so far and think I will get used to the writing the more I read. It doesn't seem like it will be a quick read for me cuz it's pretty long so I apologize..but I'm really looking forward to it!

So I need a bit more time with the Maisie songs but they were so much better when I heard them again. Like Holy Revival..at first I was confused by the sound but the chorus and song is catchy and gets stuck in my head. Then Truth Is, I was a little bothered by the phrasing at first, and it felt unfinished to me but now I don't mind and that's definitely one of the best songs. I feel you can tell when some songs were written..like Yoko and the Last One sound so much like old Maisie to me, but Holy Revival and Guy on a Horse sound more like Rockstar and Blonde based on lyrics and sound. I can't really rank them yet but it would probably be Truth Is, The Last One, Yoko, Holy Revival, The Song and Guy on a Horse..maybe? I've mostly been playing 1989 and haven't had time to watch her lyrics videos yet though. I know Yoko was an old snippet though so I'm sure she does have more and maybe one day she will release those, but also most are just acoustic so idk.

Anyway I totally agree about not really having favorites for the 1989 vault. It's either that they're all so good or they're all the same in a way. But the one that immediately sticks out to me both sound and lyrics is Slut. That's the only one that I could remember and was stuck in my head the next day after hearing it the first time. I am so surprised more people don't love this song! I know it's not what we expected but I think it's so good..so this one is probably my one favorite from this vault. Listening to it is almost like being in a movie to me and I Can See You felt like that too. I do admit that the title doesn't really need to go with the song..it could've been called something else and I think that's why people aren't liking it as much. The others were harder to remember, but I think Now that we don't Talk is also pretty catchy. Say Don't Go is both catchy and probably has the best lyrics so that's my next favorite. Suburban Legends was actually the one I thought I liked the most on first listen and lyrically seemed the most interesting..it kinda reminded me of Cardigan or Dorothea. That's something I can personally sort of relate to so maybe that's why it stood out, and I just prefer some of the lyrics in the song...like screw me up forever lol. but it also feels pretty short and they all are. Is it Over Now has grown on me a lot, but the best part is the bridge for sure..and I love the way she sings it, and oh Lord, but I could also see myself just skipping to that part in the song in the future. I think that one is the single and one people love the most, and it could be cuz it's very 1989. But I just don't care about the lyrics that much, which might be why everyone else likes it more than me lol..and they're similar to Out of the Woods. 1989 was always one of my least favorite albums cuz she has a lot of songs about the same thing

I have never played Sudoku cuz I think it's hard! I'm pretty good at all the word games and crosswords though, and it's just become part of my routine. I count it as some learning for my day. Connections I am okay with and it does switch between easier and hard for me. I like that you play it too though, cuz I thought no one else really did. Now it's something else we can have in common! Have a good rest of your Halloween night!!!

happy happy halloween! happy november! it's funny because i didn't really do halloween as a kid (it's not a huge thing in hong kong, not the way it is here in the states) + am not super big on it as an adult as a result, but i love love love dressing up toto! any excuse i get i'll take it. he has some christmas outfits, lunar new years outfits, etc. it's very fun! i went to a halloween thing last night but also ended up hurting myself (a constant joke in my friend group is how i need to be wrapped up in bubble wrap), so i cut it short and now i'm just resting! did y'all get any trick or treaters? we didn't and i'm lowkey a bit sad about that :(

i'm not a huge horror movie fan (as i mentioned last time), but i do love my fair share of like bloody musicals (american psycho, we are the tigers, carrie, etc. — which ... a lot of are adaptations haha). i've been listening to american psycho the musical all day, actually and very much reminiscing like 2015/2016 broadway season. i think a lot about how much more commercialized broadway is now, and how a lot of the adaptations don't feel well fleshed out but rather a lot like cash grabs and sometimes things don't need to go on broadway but would be better suited off-broadway or elsewhere and i just think everything is very ... safe ... now! no one is taking risks! everything feels so ... money-oriented, which like, yes broadway/theatre is a business, but it feels so lifeless and sad sometimes to me. like so many shows are just adaptations or stunt casts and it's just ... so sad to me. ugh. ok soapbox over.

the prove it part is only in the movie! it's also on the cruel summer live single! it's very fun! i went to red tour and eras but i think if i could i would've gone to fearless or speak now out of all the tours. what about you?

i don't know how i feel about the new sweeney todd! but i also don't know how i feel about this production of sweeney in general? i'm not a huge sweeney girlie — i've never seen it live and have only seen the movie, but everyone i know has been continuously shocked by the castings in this production! i was just telling a friend how aaron is 40 now and we were both like "that can't be possible he was just playing a teenager in next to normal yesterday" 😭😭😭😭 i'm sure he'll be great, but it's just like how i felt with annaleigh when she was cast in sweeney — my brain thinks of aaron as bobby in that production of company he did years ago at barrington stage (?) in the same way that my brain still thinks of annaleigh as dot/marie in sitpwg, so i think it's just going to be hard for me to be like "new sondheim role!"

i think i got through like two chapters? and then stopped. a lot of people liked it, so maybe i'll give it another go some day! i don't even know why i couldn't get through it, just wasn't feeling it i suppose! i feel really bad because my friend sent it to me from the uk. oh well! i haven't really gotten back to reading the night circus yet either, but i'm hoping to spend more time reading it this week! i might try to read an arc tonight and then if i have time tomorrow night or friday i'll try to read more of the night circus! it is very long; please take your time! i'm double annotating it (i can explain this if you want!) so it's also going to take me a whileeee — and i'll be out of town next weekend (which i keep forgetting about) and have things i need to do before it so i probably won't be reading much this week!

and yes! i think what i really like about tgw deluxe — and 1989 vault — is that they properly feel like "Vault" tracks or "bonus tracks" or "songs that we could've put on the album but switched it out for something better/more fitting" instead, like it gives us this insight into the production of it all, the message/themes they wanted to send, etc. i've been listening to 1989 tv more since we talked, and it's definitely grown on me more but i still don't think i have a distinct opinion on favorites! i'll have to relisten suburban legends but i think i can see where you're going with cardigan/dorothea!

