#blue's clues: commentary

[somebluemelodies]

really really really long ramble ahead about q!Foolish's federation situation bc i have thoughts. you've been warned :'D

(below the cut!)

i cannot get over how much shit could hit the fan with this whole q!Foolish situation. literally so many relationships could hinge on how things play out

firstly, we have no idea how q!Pac and q!Mike are going to react to q!Foolish when they see him next (likely tomorrow, as per what cc!Pac said at the end of the Tazercraft stream). they might get mad and take revenge, maybe try and use him to find and rescue Walter Bob... etc, etc. q!Foolish wants them to be released (little does he know...) and he hopes to still be friends with them even tho they may not want the same, but he really has no true idea what he's gotten himself into...

i don't think their relationship will ever be the same regardless of what info comes out, but that's essentially just the tip of the iceberg

what i'm most curious about personally is q!Cellbit (and q!Forever) finding out about how he lied about Richas's life being on the line. because i already know that ain't gonna end well. both q!Cellbit and q!Forever are fiercely protective of Richas. q!Cellbit absolutely despises liars and he already threatened q!Foolish while interrogating him

q!Cellbit places a lot of trust in q!Foolish. we saw that in how they bonded when q!Foolish was constructing the castle, and how q!Cellbit wanted to have him build something else for him just so they could spend time together. and it was really solidified in q!Cellbit telling q!Forever today how he has a hard time believing q!Foolish would lie and use Richas’s name to do so. he doesn’t find q!Foolish “capable” of betraying them somehow

q!Cellbit finding out the truth could seriously fuck with him and their relationship. so could him finding out about q!Foolish's actual federation job, but more on that later

q!Cellbit himself killing q!Foolish has potential problems of its own, namely with q!Roier and their relationship. i mean, that's his dad. but at least for me, it's hard to really gauge how q!Roier will react, especially now that him and q!Cellbit are married. i think its circumstantial, but i'm not too too worried about spiderbit

q!Foolish dying also has the potential for some major problems with q!Vegetta if/when he comes back. and i fear for Richas's life if q!Vegetta were to find out, but i digress, let's not go there-

i think a lot of people won't see q!Foolish the same way, at least for a while, if they find out he lied, but i think the bigger problem now lies in his job with the federation

if that gets out, that could burn a lot of bridges. i'll say when actually, because as much as i love q!Foolish, i don't think he can keep this a secret forever. i don't think q!Jaiden will say anything, but who knows, honestly?

unlike q!Cellbit's infiltration to rescue q!Felps and learn more about the federation, and q!Fit using his janitorial job to try and find the player data he wants, q!Foolish is doing this for himself and the federation. unlike both of them, and a majority of the Ordo Theoritas he's technically apart of, he's not anti-federation, he's not anti-Cucurucho, and at that, he's really not neutral, either

i find q!Foolish to be such an interesting character. he knows what he wants a majority of the time and he's willing to do pretty much anything to get what he wants. in this situation, he's aware of his actions having consequences but he does it anyway because it's what he believes benefits himself the most, regardless of what others may say or do. and that's such an interesting character trait, but it can be such a detrimental one, too

did q!Foolish get manipulated tho? to an extent, yes. Cucurucho called him "unique," and i refuse to believe that was out of genuine belief. he's never expressed major interest in q!Foolish until recently. i also don't think Mr. Mustard is alive anymore, quite frankly, if what was said about them eating said capybara is anything to go by. but q!Foolish is so desperate to become Cucurucho's friend and also save Mr. Mustard. he said it himself: he's willing to do just about anything. that leaves the door wide open, doesn't it? Cucurucho is playing a game, and q!Foolish is playing right into it

and if q!Foolish doesn't ultimately go on a traitor arc and he does in fact get used, it kinda sucks for him, really, bc we saw what happened to q!Felps thinking Cucurucho was nice and his friend, and q!Jaiden is probably getting used in a similar way, rather for the fact she's willing to do anything for the eggs

if q!Foolish does get used, and the others catch on to that (mainly q!Cellbit), i think that could be the saving grace for q!Foolish and his relationship with the other members of the island. because it wasn't all his fault, and i think people could see it through

but if not? that's a lot of irreparable damage, be it intentional or not. i'd love to see where that coud lead

that's really it tho. sorry for the word vomit :') if you made it this far, congrats!! what're your own thoughts about this situation? i'd love to see some other people's perspectives :D

[glow-in-the-dark-death]

A Week (He Will Take You)

~

Danny moved to Gotham for school, while there he noticed that Gotham's ambient ecto was really murky for lack of a better word.

This didn't really affect him too much besides a mild headache every once in a while but that also just might be stress from all his school work so maybe not.

Anyway

This murky ecto seemed to effect the people who lived there or more importantly the ghosts,

They were visible to the human eye like most ghosts back in Amity but instead of looking very much like a ghost they still looked like humans if a bit off putting.

They all seemed to be continuing their normal lives as if still fully alive, with the people around them none the wiser.

Danny noticed this and began approaching them to figure out what was going on.

Apparently the murky ecto in the city had made it so that they were strong enough to still continue a somewhat normal life but not be able to cross over to the GZ.

In other words they were stuck in Gotham

Danny was the Ghost King so he could easily fix this problem, all he needed to do was give them a bit of pure ecto for around a week to fully stabilize them them then he would just open a portal into the GZ and they could cross over with all their things also transferring into the GZ for their new haunt.

Unfortunately this looked rather worrying to an outsider,

Imagine you're used to your neighbor being very outgoing so you and others see them a lot suddenly this man seems to appear in their life out of nowhere an at exactly one week, your neighbor and all their belongings in their home disappear no trace to be found.

You tell people and they begin saying the same story they knew someone and them a man with black hair and blue eyes appeared in their life, then they and all their things disappear in exactly one week.

Of course the police in Gotham do the bare minimum so they're no help.

But it starts to begin a trend, especially online.

"Oh careful or the blue eyed man will make you disappear in a week"

This of course after time catches the bats attention, Gordon had already given them all the information he had.

"Young adult early twenties, dark hair, blue eyes"

That was it.

The bats look into it and from their point of view Danny is a serial killer.

But they can't find the connection between all of his victims, they range from young children and the elderly from different backgrounds absolutely no connection,

Worrying enough he doesn't just make one person disappear he has taken entire families up to over a dozen, without anyone figuring out how he's doing it or why at all.

The disturbing thing also being that he seems to take everything in their home, leaving it like it has always been empty

Like no one had been living in it.

People have tried to take photos of Danny get some kind of evidence of his existence, but when they try to do it, it either comes out completely corrupted or their devise simply shuts down fully.

Danny of course has no clue what is happening he's just happy that he's able to help so many ghosts, and is trying not to fail his exams.

~

Danny leaving the house he just helped: "That went easier than I expected!"

Neighbor peeking from the window: "Shit it's that guy! "

~

Red Hood marching down into the cave: " The fucker took many from my territory without me even realizing it!"

~

Tim: "I'm pretty sure his kill count is nearing the hundreds and he just started like maybe 4 months ago, this is bad."

Barbara: " I think I got a theory, this matches up with the new school year beginning so maybe their not a Gotham native which narrows down my suspect list."

Bruce: "Hn."

Tim: "Yes thank you B for the insightful commentary"

~

Danny trying not to fall asleep while on his way to class: "Strange I keep seeing shadows following me, oh well must be the stress!"

Bats who are pretty sure Danny is the killer: "Has he done anything suspicious yet?"

~

Just an Idea

[asidian]

DBDA Meta Commentary Roundup

Okay, I'm getting tired of scrolling back to find my own posts, so it's time for a roundup post for my DBDA meta commentary.

