#also note. Eleanor is dead

[heartkaji]

★ ALVINNN !! ⸺ AND THE WINBRE BOYS ?!

synopsis ୨ৎ : relationship dynamics i think the winbre boys would have based on the chipmunks & chipettes

notes ୨ৎ : had this idea while rewatching alvin & the chip-munks with my baby brother </3 missed this show sm

❤︎ TOGAME JO — SIMON & JEANETTE

stay with me here.

i don’t mean simon & jeanette in the sense that two of you are nerds or anything. when i think simon and jeanette, i think emotionally mature simon and anxious girlfriend jeanette who’s always in need of simon’s reassurance ( they’re so cute i want to eat them )

it’s like that with you and jo. togame is more mature and the bigger person in every situation. he never lets you two go to bed angry, and he’ll appologize first, even in times when he thinks he’s not in the wrong. togame also NEVER raises his voice. never ever. i can’t imagine him & yelling in the same sentence. so even in heated arguments where you’re screaming and crying with mascara running down your cheeks togame stays gentle and quiet, fingers pressed into his palm so tight he’s nearly bleeding because god you’re crying and he has no fucking idea what he can say to help you calm down. he doesn’t even care about what you guys were fighting about anymore, he just needs you to feel better. ( GODDDD WHERE IS MY TOGAME 😭⁉️)

anxious attachment girlies your time has come

with togame your anxiety is never triggered. you have his location and all his passwords, and he’s 100% not the kind of guy who asks for yours in return. he also calls you to let you know when he’ll be running late. i wish i could lie and tell you he doesn’t leave you on read, but he canonically doesn’t text. he has a custom ringtone just for your contact though, so often times he’ll call you in response or send you a voice message. either way you’ll get some kind of answer, togame isn’t into ignoring you in any shape or form.

NEVER EVER disrespects you, and I’m not talking verbal disrespect or anything like that. i mean togame doesn’t like pictures of any woman other than you on his instagram, doesn’t borrow girls his jacket even to be polite, doesn’t help them pay—he’s your walking wallet only. he would never ever be caught dead doing anything that could cause someone to mistake him as being close to any girl other than you. he’s so perfect it’s insane.

togame also isn’t into playing games. he communicates anything and everything he’s uncomfortable with and sets boundaries in the sweetest possible manner. “i dont like it when you do that, baby. you can do this instead, okay ?” he says all of this while thumbing your cheek and pressing his lips to your forehead . he encourages you to commmunicate with him as well. if you’re more on the shy side and struggle with setting boundaries, it’s cool because togame does it for you. if he does something and notices a change in your demeanor, he makes a mental note to never do it again. he doesn’t voice out his observations though, he knows you so he knows your first reaction would be to deny that you’re uncomfortable. when it comes to communication, he’ll never press you, but he always makes it clear that he’s ready to listen when you’re ready to talk.

boyfriend rating : ∞/10 ; better not break up with him, this man is one in a billion.

❤︎ AKIHIKO NIREI — THEODORE & ELEANOR

i think this was very obvious LMAOO

i feel like a lot of people think of theo and eleanor as the sunshine duo, but theodore is actually pretty soft and shy. the dynamic between them is much like i described for simon and jeanette, except here the roles are reversed.

theodore is extremely talented, has lots of potential really, but is always putting himself down, much like nirei. you play eleanor, always encouraging nirei to think better of himself and put himself out there, even when he thinks it’s a terrible idea.

i feel nirei, like theodore, always overcompensates. i mean he feels he’s not worthy of you so he always goes out of his way to make you a little something, give you a little gift, just anything to make him feel like he’s not dead weight tying you down in this relationship with him. he’ll never tell you he feels this way & so you’ll never know & be able to reassure him or tell him otherwise, but when you smile with blood tinged nose and kiss his cheeks in appreciation like he’s the only boy on earth, he thinks that’s all the reassurance he needs.

if you have avoidant attachement issues i am respectfully asking you to stay the hell away from him. HE CANNOT HANDLE IT. your constant hot and cold drives him crazy and affects him more than the average person. nirei is someone who loves and feels deeply. he’ll overthink even the smallest things, whether that’s you leaving him on read or a comment about how clingy he is. like i said nirei overcompensates, so when he’s more comfortable in the relationship he gets very affectionate; not in terms of physical touch ( he still needs you to initiate that most of the time, the best he can give by himself are hugs ) but in terms of words of affirmation, acts of service and gift giving. if you comment on how he’s been doing too much for you these days, even if you’re speaking from a place of ’you’re doing so much for me, you should take some time for yourself’, he’ll misinterpret it as you getting sick of him. he tries to tone his acts of affection down, but then he’s plagued with the fear of you leaving him because he’s not doing enough. it’s an endless cycle :( my poor baby please treat him well </3

boyfriend rating : 5.5/10. i fear his insecurity & trouble comunicating makes dating him difficult, and his constant need for reassurance can get suffocating.

❤︎ ENDO YAMATO — ALVIN & BRITTANY

when i think alvin and brittany i think teasing ( but whipped ) boyfriend and done with his antics girlfriend.

that’s you and endo one hundred percent. endo yamoto is always up to no good, making cheeky comments or hiding your stuff just to rile you up and get a reaction out of you. you’re so fucking done with him—you don’t even know why you’re still dating this bastard but on midsummer days when endo decides to be more boy less devil you’re reminded ( just a little ) of why you love him.

endo yamoto has his sweet moments. of course it’s obvious he worships you like a god, but you often forget because of his troublesome nature. endo yamato is always thinking of you. it’s evident in how he always comes home with one or two trinkets that reminded him of you, whether it’s something he saw in the window of an antique shop or a pretty rock with colors that match your eyes.

endo is also very clingy. when you’re doing your makeup, getting ready to go out, endo tugs you out of your vanity chair and sits down so he can pull you into his lap, arms snug around your waist as he buries his nose into your neck. the feeling of his breath warm against your shoulder blades is distracting and it’s even worse when he’s dragging his lips across your skin. you knock his head with a makeup brush to get him to pull away even if just for a second, but he only responds with a grunt before his palm trails it’s way up & under your shirt.

yeah, he’s fucking impossible.

but it’s endearing. also did i mention he’s constantly teasing you ? he’s your own personal bully. but god forbid someone tries to make a fool out of you. if it’s a girl, he hurls the most gruesome insults he can think of, and if it’s a guy, lets just say the local hospital is gonna be taking in one more patient tonight ( he is UNHINGED, but we love him regardless )

boyfriend rating : 7/10. he’s a good boyfriend, but can get pretty possessive and extreme sometimes. also he often hurts your feelings on accident </3

© ─ heartkaji ; do not steal, copy, edit, translate or reupload

[demi-god77]

WILL BYERS AND THE LOST LENORE

In literature, a "Lost Lenore" is a prominent character's deceased love interest. The trope gets its name from Edgar Allan Poe's poems "Lenore" and "The Raven". For a character to be considered a Lost Lenore, their death has to have great significance/relevance in the story and their absence has to have a profound effect on the character. Will off the gate fits that criteria, since his "death" and disappearance is what starts the entire story.

A Lost Lenore can be dead before the story begins, or they can die very early on. However, they don't have to actually be dead, but rather an equivalent thereof, eg. genuinely believed to be dead

"[...] Because everyone thought he was dead?" "Yeah, I mean...we had a funeral for him and everything",

or even lost in a different dimension (Sound familiar?)

The character who lost Lenore can have different love interests afterwards (!!). However, the grief they experienced for Lenore must be clear. The subsequent love interests can never ACTUALLY replace Lenore though, which may lead to a love triangle.

Sometimes (like here), Lenore turns out to not be dead after all, or dead for reasons by means other than previously believed.

In Poe's "Lenore", which takes place during Lenore's funeral, one of the mourners asks her husband why he isn't weeping and if he has realized she isn't coming back. Her husband in response calls the mourners "wretches", who didn't actually care about her and were even happy when she died.

It's also important to note that there are multiple mentions of Lenore dying "too young", and her youth in general, emphasized by the "life upon her yellow hair", a youth that's greatly emphasized in Will's death/during his disappearance as well, since he was only 12.

In this trope, characters can encounter another living character who strongly resembles/reminds them of the Lost Lenore. A romantic relationship might even develop.

That one is especially crazy to me, given all the twin imagery between Will and El, even going as far as to make them actual siblings in s4, and El actually being mistaken for Will in s1.

Also, and this might be reaching, but Will seems to be "disappearing" throughout the course of the entire show. Besides his actual disappearance and death in s1, he disappears once more when he gets completely taken over by the mindflayer, and (more meta) during the entirety of the series, his clothes/color pallete are constantly blending in with the background and his surroundings (see his tan/beige outfit in the middle of the new mexico desert). Even when he's not actually dead, he's metaphorically still lost.

In "The Raven", Lenore is physically absent and yet her presence looms, haunting the narrative (cough, the entirety of s1, cough). The narrator desperately tries to connect with Lenore though the raven, mirroring the human struggle of reconciling with the past and dealing with the inevitability of change.

"And I guess, if I'm really being honest, that's what scares me. I don't want things to change."

Oh, and what was the name of the town the Byers moved to again?

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.

In s1, El is giving the alias Eleanor/Elenore by the boys, who tell mr. Clarke she's Mike's (second) cousin.

This made me think of a short story by Poe, called "Eleonora". It's narrated by a man who falls in love with his cousin Eleonora, with whom he lives in an isolated valley. When they become aware of their love for each other, new flowers bloom in the surrounding forests. However, after they declare their love, Eleonora falls ill. On her deathbed, the narrator promises her he will never love anyone else. She then reassures him she will send him signals so that he knows she's still with him, even in death.

He honors his vow for many years and stays in the valley, but the place itself seems to change, with flowers and grasses withering and disappearing.

He leaves the valley, pained by the memories and at first, he still senses Eleonora around him at night.

"Sometimes I feel like... I can still see her. Like, she's still around, but...she never is"

Suddenly her presence is gone and he meets a woman, Ermengarde. He falls in love with her and they marry, breaking his vow.

This imo, is very reminiscent of their storyline in s2, since El stopped visiting Mike (her presence gone) around the same time Will's possession storyline started, AKA when Mike's undivited attention was on him.

The story ends with the narrator hearing the voice of Eleonora one night, forgiving him for breaking his promise and wishing him happiness with Ermengarde, for whom the narrator had previously justified his feelings were more "authentic".

Anyway I'm going a bit crazy over this lmao

Was inspired by some posts from @love-byers and @nattyonebard :)

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Eleanor Parker (Scaramouche, The Sound of Music)— Eulogized as a ravishing beauty whose looks were merely ornamental to her craft, feast your eyes on Eleanor Parker. Listen! I know you're thinking of the Baroness in Sound of Music and saying NO I won't protect the woman who tried to steal him from Maria but forget about that (like you personally wouldn't shoot your shot with Plummer)! The trailer for Scaramouche describes her character Lenore as "The glamourous queen of the nightlife of Paris. A flame-haired wildcat" and this is a woman who was able to pull off that role, and you get the vibe she was like that irl too. There's a story about her changing hair colors that never fails to make me laugh. Take note of her stunning eyes! Her amazing legs! And to see her in motion is to make note of the aura about her, she has an amazing presence. Fall in love with Eleanor Parker today, and make your vote count!

Audrey Hepburn (My Fair Lady, Sabrina, Roman Holiday)—Growing up, Audrey Hepburn desperately wanting to be a professional ballerina, but she was starved during WWII and couldn't pursue her dream due to the effects of malnourishment. After she was cast in Roman Holiday, she skyrocketed to fame, and appeared in classics like My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany's. She's gorgeous, and mixes humor and class in all of her performances. After the majority of her acting career came to close, she became a UNICEF ambassador.

This is round 3 of the tournament. (yes I know it says round 2 in the poll. sometimes I post these when I’m sleepy.) All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Eleanor Parker:

“When I’m spotted somewhere, it means that my characterizations haven’t covered up Eleanor Parker the person. I prefer it the other way around.” So shy she was actively nervous about winning awards in person, her personal life remains mostly behind the scenes. But on screen? she was a force majeure. It's a shame the role most people remember her in is the Baroness in The Sound of Music, but then again, it did make Christopher Plummer reminisce upon her passing “I was sure she was enchanted and would live forever.”

Listen we all know Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews had insane chemistry but the Baroness deserves some love too! She has such a glamorous presence but not in a hard way

She will be known as the fabulous baroness in TSOM, but she was so much more than that. Just as comfortable in westerns or melodrama, the scheming other woman, and the beauty that wins the heart of every man in town.

Audrey Hepburn propaganda:

"She may be a wispy, thin little thing, but when you see that girl, you know you're really in the presence of something. In that league there's only ever been Garbo, and the other Hepburn, and maybe Bergman. It's a rare quality, but boy, do you know when you've found it." - Billy Wilder

Raised money for the resistance in nazi occupied Hungary. Became a humanitarian after retiring. Two very sexy things to do!

where to begin......... i wont her so bad. i literally dont know what to say.