connections was very fun + easy for me today! i've been a sudoku girlie for many many years, so it's just been very fun! but i don't always have time to sit down and play it, which kind of sucks. connections is much less of a commitment, which works better for me! my friends and i send our results in into our group chat every day — usually i'm either the first or second, depending on if someone is up after midnight and does it before bed vs. i like doing it in the middle of the night when i wake up at like 3am haha! i feel like sometimes the more "easy" categories are harder for me than what they think are the hard ones? what about you? x

[emmafallsinlove]

OH MY GOD HAVE YOU SEEN DICKINSON??? i loved it sooo much!!!! 😨😭😭💕 emisue made an actual crumbled piece of paper of my heart, i felt that relationship too closely and more so because of the actresses’ chemistry. like honestly i haven’t seen such a real and emotional media representation in a looong time and that needs to be well recognised! BUT YES the ivy references are SO obvious, it is for sure one of her greatest lgbt+ coded songs and a lot of straight swifties agree that the vibes are unquestionable!!! especially if you’ve watched that show too, like goddamn it just HITS (different) sksksk oh and i love watching fanvideos as well!

no need to apologise for rambling bestie!! i also do it and your replied put my fangirl shoes on lmao but to answer your questions; yes i’m excited about speak now tv because it’s another rerecording plus new content from the vault! though tbh i’m probably more excited about the rest. like i know for a fact 1989 and reputation are gonna bury me alive, i cannot even prepare myself for that. but i agree!!! mine is SO GOOD and it also has lgbt+ vibes imo! along with wonderland and cruel summer ofc, iykyk!! haha my faves from speak now are mine, better than revenge, last kiss, haunted and long live. so those are the ones i’m waiting for the most! ✨

ohh great, i’m a yntcd/me supporter too!! they don’t deserve the slander they get, i really don’t get it! i wish i had a vinyl player though… i’ve always loved vintage stuff and it’s a shame they’re so expensive, but i trust you 100% the sound coming from them must be something unparalleled. OMG wait you have tattoos!!! woah those look SO pretty, i’m obsessed! i’d say i’m more of a piercings girl but me and my gf have been discussing to get ourselves Seven tattoos, so that’s the one i’m wishing for (another great lgbt+ song if you ask me, also cowboy like me!) but my fave is rep, definitely another gay coded album if you just feel it that way… or i’m probably too gay for my own sake and i just like to queer code everything 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

alright this got unexpectedly long and i’m so sorry! please feel free to answer whenever you can and feel like to, no pressure here!! i just got too excited sharing these little things with you and getting ideas for a perfect gift! 💌😋 but i’ll see you soon, lots of love ! - 🌈

hiii hiii <33 sorry it took me some time to answer i had a crazy weekend and i was on vacation so i kind of stayed out of tumblr for most of it!

and yes ofc i’ve seen dickinson! i had like a whole dickinson era, i literally bought “open me carefully” but i haven’t even finished reading it because i’m having so much feels every time i’m opening this book but like. AHHHH how can people just say they were “best friends” or whatever? and i remember when i watched it and i was in my dickinson era i even started writing some draft about emisue + ivy. it’s actually not so popular tv show which kind of makes me sad because she’s soooo good! i didn’t got into the dickinson fandom actually but idk i haven’t seen many edits or headcanons. but ofc in ao3 there are great fics! and yes yes i agree with everything you had to say! the chemistry between the actress was so rare and it one of the best wlw representation we had in the recent years!

god i hope that in 1989 tv she’s gonna add a bonus track of style ft. harry styles because it’s been my dream since 2014 and i literally do not care about anything else. oh, and need (from the leaks) feels like a reputation tv vault to me?? like i feel it in the same vibe of ✨dress✨ but she couldn’t include both so she basically gave up on need for dress but i love dress so much as well so i’m like? i want to have both but. i don’t know if i’ll ever gonna get both, y’know? 😂

also yes now that you mention it rep has some gay vibes i haven’t noticed before!! like dress? getaway car?? gorgeous?? “only bought this dress so you could take it off”??? I MEAN HELLO also in a parallel universe it could be fitting for emisue! hmm maybe i will edit them with dress one day… we shall see….

and omg yeah seven tattoos could be so cool!!! and thank you i really love my tattoos <3 kind of funny to me how both of these songs I tattooed (ivy / august) talking about cheating and having illicit affair in a sense AMFHKFK but out of context i just really love the sentence of “to live for the hope of it all” idk how to explain it

can’t wait to hear from you again!! <3

[fallout-fallen-knight]

It’s very funny to me that when you meet the Vault Tec Rep in Goodneighbor he’s like “I was abandoned by vault tec after everything I did for them ... the corporation I trusted the most ... all my hard work tossed away like it was nothing when it really counted” and the sole survivors like “damn that sucks wanna live on a farm” and the VTR’s like “hot dog! I sure do!”

[worstloki]

please read the article 'How White Fandom is Colonizing "Character-Coding"' by Shafira Jordan and quit while you're ahead

Okay, so I read it and see the problem, and I’ll try to address all their points in order because I don’t wholly agree with the article. I know it’s a lot to read so I’ve put tldr; sections at the end of each :)

Misusing the Term Reinforces Negative Stereotypes for Marginalized People 

The article essentially argues that labeling characters which are villainous as POC-coded is bad because they’re not morally pure and doing so "reinforces the idea that people of color are naturally dangerous and not to be trusted.”

Which is fair as you don’t want all the representation to be of ‘bad’ characters, but I also don’t believe all representative characters have to be ‘good’ either as it would be equally racist to divide good/bad in such a way. Not that I would place Loki under ‘bad’ to begin with, but arguing that characters shouldn’t be labelled as POC-coded for reasons unrelated to what’s presented in the narrative or because they did bad things is :/ even if lack of good representation is a prevalent issue in current Western and influenced media. 

Ideally there should be a range of representative characters that fall into ‘good’, ‘bad’, and ‘anywhere in-between’ because variety and complexity in character types should, in theory, be treated as common practice (which can only happen with a multitude of representation!).

