#the motifs are motif-ing!!!

[self-spaghettification]

edit of all the times (that I could remember) of characters repeating words they heard from eachother.

tdp s6 leak spoilers ‼️

leak free version here

the dragon prince & passing down lessons.

also on tiktok

Transcript:

“TMO: We are, all of us, stardust. - A: Held together by love, for an instant.”

“H: I want to talk to you about life, and growing up. - C: And how sometimes there are changes you don’t expect. But when you grow up, sometimes, - E: you have to face things you’re not ready for.”(thank you to @konmaao3 for the footage here!)

“R: I’ve been thinking about something someone once told me. About how when one person hurts another, then that person hurts them back, - C: then it’s a cycle. You hurt me, someone will get revenge against the elves. It won’t end. -

C: Who told you that? R: You did. C: Oh.”

[presiding]

genuinely admire those who were optimistic for dishonored 3 but in this videogame industry climate and [insert a 4hr video essay about arkane's recent history here], honestly, not getting dh3 is good news

[vanweezer]

sometimes a friendship is one guy away from his phone while the other guy is infodumping about the bring it on sequels

[the-craftsman-and-mover]

// i am trying to make a theme for each of the members of the regigigas system in garageband. this is the first time since i was seven that i have tried anything “serious” with music. its certainly going.

[imminent-danger-came]

Hi, just dropping in to say I ABSOLUTELY LOVE all your theories / meta / motif collections. The lego monkie show has consumed my life, esp that EAMK theory because godddd if it actually becomes canon I don't think I will ever be normal after that XD

But also I just realised something

Imagine if the ep intro changes-

To reflect a SWK vs MK fight

..Yeah, I'm defintely never gonna recover from that

EAMK is my beloved theory, so I'm happy other people like it just about as much as I do! SWK V MK is my other beloved theory (or more like a prediction), and I think it'd be neat if either of them were even a little bit canon.

But if not only SWK V MK happened, but they also had an intro change to reflect it? I know I certainly wouldn't recover. Like that might honestly be it for me

[wooftphr]

poets of tumblr!!! i am very curious! rb and tell me how you choose the formatting of your poems!

[deltaruminations]

for the past year or so this youtube pooper has been making a zelda cd-i rock opera set to deltarune music. its a masterpiece tbh

[i3utterflyeffect]

hm. i keep thinking about making a stickman oc but i have no particularly compelling ideas

[tsukikoayanosuke]

Piece of My World - Ruikasa Week 2023

Day 3: Song (Piece of My World by Night Ravens)

(No knowledge of Twisted Wonderland is needed for this fic)

Rui could hear someone humming. The only problem was he was the only one in his workshop. None of his robots was on at the moment so who could be humming? It was a nice tune, don't get him wrong, and he actually would enjoy it if it wasn't for the fact he didn't know where it came from.

At first, he thought it was his own imagination, but days later, it had become a common occurrence. So, Rui searched through his room, and checked his robots, until finally, when the humming sounded once again, he found the source.

It was his mirror. A full-body mirror that he had found when he first changed the garage into his workshop. He actually forgot about the mirror since he never really used it. It was really an ordinary mirror, really, not something antique or passed down through generations.

Rui tapped the glass. Perhaps there was a secret compartment for a tape. But nothing came out. And the humming stopped. Once again, Rui thought that it was his sleep-deprived brain pulling some trick on him. But just as he was about to walk away, a knocking could be heard, followed by a whisper:

"...Hey... -me...?"

Huh. Curiouser and curiouser.

Rui knocked on the mirror again. "Is someone there?"

There was a brief pause, before the knocking return. "Who are you?"

"Kamishiro Rui." Rui knows it might not be a good idea to give his name to a stranger, let alone a mysterious voice coming from a mirror. But his heart is pounding from the discovery. "And you are?"

"I'm Tsukasa. Tsukasa Tenma." The voice replied. "Hold on...Let me just..."