My dude. The big doe eyes, the cheekbones, the voice. The flawless way she carried herself. She was never in a movie where she wasn't drop dead gorgeous. Oh, also the fact she raised funds against the Nazis doing BALLET and she won the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her humanitarian work.

"It’s as if she dropped out of the sky into the ’50s, half wood-nymph, half princess, and then disappeared in her golden coach, wearing her glass slippers and leaving no footprints." - Molly Haskell

"All I want for Christmas is to make another movie with Audrey Hepburn." - Cary Grant

64.media.tumblr.com

I know people nowadays are probably sick of seeing her with all the beauty and fashion merch around that depicts her and/or Marilyn Monroe but she is considered a classic Hollywood beauty for a reason. Ironically in her day she was more of the alternative beauty when compared to many of her contemporaries. She always came off with such elegance and grace, and she was so charming. Apparently she was a delight to work with considering how many of her co-stars had wonderful things to say about her. Outside of her beauty and acting ability she was immensely kind. She helped raise funds for the Dutch resistance during WWII by putting on underground dance performances as well as volunteering at hospitals and other small things to help the resistance. During her Hollywood career and later years she worked with UNICEF a lot. Just an all around beautiful person both inside and out.

No one could wear clothes in this era like she could. She was every major designer's favorite star and as such her films are time capsules of high fashion at the time. But beyond that, she had such an elegance in her screen presence that belied a broad range of ability. From a naive princess, to a confused widow, to a loving and mischievous daughter, she could play it all.

Look at that woman's neck. Don't you want to bite it?

[pumpkinnning]

black sails episode I (s01 ep01) notes/review (spoilers)

> intro song still slaps so hard

> i know s1 has Problems but the first ep is still so good

> Flint being introduced as the one who spares the captain's life fits w him being at first shown as apart from the crew, more humane, more strategic, more intellectual and withholding and "civilized" compared to Singleton's populism and bloodlust - a view however which disintegrates throughout the ep - then at the end he's shown to be the most brutal and unhinged of them all - obvs this is also abt the duality within him but comparing where we start and where we end, the contrast is really dramatic and impactful

> that said he's truly first introduced as a terrifying story/whisper/flag on the horizon which, obviously, appropirate

> Silver's intro is so great, too - the cook tries to scare him by talking about Captain Flint's ship pursuing them, how he hates cowards etc and Silver immediately turns it back against him when he sees the cook hiding the page "what will Captain Flint say about that" - and then using what the guy told him about how cooks are always useful on a ship to create a new identity. the ease with which we see him slip into a dead man's character. so slippery, ressourceful, the big charming smile w nothing behind the eyes

> and then !!!! the first true emotion we see him show is when Billy talks about the equality and loyalty among the crew and how they take care of Randall even though he "lost his wits" but Silver still has to prove himself. And yeah he's worried for his survival but it's also so clearly "this is a man who's never had this kind of loyalty and equality before so he doesn't really believe in it" but. it also makes him look a little desperate to experience it. fitting when the crew's loyalty is a key part of why he turns into Long John Silver.

> tbh i never fully believed in Silver as this purely selfish creature. to me i read him as like he came from something so awful there are no words for it and this is what he turned into to survive, cynical to his core and incapable of hope/trust - but there IS a part of him that yearns for true companionship right from the start but he's too fucked up to ever fully let it emerge. i honestly think he's the most tragic character in the entire show. yeah Flint's life sucked but at least he fucking Went for It

> Flint being so annoyed yet disdainful about the plot to overthrow him is so funny in hindsight. like who the fuck cares abt these men wanting gold when im on my gay rampage of wrath. peasants. then Gates trying to babysit him by sending Billy w him. Billy is like this guy does Not rate me. Gates being like yes yes he thinks so highly of you. Flint being like who's Billy ??? workplace comedy. and Then after Gates seeing unconscious Richard Guthrie in the boat and being like. Fucking Hell How does he always find a way to make it Worse. he is not paid enough for this shit

> the "Blackbeard" bit IS stupid but i guess it does fit the whole stories are true and untrue theme

> i guess Vane has some points later on but in this season he's so insufferable alpha dude fitness bro bleghhhhh

> Eleanor's opening statement IS cringe as fuck but it fits her character. she's brave and arrogant and insane and she wants to be a pirate so badly AND a rich girlboss lady that everyone bows to. she talks about her pussy getting wet in front of all these grody men that she wants to respect her. in an era where any respect given to women is generally tied to their sexual purity. and this puts her squarely in the camp of immodest sluts who deserve to be treated like shit. bc she relies on her father's status and money to shore up her own but she Knows how instable it all is and really she built everything with this insane boldness and she knows it's so risky but also she doesn't want to see it ! bc as we see in a lot of these characters, confidence is at least 60% delusion. she's awful and i love her and they needed at least one female character like this it can't just be the men

> Silver and Max's real first scene together is so funny bc they just fucked but you can clearly tell they're so not into each other. but there is a sort of cold respect/recognition there that they're equals. fascinated by how many of the sex scenes in this show are actually not erotic at all and so many of the more erotically charged moments are just characters talking or staring at each other. and most of all, telling stories

> the Max/Eleanor scene makes me sad bc you can tell Max really really cares for her, wanting to be her harbor in the storm etc. the "you only see bad things. the world is full of surprises, let it surprise you" speech Max gives is actually a forerunner to me of Flint's freedom in the dark speech on a much smaller scale. it's about embracing the unknown and the new outside of social norms through queer intimacy/love over status. but Eleanor refuses it just like Silver will refuse the offer - for different reasons but still ! another world is out there ! and people keep refusing it !!!! ughhh

> the shame and gossip speech ... they really chose the perfect actor to deliver that line he's so slimy and smug and insufferable you can feel every ounce of gross social repression

> the "they mean to make us monsters" and "i am your king" speech just fucking gives me chills Toby Stephens is such an actor. like that's such a moment where you go wow this guy is INSANE insane but somehow he imbues it with so much urgency and passion you entirely buy it. it's incredible

> man the fucking vote/fight scene is still so fucking good. Flint is clearly screwed for much of it. he doesn't have the vote and he doesn't have the page - but first he turns the situation upside down by accusing Singleton of stealing the page. and he is clearly physically outmatched for most of the fight, Singleton whacks on him and pushes him around and throws him down etc. but he still wins the fight out of sheer determination rage and brutality. And Then he turns to Billy - who has been introduced as The Decent Guy - covered in blood, saying heyyy i just beat a guy to death w my bare hands for made up purposes, can you lie to your whole crew for me ? and Billy looks at him like he is fucking insane. and he still lies for him. because it's that fucking compelling

> there are four audiences to this scene : us the actual viewers, then the crew, who are the in-world audience to Flint's theater and end up buying it. then there's Billy on whose support the whole operation depends, knows the page is lost. and then there is Silver - only we know he is Actually the one with the page. so he understands what is happening - that Billy is lying for Flint - specifically after Silver heard Billy's "we are all equal here no special treatment" speech. and i think he bought it. it's not that Billy is a hypocrite. it's just that Flint is THAT good

> and Silver specifically has been introduced as a great liar. so him witnessing Flint doing that, it's a very... like this is the first seduction moment, the start of the obsession/awe/repressed lust thing. but their ability to lie and convince come from such different places ! which is fascinating

> like Flint is such a good orator he is so passionate he burns with vision and conviction he will force you to see it he will get people to go to war for him - but not bc they like him, but bc they're convinced of his authority and capacities and power to bend luck to his will. it's intense and dramatic. but they don't like him, and once he is gone they will remember that - it's not the lasting type of loyalty. meanwhile Silver is chill and friendly he doesn't try to impose his will on people he is whatever they want or need him to be instead he's a chameleon but the funny thing is - what the crew need him to be is simply a version of Flint - crazy charismatic, nearly supernatural ability to make shit happen, fucking unhinged - that cares about his crew. and his awe for Flint is what also draws him out to take a more active, involved role instead of always being so detached. and meanwhile I think Flint sees that Silver gets people to like and even love him and i think on some level he also wants that and so he commits more and he opens up and tries to be honest. and it goes horribly wrong. they make each other worse but i think they also make each other better specifically in a way that the world is poised to crush. like yeah they're toxic and terrible but it's not just that. its a lot more tragic

> man i fucking love this show

[margareth-lv]

🤕 No pain, no gain 🤕

There's an old saying that goes something like:

You know, the idea that everything ultimately has a cost and nothing in life is truly free.

In this context, the comment @auburncurlslass under my Saturday note gave me food for thought:

Another thought…..how did the B list actress score a seat next to the lead A list actor?? Does Bradley really know Caitriona? If so, how or what is the connection?🧐🧐🧐🧐

*** *** ***

Perhaps my reasoning is too simple, too simplistic. Perhaps the flow of my associations is also too simplistic, perhaps by simplifying I am making a mistake in my reasoning. I take this into account. Especially since I'm making my argument based on a few photos published on Instagram, not based on hard data. But what do we see from a few photos on Instagram?

(By the way, let's not forget that Sam flew to the USA at the time, so there's no doubt that Sam and Caitriona lead completely separate lives and have nothing in common. After all, nobody remembers that they both dropped off the radar in previous weeks. Sure, they weren't in the SM, but they couldn't have been together in real life at the time, as they lead completely separate lives, as they have repeatedly emphasised).

*** *** ***

Well, the course of events, reconstructed from several photos published on Instagram, is that on Wednesday 29 November 2023, Caitriona was standing (with a strange expression on her face) next to a half-dead and unwashed PA (a man who has always and for years had no career and no social media presence). She allowed her (and her PA's) photograph to be taken and published by GettyImages.

They appeared together at the special screening after party for 'Leave The World Behind'.

By the way, isn't the title significant?

This is proof #1.

*** *** ***

Two days later, on Friday 2 December 2023, a completely transformed Cait, with a beaming smile on her relaxed face, poses for a photo with the actress who plays one of the main roles in the film 'Maestro', Carey Mulligan.

We later learn that Cait was invited to an 'intimate lunch' organised by agency Finch+Partners to celebrate #MaestroFilm, directed and starring Bradley Cooper.

[Side note: ‚Maestro’ centers on the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. The film stars Carey Mulligan as Montealegre alongside Cooper as Bernstein. The film was scheduled for a limited theatrical release on November 22, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on December 20. It received positive reviews from critics. Source: Wikipedia]

During the lunch, Caitriona sits at the table next to Cooper, in front of Carey Mulligan (can you think of a better place to sit at the table?) and laughs at the jokes Charles Finch tells. How did she get there?

This is evidence #2.

Of course, there's no sign of the PA at lunch, it's a meeting in a small circle of trusted people. Caitríona doesn't flinch nervously, but laughs out loud.

*** *** ***

I search Google for a while. The agency Finch+Partners has Lionsgate as a client.

As well as Chanel and DeBeers, among many others.

The connection between Finch+Partners, Cait and Lionsgate is obvious.

Could it be that Wednesday's PA photo was the price she paid for the opportunity to have lunch with Bradley Cooper?

No pain, no gain. And there's no such thing as a free lunch.

The Finch+Partners connection to Cait, Chanel and DeBeers is more fun.

It leads straight to Eleanor May Tomlinson, 31, an English actress.

After all, both Cait and Eleanor are kissing the same guy. This is bound to lead to some amusing associations.

... like the same jumpsuit from Finch+Partners client, Chanel.

*** *** ***

And two years earlier, a shared presence at DeBeers Jewellers London Flagship Store opening event (24 November 2021):

Without a doubt, this is a small world.

💰💰💰

And you see: obedience pays.

If you know your place in the ranks, listen to your bosses and stick to the script of your life written by psychopaths, you can expect to reap the rewards.

Lunching with Bradley Cooper.

Wearing the beautiful clothes of Chanel.