And a bit unrelated but... within the fictional context of Thor 1, all the Jotnar (sans Loki) are presented to the audience as ‘bad’ by default. They desperately want to get their Casket back to the point of attempting stealing it (from the ‘good’ characters), they fight the heroes and even when the gang and Thor (’good’ characters) are enjoying or going overboard with taking lives it’s inconsequential, Laufey wants to kill the opposing king (who just happens to be a ‘good’ character) and will resort to low-handed methods to do so, etc. The narrative itself is from the frame of reference of the ‘good’ and we only see warriors of Jotunheim though so we understand why it’s like this, because regardless of their race/experiences the narrative carries, even if it most definitely would be seen as racist from our real-life perspectives if the ‘monstrous’ race were presented by actual people of colour, even if it would make sense for the people on on different realms living in different environments to be different from each other, and realistic even for that to be the root of some conflict. 

tldr; not using a specific label to prevent negative presentations of the characters seems a bit strange to do when the coding would be based off the text, but with limited representation available I see why it would be done, even if I still believe minority-coding is free game to expand/interpret.

Improperly Labeling a Character as “POC-coded” Suggests the Experiences of All People of Color are the Same 

The article argues that labeling Loki as POC-coded “suggests that all people of color have the same experiences, when in reality, people of color come from different places, have different cultures, and have different traditions.” And while it’s true that the term doesn’t go into detail about which particular experiences (and these experiences can vary vastly due to diversity!) the appropriate measure would be to remove the umbrella term POC altogether as people of colour tend to also vary. But that’s also exactly why it’s an all-encompassing general term? It’s a way to denote anyone who isn’t “white” and has the associated cultural privilege that comes with the concept of white supremacy.  

And, obviously, in the fictional setting presented, the concept of white supremacy is not prodded at, but cultural supremacy is definitely one that makes recurring appearances, right next to the parts about Asgard being a realm built on imperialism with ongoing colonial practice. 

My take on this is that Loki’s narrative features a struggle with identity after finding out he’s of a different race and was being treated differently his entire life and being Jotun was presumably a part of the reasoning even if he didn’t know it. He’s basically treated as of less worth for inherently existing differently. I do believe that racism is a common-enough POC experience, but that while Loki was born with blue skin he passes/appears white which is why I don’t say that Loki is a POC, just that he has been coded/can be interpreted this way. 

There’s also the entire thing with Loki trying to fit in and prove he belongs by trying to fit the theory and be The Most Asgardian by committing genocide (which ultimately makes no difference as he’s still not the ‘acceptable’ version of Asgardian), and the denial/rejection of his birth culture in destructively lashing out towards them (which even Thor is confused by because Loki isn’t typically violent), and the fact his self worth plummets and he is passively suicidal upon finding out he’s Jotun (internalized racism? general drop in self-worth after finding out he’s adopted and has been lied to? Bit of both?), but what do I know, I’m sure none of those are, at their base, common experiences or relatable feelings for anyone or decent rep because we see such themes on-screen presented wonderfully in different lights all the time. 

tldr; every set of experiences could be different, some types of discrimination could overlap, if you limit an umbrella term to only very specific circumstances then it’s no longer an umbrella term.

Suggesting that White Characters are Meant to be Seen as People of Color Ignores the Actual Characters of Color that are Present in these Stories

I don’t agree with most of this section, but that may just be the way the arguments are put together, which I don’t blame the author for.

“ Implying that Loki is a person of color completely ignores Heimdall and Hogun, the only Black and Asian Asgardians who appear in the movie. ”

Characters such as Hogun and Heimdall which are played by actual people of colour have smaller roles in the films and any prejudice they could face for being POC in-universe isn’t made apparent, while Loki at the very least comes to the realization that something he couldn’t change (race, parentage,) was having him treated differently his whole life and had to come to terms with it. The Vanir/Aesir are also both treated similarly on-screen, and Heimdall having dark skin isn’t plot relevant, whereas Jotnar are treated as lesser consistently and are relevant through the movie (breaking into the vault, Thor and co. attack Jotunheim, Loki’s deal with Laufey, the attempted regicide (and the successful one XD), destroying jotunheim, Loki saying he’s not Thor’s brother,). 

I also see including characters as POC-coded as... more representation? In all canon-compliant interpretations of the characters Hogun being Vanir is always explicitly mentioned because it’s a fact that just is, up to the appearance and even the world-building of Vanaheim in some fanworks use particularly East Asian culture as inspiration. I have never come across a Marvel fandom Heimdall interpretation where he’s not Black... but because these characters are more minor/side-characters of course they get less attention! 

“ In Loki’s fandom, Heimdall’s name sometimes gets thrown in to suggest that it was he all along who was the real villain due to his “racism” against Loki and the rest of the Jotun. It is, of course, ironic to suggest that somehow the only Black Asgardian to appear in the movie can oppress the privileged white prince. “

I... don’t know where to start with this. But the example of theorizing given in the article wasn’t suggesting Heimdall was bad or trying to explain his actions in Thor 1 by saying he is Black... and just looking at a character’s actions shouldn’t be done less or more critically because of skin tone in my opinion. Heimdall may have been trying to do what was best and protect the realm but if the audience didn’t know that Loki was up to dodgy things then the coding would be switched around because he was trying to spy and committed treason and then tried to kill Loki. People... can hold feelings towards others... regardless of skin... and suspect them... for reasons other than skin... although I do still have questions about whether Heimdall knew Loki was Jotun or not. (Even if I personally don’t think it’d make a difference to how he’d treat Loki?)

Some Loki fans have also suggested that because Jotuns have blue skin that this alone makes him a person of color (even if the audience is only allowed to see Loki in his true Jotun form for mere seconds of screentime). This, again, shows a lack of understanding when it comes to race. It doesn’t matter what skin color the Jotuns have. 