The mirror suddenly shone bright, forcing Rui to step back and cover his eyes. When the light dimmed down, Rui can see someone who wasn't his own reflection standing inside the mirror. It was a boy with blond hair and sunset eyes, dressed in a black and purple robe with the hood on, while holding a pen with a magic crystal and standing in a middle of a room filled with floating coffins.

"Ah! I can see you now!" Tsukasa cheered.

This is real. A boy just appeared in his mirror. "Is this...magic?"

"Yeah. I can do magic." Tsukasa puffed out his chest. "This is nothing for a great magician like me."

"You're a magician...You can do magic..."

"Can't you?"

Rui shook his head. This can't be a dream, can it? "How did you do it?"

"It took a while. I thought I see your silhouette a couple of times in the Mirror of Darkness, but I wasn't so sure until I heard you knocking."

"The Mirror of Darkness?"

"Looks like your mirror is connected to our school's mirror. We used this often as teleportation, so I thought you were just someone coming back to school."

"School? Like Hogwarts?"

Tsukasa's nose scrunched. "What kind of name is that?"

"It's not important." Rui felt the excitement bubbling inside of him. What a great discovery! Rui had never thought that magic could exist, but here he was; talking to a boy from another dimension who apparently is attending a school for magicians. "A world filled with magic...Wow..."

"I'm guessing your place doesn't have magic?" Tsukasa asked.

Rui shook his head. "This is amazing...What else can you do other than communication and teleportation? Do you have a potion class? Do you fly with a broomstick?"

Tsukasa blinked in surprise. But then he grinned. "Well, first of all, magic can do a lot of cool things!"

Rui didn't know how long he talked to the boy. It was fascinating to hear Tsukasa explaining about magic and his world. He even showed a couple of spells that never cease Rui's amazement. The more he listened, the more he wanted to go there. He wanted to try magic, he wanted to explore more of the world, and he wanted to meet Tsukasa in real life.

"You think I can go there?" Rui asked.

Tsukasa hummed as he thought about it. "I've never heard about someone coming here from another dimension. But if we can talk, then maybe yes?"

"I want to go there," Rui said. "I want to meet Tsukasa for real and learn magic with him."

That caused Tsukasa to blush. "Maybe one day we can find a way." Rui had to hold back a pout because he wanted to go now.

Perhaps the magic of Tsukasa's world heard his inner wish. That night, just when Rui was about to fall asleep on his table again, the mirror glowed.

Ah...My beloved lord. My glorious, beautiful flower of evil.

"Tsukasa...?" he mumbled sleepily. But the voice that came out from the mirror was not Tsukasa, but it was alluring.

You are the fairest in all the land. Mirror, Mirror, pray tell. Who is the most---?

Rui didn't even realize that he had stood up from the desk and walked toward the mirror. It was as if he was hypnotized by the voice.

--You, who has been summed by the Mirror of Darkness. Listen to your heart's desire and take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.

He wanted to meet Tsukasa... He wanted to learn magic with Tsukasa...

A hand appeared in the mirror; a hand that looks like Tsukasa's hand. Rui didn't even think twice. He took the hand-

-and the world shattered.

——————————————————————————————

When he opened his eyes, Tsukasa's face is above him. "Rui?"

Rui blinked a couple of times. "Tsukasa...?"

"Is he awake, Mister Tenma?" An unfamiliar voice could be heard and Tsukasa turned away from Rui toward the masked man that reminded Rui of a raven.

"Yes, headmaster." Tsukasa looked at Rui, giving him a smile before looking back at the man. "But, why him?"

The headmaster didn't immediately answer but focused on Rui. "You're Rui Kamishiro, correct? That's what Mister Tenma here called you."

Rui nodded, still feeling tired. The man smiled. "I'm sure you have many questions, but let me say this to you first."

"Welcome to Night Raven College. Welcome to Twisted Wonderland."

Rui Kamishiro. An ordinary boy, whose wish is to be with the boy from the other side of the mirror, opened the door to a magical world of heroes and villains.

Well, there's nothing bad in indulging in the wonderland, is there?

Listen to the song here.

And for the German cover of the song as a bonus. This group also covered a lot of Project Sekai songs, so check them out.

