#but it's still a small piece of the puzzle just like posters and trailer and merch and everything else in between outside of the show

[chirpsythismorning]

I'm not going to say we should take every single thing official Netflix accounts post as gospel, because obviously they are not run by the Duffer Brothers themselves.

But to be clear, these people are hired by Netflix and there's more to it than just random interns scheduling posts. The people running these accounts are not the same people designing the posts made there, just like the people designing those posts have higher ups telling them what to do/not do in terms of the content they are creating. And there are plenty more levels that go beyond that, which eventually does lead to the Duffers and producers of the show, who do have a stake in how the show is promoted on a basic level to best align with their intentions and all the revelations still to come.

It is common knowledge that the Duffers work with Netflix marketing directly on a consistent basis to get their vision across, and that carries out in promotion with posters, merchandise, social media, etc., because it's really important in ST case (with it being a show made by nerds that love easter eggs), that they foreshadow what is still to come outside of the show itself.

When it comes to social media, the core purpose of those accounts is to encourage engagement for Netflix's user base, ideally ensuring they tune in to whatever is being promoted (and more), but it’s also more than that, in that it’s even more based on data and other factors.

What this leads to is the people in those less major decision-making roles, like graphic designers, simply being advised what to create, based on the information and content they are given to work with.

And so these accounts going from promoting byler subtly for years, to blatantly posting about it post-s5, is actually very, very intentional, going beyond a simple Netflix intern. It’s orchestrated by those in management positions, being advised by those in the ST production to do things a certain way, so that when all is said and done, we are able to look back and find tiny little things that point to it.

Byler can't be something they NEVER talked about even once on social media, only to have them end up being endgame with them posting about it forever afterwards when it's all said and done. It doesn't work like that, at least not in ST case. We're talking about a production that costs hundreds of millions to make, as well as being the most talked about mainstream series of our generation.

They have an obligation to make their story feel not only satisfying on its own, but to also promote the show in a way that makes the viewer feel this whole well-rounded experience, outside of the show itself as well.

And so when ST came out in summer 2022 and Netflix Geeked was making posts about it non-stop, that wasn't a rogue, low-paid Netflix intern doing whatever they wanted. That was multiple people with a job given a task and following through with it at their advisers discretion. Regardless of where it ended up, it started at the top with the Duffers informing higher ups in marketing that Byler is something that will happen, along with other revelations that they want to inform marketing about, so they can take the steps to plan ahead and create content that matches the Duffer's vision, most often to act as a foreshadowing device for the story still unraveling.

Remember when Netflix Geeked made a post acknowledging that Will the Wise drawing in El's room back in s3?? A very well known byler easter egg that only we know about??? That wasn't some ga intern watching the show once and them spontaneously coming up with content to create related to that drawing and posting about it themselves. That was very likely someone associated with the show giving suggestions to marketing, with a few of them being very incriminating in relation to byler, but with most being casual in relation to the show overall.

Just like I said in this post about how Noah didn't tweet about byler or mention it multiple times at cons unprompted bc he was feeling quirky. He was being advised to...

And look what Netflix did to that tweet Noah posted that was clearly a stunt in an of itself.? They broadcasted it and made a cheesy ass edit out of it... And it's bc several people behind the scenes were advised to make content like that specifically.

I mean, if you actually look at how social media promotes byler (if and when it does), it's arguably in the exact way that the Duffers want it to be promoted?. Just enough. Not too little. Not too much. I would argue if the Duffers had no say whatsoever in how the show was promoted, then we'd either be seeing byler constantly or we wouldn't see them at all, instead we see social media sort of dance around it, which tells me they are following the exact approach the Duffers themselves follow... because they were obviously given the instruction to.

And so seeing an account like UK Netflix, an account that as of recent has really went all out with posting Queer content since Heartstopper released, has also notably made really incriminating posts about byler over the years, but especially as of recent. And that's in large part because of what I've stated, but also based on data.

If higher ups in marketing at Netflix know about byler, then they are very likely pushing people lower on the payroll, doing more simple tasks like graphic design and social media management, to make connections to ST with other shows like Heartstopper, Sex Education, Young Royals, etc. And this is because if byler IS going to end up being this huge Queer love story, data is telling them to make these connections sooner than later, so that the eventual revelation will be a smooth transition amongst other content just like it. This works in Netflix's favor at the end of the day, which is the whole point of all of this.

Not saying you should take the most casual of Netflix posts as byler endgame proof if that's what you're asking. But to say that these accounts have NO association with the Duffer's and ST directly, therefore we shouldn’t even appreciate anything they post if it points to byler, is sort of over-simplifying things.

It's not like s5 is gonna drop and all of these interns are going to be like OHHH okay now i'm a byler so i'll post about it... Going into s5 they're going to be making some very side eye posts and it isn't going to have anything to do with them being an intern without any say in things, its gonna be about them getting a task list and following through with it bc it's their job.

[19thperson]

19th's Next Fest Impressions - Day 7

Day 0/Day 1/ Day 2/Day 3/Day 4/Day 5/Day 6

Last day, and only day where I had zero other obligations. Lets go out with a bang.