Race can differentiate between physical and/or behavioural characteristics!! Not being blue all the time doesn’t make him any less Jotun!! He’s got internalized stuff to work through and is used to being Aesir!! At least 1 parent is Jotun so even if Loki was passing as Aesir he’s probably Jotun!! (I don’t know how magic space genetics work for sure but Loki being Jotun was an entire very important jump-starting point in Thor 1!!). It’s a fantasy text and typically things like having different coloured skin indicates a different race or is sometimes if a species has multiple then is just considered a skin colour. That’s how coding works!! The Jotnar are very specifically the only race we see in the movie with a skin-tone not within the ‘normal’ human range, which alienates them to the audience from the get-go!! They’re an “other” and on the opposite side to the ‘good’ characters.

Both Loki and his birth father, Laufey (Colm Feore), are played by white men, and it is impossible for a white man to successfully play a character of color. 

The specification of men here bothers me, but yes, you don’t get ‘white’ people to play characters of colour if it can be avoided. (And it can be avoided.)

This also connects with the previous point made that people of color come from various places. There is nothing specifically about the Jotun that could be traced to any specific person of color, and even if there were, there would be no way for white men to portray them without being disrespectful.

This is where arguments about the definition of coding and how specificity/generalizations and do/don’t come in. I know I’m subjective and lean towards the more rep the better, but while I agree ‘white’ people wouldn’t be able to respectfully play a POC I don’t think that rule should have to carry over into fantasy-based fiction. I know texts reflect on reality and reality can reflect within texts, but if contextually there is racial discrimination and there are similar ideas which resonate with the audience’s own experiences I’d say it’s coded well enough to allow that.

tldr; Thor 1′s narrative revolves mainly around Thor and Loki, of which race is kinda kinda a significant theme in Loki’s part of the story. Not so much explored with less-developed side characters such as Heimdall and Hogun, even though their actors are actual people of colour. 

How Much of this is Really Well-Intentioned?

In the fantasy space viking world Heimdall and Hogun don’t face any on-screen prejudice and their appearance is not mentioned (which is nice, for sure! good to have casual rep!) but adding on to the roles they play in the narrative the explicit fantasy-racism in the movie isn't aimed at Asian/Black characters, but towards the Humans -to a lesser extent- and the Jotnar, including Loki, who only just found out he comes under that bracket.

The article mentions how fandom space toxicity often “reaches the actors who portray the characters,“ which is true, and it’s shameful that people have to justify their roles or presences are harassed for the pettiest things like skin tone/cultural background, but I don’t see coding characters as removing the spotlight from interesting characters such as those which are actually POC, rather expressing a demand for more rep, since well-written complex characters which are diverse are often absent/minor enough in the media, and therefore can get easily brushed aside in both canon and fandom spaces.

tldr; It’s obviously not a replacement for actual representation, but, if a character is marginalized and can be interpreted as coded, even if they would only be considered so within the context of the textual landscape, I don’t see why spreading awareness through exploring the coding as a possibility for the character shouldn’t be done, even if the media is being presented by people who are ‘white’ or privileged or may not fall into the categories themselves, as long as it’s done respectfully to those it could explicitly represent.

[maxismatchccworld]

Patch Notes

PC:1.69.54.1020 / Mac: 1.69.54.1220 Console: Version 1.35 Happy Holidays Simmers! It’s time to go back in to Create a Sim! Where in this update you will find 100+ new skin tones, customization sliders for skin tones and makeup, and three improved base game hairstyles! Every skin tone now has a value slider that allows you to change the light to dark value of that skin tone, unlocking a much wider variety of skin tone options for you to play with! You will also find that our skin tones are now filterable to warm, cool, and neutral tones (as well as miscellaneous that covers our occult skin tones).

The new makeup sliders add more choices and opportunities for you to customize your Sims, and express your Sim’s style! Hue, saturation, value or brightness, and opacity are now available to modify on the makeup. We have locked some of the sliders where it did not provide an optimal experience or make sense for the makeup. Expect us to continue our work on these issues into the future to provide you with more. In addition to the customization opportunities provided, you can also save custom swatches as you tweak your sliders to get the perfect look. When you click on the swatch (for skin tones and makeup) as you modify the sliders, you will have an opportunity to save your custom settings, so you can re-use it later without having to remember your perfect looks! Did we mention that we made some hair updates? We did - we updated a base game child hair (cfHair_BraidedPonyTail), and we added a second version of that hair that removes the baby hairs (cfHair_BraidedPonyTailPlain). And we updated a base game male hair that you may find difficult to recognize from the original hair (ymHair_flatTopTextured)!

We have updated the Main Menu!... Again! The idea behind this change is to create a more cohesive experience and give Packs a more proper space as we continue to grow our content lineup. As a nice bonus, we highlighted the Gallery in a more meaningful way to inspire you.

-SimGuruGnome & SimGuruRusskii

Now onto the fixes:

Sims 4

Sketching so much that the Digital Sketch Pad just quit on you? Never fear! Freelancer Sims that use the Digital Sketchpad will now be able to complete designs without being reset abruptly.

Happy Birthday to all! Sims will now properly Age Up. Adulting is hard but they will make it, don’t worry.

Fixed an issue in which Doors, Windows, and Arches had cutouts when being reflected in Mirrors. Rorrim Rorrim no eht llaw, ohw si eht tseriaf erutaef fo meht lla?

Sims that do not have the Fishing Skill, or have not been Fishing at all, will not get notifications about identifying Fish. THEY WERE FISHING WITH THEIR MINDS.

The following careers have added the “Take Vacation Day” option, yay!Editor Russkii note: I didn’t want to add each line in each pack for this fix, it would have looked weird and robotic so that is why I chose to do one bullet point for all in this section.

Child Sims will no longer forget they are in their Sleepwear when they go to school. Though in these times of Work and School from Home, I don’t blame them one bit.

The Sweet Escapes Country Toilet will no longer be Comfortable AND Uncomfortable at the same time… There can only be one!

Sims with the Best Selling Author Aspiration can now complete their task of writing 3 Best Sellers.

Fixed an issue in which resized objects would disappear when they were part of downloaded Gallery items.