Some silly headcanon if you want to know where I would put the Proseka kids in the Twisted-Wonderland’s dorms. And more if I put the Twisted-Wonderland cast into the Proseka bands. 

[widowshill]

BETH.

[umbrellacam]

I feel like whether Tim is on some level suicidal in RR #12 is very open to interpretation, which is part of what makes it fascinating!

because Tim's homecoming to Gotham is the culmination of an upward/self-actualization arc, after struggling through multiple low points/depression/an extended breakdown.

he finally got proof Bruce is alive. managed to claw Tam and himself out of the Cradle and away from the Council of Spiders/LoA by the skin of their teeth. thumbed his nose at Ra's and reaffirmed his own principles by blowing up all the LoA servers. finally kind of processed that Kon and Bart are both alive again - he just tackle-hugged Kon in RR #9 and told him, "when you found me in Paris, I was in a bad place. Now... Now I'm in a good place." he's full of renewed purpose and the realization that he doesn't, in fact, have to do things alone! (team-up Robin ftw!)

so probably not actively suicidal

but then in all of his frantic calculations to thwart Ra's and save each and every person Bruce loved - he doesn't factor himself in. he doesn't put himself on that list of loved ones and set up a contingency for preserving his own life (wtf Tim).

or does he??? that's where the ambiguity comes in for me, because we don't actually see him discussing the full details of his plan with anyone. and he doesn't mention it in his internal narration, either! because his internal narration is always super reliable..... hmmm.....

we know that Dick isn't aware of any other contingencies, or indeed the full details of the plot they were thwarting - after catching Tim, Dick has to ask him, "You want to tell me what that was all about?" and of course "How did you know I'd be there to save you?"

and as I've mentioned before, I don't think Tim had actually planned for Dick to save him, so his "You're my brother, Dick. You'll always be there for me," response is uh, both loving BS and a "genuinely felt expression of retroactive faith", as Silver put it (and which has been stuck in my mind in glowing cursive letters ever since, lol).

but. we do know that as part of his plan to thwart Ra's ninja-assassinate-Bruce's-loved-ones plot, Tim calls all three of his best friends into Gotham. (among all his other rallied allies.) his best friends who are various combinations of flight and/or superspeed capable. and who had each just smugly patched in via comm to confirm that their protection jobs were all successful, meaning Tim knew they were available if he potentially needed them.

the fact that the rest of the Core Four then twiddle their thumbs and let Tim keep fighting Ra's on his own after confirming Alfred/Selina/Barbara are safe, instead of zipping over to have his back (ie punch the jackass through a wall) almost has to be because of: (a) Tim's plan to deliberately stall so Lucius could file the WE paperwork (on the Watsonian level), (b) Yost allowing Tim to have his Final Showdown with the villain of the arc on his own, and also (c) Yost setting up the emotional climax/reconciliation of Dick catching Tim (both on the Doylist level).

like, Tim stalls Ra's for long enough that Dick is able to glide and grapple his way over from his own ninja-busting detail, we don't think the speedster or the Superboy could have gotten there in time?

Dick is the one who caught Tim because it was thematic, it's a motif in their relationship and the resolution of their 12-issue arc, and don't get me wrong I wouldn't change that moment for anything - but! he wasn't the only one around who could have done so.

and Iiiiii have to suspect Tim would know that? there's ambiguity and room for interpretation, of course, especially since Tim doesn't say anything at all or call out to anyone as he's actually falling.

but also. Kryptonian superhearing? Tim's comm which could very well still be connected? could he have been relying on allies listening/clue-ing in, whether or not he actually explicitly sketched out a back-up plan with anyone to come back him up, after Lucius was done transferring WE? all according to (dumbass improvised) keikaku??

idk! seems plausible to me, but it's all so open to interpretation, it makes my brain go BRRRRRR 😊 like you can make a compelling case/headcanon/fic any way you look at it!

