#getting shot or another nde

[estheticpotaeto]

Being a 911 stan is crazy how do you explain to anyone else that yeah.

Ofc they broke up, Buck was wearing green,

And Ofc Buck is gonna get shot, Eddie's wearing white

[momowoah]

Only focusing on gay Eddie and buddie probably going canon this season because if I spend more than three consecutive seconds thinking about what they're doing to henren I will go insane 🙏

[byemambo]

4Minutes EP. 6 - My Takeaways

Y'all...The way I was working OVERTIME trying to figure out how I wanted to explain my thoughts for this episode (this post is extremely long: take that as you will). So please welcome OG TymeGreat vs. NDE (near death experience) TymeGreat and their timelines (everything else under the cut!):

Great Version

Tyme Version

Key Events: Assessing the Timelines

I listed out key events that I felt matched up within each existing timeline (and I'm sure I missed more key events/details that aren't listed in my findings), no matter the person nor alternative reality they're in. For Great's timeline, the key events include:

Waking up to take his exam

Hitting Manee with his car

Receiving the call from Title

Korn being attacked

Great learns Tyme's identity as the attacker

Great confronting Tyme at the hospital the next day

Great confronting his parents for their crimes

Great renounces his ties to his family

While these events occurred regardless of the different decisions Great could make, what was striking to me was Great's distinct characteristics that existed in both timelines while also having characteristics individual to their respective timelines. For OG Great, he's extremely defiant and cynical, especially if he's able to get a rise out of his father for reasons prior to knowing about the business, I'm not exactly sure (except for him being the mistress's son before the first wife committed suicide).

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

Given that we didn't get any scenes of him bonding with Korn throughout the episode unlike NDE Great, I can only imagine there's a bias towards Korn as the favorite son between the two where one listens and submits while the other vocal and disobeys. Along with being defiant and having the guts to gauge the wold with cockiness, he is also a coward that's easily persuaded and manipulated. This shows up most during scenes like the hit and run or when Title demanded Great to help get rid of Dome's body and in turn, become an accomplice to the crime.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

OG Great also operates on this mindset of being silver spooned his entire life more explicitly than NDE Great, and becomes hot headed when placed under immense pressure once he's unable to play mind games with his targets such as Tyme. Even though their hook up and Tyme leaking his sex tape caused a scandal with his dad's company, the amount of trauma Great has dealt with growing up (this kid never played a crane machine game so I can only imagine how lonely his upbringing was) resorts to him chasing after those dopamine hits and becoming shameless as a result.

One of the few times OG Great chose his own morals and acted upon them in the storyline was when he found out about his parents and their involvement with the scheme, but this decision only occurred when people he cared about died or got hurt, like Nan and Tyme. Because he had developed a short spanned codependency on Tyme (whether for more sex or because he found his serious demeanor amusing), once he had been left with nothing due to reasons beyond his control, he leaves his family behind after the confirmation of their crimes.

Unlike NDE Great, OG Great is self centered and only acts when pushed beyond his limits, but only if the consequences of that limit involves someone he genuinely cares about (this is the stark difference between Dome's demise versus Tyme's meltdown after Nan's death). Sure, people can argue that Great knows Tyme at a similar level of depth like he knew Dome (apart from being sexually involved with one another), but his interests peaks in Tyme once he finds out that he's seeking revenge against his father and finds that mere effort entertaining for him. In the OG timeline, Great's flaws directly causes his detriment in the end, getting shot by Dome's older brother Tonkla in vengeance.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 5

In Tyme's timeline, there aren't as many moving parts that we saw on screen as much as Great's (since their particular story is limited narrative through Great's perspective) but these events remain consistent in his story:

Tyme works a hospital shift

Den tells him about his NDE research

Tyme works the night shift with Great in his proximity

Tyme attacks Korn in search of Nan

Great confronts Tyme at the hospital the next day

What I found most interesting in OG Tyme's timeline was how linear and straightforward the events occurred in sequence, which would have been the case if Great never asked him about his occurring NDE symptoms like he did in the NDE timeline while being under Tyme's care. Tyme's prior knowledge to Den's research served as a seed planted in the back of his mind, which if Great hadn't asked him (if he chose to help Title get rid of Dome's body), Tyme would have went along with his plan and shelved Den's research with no intention in intervention. The difference in approach between OG Tyme and NDE Tyme was rooted in their initial encounters, both being Great bumping into Tyme and how it was handled.