We revised our Careers (Pack specific and not) and we made sure there were no Chance Cards that were repeated constantly.

We noticed we had added the option to Clean Up Toddler on kitchen and bathroom sinks for both Toddlers and Children by mistake, so we removed it for both age groups from the sink… but how would have they fit? Like… how? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

Build Snowpal interaction is no longer available on non-natural ground (For Simmers that own Seasons and/or Snowy Escape). That's why it's called a Snowpal, not a Floorpal!

Gardener (Seasons)

Military (Strangerville)

Lifeguard for Teens and Conservationist (Island Living)

Law, Education, and Engineer (Discover University)

Civil Designer (Eco Lifestyle).

Get to Work

We made a clarification on the Xenophilia moodlet when interacting with Alien Sims. It should no longer say “From Discovering Aliens” but now it correctly reads “From Interacting with Aliens.”

Fixed an issue in which childbirth was not possible if Simmers changed the color swatches of the Surgery Tables. Now listen, I have heard about renting whole hospital wings for a birth in real life and other eccentricities, but this… was really something.

Get Together

Male Sims will no longer get Pregnant after receiving calls from NPC Sims.

City Living

NPC Sims will now text and call with invitations to Festivals. I personally welcomed the calm and quiet of my phone not beeping about constantly. But I can’t miss a Festival!

Sims rejoice! Yard sale customers will no longer invade their Home Lots and use Household objects. It is a Yard Sale… OUT in the yard, not an Open House.

Did you ever regret trusting some Sims enough to give them your apartment keys to constantly get visits from them for Milk and Juice? You can rest assured that they will no longer visit you for this purpose. I think some neighborly love is appreciated, but this went beyond the proverbial “May I have a cup of sugar?” type of situation.

Fixed an issue in which interactions to participate on GeekCon contests would not appear when interacting with objects.

We decided to give a bit more clarity when displaying the location of Festivals, so now it will display as “Near <insert location>” and not a distinct location that is not entirely correct. This is true for Festivals in Snowy Escape as well.

Cats and Dogs

Pets will no longer sleep in random places when told to sleep on their Pet beds. In my world they can sleep where they are most comfortable, my conspiracy… allegedly.

Seasons

Sims can now Shower in the Rain… Jury is still out on Singing and Dancing.

Sims will no longer “lose” their shovels when performing other autonomous activities while performing the interaction “Shovel Snow.”

Our friendly neighborhood Snowpal has been properly renamed to Chill from Chil. Everything I knew before was a lie… a LIE!

Ever felt like the Holiday spirit has just been too much to handle, and Father Winter starting to show up everywhere and not letting you do much of anything getting a bit… out of hand? Fear not! Father Winter will stop replicating himself* to spread holiday cheer. *Note this fix is not entirely retroactive, new saves should see this without issue. Existing saves will correct themselves over time.

Get Famous

Duck Security SCROO9E Super XL Smart Vault will no longer disappear after Sims Woohoo in it… you can say Woohoo can be romantic and magical, but maybe not to this extent?

NPCs from the Actor Career sometimes would never show on Set, making gigs impossible to complete. We've spoken with their union reps and everyone has agreed to stop this ridiculous strike. What were they striking about? Was there even a Strike? We may never know.

Island Living

Mermaids and other Occults should no longer be able to make hybrid occults. How were they making them? Oh boy, I'm not sure if it's appropriate for me to give you the mermaid-birds and spellcaster-bees talk.

Randomly generated Mermaid Sims will no longer be seen without some features in affected Simmer Saves. However this fix is not retroactive, so it should be seen fixed in new saves.

Pizza delivery to Lagoon Look Lot has been fixed to arrive promptly. This is Sulani Deep Lagoon Pizza, home of the 2x1 Mermadic Kelp Pizza and the Salty Llama Combo, may I take your order? <Descriptive Simlish on the line> Uh huh… uh huh… <Indescribable Simlish on the line> Yes, we now can ACTUALLY deliver to Lagoon Look… <Interrogative Simlish on the line> Yes, we told our delivery Sims that they need to deliver it there and not keep the pizza for themselves… like give it to the actual client. <Surprised Simlish on the line>

Discover University

Has this ever happened to you? Your Sim is ready to make an offering to the Sprites only to find a crystal stuck without being able to move it? No longer a problem, Sims now can remove offerings so all their rituals can resume. Sprites rejoice.

We fixed an issue for our Console Simmers that wouldn’t allow them to close the Humanoid Robot’s Behavior Module Menus correctly.

Fixed an issue that would cause items to be repossessed when loans were fully paid. That is NOT how it worked Repo Person… NOT how it worked.

Sims with Research & Debate Skill 3 or higher will no longer be able to “Convince to” with Toddler Sims.

Masquerade Secret Society Masks are now properly unlocked in Create a Sim when joining the Secret Society.

Fixed an issue in which Heckle animation was sometimes not being performed autonomously by Sims while playing Ping Pong.

Eco Lifestyle

Fixed an issue that triggered the Off-the-Grid notifications after traveling to different Lots in Evergreen Harbor, even when they are not labeled as Off-the-Grid.

We spoke to all Eco Inspectors, and they have agreed that they should NOT be charging the Energy efficient appliances fine if your appliances are fully upgraded to be super efficient and amazing. I mean all that work and still get fined? Not in this house!

Fixed an issue in which some placeholder text was showing in notifications after Dumpster Diving.

The Americana Station Speakers will now play Music… as the prophecy foretold.

When the We Wear Bags N.A.P is active, Grim Reaper will not be partially invisible when appearing on a Lot. Grim Reaper contributes!

Living the No Appliance lifestyle? We’ve got news for you! Sims will no longer be penalized for not having “Eco-Friendly Appliances.” No appliances, no fines!

Snowy Escape

Vending Machine Canned Soups and Drinks won’t spoil anymore. Time to stock up!

Sims can no longer go on Hikes while holding their Toddlers.

Space Heaters will now be able to be placed on Lots from Inventory. Sharing the warmth everywhere!