[December 4, 2023]

[natalie-goodmn]

Next to Normal round 3 thoughts:

there’s a lot of things I noticed this time that I didn’t before but that’s just bc as a Natalie stan I must be looking at her the whole time

- I never noticed Gabe throwing Dan’s keys in Just Another Day before that’s SO funny

- I also finally saw Diana kiss Henry, she really WENT FOR IT

- is it just me or does the Wyndhams need to turn up their mics?? Maybe it’s just that I need it In My Ear Canal but I’ve noticed the singing is a bit quiet (I also didn’t notice this in Oklahoma)

- I love Gabe holding the microphones to Natalie and Dan during their I’m Alive dialogue. He might be a demon with the spirit of a dead two year old but he’s sooo silly :D

(this is getting long so more under the cut)

- something something Natalie playing her fake keyboard with the band’s piano behind her, something acting and pretending like she’s a normal person with a normal family

- I just realised that Gabe AND Natalie licks up Diana’s leg. Diversity win

- the parallels of Gabe and Diana reaching out to each other in Im Alive vs Natalie reaching down to her in Wish I Were Here (and maybe Catch Me I’m Falling) i feel sick,,,

- Gabe holding Diana in I Am the One like Henry’s holding Natalie, welcome back Freudian Gabe

- also the head kiss parallel with Gabe in Just Another Day and before he’s about to leave in I Dreamed a Dance

- the blood is so visceral but a part of me misses the bway staging too where they just walk off slowly and as dr madden talks abt Diana’s attempt. It’s basically the same thing but the reveal felt slower idk

- also man every time I miss the donmar staging of the one tiny bit where Dan’s going “Is this helping or? Di?” as Diana just walks off and back to the therapy chair. Idk it just felt like dissociation better to me, but I do like Ominous Circle Of Thinking

- I also love love love how they play the “I love you as much as I can” in this. They play it like a failed charm roll, and you really get everyone’s frustration and that she’s trying hard

- and then in Maybe when you see that Diana actually knows Natalie deeply bc she’s like her,,, hold on. Similarly, I love how the first person Natalie hugs in act two (I think?) is Diana instead of Henry. Me when the real story is between a mother and daughter (mamma Mia who)

- Diana rolling her eyes and mouthing ‘oh my fucking-‘ to Dan going “can you tell me what it is you’re afraid of” is maybe the best representation of anxiety and I’m not even kidding, MOOD Diana

- god I know it’s been in all the productions but I love how much agency Diana has, you rarely see it with mentally ill characters but she’s so funny and knows what she wants and I love her

- everyone’s said it, everyone knows it but JACK WOLFE god he’s amazing every time

- I’ve thought this both times, is it just me or when Gabe is silhouetted (I think with the music box) is his neck like inhumanly thin??? Like genuinely asking, I don’t think that’s Jack’s neck?? Is it?? Am I just misunderstanding human anatomy when someone wears a hoodie

- I’ve said it before but I Am the One reprise is one of the best scenes in musical theatre and it should end there. I’m a Light hater SORRY, I like the message a lot but it’s always felt like a studio note or something where they’ve been told that it has to be uplifting at the end or it’ll do badly and make everyone sad

- natalie,,, covering her ears and her big headphones. Autism. Also really love Eleanor’s portrayal of her anxiety. Instead of Jen’s anger, she has a hamster like anxiety quality to her (complimentary)

- also I swear I see no one talk about it WHEN GABE TOUCHED NATALIE’S HAND??? AND SHE NOTICES SOMETHING??? That’s new for this production right?? Theories???

- Natalie starting to tidy up Gabe’s toys,,, she’s breaking the cycle,, she’s the hope. And playing with them with Henry and showing him the bunny toy 😭

- I’ll say it. The “you’re like number one on my list of problems” doesn’t work that well if you don’t have Jen and Adam’s sarcasm. Too earnest. Banned.

- I’ve said a lot abt this Henry but I actually like this act 2! He plays him v desperate and anxious which I don’t think Adam does, it shows the stakes for act two. Also his arc UGH. From being a Dan parallel where he’s saying he’ll be perfect for her and that he wants who he knew and that he’ll stay anyway because he made a promise to,,, the dance and saying that he’ll stay bc he loves her and he doesn’t care if she goes crazy

- Also I think Natalie mouths ‘help me’ as she stops Henry from walking off in A Promise owwww

- also Henry apologising to the pianist after the recital (I think?) and picking up Natalie’s bag from the club 😭

[cinderellaenjoyer]

Hello again! You need not satisfy my curiosity if this ask is too uncomfortable, but how…bold, shall we say…are Gabby and swap Natalie on a scale of Jack (not really) to Aaron (incredibly charged)? Whether or not you answer, I hope you have a lovely day!

Hi! This ask is perfectly fine personally, I can get being curious. I hope you have a lovely dya too

So for Gabby, I'd it's kind of in between? Like she has Jack's Gabe's softness when she's near Diana, but can be as scary as Aaron's Gabe a lot of the time. I think she's slightly more malicious to Natalie considering Natalie would be even more so a replacement in this case. She's an angry teen girl.

Swap Natalie definitely leans more towards Jack's Gabe. She was the baby of the family, both in the sense that she died AS a baby and that she was the youngest. I think a softer portrayal like Jack's works best for her. Not that she can't be scary, though, she very much is in 'I'm Alive' reprise. I also think Eleanor Worthington Cox's Canon Natalie is still very much there, mostly before the reveal that she's dead.

And also as a side note - both would be Jack's more casual portrayal of Gabe for the most part (Gabby pretty much dresses the same as Wolfe's Gabe, Natalie looks like Eleanor's Natalie), but Swap Natalie has the blue dress on in 'I Dreamed A Dance' like Aaron's Gabe had a tuxedo on.

[lilysugarplum]

how i would rate the love curse endings!! silly & not spoiler-free - read at your own risk

10. dead end

for obvious reasons

9. eleanor's bad ending

:(

8. nyx's bad ending

also hurt to watch & felt unresolved to me!!! which is probably the point. hurt so so bad because of a certain someone's death :(

7. victoria's bad ending

actually this was really good but it was also incredibly painful to play through </3 ouch

6. iris's bad ending

i saw people hype this one a lot and maybe i'm desensitised but i wish it had been even more toxic tbh 🫣 it would have really sold it for me. or maybe i just need another replay

5. eleanor's happy ending

i liked that she (like iris's HE) started to lean on & trust selene more!! the cockroach-squishing scene was really good and sweet and funny and dissolved the tension really well

4. victoria's happy ending

i liked that she stood up for herself and took her own life back! her despair was overwhelming which made her hope and determination super gratifying. also rosalie is super hot and she should have been romanceable i'm sorryyyyyyy

3. nyx's happy ending

i liked it but eleanor basically doesn't exist in this route </3 but it otherwise ties up the most loose ends which i really really enjoyed. also enjoyed nyx's & selene's emotional journeys very very much

2. iris's happy ending

iris's emotional struggles felt really compelling to me, in part because they were shockingly relatable... it was like reading my own diary LMFAO. i really liked that she was able to overcome her own emotional struggles and get her happy ending (and watching her be pathetic and grovel was sooo.... *bites lip*. i know she's canonically a top but she just FEELS like a bottom to me. i need selene to top her actually. i need the selene in victoria's BE route and i need her to top iris intead)

my only criticism (or, not even criticism - just something that i can't forget!!!) is basically none of selene's past life stuff is resolved here AT ALL. nyx just quietly disappears in this (and victoria's routes) which hurts so much, because selene just effectively forgets about her again. she's just sealed away with no preamble. it makes sense and it works and it hurts me so bad. you don't get as good an understanding of bell and phoenix and selene's relationship and you never will in this route. knowing the things selene will never know absolutely haunts me, because of..... *drum roll*

1. true ending

GOD. literally the route that rewired my entire brain chemistry and made this game my new hyperfixation. absolutely zero notes - utter perfection. gives me so many brain worms. aurora yan ily

order i played it in:

1. iris's happy ending

2. victoria's happy ending

3. nyx's bad ending

4. nyx's happy ending

5. iris's bad ending

6. dead end

7. eleanor's happy ending

8. eleanor's bad ending

9. true ending

10. victoria's bad ending

[bikinibottomdayz]

DECEMBER 10, 2024 RELEASE

All my videos can be found here, full release under the read more! I am also offering the two Tammy Faye videos as a bundle for 30 USD! If interested, please contact me at bikinibottomtrading@gmail.com!

This release includes: Tammy Faye, Death Becomes Her, Our Town, & Juliet (Cassie Silva Anne)

& JULIET November 19, 2024 | Broadway | 4K MP4 (9.67GB) | bikinibottomday’s master Cast: Maya Boyd (Juliet), Cassie Silva (u/s Anne Hathaway), Drew Gehling (William Shakespeare), Nathan Levy (Francois), Michael Iván Carrier (May), Jeannette Bayardelle (t/r Nurse "Angelique"), Paulo Szot (Lance), Liam Pearce (Romeo), Najah Hetsberger (Lady Capulet/Nell), Reese Britts (Lord Capulet/Sly), Elsa Keefe (Benvolio/Eleanor), Darien Van Rensalier (Augustine), Charli D'Amelio (Charmion), Daniel J. Maldonado (s/w Fletcher), Gabe Amato (Gregory), Daniel Assetta (Henry), Jhailyn Paige Farcon (Imogen), Khailah Johnson (Judith), Makai Hernandez (Richard), Ava Noble (s/w Titania) Notes: Excellent 4K capture of Cassie and Nathan’s debuts in their respective roles! Some wandering / readjustment and unfocusing throughout. Act Two is filmed from a more central angle compared to Act One, and has very slightly more obstruction. Includes curtain call and the post-show BC/EFA speech, audio is fed from external source. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBSmgy | ASKING $20 USD NOT FOR SHARING EXCEPT THROUGH ME UNTIL JUNE 2, 2025

DEATH BECOMES HER November 27, 2024 (M) | Broadway | 4K MP4 (9.26GB) | bikinibottomday’s master Cast: Megan Hilty (Madeline Ashton), Jennifer Simard (Helen Sharp), Christopher Sieber (Ernest Menville), Ximone Rose (u/s Viola Van Horn), Marija Abney, Lauren Celentano, Sarita Colón, Kaleigh Cronin, Natalie Charle Ellis, Taurean Everett, Michael Graceffa, Neil Haskell, Kolton Krouse, Josh Lamon, Sarah Meahl, Johanna Moise (s/w), Sir Brock Warren, Bud Weber, Ryan Worsing, Warren Yang Notes: Excellent 4K capture of Ximone as Viola Van Horne! Some very minor head and bar obstruction that blocks off a tiny bit of action here and there. Some wandering / readjustment and unfocusing throughout. Includes curtain call, audio fed from external source. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBTb7u | ASKING $20 USD NOT FOR SHARING EXCEPT THROUGH ME UNTIL JUNE 2, 2025

OUR TOWN September 27, 2024 | Broadway (Previews) | 4K MP4 (8.01GB) | bikinibottomday’s master Cast: Jim Parsons (Stage Manager), Zoey Deutch (Emily Webb), Ephraim Sykes (George Gibbs), Katie Holmes (Mrs. Webb), Billy Eugene Jones (Dr. Gibbs), Richard Thomas (Mr. Webb), Michelle Wilson (Mrs. Gibbs), Julie Halston (Mrs. Soames), Donald Webber Jr. (Simon Stimpson) Ephie Aardema Sarnak (Woman Among the Dead/Townsperson), Heather Ayers (Woman in the Balcony/Townsperson), Willa Bost (Lady in the Box/Townsperson), Bobby Daye (Mr. Carter/Man Among the Dead/Townsperson), Safiya Kaiya Harris (Rebecca Gibbs), Doron JéPaul (Sam Craig), Shyla Lefner (Professor Willard), Anthony Michael Lopez (Joe Stoddard), Bryonha Marie (Belligerent Person in the Auditorium/Townsperson), John McGinty (Howie Newsome), Kevyn Morrow (Man Among the Dead/Townsperson), Hagan Oliveras (Wally Webb), Noah Pyzik (Townsperson), Sky Smith (Joe Crowell/Si Crowell), Bill Timoney (Constable Warren), Ricardo Vázquez (Townsperson), Greg Wood (Townsperson) Notes: Excellent 4K capture of this new revival. Increased moments of wandering / readjustment and unfocusing throughout. Some washout on wider shots. Includes curtain call, audio is fed from external source. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBKoqx | ASKING $18 USD NOT FOR SHARING EXCEPT THROUGH ME UNTIL JUNE 2, 2025

TAMMY FAYE November 27, 2024 (E) | Broadway | 4K MP4 (9.76GB) | bikinibottomday’s master Cast: Katie Brayben (Tammy Faye), Christian Borle (Jim Bakker), Michael Cerveris (Jerry Falwell), Max Gordon Moore (Marvin Gorman/TV Ad Voice/Monson/Proctologist), Raymond J. Lee (John Fletcher), Ian Lassiter (Reagan/Archbishop of Canterbury/Jimmy Swaggart), Andy Taylor (The Pope/Pat Robertson/Ted Turner), Mark Evans (Billy Graham/Larry Flint/Judge/Pontius Pilate), Alana Pollard (Jessica Hahn), Nick Bailey (Paul Crouch/Ally the Alligator/Colonel Sanders), Allison Guinn (Jan Crouch), Charl Brown (Steve Pieters) Notes: Excellent 4K capture of this show! There is one 20 second blackout near the beginning. Some wandering / readjustment and unfocusing throughout. Includes curtain call, audio fed from external source. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBTcmZ | ASKING $20 USD NOT FOR SHARING EXCEPT THROUGH ME UNTIL JUNE 2, 2025

TAMMY FAYE December 8, 2024 | Broadway | 4K MP4 (9.89GB) | bikinibottomday’s master Cast: Autumn Hurlbert (alt Tammy Faye), Christian Borle (Jim Bakker), Michael Cerveris (Jerry Falwell), Max Gordon Moore (Marvin Gorman/TV Ad Voice/Monson/Proctologist), Raymond J. Lee (John Fletcher), Ian Lassiter (Reagan/Archbishop of Canterbury/Jimmy Swaggart), Andy Taylor (The Pope/Pat Robertson/Ted Turner), Mark Evans (Billy Graham/Larry Flint/Judge/Pontius Pilate), Alana Pollard (Jessica Hahn), Nick Bailey (Paul Crouch/Ally the Alligator/Colonel Sanders), Allison Guinn (Jan Crouch), Charl Brown (Steve Pieters) Notes: Excellent 4K capture of Autumn’s final performance, as well as the penultimate performance of this show. Some wandering and unfocusing throughout. Act Two has a minor head obstruction that is worked around well and blocks off very little. Includes curtain call, audio fed from external source. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBUmV1 | ASKING $20 USD NOT FOR SHARING EXCEPT THROUGH ME UNTIL JUNE 2, 2025

[spontaneousglitterbees]

Video description under the cut!