If Great continued heading his way, Tyme's initial impression of Great would have been slightly annoyed (which we saw a preview of how he yelled at Great during the first cardiac arrest Great had when he bumped into Tyme and didn't help him). But if Great stopped to apologize and even help Tyme with the papers, there is a hint of consideration in that gesture, even if Great himself is a flawed person capable of doing bad things. For some, basic human decency isn't a mind blowing trait for people to fawn over, but this can be contrasted when Tyme asks P'Anne for his information and finally gets confirmation of Great's identity.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

From the perspective of Tyme who's dedicated his personal life in bringing down the family responsible for the death of his parents, I'm sure having a painted image of what inhumane and vulgar things the family is capable of, Great's first impression as the younger son of the enemy is somehow normal? As if this man isn't capable of hurting a fly, let alone killing people like his father does (why did I think of fucking Lord Ozai and Prince Zuko when proofreading this loooooord someone send me to bed asap). Rather than treating Great as just a means to an end with no prior attachment and full intent in harming the family's reputation as OG Tyme would have, NDE Tyme's prior interactions with Great by him helping Tyme with his papers (the readiness to correct his faults while providing a solution to aid in the damage caused, big or small), Great bringing his hurt friend to the hospital without acknowledging his own injuries (a sign of selflessness and reliability) and asking Tyme about his symptoms related to his cardiac arrests and moments of NDE, there are layers being shed off of Tyme's preconceived notions about the family.

Episode 2

Episode 6

Not only are there layers, Tyme's curiosity peaks because why is the son of the family who killed his parents seemingly harmless and clumsy? Shouldn't someone of his background be more cautious and conceal himself more, especially when speaking to a stranger such as Tyme? Does he know what his parents do and the damage they have caused for countless families and victims? In comparison to OG Great who's callous and bold, NDE Great is soft and easily startled, therefore, needs a more calculative and somewhat honest approach to secure a connection to get closer to bringing the family down.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

Characterization: A vs. B

When writing my reflections, I found it interesting how TymeGreat's relationship develops within their respective timelines, especially how each encounter they had with one another fueled different emotions and residual feelings. In the OG timeline, their relationship is innately lustful with distance between them, their main objectives involve concealed vengeance, amusement in the series of events occurring between them and not being able to access the full story of the two worlds both individuals were a part of before their paths crossed.

Whereas in the NDE timeline, their relationship began with a curiosity that defied expectations and welcomed communication, such as asking intimate questions and offering valuable solutions to majority of their problems: Great asking Tyme about his cardiac symptoms, Tyme consulting Den about his research after Great's conversation, Great confiding in Tyme about his upbringing, Tyme revealing the cause of his parents' death, Great confronting his own family for their crimes and seeking accountability. All of these traits wouldn't have been present if that initial hit and run played out differently: they would have crossed paths regardless but their attitudes and motives would shape the state of their relationship.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

Episode 6 vs. Episode 5

However, there are innate traits that remained consistent in both characters. Great with his impulsivity and tackling his problems head strong, Tyme with his nonchalance and caring attitude towards the people he loves (such as his grandmother). What really caused the divergence of their whims were purely based in the circumstances they find themselves in during their initial encounters. When they met at the bar, Great's impulsivity charged the motion of their relationship, ending with his cowardice separating the two once Nan died at the hands of Samarn. Tyme's detached attitude that drove his girlfriend away from him and poses concern from Den as a fellow doctor in how he denies his patients of their own identity and autonomy, causes him to take advantage of Great's relations to the family, ending in his own death after denying the bribe by Great's father.

Episode 6

Episode 6

Episode 1

Despite it all, the most significant element that both Tyme and Great share is the leverage both have over one another through their emotional attachments, which may seem small in comparison to more flashy events within the storyline but for these two characters: it makes a world of a difference. When NDE Tyme reveals his identity during the ambush against Korn, which led Great to help Tyme find Nan and as a result, saving her life. This is critical as OG Great is inherently a coward with a dopamine deficiency and enjoys causing trouble for his father's reputation at his own demise.