Keylocker

In a grim cyberpunk future where music is banned, you're music. Therefore, you're banned

I wanted to like this game, but aside from the writing not landing with me, there was a key mechanical problem constantly getting in the way.

The game has a timed hits and timed defense system that's punishingly strict, and enemy damage is tuned under the assumption that you'll be getting at least partial dodges consistently. Which I wasn't. It was worse on the first try when I unknowingly chose a class that could only damage on counter.

This isn't usually a problem for me... until I realized a 2nd problem. One that's probably just restricted to the prologue since it's about escaping the anti-music jail

There's no music. Nothing to mentally time beats and inputs to.

I got frustrated and ended it early.

Tenebris Somnia

Horror game whose main claim of interest is that it's mixing retro pixel art with high definition live action footage. In demo this was presented by solving a series of puzzles, then it cut to live action to show the monster that appeared, then you run away from the monster. There is something interesting going on beneath this. It seems to be setting up a story specifically about film. You are playing as a girl who is checking up on her shitty ex, because she's had nonstop nightmares of him being killed by The Creatures and she needs to reality check herself.

Both you and the ex are severe film buffs, both worked together on a short film. When you arrive to his apartment, it is beaten to shit, broken film trophies, his film reels in the oven burning, the poster for his short film "Devourer" shattered. While it's not stated, I'm guessing that the monster that attacks us is from said film.

Shitty ex seems to have turned to the occult both due to dissatisfaction with how his film career is going and out of being torn up about you leaving.

There's roads for this to go some really interesting places. There's also roads for this to go pretentious places. But I still wanna see.

Simulacro

Greek art student goes out to a mysterious island recently uncovered by a massive lake's water level going down due to climate change. She's here to paint the nature. While there she discovers artifacts talking about "The true nature of reality," and at one point is overtaken by inspiration to draw the ruins she imagines would have been there in its heyday. The ruins then appear in real life.

There's a core problem with this game that feels really unfair to say considering it's a small Brazilian team's first game. It's a painting/photography game, and the main character is constantly talking about how beautiful her surroundings are. But they're writing a check that their rendering ability and art direction can't cash. I would accept the island looks kinda off if the game wasn't constantly trying to convince me otherwise. The two types of puzzles the game has in the demo are painting puzzles, find an angle where you get certain targets all in one frame, and artifact puzzles, arrange these broken pieces so that they're one again. The former is more interesting than the latter, but the system to recognize if something is "in the shot" is kinda finicky. The trailer shows more types so hopefully there's more variation in the final release. Most interesting thing about this game thematically is that it takes place in the 2080, and climate change has gotten bad bad bad. The game is selling itself as being a philosophical exploration, and ideally it seems like it's trying the difficult maneuver of "What's the point to these abstract questions when everything is dying?"

Boyscout - Patrick's Town

Your name is Patricio and not Patrick and you are a kid who likes helping people in your town. In the demo your day is spent getting ingredients and then delivering an apple pie to your grandma for her birthday. Then in the middle of the night a UFO crashes near the town. The pixel art ranges from competent to fantastic depending on the mode (although I do not like the artist's propensity for Usopp lips.) Music is really good. Aside from the combination of aliens and idyllic towns, this is where the homier mother influence feels really noticeable. Although that specific style is not really reflected in the trailer... Writing is… they need a 2nd pass on the translation. Sentences missing a lot of punctuation, an apple pie also being referred to as an apple cake interchangeably, awkward wording throughout. It's thankfully a text lite game, not as detrimental as a visual novel or RPG with the same problems, but still a very visible roadblock.

SoulQuest

2D DMC. 2DMC.

I will say this: they've gotten the combo game down. Chaining shit together feels good. If that was the only metric this was being judged by, the game would be exceeding all expectations.

but there are a few problems:

1) It is not just combat. There is platforming. Platforming where the hitbox of the platform seem slightly thinner than the sprite. And there's no coyote time. The game also likes to place spikes underneath you in these sections.

Did I mention checkpointing is frugal?

I'm not mad.

2) Unless I'm crazy/misreading things, your dodge roll doesn't have I-frames on startup, just during the middle of the roll. IT feels like I'm getting hit by things I shouldn't be hit by.

I'm not mad.

3) Say you got overconfident and chose hard mode, and want to change the difficulty:

turns out each difficulty is on a separate progression track so if you got to stage 3 and then decided "I've trapped myself in a bad situation" well guess what you gotta redo stages 1 and 2 again on normal to try stage 3 on normal.

I'm not mad.

Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire

I've heard people describe this as a successor to Skies of Arcadia. I've never played that so I can't really comment on how accurate that is Plot and tone wise its a typical JRPG. You start at an Idyllic home town that might as well be a stack of firewood prepped and ready to burn. You and your friends complete your coming of age ceremony to become Pilots. Oh no here comes The Empire Alliance burning everything to the ground because your dead dad and live mom know about the void century lost history. Try to escape but mom sacrifices self to save you. There doesn't seem to be any on foot combat, all air. While there's an interesting "advantage" system I was expecting more about positioning to be there, who is on whose tail. still, early JRPG battle systems are always kinda thin, so it'll probably get more complex later. Presentation wise, I kinda wish the models emoted a bit more instead of relying solely on the character portraits. The eyes and mouths are flat textures on the face so they could theoretically be swapped out contextually. Overall if you are JRPGpilled, this'll be to your taste, and if you aren't then this won't change your mind.

Boyhood's End

A very very very loose adaptation of Night on the Galactic Railroad, from the devs behind Needy Streamer Overdose.

In a scifi future where humanity is overseen by a massive AI program spanning the galaxy, ranking all humans and directing all activity, Giovanni Stylus is the lowest ranked, namely due to his father, who once attempted a hack said galaxy spanning AI system. He attempts to support his comatose mother by doing petty hacking jobs, such as hacking into security cameras to confirm infidelity. All while being bullied the shit out of.

When his health insurance is pulled, he takes a desperate job to infiltrate said AI system and shit goes wrong. But he is saved by Campanella, who may or may not have been the one who set the job in the first place. Now they are on the run.

Pixel art is very impressive, at least when it's on close up portraits. Also has a really nice fake PC interface for menus, alongside reading fake websites and chatlogs.

The hacking system was very simple "find password" that's basically just following story prompts, but I can see it having fun uses later.

It's now on my wishlist.

Heart of the Machine

Going from fighting the overlord AI to being the overlord AI. I am very bad at being the overlord AI.

I half remembered the trailer and thought this was going to be mostly branching story events and stat balancing. When I got to managing and customizing units I knew I was in unfamiliar territory.

There is something interesting in this basically being a stealth 4x, with a major factor being "how aware is the world of your machinations" and individual units having different security clearances and the like. But I couldn't figure out how to effectively utilize any of that before I felt like my time was spent going other demos. I've heard good things so I assume that 4x heads will like this.

The Operator

You play as an Operator in the not-FBI, who gives assistance to on-site agents from your computer. It's another fake-computer-terminal database mystery game, involving going through files and finding relevant information. Also aliens may or may not be involved.

Two major things of note so far:

1) Every one of these games handles their database a different way, trying to do some means of keeping the sprawl of info digestable. This one does so by just having a handful of files related to the case immediately sent to you, with the only outside help being a persons database and a car database to cross-check details, at least so far. Torn on this. On one hand it keeps things incredibly intuitive, on the other hand "pruning through fluff" feels like it should be part of the challenge.

2) Game is very intuitive on how to put in "answers" though. You're given a question and then once you figure something out you turn on answer mode and click the relevant text or image on the screen. No messing with a prompter or choosing a whole file or whatever.

Dungeons of Hinterberg

Modern fantasy setting where monster slaying and dungeoneering has become touristy sport, like mountaineering or skiing. You play as someone who is aiming to clear all 25 of the tourist town Hinterberg's dungeons.

Gameplay is split between previously mentioned dungeoneering, exploring areas and fighting monsters, and persona-ish town stuff, buying gear and making social links.

They are genuinely skilled at beautiful dungeon design. The one in the demo was a tribute to mario galaxy with a lot of circular land masses you run around. The actual hitting things… needs more impact. It does have bayonetta timeslow on perfect dodge though.

Only got one day of town stuff so I can't really pass too much judgement there.

I am worried about "how do you squeeze pathos out of this concept if all risk has been essentially gentrified in-setting" but there is a stinger at the end of "something is rotten in hinterberg"

Has promise but not top of the list.

[mrshenrybolet]

Currently playing: LIE

Starting off with the Hardy Boys is such a good beginning

But high key Nancy disturbing the rehearsal is cringey as hell

“Can you keep a secret?” Xenia asks before waiting a fraction of a second before spilling her guts to a girl she just met.

One Man Oedipus is not something I will ever be over.

Okay but Grigor saying hell make a big family dinner happen one day is heartwrenching

Does Nancy realize that the “underworld” is just a set? She doesn’t actually have to pay the set piece with an actual stolen artifact from the museum. Stick a fuckin nickel in the thing’s hand and be on your way.

*Sees alarm keypad with fingerprints swiped all over it showing the code* Nancy: I SHOULD FIGURE OUT THE ALARM BEFORE I DO ANYTHING

Nancy straight just hands over the damn remote to Thanos because he says so. What the fuck.

Why is Nancy such a dumbass in this game

Honestly really over these stupid as fuck puzzles. I miss the puzzles that were more inventory-based. You need to find this key, or this part, or this code. Not find the letters associated with each famous Ancient Greek and then match them with their sign and then shift all the tokens around until you want to throw your computer at the wall.

Why the fuck was the show poster display box’s key in the f u c k i n g UNDERWORLD

Yes, Grigor’s backstory does crush my soul, why do you ask?