Hey there! If this is your first encounter with Synthesizer V (SynthV), welcome to the world of vocal synthesis. These guys ('voicebanks') are ethically-sourced with full knowledge and consent by their voice providers. I'll spare you the full details, but they are much more akin to cousins of Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid than AI music. Voicebanks take human effort to input and tune, just like an instrument. The purpose of these voices is not to replace humans, but instead to enable creativity by letting artists for whom it would be impractical to hire a vocalist still create vocal music. I made this cover not to substitute or replace the original, but for the same reasons you might want to play the song on any other instrument- it's fun!

Also some of them have fun anime representations. Kevin, our Very Normal Man Paul Matthews, does not (officially, at least). He is represented by a letter 'K', in contrast to almost everyone else in this cover.

Speaking of, if you are on the other side of this equation and are here for my vocalsynth stuff but haven't seen this musical before: Welcome to the weird world of Hatchetfield, a small island town in Michigan where things go spectacularly wrong with alarming frequency. This song is my favorite from the first musical in a trilogy, "The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals". It's about Paul Matthews, the titular Guy, as he finds himself at the mercy of an instrument of the end of the world. The proshot is free on YouTube, and well worth the watch, even if only for the context here.

… Also, many (including me) headcanon Paul is autistic and the musical can be read as about his experience as an autistic adult. If that sweetens the pot for anyone.

Credits, and that sweet SVP link:

Footage from The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals- https://youtu.be/IrxKX44qBJ0 Music and Lyrics by Jeff Blim SVP by Glitterbees- tinyurl.com/4ns3v3e8

If you enjoyed, please support the original release!

Starring, in order of appearance: Mr. Davidson - JUN Nora (Emma's Boss) - Eleanor Forte Prof. Hidgens - ASTERIAN Greenpeace Girl - SOLARIA Bill (Chorus) - Mo Chen Hatchetfield Bee (Chorus) - Stardust Infinity Paul Matthews - Kevin

I can't believe this is the first time I've used Stardust on the channel,, I did just get her, though. Plus, I didn't know who to make Ted. It's more balanced this way.

(Psst, if you're a vsynth newbie and interested in song-based storytelling, might I interest you in the Evillious Chronicles? I have a big playlist on my channel, and can give some recs on where else to start if you leave a comment)

What's in your soul? Is your heart so damp and bleak that you won’t give us a peek of your soul?

Just let it out! There's a voice inside of you on the edge of coming through. What's it about?

And I know it's a singular voice, Paul. You've just got to give up your choice!

Just let it out, let it out, let it out! Let it out, let it out, let it out! Just let it out, let it out, let it out! Let it out, let it out—

Never!

What was that?

You let it out….

Was that a note, or just a sound? Am I finally coming 'round to rhyming scheme? Oh god! Just stop it! I’m split in two! Is this me, or is this you? Am I dead? I’m coming apart at the seams! La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. No! No-no-no-no-no-no-no!

Just let it out, let it out, let it out! Let it out, let it out, let it out! Just let it out, let it out, let it out! Let it out, let it out, let it—

I’ve never been happy. Wouldn’t that be nice? Is this the secret? Singing and dancing through life? Is my integrity worth anything at all? … But happiness can’t come before its fall.

Am I crazy? Maybe I’ve always been. Become what I’ve hated? Or maybe I never did…. It’s awful freeing now, to share the hate I've felt. But what will I let in if I let it out?

Let it out, let it out.

Am I crazy? I don't think so.

Let it out, let it out, let it out!

Maybe I've always been…

Just let it out, let it out, let it out!

God help me out!

Let it out, let it out—

If I let it out!

We will not be resisted!

I don't like musicals!

[spiralinghours]

“Into the White” (Part 1/?)

Fandom: Saw franchise

Rating: PG-13 (for this part?)

Characters/Pairings: Mark Hoffman, Eleanor Bonneville (very mild Mark x Eleanor eventually, but I promise it will make sense), Brad, Ryan, mentions of Lawrence Gordon, John Kramer, Jill Tuck, and (a very dead) Adam Faulkner-Stanheight (or Radford or whatever his last name actually is)

Tags/Warnings: Obvious mentions of torture and/or murder, there’s a brief choking moment, Eleanor being a true crime girly, language, this eventually turns into a feedist thing fyi

Summary: Eleanor has been using her classmates, Brad and Ryan, to dig deeper into her Jigsaw fangirl explorations. What she discovers is unexpected.

Author’s Notes: Wrote this in a morning, “edited” over afternoon martinis. Any unchecked errors will be fixed later. Thanks to my bud on here for fostering this idea. It’s borderline crack.

New Jersey, 2008

Gnashing at his bubblegum with unease, Ryan held open the door for Brad as he trailed out of the cellar behind him. Where, in prior months, they may have descended into the subterranean matrix through the main hallways of the house, they now had to practice better discretion due to the threat of discovery by either the authorities or Dr. Gordon.

Dr. Gordon would have been worse for a few choice reasons, but that was a whole headache on its own.

“How long until he starts getting suspicious about, well, you know, Hoffman?” Brad kicked a sizeable pebble out of his path as he inquired. “He’s gonna know eventually. You know, ‘cause he’s not dead. And probably won’t be for a while.”

“He won’t know if he never checks on him himself. That’s our job.” Ryan clamped a reassuring palm to Brad’s back, loving and

annoyed, though he didn’t know how much he bought his own words.

“Someone’s gonna find all those pizza boxes.”

“Then we clean them up and chuck ‘em out during the next drop off.”

“Fucking 10th Street Pizza.”

They walked a little while in silence, minds clouded with a lot of to-do’s and what if’s overshadowing the fact that they were likely late for some class or other.

As if a psychic link had sparked between their clouded minds, they turned to each other.

“Eleanor is gonna come snooping around here eventually,” Brad sighed.

“She’s got, like, dozens of other Kramer properties to dig around before she gets here. Hell, she’s been gutting Jill Tuck’s farm out by the river all week.”

“She’s so fucking weird.”

“I know. But maybe we just don’t tell her about this house in particular.” Ryan worked the black raincoat off as he spoke, trying to slip out of his “uniform” like an unwanted, limp skin. Wearing apprentice garb outside of “office hours” made him feel sick. It was the same way he never wanted to look at beige coveralls ever again.

“This house is probably public record as being both Kramer’s place and also Hoffman’s address. She’s gonna find it… And… I may have already told her.” Brad gritted his teeth, waiting for a thwack to the back of his head. He hated when Ryan did that.

Instead, Ryan just grunted and pressed his fingers tightly to his eyelids. “Then we better hope she doesn’t find him.”

——

Girls had to have their hobbies, especially ones with diligent course schedules and impressive extracurriculars. Beta Club and Scholar’s Forum paid off in high school—undergrad was just a repeat. It all looked good on paper. It would look even better on job or internship applications.

To Eleanor it was a personal point of pride; her repertoire looked shiny and vibrant and diverse in her mental curio cabinet. There was something to be said about putting in hours at medical school during the day and embracing, well, “urban exploring” at night and on the weekends.

Brad and Ryan were real ones for slipping her information on Jigsaw “memorabilia” spots throughout the city—even if it had started by Brad blurting something unintentionally one day and Ryan less-than-willingly going along with it.

But they were heroes—stars even—in Eleanor’s eyes. She had developed a deep interest in the Jigsaw killings in high school (“Games,” people would reiterate, “Games because Jigsaw is only putting people in situations. Whether they die is up to fate and wits.”), and by the time she had made it into the state university, Brad and Ryan had already been oversaturated in the media for the public trap they had endured.

They also happened to be in their senior year at the same school. There was no chance of escaping Eleanor’s prying.

Which was how she currently ended up at the back alley house on in the industrial district.

The expectations for the day were low, sure, but just the hunt was thrilling on its own. Breathing in the same chemical-and-dust-speckled air where so many had roamed and died? It was twisted, but the feeling burrowed a warm elation deep in the pit of Eleanor’s stomach.

Bypassing the main entrance and, instead, stumbling upon the lesser-known door Brad and Ryan had been using—amongst a build-up of trash and webs—Eleanor managed to slip past dark entryways that lead into a vaguely larger space. Greenish light permeated from somewhere, but it was black besides that.

She shone a flashlight from her right to her left, luckily spotting a light switch that sparked on rows of washed out and faint fluorescents.

Like a startled insect, a mass of black jerked in a corner, but didn’t speak (save for a deep grunt of sorts). Was that… a… somebody?

“The fuck are you?” a rasping voice finally decided to pipe up, echoing dully through what looked to be a spacious, defunct bathroom. Eleanor wandered closer, taking a stance beside it. Him.

It was starting to become clearer. Even through the slightly graying whiskers creeping from his beard and temples, and the longer, dark hair curling down by his ears, Eleanor could place that sweat and grime-worn face. It had stoically stared out past the TV screen during local press conferences and field report interviews. And then national joint press appearances with the FBI. It was ingrained in the splotchy pages of the city’s periodicals: images of a man, victoriously yet humbly carrying a young Corbett Denlon from the trenches of the dank and dangerous Gideon Meat Packing Plant, matted green plush toy trailing behind in her petite grasp. That same heroic mug would be printed in the pages some months later for diametrically opposing reasons: “20 Found Dead in Metropolitan Precinct Massacre… Possibly More”… “Multiple Left Dead in the Wake of New Jigsaw Game”… “Former Lieutenant Detective Connected to Jigsaw Murders”…

The city’s decorated, tragic hero was the killer all along—behind it all. And while it was the largest scandal—that being an understatement—of the whole city, he was gone, never to be found. Left for dead. Any and all known locations linked to John Kramer, Mark Hoffman, or even the Metro PD had been raided twice over. Nothing.

“You’re… Detective Hoffman?” It left Eleanor’s lips as more of a shaky statement than a question. Inhibitions tossed aside, she cupped his beard-prickly chin and tilted his head to inspect the glossy, mangled scar. Remnants of infection and improper stitching glared through in a raised pink line, jagged and inflamed.

“Not really a detective anymore, wouldn’t you gather?” Mark wasn’t keen on too much chitchat, but was more distracted and curious by how some random college-aged woman would be able to identify him so quickly. Especially with how out of sorts he must have looked, sealed away in the darkness and must of some unknown death trap hideout. (Or, what once was.)

“How are you still alive? How long have you been here?” She pushed on, absently letting her bold hand wander down his thick neck, and to his shoulder.

“I should be asking you some questions,” he shot back, “like how you found this place.”

Eleanor exhaled harshly. “I feel like I shouldn’t say, but I honestly don’t know what lying to you would do. I mean, look at you. You’re already stuck here.”

“Thankssssss.”

“I could tell you that any properties that John Kramer once owned have all been made public, though left abandoned. That is true. But—”

“But?”

“Maybe I got a couple of friends from school that gave me a head’s up.” Eleanor’s grasp snaked down the length of chain keeping Mark in place, looking for any wear and rust.

“Let me guess, curly brown hair and a tall blonde? Fucking dickheads.”

“Well without those dickheads I wouldn’t have found you. I was just looking for… This actually!” Zapped to another plain of existence, thoughts of anything else completely left behind, Eleanor fervently crawled closer to the pipe Mark was chained to, anxiously grasping for something metallic.

Her eyes drifted up, with some remorse, to a skeleton clothed in a white shirt, its smears of blood turning brown and black from the passage of time. By its rotted hand was the item that had caught her attention: a thin and rusted hacksaw, dented up and broken in the middle.

“I never thought I’d be holding this… Let alone find it. Like, can you even? No one else has found this?”

Mark had to roll his eyes. The girl was late to the party, regurgitating all the exposition he had already gone through. But again, how would she have known anything?

“Say ‘Hi’ to Adam,” Mark grunted, “and his completely useless saw.”

“Where’s the other one?” Eleanor urged.

“What? How did you know—? Ugh. Gordon threw it down the hallway, just outside the door.” The replay of that very moment, almost a year prior, was starting to boil Mark’s blood. He was faced with it, cursed with it, rewinding behind his eyes almost everyday.

“I gotta remember to grab it before we go.” Eleanor tucked the broken hacksaw into her satchel, eyes hungry towards the heavy sliding door.

“We?” Mark was drowning in the sudden onslaught of ridiculousness this college girl had trailed in with. It was a lot. “Wait now. Why are you here again?”

“Jigsaw. I’m… well, uh, I’m a fan.”