Fixed an issue in which the Shoe Removal Sign in 5-1-2 Kiyomatsu was not working properly. We also added Shoe Removal Signs in 5-1-1 Kiyomatsu and 2-4-2 Wakabamori.

Sims will now be more visibly furious when having the appropriate furious sentiment toward other Sims. “Yes, I’m mad!... No! This IS my furious face!”

Fixed an issue with some animations that would stutter while Snowboarding or Skiing. We also made sure that Sims with a high level of those skills would not always choose the Bunny Slopes.

Izzy Fabulous’ Star Simmi Rank was just too fabulous so we had to correct it to be one star less than displayed. Don’t worry Izzy, you are a full 4 stars in my book, you are that fabulous to me.

After much debate of whether it is the Cave Shrine or the Mountain Shrine for Hiking destinations we finally decided to just call it Mountain Shrine.

We revised the Snoop-Proof Bamboo Blinds and it is now possible to drop’em like they’re hot with the Thousand Words Window.

NPC Sims will no longer “take over” the Slopes for themselves for an indefinite period of time, now they will be sharing with all Sims the joys of the Slopes.

Fixed an issue in which Sims would get highlighted in the Sentiment Panel as if receiving new Sentiments every time traveling is involved.

Sims with Rock Climbing Skill 7, or higher, are able to autonomously climb the Tall Wall (Such tall! So much wall!). There is no need to not face what makes you uncomfortable… autonomously.

Had a chat with Yamachan and asked if he was ok, he seemed to start random conversations and then randomly say goodbye without reason. We are happy to report that he is OK now and will try not to do that. Give us a hug Yamachan.

Food Stalls at Mt. Komorebi Festivals won’t be closing shop randomly during Festival hours anymore. <guitar and piano intro> Closing time, open all the Stalls and eat all the food in the world...Closing time, turn all the lights on and let Yamachan greet you heeeere…

Create a Sim asset ymHat_EP10HelmetGoggles has been fixed to no longer display clipping around the neck area as well as we made sure no facial hair is removed when wearing this asset.

Dine Out

Experimenting with photo frames will no longer use the same picture of an Experimental Meal when displayed.

Hot Pot meals are now part of Restaurant Menus! I miss the times I would go to eat Hot Pot at a restaurant. One of my favorites has a conveyor belt that carries your fixings never leaving your table for a thing. *happy sigh*

Vampires

Vampire Sims will no longer be affected by temperature, so they won't be constantly obsessed with lighting fireplaces trying to get warm.

Post edited by EA_Leeloo at 6:30PM

Source: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/984647/december-7th-2020-patch-notes

[ruinousaltruism-moved]

Leverage: Redemption, The Panamanian Monkey Job

Oh, he morally bankrupt.

I remember when you wanted to change the world.

You know why restaurants fail? Head chef can't be chopping lettuce

Right. First order of business.

I know this guy. Well, not personally, but he had a rep in the field. He's smart. He's ruthless. This ain't a desk jockey. This guy's an operator.

You know, there was a day when I'd have to beat the location of this place out of some Russian mafia guy.

Somebody's gonna have to explain this whole phrasing terminology thing to me.

I'm the one who hides the money. I know who we're hiding it from.

Wait. This is your...?

You-You were spying on us?

I teach every kid I meet how to do crime. Crime is fun.

Just give me a shot. I found you guys. I earned it!

I'm-I'm not trying to put this on you, but... I trust you to make the right choice because I respect your judgment.

I mean, they may torture you for a while, but that gives us enough time to rescue you.

Okay. Good pep talk.

But you understand, it's my money.

I think I did pretty well. And I didn't get tortured.

Nothing's impossible.

I'm thinking an explosion.

Sorry. Thought we were sharing.

You know, everybody always gets too wrapped up in the con the first time.

I don't need a babysitter, thank you.

Look, it's almost midnight, and I still have a lot of prep, Mister…

People like [name] who... who are greedy and-and use people, they have a blind spot. They can't imagine anyone who's not like them.

Let me just break it down for you.

And the best part, I mean, no one cares.

You know what? I admire your hustle.

If I find out you're lying to me, I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna shoot you in the face.

I think she's got potential. With proper instruction.

Wow, these look convincing.

There you go. Now you're... You're thinking. I like that.

Don't get distracted by the side gig.

In our line of work, you're one of the best.

It's okay to grow up, realize you're not the person you used to be.

I achieved perfection pretty early, huh?

You know I suck at, like, saying thank you and stuff.

Oh, for real? You just gonna, just leave that hanging out there like that?

Rest assured, no matter the sin, once it's in my vault, it is beyond the reach of common decency.

You're providing a very valuable service to the world.

Like, I'm so busy sometimes. It's crazy,

Yeah, it's an ozone-y, cinnamon smell. Lasers, who uses lasers anymore?

No, no. You gotta bail on this.

Hey, don't bring me into this. Do not...

Yeah, okay, you know what? I got this. I got this. Fine.

Now, you remember that one time on vacation? That split? Yeah, you know the one.

See? That wasn't so hard, was it?

Considering what they charged me, that was supposed to be impossible.

You didn't stretch, did you?

Hey, [name], come on. We got one more thing to do.

You are still paying the bills, right?

We don't leave loose ends. Ever.

Hey, man, hey. I need you to help me with something.

I figured it was the least I could do.

Well, I think it's the right call. For now.

Did I miss something?

Oh, great, so if I want you here with me, I'm pro-famine. Cool.

You know I wouldn't do it without your blessing, right, babe?

Babe, she idolizes you.

But it's so much more fun with you here.

You do seem to be a lot happier when you have someone dancing on the string.

I know how they think, I know the laws they bend, and I know who they pay off to do it.

I'll give him this: He crafts a compelling argument.

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4: New Game Patch (December 7th, 2020)

There’s a new Sims 4 update available for PC/Mac and Consoles. IPC:1.69.54.1020 / Mac: 1.69.54.1220 / Console: Version: Console: Version 1.35

Happy Holidays Simmers!