Meta Commentary:

Why you should watch Dead Boy Detectives

Charles is a people pleaser

A very large snake as a reference to hell

The same lantern

Edwin knows the Misery Wraiths a bit too well

Why Charles is upset by more than just jealousy re: Monty

The white kimono

How Crystal and Charles' character arcs intersect to make an absolute trash fire

You can talk to me about anything

Edwin's hidden kindness as Charles dies

Edwin's hangups re: emotion and how it ties into his time in hell

The silliest Clue edition

The Cat King's design changes when he starts a new life

Counting cats

Where is the Doll House

Edwin and Charles acting like they've known each other forever in tiny details

Esther has the cops in her pocket

The lantern scenes as an extension of the theme "The good you do comes back around"

Why Charles opens up to Crystal so quickly

Payneland endgame nods through leitmotifs in the soundtrack

Charles is super sensitive to criticism, even when it's not intended

The Season 2 in my heart

The hidden nod to history in the WWI ghost's makeup

Why Charles' death is so much worse than it seems

The brilliance of the first ten minutes

The ship of all time

The incredible women of Dead Boy Detectives

Edwin's bowtie

Crystal and Charles as mirrors and projections

Bi disaster Charles Rowland

Edwin can knit

Chekhov's snake-slaying sword

Murder night movie time

Why Charles was more of a hero than he knew

What the doll placement says about Edwin's many deaths

Charles smiles for other people

The absolute fridge horror of That One Gate in hell

The only good thing generative AI has ever done

The wood-burning stove as part of Charles' cold trauma

Charles is so very brave for walking into hell

Charles' bad decision face

Edwin complimenting Crystal as a kindness to Charles

Charles' something-is-going-to-be-difficult tell Charles Rowland appreciation hours

Crystal's two character arcs

Niko's fear of death and her own mortality

Mick is great

How Edwin speaks of hell as character growth A reminder of home The secret in Jenny and Maxine's wine label

Set Design:

Charles' room

The London office

The boys' detective license and its source

Tragic Mick's shop

Niko's room

Cameos:

The boys' early relationship and how they've influenced each other

What the boys do together in their downtime as leisure activities

A brief in-character skit of an ordinary day at the office

Tidbits about the characters that didn't make it into the show

Input in developing Edwin as a character and suggested changes Imagining a Valentine's ep and Charles' thoughts on the holiday

Imagining a Valentine's ep and Edwin's thought on The Holiday

Color Symbolism:

Red

Blue

Pink

Green

Green (alt)

Purple

Orange

Brown

Black

White

[amethystfairy1]

Hey I just need to go on a little tangent about ttsbc cub bc he resonates with me so hard. I totally didn’t pick up on the context clues of him being a mutant at all until it was revealed directly bc everything about him was just so normal to me. Like yes I also hate sound and light and need noise cancelling headphones to function. Even after the reveal I still relate to him a lot, especially still being able to hear people fairly easily even with the headphones on, and only really taking them off to talk with people for their sake and not bc I wouldn’t be able to hear them otherwise. On god nobody could ever sneak up on me. It’s exhausting and makes it hard to function but there’s something comforting about seeing that reflected in a character.

Also, like. Super Big Feelings about how good of a friend Scar is to him. The way he accommodates him without any question. As someone who desperately needs them I know DAMN WELL how freaking expensive a good pair of noise cancelling headphones are and if someone cared about me enough to buy a pair just to have on the rare one in a million occasion i forget my own when they hardly had any need for it themself? They’d NEVER get rid of me, frankly. Tbh as someone with invisible disabilities it’s hard not to relate to the struggles of undercity folk trying to function on the surface, desperately needing accommodations but being unable to ask for them. This series means a lot to me because it reminds me that my needs don’t make me any less deserving of taking up space, and that I deserve good friends who would accommodate them without question too, like scar with cub.

I’m sorry if this is all overly personal and emotional to drop in an anon ask lol, you obviously don’t have to answer this, I just figured it wouldn’t hurt to let you know that there was someone out there who felt comforted by your writing. It’s genuinely crazy how much quality writing you’re handing over to us all for free, and (pleasantly) overwhelming how much there is to read. I honestly admire you for that.

it ABSOLUTELY is not and you don't need to apologize! I'm so happy my writing means so much to you, and has shown you and helped you to remember you deserve every bit of love and care and the accommodation that lets you thrive! 💖

Cub is a Warden Mutant, yes, but he's very much written to be neurodivergent coded, and that's something that I wanted to have show through in his mannerisms...they also just so happen to overlap with how he's a warden mutant whoopsie 😅

A lot of the characters in TTSBC represent things from irl, and I did that intentionally (most of the time, I will admit a couple of them were happy little coincidences that I have fully embraced) but like...the thing is with my writing, I use it for an escape, a way to relax. It's very important to my mental health to do this sort of thing, and so while I want to make commentary on important topics, I don't want to bring them up flat-out and then have to grapple with them...if that makes sense? Not because I couldn't do it, or because I don't think it's important, but because my AUs aren't the space for that.

Not directly.

But indirectly? Through parallels and analogies and little things like a city separated by bedrock and people concealing parts of themselves to feel safe beneath a blue sky? Yeah...I think that's the sort of thing I can swing, and I like to think maybe that makes my little bitty attempts at commentary land easier 😅

Thank you so much for your sweet words!!!

[the-lonelybarricade]

The Longest Night

A short glimpse into the lives of Rhysand and the Inner Circle on the Winter Solistice, 30 years into Rhys’s enslavement Under the Mountain.

For @officialfeysandweek Day 5: Fated

Inspired by one of my text posts from 2022

Word count: 1k

Read on AO3

-

It was the longest night of the year.

And, by any conventional standard, they had assembled the perfect Solstice dinner.

Someone had lovingly donned a woven table runner across the long dining table in the House of Wind. It's golden thread stood out starkly in the dim faelight, cutting across the dark blue fabric like streaks of lightning on a clear night. Cassian recognised the stitchwork. Its seamstress had threaded her needle through his own skin enough times, tenderly patching him up after long, brutal days in the Illyrian training camps.

His heart ached to stare at her handiwork for too long, so he averted his eyes elsewhere—to the pillars of candles, which rose among the countless platters of food, twining cinnamon and cypress with the scent of roasted meat and spices that was not overall unpleasant, just…

Unwelcome.

Not because Cassian minded the candles, or was ever one to turn away a hot meal. Particularly a spread as fine as the one before him, prepared by the best cooks in Velaris, who had dipped into the preserve of spices that were only saved for special occasions such as this.

No one could claim his discontent was the result of meager effort, or that this was a poor rendition of a Solstice Celebration.

He just couldn't summon any cheer as he snagged his fingers around the stem of his wine glass, watching the dark liquid swirl as he twisted it this way and that. It almost felt like mockery to drink wine, of all things.

Not that he would say such a thing to Mor, who was decanting the final drops of her glass into her mouth. They hadn't started dinner yet, but he couldn't blame her. Instead, Cassian wordlessly slid his glass across the table, wedging it between the fingers of Mor's rested hand, where it splayed nostalgically across the table runner.

When Mor offered him a small, grateful nod, he pushed to his feet. He needed something stronger, anyhow.

Who's idea was this, again?

As he began pouring himself a drink from the decanters at the sideboard, Cassian glanced over his shoulder. His friends were all seated at the dining table, staring mutely at their food or at their drinks. None of them were speaking.

It was a nice attempt, he thought, taking a large swallow and grunting at the heat that spread through him. He felt it burn down his chest and settle heavily in his gut—strong stuff, though he hadn't a clue what it was and didn't think anyone was in the mood to tell him.

Rhys would have known.

That thought slid in like a dagger. Lingered, as Cassian's eyes drifted unbidden to the head of the table.

A place had been set there. A knife and fork and freshly polished plate, waiting patiently beside a full glass of red wine.

But the chair was empty. Just as it had remained for the last 30 years. And no one would be coming to claim it.

For a moment, he considered dashing his drink against the prestine fucking floor and diving out the nearest window to escape this facade they were putting on, as if everything were normal. As if there was anything worth celebrating.

The only thing that subdued the impulse was the sight of Mor's trembling lip as she, too, slanted her gaze to the head of the table. And when that tremble split into a soft keening sound, it was Cassian's heart that shattered on the floor, not his drink.

"Sorry," Mor sniffed, darting her eyes to the faelight overhead as she dabbed at tears and smeared khol with the tips of her fingers. "I know we said no crying—"

"We never said that," Cassian said, sliding back into his seat.

Azriel cast an assessing eye over the admittedly generous pour Cassian was bracing in his fist, but Az reserved his commentary.

"I told myself no crying," Mor acquiesced with another sniff. "I thought 30 years would be enough time for it to not feel so… so…"

Raw, Cassian thought. Mor shrugged without concluding the thought and if anyone else mentally filled in the rest, they didn't volunteer it.

At least until they fell back into silence, and Azriel glanced towards the head of the table and rasped, "Empty."

Empty. Like Rhysand's seat, and his throne, and his bedroom.

Like the training ring in the mornings, when there was no buffer between Azriel's bouts of silence and the static in Cassian's head.

Like the bi-monthly meetings with the people of Velaris, where he watched Amren and Mor act as steward to their people's hardships and concerns, which grew more pressing each year.

Like the market squares in the city center, which were once flush with traders and merchants who were now blocked from entering or exiting the city, stranding them all in this crowded, isolated place.

Or like every aching moment over the last 30 years where Cassian glanced over his shoulder after making some smart comment, expecting to see the smug, if not exasperated, smile of his friend. His brother.

And finding nothing. A ghost of a memory, at most.

Yeah, empty was a good word for it.

-

It was the longest night of the year.

Not that Rhys would know. He spent it inside, between Amarantha's legs. Hardly given a moment to consider the time of year, or how his friends might be celebrating without him.

Amarantha told him, of course. She wanted him to know what she was taking away from him, even as he pretended that he didn't care. What interest did a Dark Lord have in petty little festivities?

Rhys didn't usually invite thoughts of his friends into Amarantha's bedroom���for his own sake, he tried to keep those parts of his life firmly compartmentalized.