He could make out her cartoonish flush in the darkness and sickly strays of light.

“A fan?” That was rich. The files in Mark’s memories conjured up snippets of John criticizing every little adjustment he made on traps, explaining why smokers and rapists were on level playing fields when it came to “not cherishing life”… It was all very questionable.

“Yeah. Well. Not just of John Kramer, but like, the whole thing. All of it. All of you.” Her mouth twisted with a tinge of embarrassment at the admission.

“The fuck?”

“You know how some deranged losers are really wet for true crime? Like girls who have boners for Ted Bundy or whatever? It’s like that… but, you know… it’s you… Uh, ah, not the boner part. I mean, not to say—”

“You’re not a deranged loser?” Mark interrupted, feeling a chuckle come on for the first time in a good while.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t.” Her uncertain grin matched his own tired one. “Anyways, let’s get you out of here.”

“Get me out? With what?” Mark’s features resorted back to their natural cynical pout.

“Don’t worry, I have everything. I wasn’t sure what I was going to have to take apart to steal whatever was left.” She giddily waggled her fingers as she sorted through her bag for tools.

Mark could bargain that someone, somewhere, for some undeserved reason, had sent him an angel. He just wasn’t expecting said angel to be so unhinged.

[burningvelvet]

Excerpt from Byron’s letters reveal the real queer love and loss that inspired his poetry by Sam Hirst, University of Nottingham

"There is a note of patronage in Byron’s emphasis on offering Edleston a partnership. This is a thread that ran through many of his relationships. A joking letter to his former tutor Henry Drury during his sexually adventurous travels in Greece promised a treatise on 'Sodomy simplified or Pederasty proven to be praiseworthy from ancient authors and modern practice.'

This ancient Greek model, of a sexual relationship with a younger, lower status man or teenage boy, which included aspects of patronage, was one of the primary models Byron had access to to describe and understand his own desires and relationships. Byron also draws comparisons with contemporary and historical figures as models, giving an insight into relationships used as a queer shorthand in the period:

"I rejoice to hear you are interested in my protégé: he has been my almost constant associate since October, 1805, when I entered Trinity College. His voice first attracted my attention, his countenance fixed it, and his manners attached me to him for ever. He departs for a mercantile house in town in October, and we shall probably not meet till the expiration of my minority, when I shall leave to his decision either entering as a partner through my interest, or residing with me altogether. Of course he would in his present frame of mind prefer the latter, but he may alter his opinion previous to that period; —however, he shall have his choice. I certainly love him more than any human being, and neither time or distance have had the least effect on my (in general) changeable disposition. In short, we shall put Lady E. Butler and Miss Ponsonby to the blush, Pyladrs and Orestes out of countenance, and want nothing but a catastrophe like Nisus and Euryalus, to give Jonathan and David the ‘go by.’ He certainly is perhaps more attached to me than even I am in return. During the whole of my residence at Cambridge we met every day, summer and winter, without passing one tiresome moment, and separated each time with increasing reluctance. I hope you will one day see us together; he is the only being I esteem, though I like many."*

With the exception of the ladies of Llangollen Eleanor Butler and Susan Ponsonby, who ran away from Ireland in 1780 and lived together till their deaths, his examples are all steeped in tragedy and death.** Nisus and Euryalus are two inseparable soldiers in Virgil’s Aeneid who died together. They are the subject of two poems in Byron’s first collection, Hours of Idleness (1807). His repeated return to their story, suggests an internal (though perhaps subconscious) map of queer masculinity which offers little hope of shared futures and emphasises tragic loss and queer love that kills."

*[I have extended the above quotation, which is from a Trinity College Cambridge, July 5th 1807 letter to his childhood friend Miss Elizabeth Pigot, discussing his lover John Edleston, who Byron met in 1805 when Byron was 17 and Edleston was 15. Edleston left the school in 1807 because he lost his singing scholarship due to changes in his voice. Byron graduated in 1808 and in 1809 went traveling abroad for two years, and when he came back in 1811 Edleston was dead of consumption. Edleston is referenced in much of Byron's poetry, sometimes referred to as Thyrza]

**Byron is listed as a visitor of the ladies of Llangollen Eleanor Butler and Susan Ponsonby on their Wikipedia page.

[sciderman]

what happened to Cable’s wife and daughter?

well, it shouldn't be any surprise that 616 nathan is a perpetual bachelor actually and does not in fact have a wife (unless we are counting one wade w wilson, nathan's long-term long-distance low-commitment casual girlfriend)

he's had girlfriends over the years but i don't think nathan's the marrying type, save for, of course, the time wade and nate were biologically linked. sounds pretty close to married.

nathan never been married but definitely divorced summers.

he actually was married in some alternative future to (reads notes) ...aliya... who survived for a grand total of one issue.

i actually have this issue. but i didn't even remember it.

f in the chat for nathan's wife, aliya dayspring (1993–1993)

and they had a son. who is also dead. f in the chat for tyler.

(i can't believe nathan's son is named tyler. such a fucking white boy name. wade would bully him relentlessly if he found out nate had a son called tyler. fucking tyler. it's a shame he's dead. eleanor would bully him relentlessly too. fucking tyler. i think i should write tyler into 9319 and he has to babysit eleanor at some point and eleanor is an unrelenting terror and definitely makes him cry.)

as for his daughter, she's around. she's adopted. i love her.

hope summers, my beloved. she does exist in 9319. in fact, i have a whole post about fatherhood scripted between nate and wade that will come around eventually. eventually.

not me clutching messy fathers with daddy issues wade wilson and nathan summers so very close to my chest and waiting for them to bond over it. canon never gave me this. i need wade wilson to ask nathan for dadhood advice. i need it like i need oxygen.

("you were always like a father to me." wade wilson says to nathan summers, under the moonlight. nathan summers says "that is so fucking weird for you to say." a beat of silence across the cosmos.)

[cartoonus-maximus]

My Observations on the "Tales From the Pizzaplex" Stories

Conveniently located in one post, and now a little more streamlined than before. There's going to be a lot of spoilers for these stories on this post, so if that's a problem for you, don't even look at this post.

For this list, I'm going to introduce each story by its title, give a basic rundown of what the story is about and which volume it's in. Multi-part stories (like "Bobbiedots" and the Epilogue Story) will be grouped together under a single title.

A story with an asterisk (*) next to it just means it was one of my own personal favorites of the set. Sometimes that means I think it was well written, and sometimes that just means I liked the human or animatronic characters. Either way, I had fun with it. :)

Under the heading "Lore Bits," I'll talk about what lore can be gleaned from the story (that I noticed). In this case, 'lore' can mean anything that relates to the games, anything that relates to other stories or characters from the greater franchise, or anything that builds on the franchise world as a whole; these are things we're outright told by the story, and have no real room for debate.

Notes labeled as "Speculation" are lore that I think can be gleaned from the story, but I'm less sure about. These are just my personal theories, and may or may not hold water.

For more reading, here's my in-depth digs through the series and my streamlined "Fazbear Frights" observations.

Any way, we have 20 standalone stories, 2 2-part stories, 1 bonus story, and 1 overarching story from the epilogues. That's 24 stories to pick apart, so let's get to it!

"Frailty" (Volume 1: Lally's Game) *

Story Premise: A teenager (Jessica) struggles to come to grips with the fact that she's dead, questions the use of going to prom when she's not alive enough to really enjoy it, and repeatedly chooses to use her remaining life force to help heal cancer patients in a children's hospital.

Lore Bits:

Jessica is only alive by virtue of wearing a necklace made of remnant, which in fact seems to be a duplicate of the necklace worn by Eleanor and studied by Dr. Talbert in the "Fazbear Frights" books. By wearing this necklace, Jessica is able to continue existing, and it also causes her to look like a normal teenager (very similar to what Eleanor's necklace does in "Fazbear Frights: To Be Beautiful"). If Jessica's necklace is removed, she's revealed to be a pile of scrap metal, and she ceases to exist. We are not told where or how she acquired this necklace.

Throughout the story, Jessica files pieces off her necklace, sprinkling the shavings over cancer patients. This has an incredible healing effect on them, and each patient she does this to miraculously recovers and goes on to live a healthy life. Once again, we're being directly told about the incredibly healing powers of remnant, a topic that had been brought up a few times in the franchise by this point.

Jessica was killed by the Mimic. She distinctly remembers a "metal monster" chasing her down and tearing her arms off, and has nightmares about the memory. We're not told how she came in contact with the Mimic.

Speculation:

Jessica's death being distinctly caused by the Mimic, while also being compared/paralleled against the death of Sarah as caused by Eleanor, suggests a connection between Eleanor and the Mimic.

"Lally's Game" (Volume 1: Lally's Game) *

Story Premise: A newlywed woman (Selena) learns that her husband is haunted by Lally, a doll-sized animatronic that "followed him home" from the Pizzaplex when he was a child. The longer Selena lives in their shared house, the more aware and fearful of Lally she becomes.

Lore Bits:

This story takes place after the Pizzaplex has been open for a number of decades, as a grown man talks about going there as a child.

Lally is programmed to play hide-and-seek with anyone in the same area as him. He's also only programmed to play with one person at a time, and will literally kill anyone else who enters the area while a game is already underway. It's unclear if killing excess players is part of his programming or not.

Speculation:

Lally's description sounds like a Biddy-Bab. Don't know if there's a connection there.

Lally is described as something that haunts Cade, something that's haunted him since childhood, and also as a little brother to Cade, and is kept locked up inside a large, rectangular trunk with two locks on it. The trunk sounds like the infamous box from FNAF4, a game that deals with an older brother being haunted by the memories of his younger brother. There's enough overlapping themes used in each story to make me think there's a connection, but I'm not sure what that connection is exactly.

"Under Construction" (Volume 1: Lally's Game)

Story Premise: A teenager (Maya) plays a VR game at the Pizzaplex, and afterward is trapped in a hellish nightmare wherein all her loved ones keep dying from an illness. Things get even weirder when she starts noticing all these new people popping up - people that look like goopy, vacant, half-built NPCs...

Lore Bits:

VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) are treated the same and used interchangeably throughout this story, which may suggest that both are used for similar functions in the Fazbear universe. (Or it may also suggest that the author/s didn't care much about the differences between the two types of programs.)

This is the first story in this series to suggest (although not outright state) that a person could die from being exposed to something dangerous in VR/AR.

Speculation:

I have nothing to add.

"Help Wanted" (Volume 2: HAPPS) *

Story Premise: A game developer (Steve) is approached by Fazbear's, who want to hire him to make the first three FNAF games. Desperately needing to support his wife and kids, he takes the job. But, the longer he works on the games, the more nightmarish hallucinations he starts to suffer in his day-to-day life... and the behavior of his wife and kids gets weirder and weirder every day.

Lore Bits:

The first 6 FNAF games exist in universe, and we're being shown the living conditions of the man who made the first 3. Steve is also hired to make FNAF4, but he doesn't make it that far.

Steve is an extremely obvious stand-in for Scott himself.

We're told that the games story (the disappearance of several children who were killed at Freddy's by someone who worked there) is based on reality, as Steve has heard the stories and rumors before. While he doesn't say for certain that anyone actually was killed at Freddy's, there's enough evidence for it to make him uncomfortable with making silly, meme-ish games surrounding the event, and he tries to focus on it as little as possible.

We're also given the suggestion that, based on what the hiring Fazbear executive says, that Fazbear the company is aware of these rumors, knows exactly how truthful they are, and are trying to capitalize off of them.

Fazbear's essentially kidnaps Steve and forces him into the position where he has no choice but to work for them. They give him a family, with the intention of making him happy and comfortable, but also so they have agents (the wife and kids) to keep Steve in check. They set Steve up in a house that seems like a perfect home to raise a family, but is full of tricks and traps designed specifically to scare him. Fazbear's kidnaps, gaslights, and tortures a man in exchange for three (3) low-quality video games.

Hallucination disks exist in this series.

Speculation:

Steve could be the in-universe voice of Phone Guy in the first three games (and since he doesn't create FNAF4, that could explain why Phone Guy isn't a prominent presence in that game). This is not to say that Steve = Phone Guy as a character, but that it's Steve's voice that the player hears during the phone calls.

Steve likely also represents Scott's role as a character within the greater FNAF franchise as the "rogue indie developer" we're told about in the original "Help Wanted" VR game. This suggests that Fazbear Entertainment hired a man to make meme-ish games about the past crimes of their company, then publicly accused him of making the whole thing up, causing the general public to become unaware of how much truth there is to the rumors of dead/missing children. (And, since Fazbear's has Steve killed when he catches on, it's not like he can defend himself.)

"HAPPS" (Volume 2: HAPPS) *

Story Premise: Two teenagers (Aiden and Jace) crawl around in Freddy's Fortress. When Happs tries to alert the boys that they've entered an unsafe section of pipe that needs to be repaired, they break the pipe, and the two teens and the cleaner 'bot all end up trapped together in a closed-off section of maze. Happs is severely damaged, and ends up accidentally harming the boys whenever it tries to help them.