anyway. Dick catching Tim is very much The Moment Ever Of All Time <3 but also the thought of Kon just hovering at the ready to grab Rob but spotting Dick!Bats swooping in and being like ":))) oh ok. they both need this." is v. hilarious to me

[self-spaghettification]

the dragon prince & passing down lessons.

an edit of all the times (that i could remember) of characters repeated words they had said to each other

(version including s6 can be found here)

“H: I want to talk to you about life, and growing up. - C: And how sometimes there are changes you don’t expect. But when you grow up, sometimes, - E: you have to face things you’re not ready for.” (thank you @konmaao3 )

“R: I’ve been thinking about something someone once told me. About how when one person hurts another, then that person hurts them back, - C: then it’s a cycle. You hurt me, someone will get revenge against the elves. It won’t end. - C: Who told you that? R: You did. C: Oh.”

[felassan]

The Art of Dragon Age: The Veilguard Deluxe edition (DA:TV artbook bonus stuff). [source, via]

"The deluxe edition features: - An elegant foil-stamped slipcase and cover - Gilded pages - A ribbon book marker - Two lithographic art prints housed in a sleek portfolio" [source]

It looks like the two lithographic prints are this mural (which is from the 2020 TGA teaser iirc) and this art of Solas with a wolf by Matt Rhodes (which is from the Gamescom 2020 video iirc). The packaging's color theme-ing is black and gold, reminding of this version (that pic is from 2021) of the game's branding/color theme-ing, and also of course bringing to mind the Golden/Black City. the Golden/Black City was featured on the vinyl cover arts.

The knife here on this cover looks like the 'blue lyrium' [?] dagger, but also simultaneously not like it.

This artbook cover one is more gnarled in appearance and the 'ring' of the handle isn't complete (the way the 'broken' handle could almost be an Evanuris headpiece-shape... if it was a bit more symmetrical, it would look like Elgar'nan's headpiece).

It has extra spiky bits protruding off it too and it looks like something is growing on it. Maybe this is what happens if/when the blue [lyrium?] dagger becomes red (Blighted)? because this gnarled kinda vibe reminds me a bit of Meredith's sword Certainty in DA2, and of that body horror way in which red lyrium growth looks on people. It also reminds me of the tendrils of Blight corruption on walls and the ground and stuff in DA:TV screenshots, and the gnarled red lyrium darkspawn we've seen (look at this darkspawn's back for example).

Or maybe there's simply more than one dagger? There's two rising Evil Gods.

in the background of that image is the now-familiar geometric patterning with the concentric rings around the outside that tend to represent the Veil, and also the multiple almooost-overlapping circles/spheres inside that is suggestive of an eclipse* (something which we can see in the DA:TV screenshot with the dragon, which keeps coming up, which speaks to a lot of the pertinent imagery/symbolism e.g. Elgar'nan overthrowing his father the Sun and darkening the sky, and something which to me makes sense in a Witcher-style Conjunction of the Spheres kinda vibe, multiple realms colliding, like, if you tear down the Veil, you're bringing two 'bodies' or realms together to 'overlap' once again - the Fade and the waking world). [*in the 'eclipse' link there it's just searching the word on my blog btw, since I've banged on and on about that lots before and I don't wanna repeat myself loads in this post hhh]. the placement of the dagger over that design and what it represents makes sense; as we saw in the gameplay reveal video, the dagger was part of Solas' ritual to tear down the Veil/move the Evanuris prison.

On this cover, we can see two eyeballs in two of the corners (the eyes remind me of the Inquisition hairy eyeball, the eye motifs cropping up around Lucanis, Pride, and the Fade peacock feather/eye motif [image from this post]). in the other two corners is a sword that reminds again of Certainty. Meredith brandishing the sword is part of this DA:TV mural in the bottom left, underneath Ghil. surely not a coincidence. :D maybe a Certainty-like sword is the final corrupted form of the dagger, or one of them? in TN, the red lyrium idol changed shape enough that a ritual-blade sprang from its base.

the background of this middle cover also contains triangles, reminding of ancient elven artifacts and ancient elven magic-tech (like with Bellara, the Veil Jumpers etc) and the recurring triangle symbols in DA art around Fade/Veil/magic-y stuff (example from the Tevinter Nights map below).