But he did take a moment to send a plea to the stars he couldn't see: that his friends were okay, that they could forgive him, that they were happy.

And if the stars could offer leniency to a male who hadn't gazed upon them in years, if they had the capacity to perceive his actions with pity instead of scorn, then he saved a risidual wish for himself:

That this eternal Hell would end before he found a way to end it himself.

-

It was the longest night of year.

Unbeknownst to all of them, across Prythian, in the Mortal Realm, a human girl was born.

As if the stars had listened.

[crowgore-throwaway]

Detroit: Become Human would've been so much better as a critique of capitalism. All the groundwork is there.

All these points are interweaved, but I'll try to address them in parts

1: Automation, the unemployment crisis, and abuse of workers

Todd, Alice's "father", was a taxi driver before cars were automated. Other blue and pink-collar jobs (sanitation, desk-work, etc.) have also employed the use of androids as a cheaper alternative to maintaining a human employees. The people at fault are clearly the corporation owners, who only care about profits and cheap labor. This mirrors how companies will outsource labor to poor countries, paying employees pennies. This is also reminiscent of hostilities toward immigrants and how they "take our jobs". The way androids are abused could also serve as critique of how employers want cheap, exploitable workers who'll do what you want without complaint, not matter how poorly you treat them.

2: The childcare crisis

In-game, android owners are demonized for owning androids. Yes, there are people who mistreat their androids, but there are other who have them for a good reason. (to preface this next part, I have no clue why Todd is the way he is. Buying two androids to live a facade of a family life while also, presumably, not getting a job and abusing the and damaging the machines they bought is perplexing, but I'll overlook it) Kara is a model designed as a homemaker, she cooks, cleans, does childcare. As a symptom of capitalism, many parents struggle to take care of their kids. Daycare is expensive and hard to access, so why wouldn't you get a nanny android if you can afford one? It's a one-time purchase, round the clock care, so you don't need to worry whether or not your child is safe while you provide for your family. This existence of androids is purely based on capitalist necessity, how it isn't possible to balance aspects of your life as culture shifts more and more towards making money.

3: Systems of authority upholding corporate interests

Connor's character could be great commentary on how the police uphold corporate interests. His whole purpose is to essentially stop the workers from striking by rooting out the problem. Him being an android could also incorporate the issue of tokenization, how those from disadvantaged backgrounds/marginalized groups are told that if they work hard and keep their head down, they can be successful. Connor, in his various endings, either upholds the status quo to (presumably) preserve his own place in world, which ends in him being replaced by a more advanced RK model, representing how licking boots and sucking up to oppressors doesn't help you. (Blaire White, for example) While him deciding to deviate is a great opportunity to show a character working within the system to bolster change. Also, the detective parts are really cool, but the narrative kinda separates the audience from how emotionally taxing that kind of work is. Don't want to overload the story, but the fact that the only reason given for Hank's depression, alcoholism, and suicidality is because his son died is bullshit considering he deals with homicides on a regular basis. It's similar to cop dramas, how the crimes are shown but at the end of the day, the officers go home and have their own interpersonal drama, completely divorced from the things they see on the daily. (This bit isn't as fully-baked as the other takes since I'm not super learned on the ins and outs of how corporations affect law)

4: Conflict within the working class

As mentioned briefly in part 1, there's a lot of talk about people on welfare and immigrants taking away opportunities from other workers. This, of course, is not true. It's a manufactured conflict that distracts the working class from the true issue: the mass exploitation of the 99% to fund the 1%. People lose their jobs due to aforementioned greedy business practices and protest against androids, mistreating them instead of turning their attention to system itself because they're so ingrained in it they don't even think to question why this could even happen in the first place. They take their emotions out, suppressing the symptom rather than treating the problem.

5: Commodification

Along with employees, Cyberlife has companion androids, again, like Kara, who are advertised as a partner who'll be whatever you want whenever. There are child androids, too. And the thing with machines is that they (presumably) have no feelings and feel no pain, so you can beat them, rip them apart, and kill them with no legal repercussions. The company is selling you a family, a partner, or a victim. They strip away emotional connections, making aspects of life that make us truly human into something shallow you can buy or sell. This is similar to the real-life image of the American dream. You look happy in your big house with your wife and kids, but it's only a facade. The only thing you end up caring about is the validation you get for having stuff, and when you aren't the best man in the neighborhood, with the biggest house, the prettiest wife, and the best paying job, you resent those around you, including your own family because in your eyes, they aren't good enough. You could assume people attack and abuse androids because they are dissatisfied by where their is at and are angry at the android for not making it better, but there's none of that. I wanna know why Carlos Ortiz got high and beat his android (who doesn't get a name). In a lot of the confessions and interrogations from androids, you just get a scared description of how they were abused, nothing about the lead up. We get basically nothing about Rupert. But anyway, there's an obvious implication that people are growing less emotionally stable due to the incorporation of androids into daily life, since they see these machines with human faces as people who they can do anything to so they end up having messed up morals and seeing people as disposable.

6: Conclusion

Okay, not a full-on well-researched essay, but y'all see what I'm getting at. So much of the allegory was so poorly established. We only get a taste of certain social issues and not really a solid lens besides vaguely civil-rights related. I need more android-human relations. I'd like to see Markus as a big socialist leader, I want a subset of "scab" androids that deviate and actually like their lives, refusing to join the revolution. I HATE the march and store break-in chapters because you see all these androids joining Jericho but they don't have an identity. Many of them die unceremoniously. They go from machines performing their function to suddenly sentient beings with emotions coerced into whatever cause Markus wants, which is arguably worse because it's basically cult indoctrination.

I'm not sure what I would do about the narrative androids' sentience, since the argument that they should be given rights is weak considering it's implied that the reason for deviance is a sudden, traumatic event. I feel there should be an argument in there about how human emotions are just chemicals when you boil it down, but still, it's perplexing. I really like the way the webtoon Lovebot approaches the bot's sentience. Spoilers, but the androids in that series aren't nearly as widespread. They were invented as romantic, sexual companions. All of them are sentient from the outset, they just have a chip in their brains that keep them from exercising free will. They are inherently free-thinking beings, just trapped in their own heads by hardware. I think DBH just didn't give enough thought to the logistics of deviancy. It doesn't have to be overexplained to oblivion, but there needs to be a solid reason as to why it isn't a computer virus caused by mistreatment.

All that said, I still love this game. Loved it pretty much since it came out, I remember watching Jacksepticeye play it. I was obsessed with the characters, thought the aesthetic was super cool and was affected by the heartfelt aspects of the story. The music is also really good. David Cage just isn't a very good writer. I also straight up don't like him as a person. But still, the artists and actors did a stellar job- Bryan Dechart and Clancy Brown have great chemistry as Connor and Hank, the futuristic style paired with some of the older architecture is interesting and, again, I'm a slut for a great soundtrack.

Tbh, I'm a bit neurotic picking apart a 7-year-old game, but it got me really into sci/fi. I was like, 12, when I first got into it and hyperfixated HARD. I'm realizing that some of my biggest hyperfixations have been detective fiction (current favorite thing is Disco Elysium), so I wonder what that's about. So I guess it was nice to combine something old I really like, Detroit: Become Human, with my current interest in socialism.

[cleolinda]

Silent Hill 2 remake gameplay/commentary (New Game+)

Fifth video: Rosewater Park, "Born from a Wish," and Heaven's Night

00:00: James gets roasted by an eight-year-old who knows too much; Special Places, statues with stories, hidden music, and MARIA. 

Sidebars: Important features of Rosewater Park; The statue of Jennifer Carroll

1:02:33: Nathan Avenue: a Dead James with a safe code, bowling alley easter eggs, the jack handle you pay for, and the Southern Star.

Sidebars: Why Maria used to hate bowling

1:41:30: No-tell motel secrets; Baldwin Mansion and "Born from a Wish"; White Chrism and the secret dog key; a brand-new weapon and chaos in the backyards of Silent Hill.

Sidebars: "Born from a Wish" (2001); "We found it near Katz"

2:24:50: Maria takes us… somewhere; a lost wedding ring, the devil’s chord, and the whiskey of the lotus-eaters.

Sidebars: Backstage at Heaven's Night; James' masculine ideal; and more

Sixth video (coming soon): Moonlight Grove, the Reverie Theater, and (some of) Brookhaven Hospital

00:00: Garage secrets (no, new ones), hair corrections, and leaving Heaven's Night.

26:20: Moonlight Grove: That's It, A Garden; The Shadow of the Lover's Tree and the Lady of the Light; the hopes and dreams of the new Maria.

48:15: The Reverie Theater: An easter egg festival, Eddie and Laura, crimes against ice cream, the Best Flavor, and a spoiler in plain sight.