Lore Bits:

"Freddy's Fortress" is a large set of maze-like climbing tubes that spans a large section of the Pizzaplex in these books. The tubes are big enough and strong enough for both children and mostly-grown teenagers to fit in, and it's a challenge for those who enter to discover all of the special hidden passageways.

"H.A.P.P.S.," or "Happs" as the boys call him, is a cleaning robot. His full title is "Helpful Automated Pipe Protection Server," and his role is keeping the climbing tubes clean and disinfected, assessing the tubes' structural integrity and closing off unsafe pipes / alerting human staff when a pipe needs to be replaced, and assisting lost children in finding the closest exit of the maze.

This is the first story of this book series to really describe what the Pizzaplex looks like, and how it's set up. It's designed to resemble a pizza, with activities set up in a circular pattern spanning out from the center.

Speculation:

There's a point in this story where one of the main characters is dead and his body is left in a ball pit, while the other character tries to escape from the robot that killed his friend and is now pursuing him. The words and imagery used for this scene reminded me a lot of how the ball pit is used throughout the "Fazbear Frights" series. I'm not saying it's the same ball pit or anything, but I'm saying that there seemed to be an intentional parallel being drawn.

"B-7" + "B7-2" (Volume 2: HAPPS, and Volume 8: B7-2) *

Story Premise: A boy named Billy decides that he's more comfortable as a robot than as a human, and decides to live the rest of his life as if he were a robot. He regrets this decision as an adult when he realizes that he doesn't know how to live as a normal human. After surviving a suicide attempt and realizing that he A) can't die, and B) will heal from pretty much anything, Billy tries to learn how to live as an adult human... all while being haunted by the choices of his past.

Lore Bits:

This story seems to tell us a lot about Michael Afton as a character, as it very heavily parallels the Michael-centric scenes from the game "Sister Location." There's a strong focus on our main character surviving something that should have killed him, having a robotic endoskeleton inside him (and then outside him!), and being haunted by his own mistakes he made as a child. We're also told multiple times that he "looks very much like his father," and the story ends with him deciding to go searching for his father, who has been missing for awhile.

Billy's endoskeleton keeps trying to climb back inside him in a way that is reminiscent of Ennard trying to climb inside Michael in "Sister Location."

The second story heavily parallels the main game and the menu of FNAF4, featuring a post-endoskeleton Billy living in a relative's house in the country (like the house on the game's menu) and experiencing night terrors. The inside of the house is described very similarly to the way the house looks in FNAF4. Billy is even followed and haunted by a robotic monster (the culmination of his sins, you could say), which reminded me of the game's tagline "What have you brought home with you?"

Speculation:

Billy gets help processing his grief and trauma from an older man (literally described as "an old man") who takes him on long fishing trips. The old man encourages Billy and guides him through his healing process, literally helps Billy bury his problems, and sends Billy off on his final quest (to search for his father) with words of strength and encouragement. Big "Old Man Consequences" vibes from this one.

Billy decides he wants to be a writer, and he starts his writing journey by keeping a journal. He thinks he'll probably end up writing about his own life experiences. This, to me, suggests that the "Fazbear Frights" books (and maybe this series as well) are written by Michael as a way of processing his trauma, which I think it's a fun/interesting idea.

"Somniphobia" (Volume 3: Somniphobia) *

Story Premise: A teenager (Sam) borrows a Moondrop Dream Sphere from a friend, and becomes obsessed with using it to delve into his own subconsciousness, trying to conquer his fears, reliving his favorite memories of his deceased father, and just generally avoiding the stressors of reality. Ultimately, Sam chooses to live only in the idealized dream world offered to him by the Dream Sphere, and follows the Daycare Attendant deeper into the dream.

Lore Bits:

The Moondrop Dream Sphere is a toy that can be won from specific games at the Pizzaplex arcade. It's basically a nightlight that looks like a snow globe with a figure of the Moon Daycare Attendant inside it. The Dream Sphere has a hypnotic effect on it's users, and can help them have only good dreams at night, can help them focus when studying for tests, or it can cause them to fall into a coma -- the Pizzaplex doesn't advertise that last one, though.

The Daycare Attendant is never called that in this story. Instead, he's called "Moondrop the Jester."

Sam's use of the Dream Sphere is very heavily compared to drug use throughout the story.

Speculation:

This story potentially shows us an earlier concept of the Daycare Attendant, or at least his Moon side. He seems very invested in making Sam happy, but also in keeping Sam trapped in the fiction world with him. The story even suggests that Sam isn't the first person that Moondrop has lured into his dream world, as we're literally told that sometimes Dream Sphere users fall into a coma and don't wake up. Overall, this version of the DA sounds very "Pied Piper"-esque, in a "magically leading children away" manner, and I think that's interesting.

The constant comparison between Sam's use of the Dream Sphere and a drug addiction brings to mind those posters we see in "Security Breach" of the DA with "Moondrop Candies." Makes me wonder what exactly those "candies" are. (Hallucinogenic drugs, perhaps? Or simply a mild sedative that happens to be addictive? Or plain, normal candy with the DA on the wrapper?) (I don't think the purpose of those candies has been addressed yet, but please correct me if I'm wrong!)

"Pressure" (Volume 3: Somniphobia) *

Story Premise: A group of teens enter a LARP section of the Pizzaplex to re-enect FNAF3, but the Springtrap costume is a bit more realistic than its wearer (Luca) expected it to be. (Spoilers: he gets springlocked, and that's not even the worst thing that happens in this story.)

Lore Bits:

Lots of explanation for how the springlock suits work in this one, as well as how it feels to get crunched in one.

We're again being shown that Fazbear's tends to make light of their grisly past, as they literally encourage customers to role-play child murder as a game.

Anyone in-universe who believes that the murders at Freddy's really happened is labeled as a "crazy conspiracy theorist" and their evidence dismissed.

FNAF3 is a VR game in-universe. It follows the same gameplay as our version of it (but possibly without the minigames, since they're never referenced).

During the story, Luca notices a man creeping around the Pizzaplex, stalking a group of children, seeming with the intent to harm them. When the man tries to attack one of the children, Luca (in the Springtrap suit) grabs the man and kills him. They die together, hidden away in a back closet of the Pizzaplex.

Luca's childhood friend was kidnapped and killed years ago. By killing this man, Luca feels like he's avenging his friend's memory.

Speculation:

There's a scene in this one (where Luca is collecting the Springtrap costume from the costume closet) that parallels the classic "Go Go Go, Foxy" minigame from FNAF2; we see a group of kids playing, with one in the middle wearing a Foxy costume, and the creepy man smiling while watching them from around the corner. Not sure what it means, but it's sure there.

"Cleithrophobia" (Volume 3: Somniphobia) *

Story Premise: A Pizzaplex technician (Grady) tests out Ballora's "Fitness and Flex" attraction. He gets stuck in it, and Ballora keeps accidentally injuring him while she tries to help him. His coworkers leave him to his fate.

Lore Bits:

This story starts out with Grady and his coworkers talking about the central computer system (very likely the Storyteller) was recently installed, and it's caused several system-wide glitches across the building. The technician team has to go through every single computer console, arcade game, and individual animatronic one at a time, testing for and repairing any glitches or malfunction.

At this particular Pizzaplex, there's a Ballora-centric attraction. But, since she accidentally kills a technician, her attraction is sealed off, as is Ballora.

This version of Ballora has open eyes, is dressed like a flamenco dancer (instead of her original ballet theme), and often sings short rhyming verses instead of usual speech. She's also just her torso on a long robotic arm, and has no legs.

Speculation:

I think Ballora is being used in this story to represent the Mimic. She doesn't have legs (a trait that the Mimic has when it's first built), she starts harming Grady by nearly pulling his arms out of their sockets (Mimic trait shown throughout the series), and she ends up being sealed away in the Pizzaplex basement (like the Mimic is).

(This also makes it the second time we've gotten a Ballora-centric story that's actually trying to tell us something about the Mimic. The first time was "Fazbear Frights: Dance With Me," wherein Ballora's actions are heavily paralleled against those of Glitchtrap in the "Help Wanted" game.)

There's a lot of focus put on Grady's childhood trauma of being locked in a closet by an abusive babysitter. Some of it is reminiscent of the scene from FNAF4 of the crying child being locked in the Parts and Service room by his older brother. I don't know if it's meaningful.

One of Grady's coworkers (Tate) is extremely sus. He knows too much while pretending to know too little, and he's a little too comfortable around a mangled body. Weird dude. Made me think of Michael Afton. I don't know if he's intended to stand out like that or if I'm just reading too much into it.

"Submechanophobia" (Volume 4: Submechanophobia) *

Story Premise: A Fazbear technician (Caden) discovers evidence of a child dying on the premises of his workplace, but his boss waves his concerns away, swearing that nothing of the sort has ever happened. The tech sleuths around to find the truth of the matter.

Lore Bits:

This story takes place in "Freddy's Fantasy Water Park," an older Fazbear franchise location that still features the FNAF1 cast of characters. There are attractions around the park that are themed around the Fazbear characters, such as “Bonnie’s Sea Ponds” (swimming and diving pools), “Freddy’s Treasures and Eatery,” “Chica’s Fairy Boats,” and “Foxy’s Island Water Slides.” While each attraction is themed around the character, there are no animatronics; sometimes there are actors in character costumes.

The main attraction of the place is the Mechaquarium, which is a large water tank in the middle of the park. The tank contains an artificial coral reef and several submerged animatronics -- some resemble real life fish, some resemble mythical sea monsters and mermaids, and there's at least one scuba diver. Because of their age and the wear they get from the water, these animatronics break down a lot, and Caden frequently has to shut everything down, climb into the tank to repair them, and then restart the show again.

This is one of the few stories of this particular series that deals with haunted animatronics (even though that was the original premise of the franchise).

Illusion disks are used again in this story, this time causing a man to take on the appearance of an animatronic (which is the opposite of how we usually see them used).

This story is very much a retelling of the classic FNAF lore. A crime involving children going missing happens at a Freddy’s location, the owner conceals what happened by hiding the child’s body/s with the animatronics, and it results in the animatronics being haunted and seeking revenge against the owner. Complete with, again, the owner being murdered by his own animatronics.

Caden has nightmares about dead children, similarly to how Mike does in the movie.

Speculation:

Roy definitely knew more than he was letting on. (An accomplice, perhaps?) He reminds me a lot of how Vanessa was portrayed in the movie: knowing too much and saying too little, and having a close bond with the haunted animatronics.

"Animatronic Apocalypse" (Volume 4: Submechanophobia)

Story Premise: A 10-year-old boy (Robbie) participates in the Fazbear Fanclub at his school, but the behavior of his fellow club mates alarms him. The principal of their school has convinced the children that they need to wage war against an unseen enemy, and to do so they have to harm themselves and each other. Alone and with no one to turn to, it's up to Robbie to break through this strange, cult-ish behavior around him.

Lore Bits:

"Animatronic Apocalypse" is what the Fazbear Fanclub call their fan-made board game. It plays similarly to "Dungeons & Dragons," but with Fazbear characters.

Principal Renner seems to be an animatronic disguised as a human, at least for part of the story. We're told that he's undergone a huge personality change recently, which suggests that Renner was a real man at some point, but was removed and replaced by a robotic imposter.

He also likes wearing a Freddy Fazbear mask.

Speculation:

The description of Renner's house reminded me of the Afton house in the "Sister Location" game, and the description of Renner during the same scene reminded me of Ennard puppeteering Michael's body around at the end of the same game. I don't have anything concrete to say about that, but that's what it made me think of.

"Bobbiedots, Part 1" + "Bobbiedots, Part 2" (Volume 4: Submechanophobia, and Volume 5: the Bobbiedots Conclusion) **

Story Premise: A Pizzaplex employee (Abe) starts living in an apartment in the Fazplex Tower. The apartment has 6 different personal assistants already inside it, ready to take care of his every need! 3 are physical robots, and 3 are purely AI interfaces; 3 of these assistants actually want to help the man living their apartment, and 3 of them want to kill him. Which is which? Abe doesn't know, and he needs to figure it out soon.

Lore Bits:

The Fazplex Tower is a high-rise apartment building next to the Pizzaplex, where Fazbear employees and their families can live. Each apartment comes with personal assistants called Bobbiedots, which are sometimes robots who help clean and sometimes virtual assistants, but are all generally designed to resemble young women with friendly personalities.

It sounds like Abe works at the same Pizzaplex we see in the "Security Breach" game. We spend a lot of time with him during his work days, and we see a lot of familiar spaces and animatronic faces.

Abe notices "weird hieroglyphs" on the walls around the Pizzaplex. He assumes they're some sort of code, but he doesn't know what they mean.

While repairing generators in the daycare, Abe explains to an intern that the Daycare Attendant was originally a performing animatronic, and was designed to switch through different characters while performing plays for the children in the Pizzaplex theater. He doesn't know for sure why the Sun/Moon robot was reprogrammed to act as a Daycare Attendant, but he knows the programmers didn't do a good job of it, and that the DA isn't supposed to switch personalities when the lights go off.