The cover on the right has more geometric patterns, circles, rings etc. (all these patterns remind of the art in the vinyl booklet btw). and, in the center, the eye again. 👁️

[praisetheaxolotl]

The Arsonist Theory, Part 2: We Get It, The Billboard Was A Metaphor

Part 1: Mandibles!

First off, I want to say thank you all for giving the first part of my theory such love! I appreciate each and every one of you and I'm so happy that you all like my theories so much!

For those who are new here, the Arsonist Theory proposes that Bill wasn't alone in destroying his dimension- rather, he was used by a third party. This is part two of four, with the remaining two parts coming out very, very soon.

Also, same as before:

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK OF BILL, INCLUDING SOLUTIONS TO CIPHERS

Let's get into it, shall we?

In The Great Gatsby, certain motifs have more than one symbolic meani-- no, really, stay with me here!!

...Okay, fine. Let's back up.

In the Book Of Bill, you'll find a webpage called thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com. Go there, and you'll be prompted to enter a password. Go back to the Book of Bill, and hidden in a stretched-text section, you'll see the phrase NEED A PASSWORD? FINE, I'LL TALK / IT'S THE NAME OF THE EYEBALL DOC.

"The eyeball doc" is from the excerpts of The Great Gatsby further back in the book-- T.J. Eckleburg.

(Honestly, this explanation is moreso that context doesn't get lost to time.)

So... Gatsby. T.J. Eckleburg.

Hirsch could have chosen any number of public domain novels for that gag in the book... so why this one? Why tie it in by making it the password?

I believe it has some significance to the greater plot. Furthermore, eye doctors in general are a large point of Bill's early life in Euclidia. Take the silly straws- the red one has a numeric cipher, while the other three use a Caesar cipher.

In the order of RGBY, they read as follows:

TWISTED OUT OF SHAPE AFTER THE KILL / THE GHOSTS OF HIS FAMILY ARE HAUNTING HIM STILL Eye doctor of a different kind / Who wants to make his patients blind The doctor says / Three sips a day / Will make the visions / Go away Fussy eater / Baby Billy / Wouldn't drink / Unless it's silly

These ciphers refer to a certain couple of tidbits Bill tells us about his home.

One- He could see the third dimension. A rare mutation.

Two- Talking about it at all was illegal.

So, what were his parents to do when their son started talking about nonsense that was illegal to even mention? Well, if your child started acting strange and seeing things that weren't there... you would take them to the doctor.

It's clear to me that Bill's parents were concerned about the "visions" their son was experiencing, and took him to the doctor to cure them- an eye doctor that wants to make his patients blind. The blue straw explains how the medicine is supposed to work. The yellow straw explains why Bill has such a fondness for silly straws- he was a picky little kid, and hated his medicine, so his parents got him silly straws to drink it out of.

I wonder if that's why he collects them- because they remind him of home, of his mother urging him to take his medicine, of his life before all of this happened.

But never mind all that.

The thing is, an eye doctor is crucial to Bill's past, which of course brings me back to T.J. Eckleburg.

In The Great Gatsby, certain motifs have more than one symbolic meaning, and the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg are no exception.

(Okay full disclosure, I have not actually read Gatsby and I'm Sparknotes-ing this shit. But, so did all of you when you were assigned this in high school, so we're even.)

They appear on a billboard in a place called the Valley Of Ashes, and at first, they seem to symbolize God. But as the scenes continue, they take on a different meaning.

See, our POV character, Nick, is going on this journey to meet the mistress of his friend. Nick is aware that this is an immoral action, yet does it anyway. Now, the eyes of Eckleburg cast judgement... along with issue a warning.

They now take on a new meaning-- a foreboding omen about the tragedy that lies in wait, inching ever closer. The tragedy in Gatsby being the death of Myrtle, the mistress, and subsequent string of deaths that follow it-- and, curiously, Nick states that the eyes of Eckleburg almost supernaturally draw him someplace... which ends up being where Myrtle is.