Sidebars: Movie posters at the Reverie Theater; What James can't remember

1:30:30: Brookhaven Hospital: Nurses, doctors, trees; the Jungian psyche; an enigmatic window; MARIA, GET OUT OF THE WAY

Sidebar: Outtakes (SPOILERS): "I need you to like James"

Full list of videos:

First video: Opening scene to jukebox puzzle reveal

00:00: Opening chat & cutscene. James walks out of the observation deck bathroom and I walk him right back in. Religious graffiti ensues. Twenty-four minutes in, we are still not out of the parking lot.

24:25: We get to the cemetery, meet Angela, pick up New Game+ items, and squint at a church door.

43:26: First combat, time loop theory, and Orpheus & Eurydice.

1:20:34: Out on the town. NG+ clues for getting other endings, highly symbolic scissors, James' amnesia, the sun mural & the Lady of the Light, lots to explore. Afterwards: corrections & additions.

Sidebar: The secret Goya painting in SH2R

Second video: South Vale, jukebox puzzle, ending at Wood Side

00:00: Strange Photos, Time Loop Theory, and combat at the Happy Burger

30:50: Baby theory (confirmed), Grand Market, "The door that wakes in darkness opening into nightmares," and Your New Best Friend

51:10: The Pet Center, the alien gem, and all the records I found at Groovy Music. "If I have missed something, I will shit kittens"

Sidebar: The records at Groovy Music

1:07:40: A Time Loop James (maybe?) tries to help us; the travel agency, (Thomas) Harris Street, and Saul Street Apartments

1:38:00: "IT’S. FINE. I am not deeply upset about this at all. I’M. FINE"; repairing the jukebox, James' memory, the secret in-joke of "Anam Cara," an area I STILL hold a grudge about, and a flawless run to Wood Side

Sidebar: "Magdalene" and "Anam Cara"

Third video: Wood Side Apartments, three coins puzzle, ending in the Otherworld

00:00: My Favorite Monster, mannequin moves, lots of Mary symbolism, and the coin puzzle unveiled.

36:45: James' feud with a grade schooler, decorative storytelling, our first encounter with Pyramid Head, and the scariest scene in the whole game.

1:14:30: Wrangling the party balloon achievement and getting out of "a prison of your own making"; "What is going on in this building! What is happening!" 

1:46:56: Eddie's introduction; a swimming pool full of lying figures and an apartment full of mannequins; "IF WE'RE DYING IT'S AT LEAST GONNA BE SOMEWHERE RESPECTABLE!"; canned juice.

2:26:30: Three Bright Coins in the Five Holes Be; Apartment 107: Laura and Mary; Apartment 201: Mary and James; Pyramid Head and Blue Velvet; we cross over to the Otherworld. 

Extra video: Corrections, additions, and Apartment 213

Fourth video: Blue Creek, the Otherworld, the clock puzzle, Angela, and a Pyramid Head rematch

00:00: Crossing over to the Otherworld (again); the clock puzzle, Remains of the Judgment, Stephen King easter eggs, and The New Damnation.

Sidebar: Misty day, remains of the Judgment 

31:00: "Anam Cara" returns with extra reverb; the radio puzzle, hallway chaos, the bird seesaw, and the Worst Toilet.

1:20:26: Mirrors, knives, "Promise (Reprise)," and camera angles; Angela has been through A Lot.

1:43:20: "Vers la flamme," moth math, green goo, the big Pyramid Head rematch with predictable betrayals; "TRACK AND FIELD LET'S GO!"

Extra video: The best I ever did it: Pyramid Head in less than two minutes

Sidebar: Mary's Silent Hill?

Fifth video: Rosewater Park, "Born from a Wish," and Heaven's Night

00:00: James gets roasted by an eight-year-old who knows too much; Special Places, statues with stories, hidden music, and MARIA. 

Sidebars: Important features of Rosewater Park; The statue of Jennifer Carroll

1:02:33: Nathan Avenue: a Dead James with a safe code, bowling alley easter eggs, the jack handle you pay for, and the Southern Star.

Sidebars: Why Maria used to hate bowling

1:41:30: No-tell motel secrets; Baldwin Mansion and "Born from a Wish"; White Chrism and the secret dog key; a brand-new weapon and chaos in the backyards of Silent Hill.

Sidebars: "Born from a Wish" (2001); "We found it near Katz"

2:24:50: Maria takes us… somewhere; a lost wedding ring, the devil’s chord, and the whiskey of the lotus-eaters.

Sidebars: Backstage at Heaven's Night; James' masculine ideal; and more

Sixth video (coming soon): Moonlight Grove, the Reverie Theater, and (some of) Brookhaven Hospital

00:00: Garage secrets (no, new ones), hair corrections, and leaving Heaven's Night.

26:20: Moonlight Grove: That's It, A Garden; The Shadow of the Lover's Tree and the Lady of the Light; the hopes and dreams of the new Maria.

48:15: The Reverie Theater: An easter egg festival, Eddie and Laura, crimes against ice cream, the Best Flavor, and a spoiler in plain sight.

Sidebars: Movie posters at the Reverie Theater; What James can't remember

1:30:30: Brookhaven Hospital: Nurses, doctors, trees; the Jungian psyche; an enigmatic window; MARIA, GET OUT OF THE WAY

Sidebar: Outtakes (SPOILERS): "I need you to like James"

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

December 5, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Dec 06, 2024

Yesterday a gunman assassinated the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, as he arrived at a meeting of investors in New York City. While authorities are still investigating, officials have released the information that the casings of the bullets that killed Thompson bore the words “deny,” “defend,” “depose,” all words associated with companies’ denial of health insurance, taken from the longer phrases “deny the claim,” “defend the lawsuit,” “depose the patient.”

While those clues could simply be a red herring, posters on social media have cheered what they seem to see as revenge against an abusive system in which people’s lives are at the mercy of executives who prioritize profits.

Health insurance companies have long been under scrutiny for their practices. For the past two years, ProPublica has run a long series exploring the different ways in which companies have developed systems to deny healthcare coverage to their policyholders.

UnitedHealthcare has been no exception either to such practices or to scrutiny. Its parent group UnitedHealth has a market valuation of $560 billion and was the eighth largest corporation in the world last year as measured by revenue. This year, UnitedHealthcare—Thompson’s unit—is expected to bring in $280 billion in revenue.

UnitedHealth is embroiled in a number of lawsuits. Andrew Stanton of Newsweek reported that on November 14, 2023, families of two now-deceased patients sued UnitedHealthcare over denial of coverage for Medicare Advantage patients for nursing home stays prescribed by their doctors. Medicare Advantage is the private insurance alternative to Medicare that receives a flat fee from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It’s an enormously profitable industry, and UnitedHealth controls almost a third of it.

The lawsuit alleges that UnitedHealthcare uses artificial intelligence to deny claims from Medicare Advantage policyholders. The lawsuit claims that the company knowingly uses an algorithm that makes errors 90% of the time because it also knows that only about 0.2% of policy holders will appeal the decision to deny their claims. Last month the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hammered UnitedHealth for dramatic increases in their denial rates for post-acute care between 2019 and 2022 as it switched to AI authorizations.

On the same day as the shooting, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance covering Connecticut, New York, and Missouri announced it would cover anesthesia during surgery or procedures only for a specific time period in order to make insurance more affordable by reducing overbilling.

After an outcry both from anesthesiologists and the public, the company today retracted its policy change, saying it had never intended to avoid “medically necessary anesthesia,” but meant simply to “clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines.” Their explanation might have calmed the news cycle, but its suggestion that the insurance officials rather than doctors should determine what anesthesia is appropriate for a patient during surgery echoed the argument in the UnitedHealthcare lawsuit.

Thompson’s murder seems to be a cultural moment in which popular fury over the power big business has over ordinary Americans’ lives exploded. Maureen Tkacik of The American Prospect noted, “Only about 50 million customers of America’s reigning medical monopoly might have a motive to exact revenge upon the UnitedHealthcare CEO.” The shooter, whose actual motive remains unknown, is fast becoming a folk hero.

Social media has exploded with users writing things like “[t]his claim for sympathy has been denied”; songs featuring the words “deny, “defend,” and “depose”; and recorded commentary condemning the healthcare insurance industry. UnitedHealth Group posted its sadness about Thompson’s death on Facebook yesterday about 1:00 p.m.; 36 hours later the post had 65,000 laughing emojis under it.

Security expert Charlie Carroll expressed surprise to Josh Fiallo of the Daily Beast that Thompson did not have a security detail. “We’re living in a world where people are extremely disgruntled,” Carroll said. “When people lose trust in the system, you start seeing more kidnappings and assassinations because they feel like they have to take matters into their own hands.”

In the wake of the shooting, UnitedHealthcare and several other insurance companies took down from their websites the names and photographs of their officials.

Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy were on Capitol Hill today where they met with lawmakers to explain their vision for the Department of Government Efficiency, the group designed to cut the U.S. budget. Neither they nor the lawmakers shared much with the press, although Fox Business played a video of Representative Ralph Norman (R-SC) saying that that “nothing is sacrosanct,” and that “they're going to put everything on the table,” including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Representative Tom Tiffany (R-WI) told Just The News that cuts to the budget “don’t have to be just the discretionary spending. We can get at some of the mandatory spending also…food stamps, some of those things.” He continued: “There may be more bang for the buck in terms of growing our economy…making regulatory changes, get the impediments out of the way, let those job creators and entrepreneurs really be able to go to work.”

In view of today’s news about healthcare, it’s probably worth remembering that Musk has called for the elimination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that Project 2025 has called for making Medicare Advantage—the privatized Medicare in which UnitedHealth specializes—the default enrollment option for Medicare. This would essentially privatize Medicare for the 66 million people who use it, but since Medicare Advantage costs taxpayers about 6% more than Medicare, this would not create the savings Musk is supposed to be finding.

Andrew Perez of RollingStone reported today that election financial disclosures filed yesterday revealed that Elon Musk was the secret funder of the “RBG PAC,” a Super PAC created just before the election that claimed Trump had the same position on abortion as the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Although Trump has bragged about overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion and the 2024 Republican platform supported the far-right idea of “fetal personhood”—which would apply all the rights protected by the Fourteenth Amendment from the moment a human egg is fertilized—the RBG PAC ran ads promising that Trump would not support a national abortion ban.

Ginsburg’s granddaughter called the comparison of Trump and her grandmother “nothing short of appalling.”

The super PAC was created so late that it avoided disclosure before November 5. It was funded entirely by Musk with an injection of $20.5 million.

Bridget Bowman, Ben Kamisar, and Scott Bland of NBC News reported tonight that Musk spent at least $250 million to get Trump elected. In addition to the $20.5 million to the RBG PAC, he put $238 million into the America PAC. Musk also supported Trump through free advertising and commentary on his social media platform X.

Today provided a snapshot of American society that echoed a similar moment on January 6, 1872, when Edward D. Stokes shot railroad baron James Fisk Jr. as he descended the staircase of New York’s Grand Central Hotel. The quarrel was over Fisk’s mistress, Josie, who had taken up with the handsome Stokes, but the murder instantly provoked a popular condemnation of the ties between big business and government.

Fisk was a rich, flamboyant, and unscrupulous man-about-town, who was deeply entwined both with railroad barons like Jay Gould, Daniel Drew, and Cornelius Vanderbilt and with New York’s Tammany Hall political machine and its infamous leader, William Marcy Tweed. Tweed made sure the laws benefited the railroads and, the papers noted, snuck into the hotel to say goodbye to his friend in the hours it took for him to perish.

After the Civil War, most Americans applauded the nation’s businessmen for the support their growing industries had provided to the Union, but by 1872 the enormous fortunes the railroad men had amassed had tarnished their reputation. At the same time, big operators were starting to squeeze smaller enterprises out of business in order to control the markets, and popular anger simmered over their increasing control of the economy.

Stokes’s shooting was the event that sparked a popular rebellion. Newspapers covered every minute of the event and Fisk’s demise, while sensational books about the murder rolled off the presses.

Together, they redefined late nineteenth-century industrialists, with one painting Fisk as a representative businessman who with just “an hour’s effort,” could “gather into his clutches a score of millions of other people’s property, impoverish a thousand wealthy men, or derange the values and the traffic of a vast empire.”

Both those covering the murder and those reading about it rejoiced in Fisk’s misfortune.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[asoulwithadream]

The Dancing Man (1) - Sherlock & Co.

I LOVE THE DANCING MEN STORY! I remember watching the Granada Holmes version and whilst I have forgotten the ending, I still remember it being one of my favourite adventures!

I am really enjoying how they've adapted this story so far, with the music implications and the drama, their production quality is really brilliant and I don't think I've expressed this before.

As of now they're doing an excellent job of keeping me in the dark—the only things I've was able to deduce were revealed to me just a few minutes after, so I'm excited to see how it plays out. Come on, Mr. British men, wow me with your miracles!

And for my stupid little commentary...

"Piss off, get a life!" To a swan, Jawn. A Swan.

HE WAS TRYING TO SAY THIS EPISODE WAS EDGING- ABSOLUTELY NOT-

"I bring soup! Glorious soup! The soup man cometh!" I will be quoting this forever.

Why are we talking so much about Elsie? Am I being suspicious in vain or is Elsie more relevant than she sounds? (I KNEW IT)

WE'LL MEET AGAIN YES I LOVE THAT SONG—AND QUEEN? I AM THE BIGGEST QUEEN FAN AND U2???? LITERALLY WHAT OKAY STOP STALKING AT MY PLAYLIST S&H

I love how Nadia and Stammo are singing so beautifully and then you can distinguish John's borderline tone-deafness mumbling in the background.

I KNOW! I KNOW! It's Folsom Prison Blues! FOLSOM. PRISON. BLUES—(I have a friend who listens to too much Johnny Cash)

I KNOW AGAIN! IT'S THE POLICE. THE BLUMMING POLICE I LOVE THE POLICE IT'S "EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE" STING STING STING STING ST-

There's a civil parish in Norfolk called Foulsham, aka Folsom. NORFOLK. NORFOLK HOTEL. THAT'S WHERE HE IS SHERLOCKKK

The Westbourne river runs underneath the city, you say? What if something's there, what if that's a Clue to a destination…

"Awh, I love it when he does that :D" John you sweet pea <3

I love it when they do the cut-off thing. Elsie could be… Toast? Do you want any toast?

[baenyth]

Bethany's Bizarre Miraculous Fic Prompt: Hawkmoth Gets Owned By Various Fictional Detectives

Basically I want to see Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth/Poopmoth/Monarch fail more since he kinda sorta won last season. And it's also crossovers where different fictional detectives (or just people on the Kira case square,) out Hawkmoth as Gabriel Agreste once and for all and hopefully do similar stuff such as outing Lila as a liar, dragging down other corrupt adults like Tomoe and Audrey, etc. and also just various funny moments with these characters interacting with the Miracucast. Here's some ideas I have from characters I know or are just interested in:

Lieutenant Columbo. I already made a post detailing it.

L from Death Note. I haven't watched Death Note, but if the memeposts are to be believed, he would outthink Gabriel Agreste at every turn. Probably ask him to show what's behind his ascot.

Shuichi Saihara from Danganronpa V3. Aside from him deducing Gabriel as Hawkmoth with the help from his friends, imagine the shenanigans. Gonta being ecstatic for the bug-themed heroes and how nicely they treat the purified butterflies. Kokichi takes down Lila by being Kokichi. Tenko is aware of the plot and tries to get Marigami together and make them kiss, alongside getting an Julerose kiss. Kiibo and Markov bond. So do Kaito and Rose. Kirumi somehow becomes mayor of Paris.

The Scooby Gang. In general I like the concept of silly guys managing to defeat Hawkmoth. They would accidentally find the secret elevator to Emile's pod and manage to use Ladybug and Chat Noir as bait for a trap and at the end, (since I like to imagine they're meddling adults at this point,) Gabriel Agreste grumbles that "at least it wasn't those meddling kids Ladybug and Chat Noir." They also take down the rest of Paris's elite because that's who the villains of Scooby Doo are.

The Duwang Gang. I think Kwamis and Miraculous heroes can see stands, but I'm unsure about akumatized people. Maybe. It turns out Crazy Diamond can heal people wounded by the Peacock but they pull the plug on Emile for the health of everyone. Rohan Kishibe uses Heaven's Door on the Miracukids and gets into accidental meta commentary upon discovering the full love square. He also uses Heaven's Door on Luka and it's sheet music. Maybe let Yukako join in too because of how much of a romancefest this show is and also because I like her and she had such a big presence in Great Days. Gabriel Agreste ends up with a similar fate to Yoshikage Kira, being surrounded by our heroes and helpless to do anything.

Sam and Max. I don't know much about them other that they're 1. funny guys, and 2. might just end up hitting Gabriel Agreste with their car.

Steve from Blue's Clues. Aside from the inherent humor of an educational kids show host taking down a terrorist supervillain, it also implies Blue knows who Hawkmoth is. Steve sits on the thinking chair to deduce Hawkmoth's identity and where he's hiding.

Courage the Cowardly Dog. Maybe Muriel and Eustace are dead and he was sent to live with Mylene and her dad. I feel like they'd get along well. Or maybe they're still alive and just visiting Paris and Muriel and Eustace are staying with Mylene and her dad. Either way I think this should take place around season 5 because the alliance ring works well with Courage's themes of paranoia over something supernatural putting your family at risk.

Agent P. Maybe Hawkmoth gets so desperate he gets Doctor Doofenshmirtz to build a wife-revive inator only for Emile to end up in another coma after accidentally pressing the self-destruct button on said inator. No one recognizes Agent P without his hat because this is Miraculous and people are dumb. Perry gets to beat the stuffing and tar out of Hawkmoth. Doof betrays him when he learns about how shitty of a dad he is. The miraculous heroes are allowed into OWCA on account of the animal theming.