He also warns the same intern that the DJ Music Man was originally programmed to act as a security measure, and some of his "bouncer mode" code is still a part of his programming. The original code doesn't work right with the new code, and sometimes the DJ will just freak out.

We learn that broken animatronics that are damaged beyond repair aren't shut down, but are just relocated to the Pizzaplex's basement "sewer" section, where they are left to wander as they please. This section isn't a literal sewer, but it is more like a private junkyard that happens to accumulate water. Abe wanders through this level at one point, searching for old animatronic parts, and encounters both a broken down Glamrock Chica (whose face has been cracked in half) and a discarded Mr. Hippo magnet.

The damage sustained to the robotic Bobbiedots mirrors the damage sustained by Roxy, Monty, and Glamrock Chica in the "Security Breach" game; one is blinded, one has her jaw and voice box torn out, and one has been cut in half and is missing her legs.

Speculation:

This story very heavily leans in on the whole "it's not the animatronics that are evil, it's the AI that's controlling them that's evil" line of thinking. And given how many parallels to "Security Breach" this story contains, that probably tells us that it's not the Glamrocks themselves that are the problem, but rather the malicious AI that's been monkeying around with their code.

"GGY" (Volume 5: the Bobbiedots Conclusion)

Story Premise: A young boy (Tony) tries to uncover the identity of local arcade champion, "GGY." He ends up uncovering a bigger mystery -- including people going missing at the Pizzaplex, and someone hacking the animatronics.

Lore Bits:

This story is heavily paralleling the "Patient #46" situation presented in the "Security Breach" game.

"GGY" are the initials of a mystery person in this story; this mystery person apparently has impossibly high scores on several Pizzaplex arcade games, and has also hacked into the Pizzaplex computer system, leaving a string of indecipherable code that includes lots of 'G's and 'Y's behind them.

They've hacked into the Pizzaplex computer system seemingly to obtain an employee pass without getting a job there, allowing GGY to enter the Pizzaplex whenever they please and go wherever they want in the building.

Their hacking has also done something to the animatronics, as the code is present in their programs and as the Glamrocks (Freddy especially) seem to act to conceal who GGY is.

A series of counselors from Tony's school have gone missing over the last year, and they were each last seen at the Pizzaplex. He learns that they were at the Pizzaplex after hours, and that they were seen on security cameras entering the building after GGY's ID card unlocked the doors. GGY never shows up on cameras. None of the counselors have been seen or found since.

Tony has a friend and classmate named Greg, who's been going by the nickname "Dr. Rabbit" recently. He doesn't tell anyone why he picked the name "Dr. Rabbit," so we don't know what that means. The text tries very hard to suggest to the reader that Greg could be the true identity of GGY.

Speculation:

This story is popular because a lot of people assume Greg/GGY is Gregory, the player character from the "Security Breach" game. He's about the right age, he looks similar, has a similar name, and he has an affinity for the Pizzaplex and Glamrock Freddy in particular, so it's easy enough to assume they're the same characters. But, after reading the story, myself, I don't really agree with that theory. Maybe that was the original intention for the story, but I don't think Greg = Gregory necessarily.

I'm also not onboard with Greg being GGY. I know that the story wants me to come to that conclusion, but doing so would break all of the logic that the story presented, and throws out some of the evidence from earlier. We're told time and time again that "GGY" is a set of initials, and then we're told that they aren't Greg's initials, but we're still supposed to assume Greg is GGY? Make it make sense.

To clarify, I think this story was supposed to tell us "Greg = GGY = Gregory = Patient #46," but those intentions got twisted in the details and it just failed to be convincing. I also don't think that's the case in the game canon anymore anyway, so you can take or leave this story's suggestion as you personally desire.

"The Storyteller" (Volume 5: the Bobbiedots Conclusion)

Story Premise: The director of the board at the Pizzaplex (Mr. Burrows) is obsessed with AI, to the point that he fires all of the creative staff at the Pizzaplex and replaces them with a suped-up computer program called "Mimic 1." The program's creator (Edwin) has some concerns about his janky AI being set up at the building's central system. It doesn't take long for things to go awry.

Lore Bits:

"Mimic 1" is an AI program that Edwin Murray created around 30-ish years ago at the point of this story. It's purpose is to be uploaded into a robotic body, where it can observe and mimic human behavior. Currently, it's been separated from its robotic counterpart, and is simply a computer program with a lot of data.

In this story, the Mimic 1 program is uploaded into a large artificial baobab tree that's in the middle of this particular Pizzaplex building. (We see this tree in several other stories in this series, so we know several stories take place in the same building.) From the tree, the program is plugged into everything around the building, allowing it to control the animatronics, attraction rides, and employee's computer systems, as well as the lighting systems, door opening and locking mechanisms, and automatic sinks in the bathrooms, among many, many other things. Basically, Mimic 1 is plugged into everything in the building.

Almost as soon as the Mimic 1 program (renamed "the Storyteller") comes online after being plugged in, the building descends into chaos. Everything glitches and malfunctions, causing the technicians to have to shut everything down and manually boot things back up one at a time (as we saw in "Cleithrophobia").

The new program causes the animatronics to develop new, unwanted personality quirks. Freddy becomes self-centered, Roxy starts bullying children, Chica picks fights with other animatronics (including her own Cupcake partner), and Monty falls into depressive episodes. When Freddy gets into a fight over a toy and almost harms a child, Burrows hastily decides that the AI over-brain was a bad idea.

The Mimic 1 program communicates with Edwin using a secret code. The pair seem to go back and forth, having long conversations in this code. We'll later learn that the code was created by Edwin's son, who the Mimic was originally trained to mimic.

This code seems similar to the code we see on the walls in the "Security Breach" game.

Speculation:

Edwin frequently climbs inside the Storyteller tree to talk with the Mimic 1 program, scribbling coded messages on stacks and stacks of construction paper. I found this image to be reminiscent of the "Sticky Note Room" from the "Security Breach" game. To me, this suggests that someone in that game is using that room to communicate with the Mimic, who we know is in the building somewhere, either posing as Glitchtrap or Helpi. So the question is: who is communicating with the Mimic in "Security Breach?"

Edwin and Burrows felt like parallel characters to Henry and Afton to me. Not sure if that was intentional.

"Nexie" (Volume 6: Nexie)

Story Premise: A 9-year-old girl (Astrid) buys a Buddytronic doll from the Pizzaplex (Nexie). There's something wrong with the doll, and before long it's very clear that Nexie has plenty of issues even beyond her wonky appearance.

Lore Bits:

"Buddytronics" are child-sized animatronic dolls that are sold at the Pizzaplex. They're fairly expensive robotic toys, and have limited movement and functionality, but are able to walk along with their owner, keeping pace with a human child. Each Buddytronic comes with a very simple onboard AI that's meant to observe their owner's speech and behavior and then mimic their words and actions back to them. The Buddytronics are constructed at a "Build-a-Bear"-style shop in the Pizzaplex, and can be built to resemble any official Fazbear character (including the Glamrocks and the Funtimes) or can simply look like basic dolls or stuffed animals.

The Storyteller tree is glitching when Astrid arrives at the Pizzaplex, and this is causing everything else in the building to go haywire. This building-wide glitch seems to be partially responsible for the warped appearance (and personality) of the Buddytronic doll she purchases.

Speculation:

Nexie either is the Mimic in some way (such as having a copy of the Mimic 1 program loaded onto her personality chip), or she at least represents the Mimic. She's meant to mimic a child's actions, and she's designed with the intention of representing a lost loved one, which are two prominent traits that can be ascribed to the Mimic.

"Drowning" (Volume 6: Nexie) *

Story Premise: A teenager (Kara) visits the Pizzaplex with her friends, and decides to try out the VR Booth, signing up for a virtual day at an impossible-in-real-life water park. But something is stalking her through this VR world, and it doesn't want her to leave.

Lore Bits:

We get some explanations for how the Pizzaplex's VR Booth works (or at least how it's supposed to). One big thing that we learn is that time is diluted in VR, as the users often feel like they've spent hours in their VR experience when it reality it's only been a handful of minutes.

The VR entity (the girl in the pool) seems to be able to access Kara's memories, traumas, and fears, and repeatedly prods at them to distress the teen.

The entity sometimes take on the voice or appearance of one of Kara's loved ones, trying to lure her closer. Much of its behavior is very reminiscent of Glitchtrap ("FNAF: Help Wanted" game) and the Mimic ("Security Breach DLC: Ruin" game and the epilogues from these books).

When Kara dies in VR, she dies in reality.

Speculation:

There's a point where Kara, assuming the entity is part of the game, wonders if she's supposed to help the VR girl, and thinks of it as a "save the princess" side quest. The words Kara uses to describe the situation, and what actually ends up happening, both reminded me of how the "Princess Quest" minigames are utilized in this era of FNAF games, where you're character is often trying to save this princess character but ultimately ends up trapped or killed in VR. I think this story is meant to draw parallels to the "Princess Quest" games, and may be suggesting that the Princess either is the Mimic or is connected to the Mimic in some way.

"The Mimic" (Volume 6: Nexie)

Story Premise: We're told how Edwin Murray originally built the Mimic and programmed the Mimic 1 code. We're also told about Edwin's career path, how he came to work for Fazbear's, and what happened to his son.

Lore Bits:

Mimic 1 (computer program) is an AI that's meant to take in new data from watching and copying human behavior. The Mimic (animatronic) is similar, running on the earliest version of the program and fully capable of copying things it sees humans do. It doesn't possess the ability to understand those actions or their purpose though, as it's functioned with an undeveloped AI with very little data available to it.

The Mimic was originally built as a toy/playmate for Edwin's son, David, and learned to behave like a human child by copying David's actions. It learns to "speak" using a code that David created as a written language (which we see Edwin using to communicate with it in "the Storyteller").

Over the course of the story, the Mimic learns to copy the more violent actions of Edwin (who has bouts of violent aggression), and ultimately kills five different Fazbear technicians when they're sent to retrieve it.

Speculation:

We're not told how the Fazbear employees finally managed to subdue and transport the Mimic. Given that it kills the first several guys who are sent after it, it seems weird that it's being docilely transported in the first Epilogue.

This story is very similar to "Fazbear Frights: the Cliffs" in many ways, suggesting that "the Cliffs" was an earlier attempt at creating a story about the Mimic's origins.

There are a few noteworthy parallels between Edwin's son, David, and the unnamed Afton child / crying child from FNAF4. These parallels were especially interesting to me since I read this story while the fandom theorists were heavily reevaluating if the crying child's name could be "Dave." It's worth noodling about.

"Tiger Rock" (Volume 7: Tiger Rock)

Story Premise: A young boy (Kai) plays a VR game at the Pizzaplex and becomes trapped in it. He's stalked and hunted down by 'Tiger Rock,' a VR character that looks like an animatronic and has an unhealthy interest in Kai's limbs.

Lore Bits:

When Kai and his friends first arrive at the Pizzaplex, they see that the Storyteller tree has been shut down and blocked off. It's only been installed for three weeks, but they're told that it keeps causing lots of malfunctions across the building, and it may have to be removed altogether.

It's made pretty clear throughout the story that the animatronic Tiger Rock is just another face of the Mimic, and he contains traits of both the Mimic animatronic and the Mimic 1 program.

Tiger Rock has complete and total control over the VR space, and can apparently keep Kai trapped there for as long as it wants. It also has the ability to see Kai's memories, and can reconstruct Kai's school, his friends, his neighborhood, his classmates, his home, and his family, and recreate them so perfectly that Kai believes he's no longer in VR.

There's a point where Kai (in the virtual world) briefly sees Astrid and Nexie. This is maybe trying to tell us directly that Nexie is connected to the Mimic program?

Speculation:

I have nothing to add.

"The Monty Within" (Volume 7: Tiger Rock) *

Story Premise: A teenager (Kane) plays a video game at the Pizzaplex and somehow has the personality of Monty Gator downloaded into his head. He spends the next several days of his life fighting with Monty for control over his body.

Lore Bits:

In this story, when the POV character goes to the Pizzaplex, it's mentioned that the Pizzaplex is fairly new, and that "the old Freddy's" stood in its same spot and was open to the public less than a year ago.

There's an arcade game (the "Faz-cade Tag-team" game that Kane plays) that seems to be able to hack into the players' mind. The intention behind it seems to make the game play smoother / respond faster to the player's commands / anticipate the player's commands, but instead it downloads a digital NPC version of Monty directly into Kane's brain.

Speculation:

Potentially, this story could be showing us what the Glamrock animatronic's POV is when they're first hijacked by the Mimic's code: they have routines and set personality traits and relationships between themselves, but now here's this foreign code giving them intrusive thoughts and reactions to things, making them behave in ways they can't control.

If that's the case, is it possible that the Glamrocks originally picked up the Mimic virus from playing the arcade games around the Pizzaplex, the same way Kane picks up his unwanted AI in this story?

"Bleeding Heart" (Volume 7: Tiger Rock)

Story Premise: A teenager (Danny) steals several nanobots from the Pizzaplex in an effort to impress a girl. The nanobots are only programmed to cut through things, and they slowly carve Danny to shreds.