That call from Melina after finding out the artifacts are fakes triggered my fight or flight response holy shit

The fact that Frank told Nancy to pretend like they’re making small talk, and the first thing that comes to her mind is telling him that she can’t wait to see him?????????????

Nancy just confirmed that the troupe is forging art, but she just neglects to tell Melina or the Hardy Boys that?

How convenient that the one thing Niobe left for Nancy is the one thing she needs 2 minutes later to save her life

Move Charon’s damn fingers to get the thing out, he’s not an actual mythical figure, Nancy, he’s a prop.

Why didn’t they have Thanos’s growl sound less like a pathetic lil snore

So there’s just no explanation for the statue turning its head and dropping a fucking scythe on me?

The pomegranate seed puzzle is the highlight of this game

The contact says Frank and Joe, but the voicemail greeting just says Frank. Because of course Nancy would call Frank over Joe.

Nancy, you still have the entire second act to catch them and all you have to do is turn the WiFi on. Why do you feel a need to hurry?

Damn, 10 seconds after Nancy makes an announcement outing the scheme the police start showing up. Hella tight response time.

SEA might be the most extra trailer for these games there is.

[bearpillowmonster]

Rise Of Skywalker (NonSpoiler Review)

What's funny is that I changed my wallpaper right before I left because I'm superstitious and didn't want a wallpaper to come back to disappointed and the ending of TROS is very reminiscent to that wallpaper but you won't know what I mean unless you've seen my wallpaper ;D

For some background, I went into the theater and it was chilly because that was the only theater room with broken heat but it was the earliest showing for the day so they warned us but I didn't care...that is until I got there, I warmed up a little but then I had to pee so I came back and had to warm up again, affected a little bit of my experience, shaking the whole time.

Let me start with the opening, as much as people might complain about TLJ, one thing I can gather from a consensus of the fans is that the opening, though flawed with the gravity aspect, was a pretty good opening. This one's opening doesn't excite me quite as much but more just kind of jumps into it, which I can respect. They have a part where they have that ugly yellow alien, I guess his name is "Klaud", he is on one of the first poster leaks but he only pops in here, but he has no business being on the Millennium Falcon, why? That's one part I never understood.

I can tell they at least listened to some feedback with some of the inclusions and such but don't get me wrong, I don't mean fan-service, they have a moment or two of just nostalgia but I mean something like "Rey is too inexperienced to be that powerful." I never really had a problem with it but they, for one, explain it, and for two, have her training. That and some other complaints I've heard before. They do try to play "Oh, you liked this? Well let's put it in there." It does have Palpatine after all.

They don't really explain everything, like they'll just kind of brush over some stuff and then over others, I never felt like they went knee deep into anything. They had some really great parts and some great LOOKING shots but for one, it doesn't do too much that's "new" and I don't mean that as if it's like any particular movie, it doesn't seem like a retread.

And the stuff that it does do new, like I said, they just kind of brush over, such as new characters. Zori Bliss? Yeah she doesn't remove her helmet so don't get your hopes too high.

Why is Kylo's mask back? Well...to fit in with the boys. Which brings me to another topic, Kylo not being intimidating, nobody follows him. This is something that we have dealt with for quite some time, after the beginning of TFA, he just kind of stopped being scary, and in a way they take note of that but again, nobody follows him so it's kind of like "if Kylo doesn't follow the original plan then we're not following him." which doesn't make much sense and kind of just makes it seem like they wanted something to do with those characters. What about the beginning? They didn't seem to mind following him then, was that apart of the plan too? That's not rhetorical, it IS a possibility.

They do have a bit of a problem with a common trope movies fall for, I won't mention what it is but I mentioned it in my Frozen 2 review and you might be able to see it through that.C-3P0 is in a good amount, I'm surprised since he's an old character.

I thought about how each movie seemed to be focused on the single one and while that might be fine and is how even the original trilogy was done, it seems like it's not too clear of a vision or path between the 3 movies. Given the two different directors, it's in a way to be expected but also kind of hurts the movie because I can think of the path the prequels had, and yes it took time to fully realize it and everything as I'm sure this one will too.

One of the problems with the prequels was that it had good content and had the puzzle pieces but wasn't quite put together in the right way, you had to view it in a different way in order to get the vision in it's whole. They mentioned how a lot of the people that worked on the original trilogy made it what it is, that the source content was all there but it needed to be realized and cut in a specific way, this movie seems to have that same problem, it has the content but isn't sure what to do with it. It doesn't seem like it really drags, I'm not sure if it tries to cram things in there or what the problem could be pinpointed to but it was brought to my attention (afterwards) that some people think that this is JJ's telling of both 8 and 9 more or less summarized so that it will fit together. If you try to imagine this movie into two separate entities, I feel like it's possible but I also feel like there's a lot of content that was cut in order to fit the mark and be that mashup so it won't be clear until we figure that out.

I'd hate to admit it but part of the problem IS that it takes place many years after Episode 6, it makes it clear because there's a small flashback that I really liked and thought maybe in another world that that would be 7,8, and 9. But George also had scripts for these 3 films that would take place around the same time as the current ones, so I wonder if it would be any better or if it really is that kind of problem. So, LUCASFILM, RELEASE THE ORIGINAL SCRIPTS!