Both a higher being, and a warning of a horrible tragedy that ends in death upon death upon death... curious!

What's more curious is when Bill is admonishing the story and Un-Gatsby-ing us, he says this:

The billboard is a metaphor? Why mention that? Out of all the symbolism in this book, why the billboard? Is it because it was mentioned in the preceding pages? Then why mention the theme of the American Dream being a myth? That wasn't on those pages! If you had to mention symbolism, the green light would have been the most iconic example of it from the book.

So why the billboard?

Is, perhaps, the image of some sort of higher power watching you, admonishing you of the tragedy you will have a hand in causing, supernaturally pulling you to someone that will be the catalyst for it all.... relevant somehow, to Bill?

(And, as a sidenote- the theme of the American Dream being hollow could also apply here, as Bill got what he wanted- freedom into the third dimension, Weirdmageddon, all of it. But he's still not happy and still wracked with guilt over Euclidia, ultimately an interloper in a place he doesn't belong in, just as Nick says at the end of the novel that he is a Midwesterner unsuited to life in the East Coast city.)

Let's talk about Flatland.

It's interesting to note that in the original novel, A. Square does have help witnessing the third dimension-- a Sphere contacts him, and tells him about the third dimension, intending to use the Square as a conduit to educating the rest of Flatland.

This, of course, leads to mass imprisonments and executions, one of said imprisonments being of the Square's own brother, with the Square being imprisoned himself at the end of the book.

Point being... in the original story of Flatland, the two-dimensional outsider was visited by a higher being, one that used him to alter Flatland and only ended up causing chaos and ruining lives.

All I'm saying is, the Book of Bill and Bill's story in general draws parallels to two existing books-- Flatland, and now The Great Gatsby. It would be foolish to write this off as a random occurrence when the game of Gravity Falls has always been analyzing the smallest of details. I believe the choice in book was on purpose, and moreso, that it was specifically used to hint that maybe Bill wasn't alone in all this. There was some kind of higher being that influenced him, just as the Square was influenced. That looked down upon him with impossibly wide eyes, pulling him closer and closer to ruin.

Oh, by the way-- Bill up there mentions being touchy about his weaknesses ever since... something. This is clearly his death, but... is that all he means? But that's gonna be in part four.

Next time, it's all about the many cycles and the distinct breaking of them present in Gravity Falls itself, and what that means for Bill as the villain and foil to them.

Part 3: Journey To The Vicious Spiral Nebula

Part 4: Blame The Arson, Not The Fire

[szanne7000]

🟢Windswept ~ A Witch Cottage🟢Simblreen Gift🟢TS4🟢

Windswept is a Simblreen Gift for all of you! I started this build on October 11th & finished it October 20th when I sent it to Bodaccia for testing. I started working on finding all the links (that I was able to find) Saturday, the 21st. Let me tell you that there are over 900 pieces of cc (and several of their swatches!) in this build… I think I’ve been dreaming about missing texture files, links, Google, & Wayback Machine every night when I finally went to bed, LOL. Bodaccia informed me of some things that needed changing, & I worked on those over Wednesday & Thursday & finished them all on Friday when I sent it back to Bodaccia for “emergency” testing. While she was doing that, I was finishing up the links & taking pictures. I think the only time I’ve worked harder & faster was when I was participating in DOTY. It is now about 4 pm on Saturday, October 28th, & I just need the Tumblr to work…

Happy Simblreen!!! I hope you are pleased with Windswept for a long, long time.

1 Bed/1 Bath

Living, Dining, Kitchen

Workroom & Consult Area

Spell Room

Séance Room

This build came about as a wish from my youngest son, Ben. He wanted a fantastical Witch Cottage to play in, & we both thought that all of you might enjoy it, too. Windswept is based on real-life architectural plans & my imagination. As many of us adults, he has loved The Sims since the beginning. In fact, both my sons (Travis is my oldest) were responsible for getting me into this game. Without my sons’ interest in this game, my love of building, landscaping, & decorating in The Sims would not have happened. Thank you, my Loves, for your push.