The Smiling Friends. It starts off with a mission involving all of the main four helping Marinette smile and spirals down from there.

Not Batman. I've had enough Miraculous-Batman crossovers for one eternity.

[bromcommie]

CATCH UP TAG (BRING IT BACK NOW) (combo edition?)

tagged by @mandyyvibes @somanywords and @thankssaragorn thank you <333

Favorite color: still firmly in camp green. Specifically whatever the fuck it is nature puts in late spring leaves with all that sunlight backlighting them that makes me lose my marbles and just. sit there losing time for hours.

Last song: not a hundred percent sure? Because it was over on YouTube and I have history off but it was probably this guy, which! Sorry, yikes. (I mean that as in: this is deeply heartfelt, but also possibly not entirely translatable nor my brightest musical moment.)

or,

their lyrics are very: was this guy onto something big or was he just onto a realization about empathy most people've already figured out by 14 or was he just very, very high (or am I?) but god, I have an incredible (and incredibly nostalgic) soft spot for The War on Drugs. And also their instrumentals being somehow very melancholy and hopeful at the same time gets me every time. (There's a whole playlist involved, I'm afraid. Some of it blorbo-ified.)

Last book: The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr. I’m only about a quarter in so I’ll abstain from any decisive commentary, but so far I’m mostly enjoying it.

Last movie: The Sound of Music. My grandma had it on the TV last week and was singing along incredibly loudly. We had a blast.

Last TV show: Ugh…season 5 of You. And I hated it profoundly even as an ugh fine play in the background while I make dinner because there's nothing better on Netflix soap opera. It was just...really not very enjoyable to me even within its own established genre. 🤷����‍♀️ Immediately before that, season 3 of White Lotus, which I actually have a surprising number of opinions on, but they still for the most part all boil down to: ugh. I guess, fine? Which is not necessarily the sentiment you want to get from your polished, rich people doing wildly entertaining shit HBO drama.

Sweet/savory/spicy: still a sodium freak with a strong spicy streak. But also I’ve had this question a bunch of times in a row now and it’s not all that fun nor revealing (without getting personal), so let me propose either: what's your favorite season (and why)? and/or, do you like golden hour or “blue” hour better (and why)? for anyone else doing this after me. Only if you want, of course.

Last thing I googled, or duckduckgo’d—duckduckwent?—looked up: Franco Citti Accattone. Again. For recreational/R&D purposes, meaning I've made up a blorbo all for myself and assigned him a face and now I have to refer to it for the rest of my life, apparently.

Looking forward to: hanging out with my cousin from out of town this week! Yay! (Also hopefully getting a decent examiner and fucking passing my driver's test in May lol but like. knock on wood, spit on anything within reach, make the sign of the cross three times, or whatever you guys might have to offer. Please.)

Current obsessions: well :) I suppose besides the obvious: my Duolingo streaks that I've recently resuscitated. It's frankly a kind of meh (and aggressive, holy shit) language learning software, esp if you've got multiple languages at different lvls of development, so I'm always looking for better alternatives (please help, again?). But it's a nice compulsion to have as opposed to just refreshing other apps obssessively and if you're really meticulous with it you might even get to write down some word definitions.

Favourite crisp: gonna do the same thing as with the sweet/savoury/spicy thing, and answer—anything very, very salty! And also add: What’s your go-to comfort music/song/playlist? and/or, what’s your creative outlet (even if you don’t consider yourself a “creative” person?)

Last song you sang out loud: honestly no clue. It might be either Somebody Told Me by The Killers or I've Heard That Song Before by Harry James & Helen Forrest. I've been on a weird kick lately

The last book I opened: Nature Is A Human Right ed. Ellen Miles, in trying to find a quote and make someone see a very blatant point. And it didn't work, unfortunately :|

Earbuds, headphones, or nothing? Headphones when on my computer, earbuds on the street and nothing at home. But let me once again be too nosy and offer a replacement ask: Do you get more caught up listening to music by yourself, with friends, or in a crowd?

Last place I went to other than home: driving exam :|||| It went well, until it didn't.

A colour that looks good on you: eh blue or green or black. But who am I to say.

Last trailer you saw: Um, I think Together? Or possibly Bring Her Back? I'm a big trailer person, I watch a lot of them. This month was apparently the psychological horror special. Either way, that's more or less what I want most psychological horror trailers to show me. Yes, girl. Give me a lot of mundane everday acts painted sinister! And possibly a child acting weird! Yes, give me nothing in terms of plot!

I feel like this has been around x500 times but no pressure tagging @helly-ena @emjee @village-skeptic @snowangeldotmp3 @hardtobeasaintdotmp3 @gyokujyn @one-eyed-bossman. And please, anyone else that feels like doing it: do it! <3

[bismuthbookshelf]

STORIES FROM STYX - thoughts/commentary

You enjoy Epic The Musical and/or Hadestown? Cool, watch this, then read my thoughts/commentary under the Read More (FULL SPOILERS UNDERNEATH)

TITANOMACHY:

First of all, I had never heard of this word before (and had never spoken it out loud before until I was reading out the songlist to a friend of mine the other day and stumbled at the first hurdle, so to speak). It means "titan battle", and refers to the mythological 10-year war between the Titans and the Olympians.

Okay so I remembered that Poseidon is older than Zeus (if for no other reason than because of a fan comic by Neal Illustrator), but I had to double check Hades' "sibling position", and yeah he's the oldest.

Anyway, somehow I was not expecting Peter (Zeus) to immediately start singing in a lower vocal range than Luke Holt did as Epic!Zeus! (I know that Luke Holt isn't actually a bass, but still, damn.)

Speaking of Neal Illustrator, hey it's the animatic bit from the teaser trailer! Except it keeps going! And holy damn Neal freaking COOKED with this!

(Also I love the kinda 8-bit sound to the music here, definitely videogame vibes!)

I'm probably gonna talk about the animatics/animations more than the illustrations, but GODDAMN were there some killer illustrations in this! Like I wanna put some of them up on my bedroom wall, they're just so good!

"So blinded by the moon, we forget about the stars" is an absolutely fire lyric, and I can already predict Mortius going crazy about it!

SHADES:

Love this Underworld design by Liam Davidson!

Mircsy!!! Showing off with the angled shots and the freaking hands honestly /lh

(Also I love how all the other characters are like meant to at least look like their voice actors a little bit, but Hades is just straight up Casper) (And earrings exist in ancient Greek times, apparently (but honestly slay))

Camalemsy! I mostly know them from them being one of the ones who helped out Gwendy for official Epic livestream animation stuff. They're great at lighting I gotta say!

Snek!!! <3 (no clue what the snake's presence means or what it represents though)

Blue roses! I just googled them and apparently they can represent mystery, aspiration, and The Unattainable. That third one seems accurate for this context, but idk

I'm having the same kind of moment that I had when I listened to Mortius's Rediscovery EP, where the vocals are so darn good that I almost kinda forget who I'm listening to (but like in a nice way) (it's hard to explain)

El_Crafts! With the lighting flashes and the background quick changes!

Pomegranate tree! :D

El_Crafts gave "Hadesper" an eyebrow notch, lol, love that 👌

The piano instrumental at the end is so pretty! (Low-key Thunder Bringer ending vibes, just a teeny tiny bit). I'm assuming Casper did that too?

IN THE UNDERWORLD NOW:

Man I love this song - the fact that it's the shortest of the whole first act is a freaking crime!

I've heard of Minos before, assuming this is the same dude who became king and had the whole minotaur story business (I could be wrong, though), but I'm not familiar with the other two judges. Also if they're sons of Zeus, are they like gods or demigods or something?

"Assemble the judges, half of six" at first I was just like "man we're really reaching for a rhyme for River Styx, huh? But then I was like wait, this is the third song of act 1, which is six songs total, meaning we'r currently at the "half of six" point! Very clever honestly (ain't no way that's unintentional!)

JP Warner! He didn't just do the mixing and mastering for these songs, but also he voices one of the judges, Aeacus! :D (No clue how to pronounce that, lol rip)

The animation of some poor soul getting whacked off the ferry by the ferryman's oar is hilarious honestly. Absolutely be nice to Charon, don't get on his bad side!

Ximena! In full colour!

Also hello Minos with the bass vocals! According to the premiere chat, he hit a B1, which is a big deal for singers outside of the acapella world! (It's a big deal within acapella as well, but basses have slightly more representation in acapella than other styles of music)

CROSSROADS:

Seriously Ardenzia's illustrations are freaking GORGEOUS!! How freaking long did they take??

Also Teagan Earley My Beloved <3 <3 <3

LIVE-ACTION VISUALS! Did Casper ask Teagan to do a little video or did she just offer, because honestly it wouldn't surprise me if it was the latter. Queen! Love her!

Also Teagan is using pretty much her full range in this song and it's fantastic

Love how it says "PERSEPHONE & ????" at first in the lyrics as if it's not immediately obvious who it's gonna be (though I gotta say that the mixing and the harmony both really disguise his voice)

TEAGAN THAT HIGH NOTE!!!