It’s time to go back in to Create a Sim! Where in this update you will find 100+ new skin tones, customization sliders for skin tones and makeup, and three improved base game hairstyles! Every skin tone now has a value slider that allows you to change the light to dark value of that skin tone, unlocking a much wider variety of skin tone options for you to play with! You will also find that our skin tones are now filterable to warm, cool, and neutral tones (as well as miscellaneous that covers our occult skin tones).

The new makeup sliders add more choices and opportunities for you to customize your Sims, and express your Sim’s style! Hue, saturation, value or brightness, and opacity are now available to modify on the makeup. We have locked some of the sliders where it did not provide an optimal experience or make sense for the makeup. Expect us to continue our work on these issues into the future to provide you with more. In addition to the customization opportunities provided, you can also save custom swatches as you tweak your sliders to get the perfect look. When you click on the swatch (for skin tones and makeup) as you modify the sliders, you will have an opportunity to save your custom settings, so you can re-use it later without having to remember your perfect looks! Did we mention that we made some hair updates? We did – we updated a base game child hair (cfHair_BraidedPonyTail), and we added a second version of that hair that removes the baby hairs (cfHair_BraidedPonyTailPlain). And we updated a base game male hair that you may find difficult to recognize from the original hair (ymHair_flatTopTextured)!

We have updated the Main Menu!… Again! The idea behind this change is to create a more cohesive experience and give Packs a more proper space as we continue to grow our content lineup. As a nice bonus, we highlighted the Gallery in a more meaningful way to inspire you.

-SimGuruGnome & SimGuruRusskii

Now onto the fixes:

Sims 4

Sketching so much that the Digital Sketch Pad just quit on you? Never fear! Freelancer Sims that use the Digital Sketchpad will now be able to complete designs without being reset abruptly.

Happy Birthday to all! Sims will now properly Age Up. Adulting is hard but they will make it, don’t worry.

Fixed an issue in which Doors, Windows, and Arches had cutouts when being reflected in Mirrors. Rorrim Rorrim no eht llaw, ohw si eht tseriaf erutaef fo meht lla?

Sims that do not have the Fishing Skill, or have not been Fishing at all, will not get notifications about identifying Fish. THEY WERE FISHING WITH THEIR MINDS.

The following careers have added the “Take Vacation Day” option, yay!

Child Sims will no longer forget they are in their Sleepwear when they go to school. Though in these times of Work and School from Home, I don’t blame them one bit.

The Sweet Escapes Country Toilet will no longer be Comfortable AND Uncomfortable at the same time… There can only be one!

Sims with the Best Selling Author Aspiration can now complete their task of writing 3 Best Sellers.

Fixed an issue in which resized objects would disappear when they were part of downloaded Gallery items.

We revised our Careers (Pack specific and not) and we made sure there were no Chance Cards that were repeated constantly.

We noticed we had added the option to Clean Up Toddler on kitchen and bathroom sinks for both Toddlers and Children by mistake, so we removed it for both age groups from the sink… but how would have they fit? Like… how? These are the questions that keep me up at night.

Build Snowpal interaction is no longer available on non-natural ground (For Simmers that own Seasons and/or Snowy Escape). That’s why it’s called a Snowpal, not a Floorpal!

Gardener (Seasons)

Military (Strangerville)

Lifeguard for Teens and Conservationist (Island Living)

Law, Education, and Engineer (Discover University)

Civil Designer (Eco Lifestyle).

Editor Russkii note: I didn’t want to add each line in each pack for this fix, it would have looked weird and robotic so that is why I chose to do one bullet point for all in this section.

Get to Work

We made a clarification on the Xenophilia moodlet when interacting with Alien Sims. It should no longer say “From Discovering Aliens” but now it correctly reads “From Interacting with Aliens.”

Fixed an issue in which childbirth was not possible if Simmers changed the color swatches of the Surgery Tables. Now listen, I have heard about renting whole hospital wings for a birth in real life and other eccentricities, but this… was really something.

Get Together

Male Sims will no longer get Pregnant after receiving calls from NPC Sims.

City Living

NPC Sims will now text and call with invitations to Festivals. I personally welcomed the calm and quiet of my phone not beeping about constantly. But I can’t miss a Festival!

Sims rejoice! Yard sale customers will no longer invade their Home Lots and use Household objects. It is a Yard Sale… OUT in the yard, not an Open House.

Did you ever regret trusting some Sims enough to give them your apartment keys to constantly get visits from them for Milk and Juice? You can rest assured that they will no longer visit you for this purpose. I think some neighborly love is appreciated, but this went beyond the proverbial “May I have a cup of sugar?” type of situation.

Fixed an issue in which interactions to participate on GeekCon contests would not appear when interacting with objects.

We decided to give a bit more clarity when displaying the location of Festivals, so now it will display as “Near <insert location>” and not a distinct location that is not entirely correct. This is true for Festivals in Snowy Escape as well.

Cats and Dogs

Pets will no longer sleep in random places when told to sleep on their Pet beds. In my world they can sleep where they are most comfortable, my conspiracy… allegedly.

Seasons

Sims can now Shower in the Rain… Jury is still out on Singing and Dancing.

Sims will no longer “lose” their shovels when performing other autonomous activities while performing the interaction “Shovel Snow.”

Our friendly neighborhood Snowpal has been properly renamed to Chill from Chil. Everything I knew before was a lie… a LIE!

Ever felt like the Holiday spirit has just been too much to handle, and Father Winter starting to show up everywhere and not letting you do much of anything getting a bit… out of hand? Fear not! Father Winter will stop replicating himself* to spread holiday cheer. *Note this fix is not entirely retroactive, new saves should see this without issue. Existing saves will correct themselves over time.

Get Famous

Duck Security SCROO9E Super XL Smart Vault will no longer disappear after Sims Woohoo in it… you can say Woohoo can be romantic and magical, but maybe not to this extent?

NPCs from the Actor Career sometimes would never show on Set, making gigs impossible to complete. We’ve spoken with their union reps and everyone has agreed to stop this ridiculous strike. What were they striking about? Was there even a Strike? We may never know.

