Haunted 1-5
(Got kind of overwhelmed this week, so I’m dipping into my Haunted buffer instead of releasing a new chapter. Honestly, I should have split the last chapter into two parts.)
Me: That makes absolutely no sense.
Myself: No, there’s precedent. You’ve already set up that he likes his hands being covered. Look at the gloves. Look at the water sleeves.
Me: There’s no way a 32-year-old coastal elite, in the late nineties, would wear a turtleneck sweater with thumb holes.
Myself: Shut your ASSHOLE FACE I NEED THIS
Yes! He is the one named Sailor Liu. Except his “magical ‘girl'” transformation (nested scarequotes intentional) gives him a… turtleneck sweater with thumb holes. Are thumb hole sweaters even posh? If ‘Yuan’s wearing one, it’s posh.
His expressions in the first two panels are on point, which is funny, because the faceless Fengs in the last panel are super creepy.
And you knew within 24 hours the moment my brain was like “you NEED to put him in a navy turtleneck with thumb holes you NEED this” and refused to budge. PFFFT. These damn thumb holes are giving me enough energy to get through the whole first chapter.
He’s neither magical nor a girl, but he can still do the fwip.
Fwip! Oh, I recognize his neighbors immediately! Well done!
Fwip Even without faces!
Swooon! See, the problem with you exposing me to Xiyuan’s attractiveness in the last chapter is that I can’t unsee it now. But why would I want to, I guess. Also, the bit with his scarf floating thanks to the non-existant indoor breeze gives me mad Tuxedo Mask vibes.
Ah, his neighbours are the Fengs, that makes sense. I wonder if there’s a reason they are faceless – could mean a bunch of things, from just being “faceless” to him, since he just moved there and knows nothing about them, to portraying Victor’s ruthlessness in his politics career… or some such.
(I wonder if Victor has any involvement with the Sixam negotiations, but he’s probably not quite high enough in the ranks. Then again, those take place in the future, so who knows how much he’ll advance by then.)
Ahahaha, I’m just going to like all three of them.
Hah! Aileen’s choices making more sense to you now? A while back, Simister told me “God’s cruelest creations are fluffy animals who don’t want you to pet them,” which sums up a real problem for sim women in this universe. Speaking of the universe, I think it also gave us ‘pornounced’ to foreshadow this moment.
The indoor breeze is—rrrgh—there’s a bit of running symbolism throughout that I’ll hold off on for now, but the indoor breeze is surprisingly relevant to that!
Those are both reasons they’re faceless; the other two are that it makes them look creepier and I can drop details in a shot this far away (and am still trying to finesse things to make it look intentional). And not including Victor in the Sixam negotiations was a real missed opportunity. Where were you a week ago?! Darn.
Hahaha I almost forgot about pornounced, but it all finally makes sense now 😂
Gah, wordpress ate my comment, let me try again. I was gushing about having realised that Xiyuan is hot in the last chapter and what internal turmoil that sent me down because I can’t unsee it now – oh no, woe is me. Also scarf floating in the non-existent indoor breeze gives me mad Tuxedo Mask vibes.
And his neighbours are the Fengs, that makes sense based on the location. I wonder if they’re faceless for a reason – is it just because they’re faceless to him since he only just moved in, or is there something bigger, like a nod to Victor’s ruthless political career? I also wonder if he has anything to do with the Sixam negotiations, I checked, and he starts a save as a “representative” (nice and vague), which is probably a bit too small-time for that, but the negotiations are happening in the future, so who knows where he’s made it by then…
Ok, now I’m here twice, sorry – just get shot of one of these 😀
Ahh im loving the ‘Fwip’ part so much idk why. i really thought he was in DSV bt he’s in San M! Even better because I like his neighbors very much 🥰
Fwip It’s gotta be the thumb holes. The Fengs have an interesting relationship with Yuan.
LOL SAILOR LIU. Oh god, friggen perfection. I was here for the transformation, I mean look at those sleeves! Those gloves! The scarf! He is only in danger of being bested by his rivals, his true enemies: the neighbors who don’t know how to mind their own business. Oh gosh, is the next scene them inviting themselves over?
Fwip
Whew; it was a tough call. He needs the coat and scarf so he can flutter majestically in the wind, but they’re also blocking the full glory that is his THUMBHOLE SWEATER.
If that door were open, the Fengs would be in his house already.
Xi looks like he’s reading the thought bubble in the 2nd panel lol. I mean… maybe he is. Okay, I’m guessing you the player are saying that, which is why he’s looking at the bubble.
Xi’s scarf gets its own character nod lol omg. Is it a most magnificent scarf or does it…. talk????
Hahaha YES this is keeping up with the Simmys. Love the clothes-changing depiction. Perfectly executed!!!
Oye, Xi is going to the lions den to face the problem head-on. Oof, thoughts and prayers, dude.
Sorry for the stupid question, but does his parents nameplate (house) function as a lever too?
OKAY SO THIS IS THE LATE 90s. YES! no longer confused by the landlines.
His parents body language is interesting. Considering that his father left all/the majority of the messages, he seems a bit more open with his hands behind his back (I mean maybe more EXPECTING of something, but certainly OPEN nonetheless). Mom though, with her hands crossed, isn’t going to be as receptive. Like possibly not at all in his lifetime.
I like their FACELESS expressions. So stony. So perfect. FUCK, RUN, XI.
THE SCARF!! It’s a real character now at the behest of Cathy Tea, and it also may have something to do with the symbolism. And it also may or may not be the true protagonist of Haunted.
I am loving these questions, dawg. Uh, for the lever, are you talking about his mailbox?
LOL ermahgawd I’m embarrassed. Okay, I see that it IS a mailbox, b/c there’s an envelope/letter inside. I guess I’m so used to seeing the boxy-style mailboxes, and I’ve either never seen ones like that or never cared to notice them in-game. I should also preface this that I have hardly touched Sims 4, and have only really played the shit out of Sims2 >.< So my bad, in advance, for my cluelessness here and most likely in other comments.
The whole Scarf thing is giving me Dr. Who vibes, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled for symbolism and how it might be the true protagonist. I mean, fingers crossed it chokes the life outta someone deserving of death.
YASSS the first instance of my favourite onomatopoeia in this comic; FWIP. (Including tornado and wind!)
Also the first instance of BEST SCARF. That scarf has more personality that other comics’ protagonists. It’s like Dr. Strange’s cloak. Or the flying carpet in Aladdin, depending on your frame of reference.
And while thumbhole turtlenecks may not be standard, this man is AN ARTIST and thus needs to keep his hands warm and limber, dammit. It makes perfect sense and I will not be taking any more questions on this matter.
The Faceless Fengs are giving me “twins from The Shining” vibes and I hate it. Which means I love it.
fwip
Here is a point you get for being ok with his thumbhole turtleneck. Yuan has so many dumb idiosyncrasies that make me giggle, like the Wind Scarf because he is a Wind Character or the propensity to stare at pink objects to calm himself or the tailcoat closet or the swan animal guide or the fact he likes to keep his hands covered. It helps to have someone to appreciate them with!