When Persephone grabs Hades' hand, vines come and wrap around both their wrists, I guess as a symbol of their strong connection, but the vines have thorns, which I guess represents how them being together does kinda have some repercussions? Idk I'm speculating here.

As Hades' chariot is riding across/above the River Styx, Persephone reaches down and dips her hand into the water, and then splashes Hades with it. People in the premiere chat were like "ah! finally! Wet Hades!" (surely that was a deliberate inclusion, come on)

MY PERSEPHONE:

The intro lines were used in the release date trailer, but the animatic from that trailer is from a different part of the song!

(Also shoutout to Zionreverb for this art! The absolute love, yearning, and adoration captured in Hades' face (and entire body language) is just chefs kiss)

Pronouncing "fiery" as "feery" instead of "fire-y". Wonder if that's just an artistic/musical choice or what?

Hyacinthus! Achilles and Patroclus! (I think) Orpheus and Eurydice!

Hades going down on one knee AWWW

Seriously this whole song is so freaking beautiful and the depiction of Hades and Persephone's romance is super adorable!

Persephone's verse in this was written by Teagan herself! Casper said in the premiere chat that he wanted a woman's perspective for it, which like is obviously fair, and Teagan is definitely up for the task!

"Styx can offer you reflections, shadows still have arms to hold" these lyrics are brilliant honestly

Omg I just realized that in the illustration by Vannahbloom, there's a small patch of warm orange just underneath Persephone's foot, while the rest of the group is a cool blue! (Watching this in full-screen helps as well)

So I'm pretty sure what Persephone is saying is "just remember that I am a whole person [or goddess, I suppose], and I'm not just something pretty to look at or 'possess'. I would like to properly form a bond with you so long as you're willing to also properly form a bond with me in return."

GIGI! BELOVED! (And full colour once more!)

(Also the first few shots of Gigi's animatic low-key is in parallel with her end animatic for WYFILWMA in the Epic livestream imo)

And roses bloom where she steps! And then more of them all around! Not just blue roses, but also orange, pink, and red ones! (Also love the beat marking of the roses blooming on the stalactites in time with the piano)

Thought we were gonna get a Gigi 360 Spin Shot, but it was just a 180 shot. But we did get a kiss!

(And the way Casper-as-Hades says "Persephone" quietly at the end of the song just makes me like 🥺

THERE IS NO NAME:

Is the pronunciation of Demeter's name like a solid set-in-stone thing or is it a tomayto tomahto situation? Because like it's pronounced deh-MEE-ter here, but I always thought it was DEH-meh-ter. But then again, my idea of Hephaestus' name pronunciation was incorrect for years until I watched the Percy Jackson series and I was like "wait that's how it's pronounced?" So what do I know

This repeating piano melody is so eerie! Like it sounds like it's got a slight echo to it maybe? And the notes sound so "heavy", like someone is really hitting every single key. (I don't actually play piano, this is just my interpretation)

Who did the scream? Was that also Jen?

What are these whispers saying? The only word I can make out is "underworld"

"He defiled her! He stole her! He gave her no choice!" These are basically just spoken lines and yet it sounds completely different to Jen's regular speaking voice (especially as Jen is from England, but you can't hear any of her typical accent here!). Voice acting queen!

Gwendy! Full cooking as per usual!

Hey Zeus, back again!

Only now realized in the Smoolio illustration that Demeter's right arm appears to be freezing, or at least becoming extremely cold!

Does Zeus' belt thing have his face on the front of it? (Would be fully on-brand for Zeus ngl)

Love these Greek pottery illustrations!

"For half of the year, she would stride in the sun, but the rest of rotations would take place in un-derworldly conditions". Mid-sentence (mid-word) rhyme! Mortius loves those!

Finishing with Anniflamma!

In conclusion, this is freaking amazing, and this needs to be seen by every single Epic fan and reactor immediately. Well done Casper! I'm sure part 2 will be just as amazing if not better!

[satvpsandowns]

I'm rereading Blue Lock after watching Episode Nagi in cinemas and I'm already at the end of Manshine vs Bastard and I keep finding new questions and answers regarding Reo and Nagi's relationship. It's so interesting. I love both of them so much, I never thought I'd get invested again in manga characters and their development.

This is my small rambling, a way to put into words what I've gotten so far.

Nagi was so angry and confused during the second selection while Reo was sad and a bit lost. I felt so bad for Nagi, he was excited while playing with Isagi, they gained Barou and Chigiri, then Isagi left, and he had to face being alone while having broken up with Reo a couple of matches ago.

After the u-20 game, Reo was trying to get back to his original plan and dream and Nagi...we still don't know that much yet, but their relationship was tense.

The Manshine game was a great battle field to showcase the new Reo, to prove his new polished weapons, he made the opening shot, and tried, for the first time, to directly work towards his ideal self: the all rounder, versatile midfielder.

Isagi and Reo's relationship has always been interesting to me. They don't insult each other, they have a certain level of respect, maybe because both are similar (overthinkers, playmakers, "average not-so-average"). But they are rarely in the same wavelength, I mean, Isagi doesn't know that much about Nagi and Reo's relationship, so he misses a couple of layers in Reo's dialogue, he sees Reo independently, so that's why I loved this game, he kept acknowledging Chigiri's and Reo's improvements: the 44 golden zone and metavision, respectively.

MC vs BM proved to the reader that Reo is a strong player, a threat, while still being insecure about his abilities, his style and his talent. In sum, a latent potential of greatness. Reo acknowledges Isagi back as someone who keeps changing and evolving in better versions of himself, he knows he's on his way too but then, Nagi happens.

I found this turn understandable. Nagi was frustrated, he said he wanted to defeat Isagi because it was the freshest problem in his mind, the easiest to articulate. Even Prince "was weirded tf out", even Reo was like "..." I'm not sure what else happened in his head (let's wait for EpiNagi ig ;_;) but he saw how strong his team was, how confident they were playing, how good Reo had gotten.

His request to Reo, the "I need you" was the breaking point. Reo was still in the process of relearning himself. Getting what you formerly wanted so desperately hits different depending on your mental state. And Reo's mental state wasn't at his best yet. The reader tends to, sort of, know whose character has already wrapped up the key points in their development, and I take Isagi and Reo's comments on each other as an affirmation of "work in progress".

So Nagi verbalising his dream, what he wanted, shook Reo's focus. And I don't blame any of them. Reo wanted to be needed by Nagi, his first friend, his partner who made his dream feel achievable, while Nagi wanted to feel the warmth and comfort (and fun) of playing soccer and getting challenged. Both wanted to feel like protagonists, just like Isagi said.

There was a chance and they took it. They succeeded immediately, and just as easy, old and new problems unfolded. Only this time, Reo seems more ready to battle on his own.

Again, Isagi's "teenage drama combo" commentary gives the reader a clue: that comfort and having a soft spot for each other is not really a problem. It's a pillar for development, a tool, but not the only one, as it can be easily read at NEL level.

So after getting back together and tying the game, Isagi recognizes Reo's metavision, but some pages later, he pushes and stops Nagi and tells him he had surpassed him. This time Nagi doesn't seem to mind, for his dream of defeating Isagi was accomplished with his "revolutionary five volley shot" or something like that. This crystallises the new problem: they might be on good terms again but it can only last so much, it may last even less. And as a reader and someone who likes both characters so much for what they, individually, entail thematically, I'm anxious and excited.

In a few words, Reo has a soft spot for Nagi, and Reo is like a compass to Nagi. That's a given. Both respect, recognize and value each other to a degree that's just SO DAMN SWEET. 

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #64

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 5, The Ball, watch

...

Sideburns Check

The sideburns are short.

As my theory goes, Crowley went for a drive to shorten them. That will give him a "human" reading and possibly hold off a supernatural zone forming until later.

...

Brighter Red Streak Check

With the sunlight and the red hair looking more red, the more saturated red streak of hair is a little difficult to find. Still, I think it is there.

...

Hairstyle Changes

The sideburns are shorter. The red hair is more red. Otherwise, the top hair is more wild in its curls.

...

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects | The Ball Invitations Checklist | The Pocket Trick Touch #3 - Double - Between Door Frames and Papers | The Bigger Thresholds Trick Visual Representation)

Aziraphale starts with touching a clipboard and pen though the pen is blurry. He opens the door, touching both the doorknob and astragal.

As he is opening the door, Crowley is arriving back from his drive and parking in front of the coffee shop. Then the bookshop door is heard as being closed.

The camera shows us part of the list, including that "Arnold's" is first. This part is important for later.

Crowley is shown with his right hand touching the door to his car. The touch includes a reflection of that hand on the door.

Additionally, a clasp is shown at a lapel edge, to indicate he is retying his Tied Hands.