The Credits & Links pdf file included with the build contains everything you need to enjoy this build. Go see all of these Amazing Creators in their native habitats!

A Gigantic & Special Thank You to the following Creators who allowed me to include their content as a Gift with this build:

@karzalee -001StudioK @ADVMabra, @aggressivekitty @mel-bennett @psychicpeanutkitty @irinaseverinka @solistair & @theeaax

I want to give a Huge Thank You to all the Creators whose generous TOUs allow inclusion of their content with builds, which for this Simblreen Gift is most of you.

2SIS @alf-si Angel74 Anidup animefemme @pinkbox-anye @arcanewonder @ars-botanica @artrui Asyli @aroundthesims @baufive Bodaccia @budgie2budgie @buildingdiva @chalipo-all4sims @simthingnew - Chicklet Chisami @clarasims4fan @coralitt-sims Daer0n X MDN Daer0n S4D IDBD Elfydrell @ethericall @exzentra FAB @patchouli-sugar flirtyghoul @haruinosato @helen-sims Hel Studio Hel Studio X @sundays-sims @hydrangeachainsaw Ichosim @ilonastuffforsims4 @simverses - Ingeli @jools-simming @kerriganhouse @kitkatssimporium @lady-moriel lavi3enrose @leaf-motif Ledger Atelier-Modern @leosims4cc @lina-cherie Llen @loree-sims4 @loveratsims4 LunaLuciaLuna @luumia @lumenniveus @magnolianfarewell Mammut @mangosims4-blog @mimoto-sims @imminervaa @mio-sims @msteaqueen @mxims Nelfeah neriney-moxXxes, @nynaevedesign Ohmysims @oldbox1310 OrangeMittens @omorfi-mera @serenebluesims @cross-design @rumorukaraizon @sanoysims @saudade-sims4 sg5150 @simdertalia @sims4luxury @simspirationbuilds X Hel Studio Sn4 Snowhaze @sooky88 @syboubou Tekinkah thealienships-Willow Gardens @thejim07 @therran91 @tilly-tiger @tkangie @wykkyd-sims @xelennsimblr @yumesims & @yumia-x

The few creators whose content you need to get can break between patches; they all deserve an Enormous Thank You for everything they do.

@dorocash @momo-cc aka MountainSplitter @natdreamsims @simcredibledesigns & thepancake1 and @mizoreyukii

I also want to give a Massive Thank You to the Modders/Creators whose contributions make my game easy to finagle & look gorgeous: You do impossibly great work!

20thCPlumbob @bakiegaming crosire @k-hippie @lotharihoe @pictureamoebae @ravasheencc @simp4sims TwelthDoctor1, @twistedmexi @yakfarm & @zerbu

Lastly, I need to thank my Bestie, @bodaccia48. She’s absolutely the Bestest Bestie there has ever been. Even though she’s been under the weather this week, she fully play-tested this build to ensure that you & your simmies can enjoy it without issue. She even dragged herself out of bed right before I did a final save of the lot to run an emergency check to make certain some necessary fixes actually worked. Seriously, they don’t come better than you, Bestie!

🟢Download🟢

MEGA

MediaFire

YouTube Presentation

[broken-clover]

I can't help but find Amane compelling. For a lot of reasons, really, but his use of gender as a character motif gives him a surprising amount of texture the more you look at him (Especially for a series that admittedly veers into gender stereotypes a lot, but that's neither here nor there).

Which I guess seems obvious at first glance. I've often seen him lumped in with a lot of other 'trap' (ugh) characters, but in a way it's sort of funny, because it couldn't be more wrong as a takeaway. At a glance, yes, Amane is an androgynous man who wears dresses and makeup. Thing is, though, the point of it isn't to trick anyone- Amane is entirely comfortable in his gender and how he presents, and his choice of wearing 'feminine' things is entirely out of passion.