They take things from previous movies that might have been surprising and made them less impactful because they reuse those abilities. I suppose it's fair because a fan could argue "well why didn't they just do this?" so it's not a big deal.

"Is it surprising?" "Did it make me mad?" "Did it disappoint me?" "How does it stack up against The Last Jedi?" Well it does have genuinely surprising moments, none of that fabricating crap from TLJ imo. I didn't feel sour or mad like I did TLJ, I went in expecting stuff to happen, sure, some stuff kind of did happen that I didn't want to happen but what can you do? But there was some stuff I was hoping for that did happen too. They did, however, tease stuff while promoting the movie that I didn't see at all such as a connection to the Mandalorian, I will say that there is ONE thing from the last episode that I saw in this movie but it's not a character, maybe that was the secret, they don't flat out say it but I have a feeling that it connects to "why" they want Baby Yoda? I think it is better than the Last Jedi and before you ask, no, I don't think there are any parts like the Canto Bight sequence. I am...a little disappointed, not gonna lie, I don't regret that I saw it, I liked it but it's not the saving grace I might have wanted or "the best Star Wars movie", I did like The Force Awakens more. Probably the best thing about this movie isn't something I can say, it's an aspect, not a specific scene btw...

There's something that looks like a General Grievous hand in the droid shop scene we saw in the trailer. Also a weird little tidbit is that they put Colin Trevorrow in the credits, odd, I thought he "parted ways" as Disney would put it, and I didn't stay to watch them all, I think his name was as early as the second screen, I'm pretty sure it said "Written by:" This wasn't Trevorrow's take on Star Wars though, I really don't understand and I don't want to be the one to say it but did they do that to throw him under the bus? If not that then is this some kind of weird morph of Rian Johnson, Colin Trevorrow, and J.J. Abram's version? (It sounds scarier than it actually is but still...)

It's weird because I started reading reviews after the movie and they say completely different stuff, not from trolls or haters either, I know it's all a matter of opinion but some stuff like the "training" thing have been mentioned in reverse so these are my raw thoughts after going to the theater. I'm going to try and make a "spoilers" review, either when the DVD comes out so I can rewatch it or just later when I get a better formed opinion of it, as time goes on, my thoughts will be different, I'm almost sure of that, whether it's one way or another. If you're going into it, go into it expecting it to be a new addition, not the big bad end to "the Skywalker Saga", it's like ending it on a technicality. Big payoff to everything Star Wars has done? Not so much, a few things here and there pick up from other places in the timeline but nothing too big.

[yukahoo]

Singularity - Visual parallels

Well, once you start it's hard to give it up.

What follows is a mainly visual comparative essay of some of the main parallels in V's Singularity intro MV and other BU videos. It's not a proper film analysis since I'm not really attempting to explain anything about Taehyung's storyline or how Singularity might fit into it all.

To be frank I just don't know enough of TH's story to feel confident in making any claims about it. Also, the song and MV should be enjoyed for their own sake as well, not just reduced into a simple puzzle piece in the BU grand narrative. So even though I point out some parallels and possible references, please don't think I'm trying to say the MV is only about those things.

So, unlike the Euphoria SF that seemed to call back to the HYYH series, I think Singularity has reminded most fans more of the Wings concept. The song is very similar to V's Wings solo Stigma, both in style and theme. The MV as well seems to play as an echo to the era.

Some simple examples of visual parallels. The Wings tour tailer:

Japanese version of Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Images of broken glass and breaking ice:

There are also some visual parallels to certain members that may or may not be intentional. Jimin:

Jungkook:

J-Hope:

J-Hope is an interesting link to consider since his and V's relationship was particularly adversarial in the Wings concept. Without getting too deep into it, J-Hope appeared as some kind of guard against the evil V represented. In the BS&T MV J-Hope seems to have failed to stop V but in the Japanese version the setup was turned on its head with J-Hope quite cruelly throwing darts at a seemingly wholly incapacitated V.

But, as stated above I just don't know enough about TH's story to give good commentary here. It's impossible for me to say if the colour references highlighted above mean something. But considering how close to each other the two music videos were shot I doubt the production team was completely unaware of the similarities.

Another member that could be expected to be alluded is Jin. Not only did the main narrative of BS&T circle around the two but their conflict that we still know so little about seems to be at the core of the group's friendship falling apart in the "real-life". But to be honest there isn't much that caught my eye on that front.

Once again, the possible parallel might just be a coincidence but I do find the comparison interesting. The room with Jin is sleek, monochrome and minimalist. The room V is standing in is the complete opposite: It is overflowing, baroque, decadent, decaying... I find the thought of the two men mirroring each other on both sides of the water’s surface interesting but honestly there isn’t really anything in the video to suggest that is the case.

This particular room with the weird, rectangular pool of water is the most intriguing set in the Singularity MV which otherwise was more on the bare side when it came to sets and props. There is a lot going on there but I'm not going to be attempting any theories about it.