Crowley approaches Aziraphale with the question, "Are you actually going through with this?" As he does so, his thumb joints line up with his jacket, his watch is visible, and he briefly extends his index finger as further signs of the Tied Hands retying.

Aziraphale is still holding his clipboard and answers, "Indeed I am."

There is a brief cut that has no dialogue as Crowley turns his head to watch Aziraphale. This cut is the theoretical start of the Double in The Pocket Trick. It reminds us that the Rainbow Connection left off on Blue and is still on Blue. It includes a Pocket Chain reference since the cut includes Crowley's own Bentley and another car passing by that ends up visually pocketing Crowley, briefly.

With that cut done, a new one starts. Crowley asks another question with, "Can I watch?" In this cut, Crowley has the first of two hinge touches with his jacket before entry into the bigger threshold leading to the music shop. His left thumb joint is shown and then understood to be aligned with a folded edge of his jacket. The dialogue is probably a clue that the watch has an important job during the Double for The Pocket Trick.

This cut also, I think, stalls the Rainbow Connection from switching to Blue to Purple due to how the red rear lights on a car are blocked as a human wearing blue, orange, and white passes through the pocket formed between Aziraphale and Crowley.

Then there is the next cut for the next hinge touch. This time the left thumb CMC joint lines up with a corner for the jacket. Crowley gets at least one Overhead Light for his actual head and a potential extra Overhead Light for his Belt Head.

Crowley's left arm and left side of his torso visually pocket some green from plants and yellow lights. The green of leaves and yellow lights are relevant to how the Rainbow Connection is managed later for The Door Trick and The Door Catch.

As Aziraphale and Crowley walk forward, there is a hole in the wall. That is the opening to the bigger threshold leading to the music shop. The incoming threshold is the Single of The Bigger Thresholds Trick.

...

Story Commentary

The ball invitations are about to begin.

These invitations are like a mini-game that Aziraphale and Crowley play, such that they have to work together separately.

Each of them will work to earn solo sets based on the mechanics of Earthly Objects. While they attend each invitation together and look at each other, they will both avoid actually talking to each other.

In fact, Crowley will avoid talking to anyone during the actual inviting.

Aziraphale's inviting the humans to a "meeting," and Crowley to the "bookshop."

Crowley is inviting the humans to his supernatural zone that will form as the ball starts. Theoretically. That would, in turn, be for The Sideburns Scheme game.

I made a post to help as a checklist for what to look for in these invitations: The Ball Invitations Checklist.

I don't have it all figured out, but I have notes of some observed patterns and what to look for.

It's probably not a coincidence that the bookshop door was opened as Crowley himself arrived. I'm intrigued by the story's choice of showing Crowley's arrival through a window within the bookshop while Aziraphale himself is not at that window. Is Gabriel watching? Or someone or something else?

This scene is an initiating part for the Double in The Pocket Trick and general preparation for these ball invitations.

It includes a clue that a bigger threshold is about to be entered for the Single of The Bigger Thresholds Trick.

The surface-level story shows that Aziraphale has decided that he wants this meeting to happen, and Crowley's tagging along to watch how Aziraphale plans to make this meeting happen.

However, the ball invitations themselves suggest that there is some layered story and awareness in them both in overall preparation for this ball because of how they play their solo sets as a little game.

The next post might be long and take some extra time to draft because it will have the first ball invitation, the continuation of the Double in The Pocket Trick, and the Single of The Bigger Thresholds Trick. A lot is happening in the upcoming scene.

...

That's it for this post. Sometimes I edit my posts, FYI.

...

Main post:

The Sideburns Scheme

[elizabethrobertajones]

Not a familiar constellation or star in sight. Frog stared at the strange spattering of stars and couldn't feel a whisper of the connection her years of training as an Astrologian had gifted her.

Then she focussed and spoke the familiar words of spells that called out to the patrons of the stars who weren't present, whose associated stars were not even in the sky. And the warmth of the celestial blessing flooded her; the gaze she felt as she drew intercession down to heal answered in the very sigils of gods who weren't even born yet.

"Maybe it's the distant connection through the Crystal Tower," she mused, still dissatisfied and confused, but with no clue where to look next.

(A malm away in  Anagnorisis, Charmion shivered and blinked, and looked around at her coworkers, seeing they'd startled too. "Did you just feel Azem channel a tiny bit of aether from you too? I wonder what that was for! Maybe the familiar is still here and she needed some more?"

They shrugged about it as Weird Azem Things, the least of which had happened that afternoon, and went back to their work)

...

Frog still trying to understand how Astrologian worked out in Elpis before Myths of the Realm answered some very pressing questions and took the mystic woo out of AST's prayer-based spells.

"Job" for FFXIV Vanilla Gpose Challenge... My favourite thing you can do in just vanilla gpose is playing with all the spells and abilities, watching them frame by frame and appreciating details that whoosh by in combat.

.... yeah that's her current AST glam; if we're not using mods I'm not buying a half dozen pots of the expensive dark blue dye to recreate her levelling gear, we're errrrrrrrrr doing a meta commentary on the limitations of vanilla gpose for storytelling. Or time is fake in Elpis. :P

[twig-tea]

Get To Know Me Tag

Tagged by @telomeke @lurkingshan @my-rose-tinted-glasses @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle and @hyeoni-comb thank you all! 💕

Do you make your bed?

I like a messy bed, it feels more welcoming to me somehow. The only time I make my bed is when I'm without heat and it's winter, then you gotta do it to keep in any residual warmth! But normally I'd rather keep everything loose.

What’s your favorite number?

I....don't think I have one? Is this a thing people have, how do you choose?

What is your job?

I manage a team of Product Owners in the Operations division of a multinational company. In other words, I go to a lot of meetings.

If you could go back to school, would you?

Absolutely not. Beyond the fact that I was formerly a substantive editor of university textbooks, which included both editing the textbook content and sometimes writing their ancillaries (tests, powerpoint slides, etc.) so it feels like I took first-year Sociology at least ten times, I just don't love formalized education. I love learning but on my own terms and at my own pace.

Can you parallel park?

I can't drive at all! Technically I learned how, took lessons and everything, but never got my license.

A job you had that would surprise people?

Hmm. I was a call center person for half a day, it was terrible and I left without getting paid for the work I did because I was so eager to get out of there I didn't want to fight them for my pay (even though I needed the money which is why I was there in the first place). I hate phone calls, I can't hear well on the phone, and it was clear the call center script was designed to be exploitative. It was one of the worst jobs for me I could have taken lol

Do you think aliens are real?

I think it's extremely likely!

Can you drive a manual car?

Nope, even when I learned, it was only on an automatic.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

I'm not guilty about it but I can decimate an entire family size mac and cheese when I'm feeling down.

Tattoos?

I have 3 tattoos; one on each foot and one on the back of my neck. They form a rainbow.

Favorite color?

Blue-green! The shade of preference for any given moment varies, but anything in the region from mint to aqua to teal to turquoise will do; I love them all.

Favorite type of music?

My music taste varies widely but the common denominators are 1) fast tempo or upbeat, 2) solid harmonies, and 3) if there's a tempo or key change I am doubly sold.

Do you like puzzles?

Love puzzles of all kinds. I have a collection of jigsaw puzzles I do regularly, and word puzzles, logic puzzles, sudoku type stuff is all very fun. I don't make a lot of time for them but I do them occasionally and always enjoy it.

Any phobias?

I am afraid of falling. Not heights, but falling. The difference is: I can lean over the railing at the top of a 20-storey building or walk on a glass floor over a big drop and just feel a minor thrill, but am terrified to the point of maybe crying if I have to balance on a single step of a ladder or walk across a patch of ice. I had several brushes with death related to falling when I was a kid, and a few bad falls that caused injury as an adult, so it makes sense. Luckily I am pretty tall so I rarely have to do any kind of ladder-ing!

Favorite childhood sport?

American-style tackle football. We used to play at lunch on the pavement because the soccer kids got the field; we played in all seasons including snow, and we did it for love of the sport. I loved it a lot.

Do you talk to yourself?

Occasionally I'll provide a little commentary on what's happening aloud to myself; but I don't really have fully conversations.

What movies do you adore?

I have loved a lot of movies in my time! A few random ones that come to mind right now because I've been thinking about them for whatever reason are Saving Face (2004), Monster (2023), Practical Magic (1998), Moonlight (2016), and Clue (1985).

Coffee or tea?

Despite my username being a type of tea, in this as in all things I am a perfect Kinsey 3. Love both equally and drink a ton of both (coffee more regularly, tea in greater volume).

First thing you wanted to be growing up?

Lifeguard, I think! And then when I was in elementary school I wanted to edit textbooks (I was that kid who got annoyed whenever there were mistakes), so I did actually get to do my childhood dream job.

No pressure tags just going with vibes based on who I've interacted with recently (if you've done this already tag me in the comments!): @rocketturtle4 @visualtaehyun @sollucets @troubled-mind @jimmysea @ginnymoonbeam