His visual appearance might offer confusion, but his personality doesn't offer the same sort. For someone that presents himself so gracefully and beautifully, Amane is outright described as

speak(ing) in a rather crude tone at times, and has a manly personality

While I don't know about 'crude' in particular, he has a tendency to speak very directly, and takes pride in his masculinity. His moveset is filled with references to super sentai series, which are often associated with young boys and filled with stereotypically 'boyish' motifs, like martial arts and giant robots. He makes no effort to obscure his gender identity, he perceives himself as a man, and corrects people who mistake him for a woman. But, clearly, being mistaken for one doesn't bother him, as he still happily partakes in his art form and makes no attempt to dress more 'masculine' for sake of having people perceive him as such.

(Even in terms of his non-dance hobbies, Amane leans toward 'feminine' things. He makes candies and is seemingly the only parental figure toward his numerous adoptive children, whom he loves and cares for in the sort of nurturing way that one might more typically associate with motherhood than with fatherhood.)

Amane's use of dance as a motif also leans heavily into this concept. Art forms like dancing often get written off as 'girly' with the unspoken implication that something with that descriptor is less important or even easier in comparison to stereotypically male-oriented hobbies. But dancing, especially in the professional world, takes an unbelievable amount of physical and mental training in order to do well and create a visually captivating performance. Amane's design being based on an onnagata kabuki actor, or a man who plays female roles, also ties into this. Though it sounds simple on paper, onnagata techniques can take years to master, and include learning a wide range of techniques, from makeup styling to posture to vocal training. The fact that Amane is a seasoned professional dancer means that he would be fully aware of all this. While he may employ those techniques on stage, he does not use them in casual interaction. In Amane's perception, he is a man, and having a ladylike appearance does not do anything to the contrary. He is merely himself, perfectly comfortable with both identity and presentation.

Likewise, it feels like these themes are deliberately contrasted with a more stereotypically masculine character in Bang Shishigami. Blazblue has multiple 'hypermasculine' characters such as Azrael and Kagura, but Bang seems to be the one the narrative most frequently draws a parallel to, as they encounter one another multiple times- And, fittingly, both are themed around very stereotypically Japanese motifs, kabuki and ninjutsu. While both seem to embody very traditional themes visually, Bang is a character that adheres more to those traditionalist traits in terms of personality, styling himself as a manly, physically impressive hero who tries to win a woman's heart through acts of valor. When Amane encounters him, as the first dialogue in the first game he debuts in, Bang confronts him not because he has any real business with the man or has mistaken him for a troublemaker, but because Bang finds him 'strange.'

"What kind of attire is that for a man to wear around...!? It screams 'frail' and 'weak'! I can hardly believe my eyes..."

Amane, just as a concept, confuses him and contradicts his idea of what a 'proper' man should be. It's something that Amane even calls him out for later

"Never you mind! It is a crime for a man to look so...so...so beautifully feminine! I shall smack some guts and conviction back into you as a representative of Ikarugan masculinity!" "Whoa whoa, don't you think you're being just a little prejudiced?"

Obviously, Amane sees nothing wrong with how he presents. He sees nothing wrong with a man being beautiful the same way that Bang does.

Though the gag reels are non-canonical, the 'Contest of Manliness' from Chronophantasma seems almost designed to highlight the concept. Amane enlists in the contest to display his sense of endurance, making it to the finals to the surprise and shock of Bang, who views him as a 'gentle-mannered pretty boy,' at one point bringing up a similar point from their encounter in the arcade route

"Despite your appearance, you are actually quite tough..."

Even in combat, he displays this sense of duality. He battles using fans, his scarf, and a parasol, all more stereotypically ladylike implements compared to something like a sword or firearms. He can hit has hard as any other male character, but his movements are graceful and agile, with a sense of elegant poise. It isn't that he is powerful *despite* his feminine presentation. His power is his own. It is simply a matter of what medium he uses to comfortably express that power, regardless if some might view it as weird.

Amane is not a man trying to 'trick' anyone into thinking he's a woman. Amane is Amane. He is a very pretty man who likes to dance, and he is very manly while doing so, and is also very pretty while kicking ass, thank you very much.