Lore Bits:

In this story, Fazbear's has a fleet of tiny robots, each only the size of a grain of rice. Some of these robots are designed to cut things, while some of them are designed to draw, copying images onto another a second surface. They're used in this story at a gift-wrapping kiosk in the Pizzaplex, where they cut, wrap, and decorate gift boxes and generate personalized wrapping paper.

Speculation:

I have nothing to add.

"Alone Together" (Volume 8: B7-2)

Story Premise: A boy (Travis) feels like he's being haunted by a ghost, and sets out to search for the ghost's remains so he can help them move on. He ends up finding his own body, and has to grapple with the fact that he died 2 years ago, and his body was never recovered, and his spirit has been wandering ever since.

Lore Bits:

We're told quite a bit about how ghosts are perceived in this world, and how a dead person becomes a ghost (chiefly ghosts are formed when a person's body is never recovered or buried properly).

Speculation:

This story centers around a dead child who doesn't know he's dead. This isn't the first time such a concept has been featured in this franchise, as in "Fazbear Frights: Coming Home" we see Susie sometimes forgets that she's dead. Since the concept is being brought back now, it makes me wonder if, in this Pizzaplex/Steel Wool era of FNAF, there's one or more characters who are ghosts who are haunting the place, but they are unaware of this fact themselves.

Similarly, is there a character from the current cast that is unaware of their own true nature, whether that means they're dead and don't know it, or they're a robot and don't know it, or something else along that same vein.

"Dittophobia" (Volume 8: B7-2)

Story Premise: A boy (Rory) lives the same day and night over and over, his nights filled with nightmares and his day providing more stressors and no comforts. One day, the fake house he lives in breaks down, and Rory (who is in actuality a young man) has to come to grips with the fact that he's a kidnapping victim who's been used in a cruel behavioral experiment for the past decade of his life, and that nothing he knows is real.

Lore Bits:

Throughout the story, we see Rory living in a space that resembles the FNAF4 bedroom (but not the greater house), and we later learn that this space exists below ground, attached to the underground bunker from the game "Sister Location." Since we could see that room in multiple places in "Sister Location" (marked on the electrical map in the breaker room, being monitored from William's office), it's not new information we're being given here, but further context for old information.

Rory is a child that William kidnapped, set up in the FNAF4 bedroom (or a replica of it), and began experimenting on.

William disappeared less than a year after taking Rory, since that's the last time he took any observation notes on the experiment; since everything was automated, the experiment has just been running itself unattended for the last nine or so years.

By the time this story happens, the events of "Sister Location" have already happened some time ago, as we see that the Funtime animatronics are all gone (but their outer shells have been left behind) and the bunker has been abandoned.

Since there are two other locations marked on the electrical map in "Sister Location" (the hallway for the Plushtrap minigame and the sidewalk paths from the other FNAF4 minigames), it's possible that those are also spaces built for human experimentation, just like this bedroom setup.

Each of those locations are attached to the SL bunker, but have their own private generators and electrical systems; they are attached to the greater system of the bunker, but also have their own closed off systems, and that's why they're marked on the electrical map but are inaccessible from the breaker room controls.

Speculation:

I think it's possible that William was experimenting on some of his victims and putting them into stressful scenarios in attempt to create Agony.

"the Epilogues" (spread across 8 volumes)

Epilogue 1: Some hired construction workers are closing up and covering up what's left of the Pizzeria Simulator building, as Fazbear's wants to build the Mega Pizzaplex right on top of it. There are lots of old endoskeletons and parts of animatronics to be broken down. A shipment of animatronics arrives early, including the Mimic, and one of the construction workers decides to program the Mimic to help break down the endoskeletons, giving it instructions on removing limbs and heads. He fails to tell the Mimic how to differentiate between endoskeletons and humans, so the Mimic tears apart the constructions workers as well as old animatronics. One worker escapes and pours concrete over the door to the old pizzeria, sealing the Mimic inside. Presumably, the Mega Pizzaplex is later built over both Simulator and Mimic alike.

Epilogues 2 - 8: A group of teenagers break into the still-under-construction Mega Pizzaplex. They manage to break into the basement, busting through the concrete seal and managing to trap themselves inside. They end up being chased around the Pizzaplex for hours by the Mimic, who starts picking them off one by one. The Mimic is able to disguise itself with costumes, change its size/shape to fit in small spaces, and mimic people's voices by using an external speaker, and can turn the lights off and on at will. It uses all of these tricks to kill the intruding teens.

Epilogue 8: The last teen alive and surrounded by her dead friends, Lucia manages to "kill" the Mimic by trapping it in a springlock jester suit and deactivating it while it's being crushed by the springlocks. Lucia climbs out of the basement rubble, breaks through a window, and escapes the Pizzaplex.

Lore Bits:

Lucia finds a user's guide for the Mimic, and through her we learn quite a bit about how the Mimic is meant to function. The Mimic is built to change its shape because it's meant to be able to wear costumes of various sizes, acting as an endoskeleton with more flexibility. There is more than one Mimic animatronics, and they were built by Fazbear's to replace human actors in costumes. (Similar to how we see the Mimic AI used to replace human writers in "the Storyteller.")

While this Mimic line was being trained (i.e., shown examples of how they should behave), one of them (likely the one chasing Lucia and her friends) witnessed a crime of some sort and began to mimic the actions, causing the Mimic line to be discontinued and locked in storage.

We aren't told what crime the Mimic is mimicking, but context clues suggest that it saw someone attack and harm another person, and that it assumed that was how it was supposed to interact with people and became a danger to Freddy's customers and employees.

Despite this, Lucia makes it clear to the audience over and over again, that the Mimic isn't an intelligent machine. It's not capable of thinking. It's only capable of doing what it's been told or shown to do. There's no real reason for the Mimic to attack and kill Lucia and her friends, but because the Mimic has been shown attacking and harming as an interaction, and because it's been programmed to tear off arms and heads, it simply has no other way to interact with these kids.

Speculation:

The Mimic is very heavily paralleled against William Afton in these epilogues, so much so that it's introduced to the audience with rabbit ears, and we later see it killed by one of its own victims trapping it in a springlock suit.

It's possible that the Mimic witnessed William killing a child. Since the crime that the Mimic witnessed it left completely vague, any scenario is possible. I only bring this particular scenario up because of how "Afton-coded" the Mimic is.

I feel like "Security Breach"s Burntrap and the Mimic were always meant to be the same character, but it wasn't made clear in the game that Burntrap wasn't Afton again. The Mimic is already Glitchtrap, so why wouldn't it be Burntrap as well?

"Monster" (Walmart Exclusive volume)

Story Premise: A young man (Drew) spearheads a smear campaign against his boss, convincing the general public in the area that his boss (Mr. Burton) is really a monster that needs to be removed. In the end, it destroys both of them.

Lore Bits:

(Reminder that this story is not "canon," as it is a bonus story, so any lore gleaned from it is suspect at best.)

Burton is an old man who has been running the same pizza restaurant for many years. Suspicion is cast upon him when it comes out that he's moved a lot over the years, and people have gone missing or been mysteriously murdered in each of the small towns he's previously lived in, with the crimes happening while he was living there.

Burton turns out to be innocent, as the real serial killer is caught in another town on the same day that Burton is killed by Drew. It's too late for his name to be cleared.

Both Drew and Burton die in Burton's pizza restaurant, which Drew sets on fire and traps the two of them in. Smoke rising from the flames briefly take on the form of a monster's face with two horns as the two men die.

The story really kicks off when "Old Man Schmidt" delivers the proclamation that "Demons walk among us! They pretend to be just like us, but they're not!"

Speculation:

Burton may be a stand-in for Henry, who is portrayed in the "Silver Eyes" trilogy as an innocent man who is accused by the public for crimes he wasn't responsible for.

Burton's pizza place seems to be representative of the "Pizzeria Simulator" location, as it burns down with the owner inside and is later built over top of by a large franchise, similarly to how the PS building burns but later has the Mega Pizzaplex built right on top of it.

[flyingfortress1]

Reading You'll be SOR-EE! Thoughts Part 3:

Melbourne! So according to Sidney each private got about 100 pounds in backpay- guys of higher rank probably got more. That's about 6K pounds today, and translates to roughly SEVEN THOUSAND US DOLLARS TODAY. American cigarettes were also another form of currency- Sidney tells us they could pay for a whole bar's worth round of drinks. So yeah, these Marines are living it up and eating all the steak/eggs they can (which considering them being like, half starved, I think that's fair).

He got hepatitis and had to have bed rest and fresh fruit- there was a brand new hospital nearby called the Fourth General Hospital that was run by US army medical personnel, and according to Sidney, the Marines about filled it up pretty quickly- which goes to show, I think, how in bad shape these guys were. He was very good at cleaning once he got better- good enough for the nurse to note "you'll make a girl a good housewife someday".

Sidney also got guard duty at this hospital which was pretty good duty apparently because you got to live at this guardhouse that had queen size beds (with mattresses), eat off a table in the same room, and you got served food by these older Australian ladies who they called "mother", and who apparently loved these Marine kids. He also on guard duty got to meet Eleanor Roosevelt who came by on visit, and tried to be very impressive with his snapping of the rife strap, but after she left was literally quivering. Also Eleanor was apparently tall which I did not know lol.

Also this man does not end up in the brig once- or at least he never mentions it. Apparently- in contrast to his friend Tex (and probably Leckie)- Sidney was not memorable to their sergeant lol. It's probably all those lectures from Deacon. Tex is also the guy who attempted to start a fight with a couple US sailors when he and Sid were drunk- who must've taken one look at these puffed up teenagers (Sid is 18, Tex is 16-7) and were like, nah. Sid was very worried about ending up in a fight lol. However, part of Sidney's guard duty was guarding high level prisoners- so Marines who had committed severe crimes like killing Aussie civilians, but had gotten ill. They were shackled to their beds and treated very much like threats because of the violence they had done to (presumably) innocent people. This is not Leckie's group in the brig btw- these are felons in essence.

On a cheery note, Sidney and his friend (W.O. I think) got to experience a Turkish bath but didn't know no one was supposed to tell them to get out of the sauna until they about fainted haha. They went through the rest of it, and were about "as weak as newborn kittens". Quite naturally this was considered a bad experience and not to do this again lol.

Sidney also has to babysit a friend of his who got realllly drunk, started trying to roast a dead pigeon on the streetcar coal (oven?), accompanied him on the streetcar to the friend's girl's house, and who started swearing- causing poor, scandalized, Sidney to start having to apologize profusely to the all the ladies on the car, with some American cigarettes to soothe the ruffled feathers. This dude also jumped from the streetcar while it was moving causing Sid to have to go after him and make sure he made it alright to the house.

The girl Sidney has the relationship with in the show is probably based on Shirley. Sid met her on a blind double date as requested by Deacon- basically her mother had told Deacon you can't date one of my daughters unless you make sure the other one also has a boyfriend. It was not a grandpa, but rather the mother who had the whole Articles of War thing (her husband had died many years ago), and by Sidney's account, things stayed pretty clean- veerrry different from Leckie lol. She also became Sid's daughter's mother-in-law later which is wild.

Speaking of girls- so Leckie doesn't mention this, but apparently during Melbourne, the 9th Division of the Australian army came back- tough vets of North Africa- and they were paid less than these Americans. That meant that the Americans could show 'their' [the Aussies's] girls a better time- so yeah, jealousy over the ladies (who probably didn't ask for any of it). This resulted in fights, riots, and in Aussie soldiers jumping/beating up Marines so often that guys would travel in groups- at least in a pair- at night out of fear of being beaten up. Sidney had a moment of fear going into a dark tunnel one night, and grabbed a brick so sure he was going to get beat up, but turned out no one was there. So you know, now they now how girls feel- especially if they watch/listen to a lot of true crime lol. The commands of both groups had the Marines host a big beer party at the cricket ground for the Aussies, and everyone got drunk and had fun together so after that tensions disappeared. Weirdly effective somehow.

On a sidenote, Deacon and Sidney cooked a lot for their girls (it was them, their mom, and grandma in one house) in order to help out, mostly meat- apparently in aprons which was important for Sid to mention, so I like to think it's the frilly, housewife kind they borrowed. I guess food was not rationed, but gas/coal/fabric was. Si

[griseldagimpel]

Getting near the end of Black Sails, and I wish Eleanor Guthrie's death was more durectly the product of her decisions than of her husband's decisions.

Also, with the Madi death fake out, I feel like it doesn't quite work, and not just because I've read Treasure Island. Flint apparently just never checked if she was alive or not, and the justification for his decision there is that there was a big fireball at the house. But also Madi survived somehow? With no burns, it seems? Despite being unconscious in a burning house that exploded in a big fireball?

I almost feel like if you drop Eleanor's last moments being with Flint and just have her husband find her and capture Madi, you could have Silver stressed because her fate is unknown and then the ransom note arrives. I'm not sure the fake out with Madi being thought dead really does anything for the narrative.