A few things that did catch my eye though. One was the static-y analog TV hanging in the corner of the room which continues the pattern of weird technological mishmash mentioned in my Euphoria analysis.

Also we seem to have acquired yet another flower theme for this era. Previously and running parallel to each other we have had reoccurring references to lilies, peonies, wildflowers, small petals in general, the whole smeraldo plot twist, etc. This time the room seems to be full of roses (I assume, I'm really not a botanist). Stylistically, colour-wise and in their abundance they seem to line up with the bed of flowers that appeared in the Love Yourself tour poster. 

Of course the flowers in the MV seem to be dying which puts the whole tour poster in quite an unsettling light. 

When I first saw the MV, this room really reminded me of the Japanese version of Run but later realised it kinda works as a reference to Taehyung’s hideout place from the beginning of the Prologue SF (last seen in the Euphoria SF) as well.

I've always felt like the Japanese MV was the first trial run for symbolic storytelling in the BU and serves in some ways as an undiluted look at the essence of each member in the narrative. Or at least how the production team saw them back then. That said I never really got why V was filmed in such a weird, watery room and I'm still not convinced I understand it now.

But the parallel for me at least is obvious. Not only due to the water but because of the subtle colour reference, the writings/newsletters on the wall, the messiness of the room and the overall claustrophobic feel of a too-cramped space.

For the most part this new MV seems to ignore the "real-life" or HYYH side of the BU narrative. That includes the total absence of any obvious references to Namjoon who we know to be a central character in Taehyung's story. Still, considering the Serendipity MV and its lack of obvious connection to the narrative as well this is not very surprising. After all it is supposed to be the intro to the new album.

Still, there seems to be one small visual reference to the original Run MV too:

The MV ends with a pretty straightforward allusion to what seems to be a central theme of the upcoming album, i.e. the mask. Wearing masks was mentioned in the Highlight Reels, in KBS's end-of-the-year gayo as well as BTS’s performance intro at the Melon Music Awards. The overall message seems to encourage taking the mask off yet here V ends up putting it on. Easier said than done I guess.

The single black tear that falls from the eye of the mask is obviously something that many have traced back to the Wings era. The falling of colourful tears was an oft-repeated motif, significance of which never really got explained. Both JM and JK had it before as well as the black-winged statue widely assumed to represent V in the BS&T MV.

For me the tear that came to my mind first is the one falling from JM's eye in the Wings tour trailer. Not only because of the colour but there is only one tear. Also something in JM's pale, unmoving face kinda reminds me of a mask as well.

But perhaps an even stronger association for me is actually Jin's cracking face in that very same video.

Getting rid of the mask might be what we are aiming for in the Love Yourself era as a whole but I don’t think we are going to achieve that goal until the end of series. So assuming everything we think we know about the structure of the LY series and Jin’s role in the HYYH narrative, it would be perfectly symmetrical for him to be the one who will in the end provide us with the Answer.

[hardblazesong]

Noir Nocturne Part 1 Chapter 16 At the Movies (with so much love for the RG)

The rest of the bus trip was uneventful. Claire pointed out a bowling alley, pawn shop, and assorted other establishments for the duration of their journey. They heard the driver shout “This is you lady!” over his shoulder and followed her down the steps and out onto the large forecourt of the most extraordinary building. It was fashioned as a massive Chinese pagoda with enormous columns by the front doors topped with stylized masks of drama and comedy looking out over the entryway.

“Are ye sure this is the place Mistress?” Angus asked, sounding a bit nervous to Claire.

“Yes, it is used to premier motion pictures and all the Hollywood stars come in their finery to see and be seen. I think it is enchanting. Look at the dragon painted over the doorway! Picture Shows don’t look like this at home, I can assure you of that, although there are some lovely theaters. There is an Egyptian themed one as well not too far away. I hope it’s not too dear for a matinee though. Let me check at the box office.”

The men stayed near the curb and watched her walk up to a barely visible lady seated behind a glass window. Claire imagined that they were a tad overwhelmed at the foreignness of the décor. How does one go about explaining cultures so vastly different than one’s own? Frank would have known, but better not to think of him just now.

She found out that it was prohibitively expensive and the show didn’t start for another hour. That would not do. “I beg your pardon, I hope you don’t find this incredibly rude, but is there a smaller Cinema nearby with something that starts earlier?” she asked.

Grauman’s was showing Hell’s Angels with an endless list of prologue items, even for a matinee. She had loved the picture, and thought the men would like all the flying bits eventually, but as it was also about WW1, it felt unkind to expose them to more on that just yet. Besides, they wouldn’t be home in time for dinner, not an impression she wanted to make on their first day.

“Not at all dearie, not at all. The Ritz is right around the corner down that way. They have Lon Chaney’s talkie The Unholy Three starting in about fifteen minutes. You be sure to come back and see us though, only theater in the city with air conditioning!” the lady smiled, having given her sales pitch and pointed in a westerly direction.