Island Living

Mermaids and other Occults should no longer be able to make hybrid occults. How were they making them? Oh boy, I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for me to give you the mermaid-birds and spellcaster-bees talk.

Randomly generated Mermaid Sims will no longer be seen without some features in affected Simmer Saves. However this fix is not retroactive, so it should be seen fixed in new saves.

Pizza delivery to Lagoon Look Lot has been fixed to arrive promptly.

This is Sulani Deep Lagoon Pizza, home of the 2×1 Mermadic Kelp Pizza and the Salty Llama Combo, may I take your order?

<Descriptive Simlish on the line>

Uh huh… uh huh…

<Indescribable Simlish on the line>

Yes, we now can ACTUALLY deliver to Lagoon Look…

<Interrogative Simlish on the line>

Yes, we told our delivery Sims that they need to deliver it there and not keep the pizza for themselves… like give it to the actual client.

<Surprised Simlish on the line>

Discover University

Has this ever happened to you? Your Sim is ready to make an offering to the Sprites only to find a crystal stuck without being able to move it? No longer a problem, Sims now can remove offerings so all their rituals can resume. Sprites rejoice.

We fixed an issue for our Console Simmers that wouldn’t allow them to close the Humanoid Robot’s Behavior Module Menus correctly.

Fixed an issue that would cause items to be repossessed when loans were fully paid. That is NOT how it worked Repo Person… NOT how it worked.

Sims with Research & Debate Skill 3 or higher will no longer be able to “Convince to” with Toddler Sims.

Masquerade Secret Society Masks are now properly unlocked in Create a Sim when joining the Secret Society.

Fixed an issue in which Heckle animation was sometimes not being performed autonomously by Sims while playing Ping Pong.

Eco Lifestyle

Fixed an issue that triggered the Off-the-Grid notifications after traveling to different Lots in Evergreen Harbor, even when they are not labeled as Off-the-Grid.

We spoke to all Eco Inspectors, and they have agreed that they should NOT be charging the Energy efficient appliances fine if your appliances are fully upgraded to be super efficient and amazing. I mean all that work and still get fined? Not in this house!

Fixed an issue in which some placeholder text was showing in notifications after Dumpster Diving.

The Americana Station Speakers will now play Music… as the prophecy foretold.

When the We Wear Bags N.A.P is active, Grim Reaper will not be partially invisible when appearing on a Lot. Grim Reaper contributes!

Living the No Appliance lifestyle? We’ve got news for you! Sims will no longer be penalized for not having “Eco-Friendly Appliances.” No appliances, no fines!

Snowy Escape

Vending Machine Canned Soups and Drinks won’t spoil anymore. Time to stock up!

Sims can no longer go on Hikes while holding their Toddlers.

Space Heaters will now be able to be placed on Lots from Inventory. Sharing the warmth everywhere!

Fixed an issue in which the Shoe Removal Sign in 5-1-2 Kiyomatsu was not working properly. We also added Shoe Removal Signs in 5-1-1 Kiyomatsu and 2-4-2 Wakabamori.

Sims will now be more visibly furious when having the appropriate furious sentiment toward other Sims. “Yes, I’m mad!… No! This IS my furious face!”

Fixed an issue with some animations that would stutter while Snowboarding or Skiing. We also made sure that Sims with a high level of those skills would not always choose the Bunny Slopes.

Izzy Fabulous’ Star Simmi Rank was just too fabulous so we had to correct it to be one star less than displayed. Don’t worry Izzy, you are a full 4 stars in my book, you are that fabulous to me.

After much debate of whether it is the Cave Shrine or the Mountain Shrine for Hiking destinations we finally decided to just call it Mountain Shrine.

We revised the Snoop-Proof Bamboo Blinds and it is now possible to drop’em like they’re hot with the Thousand Words Window.

NPC Sims will no longer “take over” the Slopes for themselves for an indefinite period of time, now they will be sharing with all Sims the joys of the Slopes.

Fixed an issue in which Sims would get highlighted in the Sentiment Panel as if receiving new Sentiments every time traveling is involved.

Sims with Rock Climbing Skill 7, or higher, are able to autonomously climb the Tall Wall (Such tall! So much wall!). There is no need to not face what makes you uncomfortable… autonomously.

Had a chat with Yamachan and asked if he was ok, he seemed to start random conversations and then randomly say goodbye without reason. We are happy to report that he is OK now and will try not to do that. Give us a hug Yamachan.

Food Stalls at Mt. Komorebi Festivals won’t be closing shop randomly during Festival hours anymore. <guitar and piano intro> Closing time, open all the Stalls and eat all the food in the world…Closing time, turn all the lights on and let Yamachan greet you heeeere…

Create a Sim asset ymHat_EP10HelmetGoggles has been fixed to no longer display clipping around the neck area as well as we made sure no facial hair is removed when wearing this asset.

Dine Out

Experimenting with photo frames will no longer use the same picture of an Experimental Meal when displayed.

Hot Pot meals are now part of Restaurant Menus! I miss the times I would go to eat Hot Pot at a restaurant. One of my favorites has a conveyor belt that carries your fixings never leaving your table for a thing. *happy sigh*

Vampires

Vampire Sims will no longer be affected by temperature, so they won’t be constantly obsessed with lighting fireplaces trying to get warm.

It's here – and a day early! Today, a free game update brings you 100+ skin tones, customization tools for skin tones and makeup, three improved base game hairstyles, and a main menu makeover. Available now to all The Sims 4 players! pic.twitter.com/p7QIIkI74d

— The Sims (@TheSims) December 7, 2020

A huge thanks to @Xmiramira @EbonixSims @MiaZaff1 @RaonyPhillips & @catherinegYT for the candid conversations & constructive feedback! Their input, representing their viewpoints alongside their player communities, was instrumental to current & future improvements. #GameChangers !

— The Sims (@TheSims) December 7, 2020

Every skin tone now has a value slider, unlocking thousands of customizable options. In addition, we made improvements to both new and existing skin tones, including strengthening the quality of suntans and sunburns.

— The Sims (@TheSims) December 7, 2020