Claire went back to the men and apologized for bringing them here first. “I had no idea how much it would cost, it was nearly five dollars, apiece! That’s well out of our budget lads. Come along, she told me where we could go instead.”

“Dinna fash, I didna like the looks of the place anyway.” Angus said, hoping to win a smile but also sincerely uncomfortable with the foreboding exterior.

The Ritz was much more familiar to Claire. The standard marquee and movie posters outside, with a doorman in a bellhop’s uniform at the glass front doors, who directed them to the interior box office. To the left of the entryway was a concessions area. Roasted peanuts, popcorn, Coca Cola, and assorted candies were on display under a row of glass cabinets.

She purchased their tickets and told them to get some snacks at the counter with their change. She didn’t coach them, hoping they were catching on to how the money worked. It was easy enough, pennies and then all fives and tens.  

The theater was beautifully decorated in the art deco style, all swirls, intricate lines and gilt, maroon carpeting woven through with lines of black. It had a balcony that was accessed by an elaborate staircase behind the ticket seller. It was lit by torchier wall lamps every few feet that gave off a warm amber glow.

“I think we should watch from the balcony, that way we hopefully won’t disturb others if you have questions or need to use the restroom.” Claire decided for them after noting the number of people already seated on the main floor.

“What’s a restroom then?” Murtagh puzzled while juggling his concessions in his hands and walking up the stairs beside her. He finally stuck his candy in one pocket and placed a small bag of peanuts in his other one.

Claire tried to control the laugh that was bubbling up, but it was impossible. “Well, it’s a bathroom, a privy, the head, the room where they keep the public toilets. Honestly, you can’t pee on walls or in the streets or yards here. It would be a very bad thing.” She covered her mouth with her hand and bit her lip to get control of herself. The oddest things struck her as amusing about this situation.

She was very excited to watch their reactions to all that they were going to see and hear in the next few hours. Of all the things that she had or would be introducing them to, this was probably her favorite. She had missed the escapism so much during the war and often thought if she had had that few hours at least once or twice a month it might have gone a long way towards making the entire experience more bearable.

They took their seats in the nearly empty balcony, with Jamie on her right and Murtagh on her left. Dougal and Angus sat immediately behind them. Their view of the screen was a good one, as the balcony itself extended to just behind the tenth row of seating below them. The lights flashed and she explained that it meant the entertainment was about to begin, whispering to indicate that is what they should do. She took a handful of popcorn from Jamie’s box, squeezed his arm and said happily “Here we go!”

The first images were of a trailer for All Quiet on the Western Front. All the men gasped simultaneously, looking to her, then back at the screen, then back to her. She felt Murtagh lean as far back in his seat as he possibly could, as if he was trying to escape. Jamie did the complete opposite, leaning forward and looking as if he wanted to reach out and touch the giant faces.

She doubted they were even understanding what they were seeing in the trailer. They were much too enraptured with the moving images and the music and voices. She took several pieces of the popcorn in her hand and placed them gently in Jamie’s gaping open mouth, before turning to Murtagh and placing a gentle hand upon his arm.

“Is it always so very loud Mrs.?” Murtagh said grimacing at her. She nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.

Dougal and Angus must have been struck dumb, for they issued not a sound beyond their initial gasps. The Coming Soon card came up and then a Movietonews newsreel came on regarding the upcoming Los Angeles construction for the 1932 Olympics. This was followed by a British produced newsreel, delayed somewhat, showing the Trooping of the Colors.

There was some grumbling from behind and a mmph from Murtagh at the sight of the troops and the English accented voice over, but they didn’t ask questions, so she thought she would save comments on it until much later.

“Tis a form of magic, it must be.” Dougal whispered in her ear when it was finished. She shushed him, saying that he should just keep watching and try to listen to what was being said.

Next came a cartoon with singing animals, a randy sailor and his lady love. Jamie, who couldn’t follow a tune, appeared quite scandalized by the subject matter of the lyrics and the antics on screen. When Barnacle Bill the Sailor left the lady to her own devices after the suggestion of intimacy, he turned to Claire with eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline, frowning and narrowing his eyes.

“Sassenach! Should ye be seeing this?” was all he managed to sputter out in the face of her complete disregard for what he thought was an improper subject for a lady.

“Hush Jamie, it’s just pictures drawn by artists with people supplying the voices. Children see these all the time.”

“I ken it isna real, but still…Weans see these? Tis outrageous, is what that is.” He huffed, his accent noticeably thicker, indicating his emotional reaction.

“Murtagh and Angus were laughing Jamie, and so was I, if you hadn’t noticed. Perhaps we will have to discuss the mores of the twentieth century later? For now, please try to relax and enjoy the movie that is coming next. It’s a drama, but it takes place in modern day. If you find you don’t like the story being told, study it for what it can teach you about these times. We won’t be able to stay for the second picture they will show after this one. Mrs. Bartlett would not appreciate us being late.”

“Murtagh pass Jamie the peanuts, shelling them will give him something to do with his hands while he calms down” she whispered to him while taking the popcorn box from Jamie and passing it to Dougal.

The four of them had purchased candy but seemed to have forgotten all about it. She demonstrated cracking open the peanuts and popped two in her mouth, preventing her from saying something she might regret to Jamie about taking things too seriously.

“Jamie drink your Cola, you’ll feel better with all that sugar in you” she said grinning a moment later, laying her head on his shoulder when the movie started.

TO BE CONTINUED

[simplypeterparker]

Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer Analyzation

Okay listen, I’m a giant nerd and I tend to delve too deep into things. I watched the trailers almost frame by frame and figured out some things (or at least I think I did). It’s all under the readmore.

Okie dokie, buckle in Spidey Fans or casual readers but here are somethings I noticed from the trailers. 

Midtown School of Science and Technology is based off of Forest Hills High School.

Now this is pretty common knowledge if anyone’s ever looked up what Midtown was based off of. According to comic book historian, Peter Sanderson, Lee based the fictional school on Forest Hills High School in New York City. But it’s seen even better in the trailer. Midtown School of Science and Technology from the trailer: 

Forest Hills High School: 

A mural in Midtown features Howard Stark

And a poster has Dr. Bruce Banner

That computer Peter is watching the airport battle on (who got that footage???) is duct taped together and I can only assumed that Peter found one in the trash and fixed it up.

Another big thing about the school segues into my next point:

There’s a school trip to Washington D.C.

At first I thought that Tony brought Peter to the Washington D.C. for some reason.

But then I realized that Ned and Peter are in a hotel room together at one point, and it wouldn’t make sense for Tony to bring Ned along.

Not to mention this scene:

These metal detectors are all over D.C. When I went to D.C. on a school trip every point of interest required us to pass through some kind of metal detector (even though half of them aren’t on and are just there to make people think twice about attacking an important building). One common thing with schools going to D.C. is that they all try to wear one color-- or their school’s color. Those disgusting orange blazers are Midtown blazers.

You see them again here:

(He’s saving Liz fyi:)

And here:

And the cool zipper reveal looks like it’s in the hotel room with one of those blazers right near Ned.

This scene with May is obviously her at work seeing the news of what’s going down in D.C. and probably being very concerned for her nephew who’s currently on a school trip to D.C.

(The school trip could also totally be a Mathletic competition/a class as we don’t see a large group of students which tends to imply an entire grade. But they also do tend to split students up into smaller groups which is what we see. But we do know that Peter is a Mathlete.)

It reads: P.S. 108 MATHLETES M.H.

(I looked up Public School 108 in Queens and it’s The Captain Vincent G. Fowler School. That is an elementary school, the highest grade being fifth. I’m going to assume that P.S. 108 is supposed to be Midtown High (I mean, it is a different universe) because I don’t think he’d still fit a crewneck from fifth grade and the letters M.H. underneath probably mean Midtown High.)

The Avengers mask guys are the main villains/they worked with them

I feel like people know this, but it looks like the people with the masks robbing the banks:

are using the Tinkerer’s tech

(I want to assume that the guy in the Hulk mask is Donald Glover and that’s probably how they’re connected but also maybe not, their masks are pretty effective.)

Peter is in costume at Ned’s house at least twice

Peter crawls into Neds room with his suit on, but not his mask (which happens early on in the film because Ned knows his identity by the time of the field trip):

(Gotta love those nameless set pieces. Is that green box a puzzle? A board game? I don’t know, I can’t tell. But I do know that Ned sure as hell can’t reach it without climbing on a chair or something)

And then he takes his mask off again sometime during the day:

(I know it’s Ned’s room because the map, the hooks, the shelf with the figures, and the color of the walls match up with this scene (and it’s definitely not Peter’s room:)

Also, I’m assuming that Peter's mask some how ended up at Ned’s house when Peter had to run off and do something as Spider-Man (maybe he accidentally left it) and he tried to sneak in to grab it only to be spotted by Ned. I say this because when Peter is crawling into Ned’s room he has no mask on his person. But when he pressed the spider symbol on his chest to slide the suit off there was a mask in his hand. (Can I also say that I think that’s a really weird way of getting the suit off?? I mean, it’s convenient and makes it way easier, but what if someone hits him in the chest??? Does it have a sensor that senses Peter’s little hairs that allow him to stick to things???)

Peter’s first run in with Vulture and Co. happened before he got the suit.

He gets hit by this guy (well by a school bus hit by this guy):

And he’s wearing this:

Which is 100% one of his homemade suits.

It’s also seen here:

And it’s assumed that he tried to fight the Vulture:

And, that’s about it folks. Now here are some small things. Like how she

might be Gwen Stacy.

How he

might be Kenneth Choi who’s playing the principal i.e. the supposed grandson of the Howling Commando Jim Morita because they’re the same actor.

How Peter has the same shirt that Pepper has in Iron Man 3 (or Peter’s borrowing it):

And that’s about all I can think of at the moment. I know I had to have missed some and get some wrong. But this is just what I noticed and speculated. I’m so excited for this movie and for more trailers to come out so I can continue this guessing game.