Episode 4

When Tyme is willing to risk his life exposing Great's family to the press, Great reminds him of his grandmother, driving Tyme to accept the bribe from Great's dad and find safety at Aunt Ging's house together. Unlike OG Tyme, whose reserved and passive attitude enables his life to be filled with the absurd and mundane, that money is the driving force of life and the root of all evil that took his parents away from him, so what else is there to live for as long as he avenges his family?

Episode 5

Now for my questions for the last two episodes: if Great dies in the OG timeline and is actively dying in the NDE timeline, since Tyme's destined fate to die in the OG timeline has been altered once he's notified of Great's condition in the emergency room by Den, he has a chance of avoiding death that OG Tyme suffers from. It may be a stretch but look at the two hit men who targeted Tyme and Great.

Episode 1 vs. Episode 5

The hit man in episode 1 look significantly younger than the hit man in episode 5, but same facial hair? The shadow in the first image throws me off but it's freaky to speculate as it sent shivers down my spine whenever I got a better screenshot of them. If I put my two brain cells together: in the OG timeline, Tonkla targets and shoots Great but Tyme is also shot in episode 1, which makes me believe that their timelines are converging somehow as both of them enter their 4 minutes of limbo and their memories and experiences are warped.

In the NDE timeline, because Dome is saved and returns home to Tonkla, the only person reasonable in targeting Great would be Manee after she finds out which family is responsible for her son's involvement in illegal business (which her giving up her life savings and being given the 4th card during her ritual that calls for separation of loved ones). This separation in question is the separation of Tyme from Great as Great's fighting for his vitals to stabilize just as Tyme rushes to the OR?

Because NDE Tyme goes with his grandmother to Aunt Ging's instead of sending her on her own as OG Tyme does, both of them are technically off the radar from being targeted, or at least bought enough time to make a safe escape if Great's father goes back on his word outlined in the proposed bribe. Seeing as Tyme's wearing the same shirt in both timelines at this point, we're now waiting to see how this will play out, and I'm literally so excited to lose sleep all over again.

Episode 1 vs. Episode 6

If you made it to the end, pat yourself on the back! And if you've been actively reading my previous posts regarding my takeaways, I really appreciate the love they've been getting! I'm more than happy to hyperfixate on this series and help out with really digging deep in the details that could help those who are having difficulty following along with the series. Idk, y'all got to yell at Bible on Twitter then because he thinks he's so funny tweeting this:

If y'all would like to read more, check out my tags and thank you again for sticking around, see y'all next Friday or whatever day my brain finishes finalizing its thoughts to share with y'all :)

[lover-of-mine]

what are your thoughts on nde for either eddie or buck in 8x08? me personally, im thinking buck is gonna get the nde, and i think he’s gonna be shot. tim recreating s4/5 when he originally wanted to do buddie, but what im thinking, is buck realizes his feelings for eddie but doesn’t want to/doesn’t know if he should tell him, then he gets shot and it’s all dramatic and eddie is there and freaking out, trying to save him and keep him alive (aka why they’re pushing medic eddie so much this season) and buck realizes this might be his last chance so he just goes for it anyway and while he’s bleeding out he tells eddie he loves him😭 i know this is probably not what’s gonna happen but lol i just enjoy theories and i always love to hear what you think!

adding onto this, i ALSO saw around twitter the theory that buck would get a nde, but he gets hit by a car or just in a car accident in general, and eddie is there and it parallels shannon’s death (obviously buck doesn’t die but you get the memo😆)

Hi, darling! Okay, I don't mean to shit on anyone's specs, but I think either of them getting shot again would be so uninspired. The show is slowly reintroducing new ways to pull the triggers they put down for buddie because they need to address the stuff that happened to them somehow, but a direct mirrored parallel to the shooting wouldn't work as well as everyone seems to think it would. Partially because I think that forcing Buck to confess because he (or Eddie) is dying is yet another way to take away Buck's agency and further attach Buck to the idea he's only worthy of love when someone bleeds. But also because putting one of them in the position to be doing the saving again won't really further their storyline. Eddie watched Buck in a nde twice, the bombing and the lightning, and Buck watched Eddie in a nde twice, the well and the shooting, and I think they need a combined trigger, aka a combined nde.

I am attached to my drown Buck theory, have them off duty, crash the car, end up trapped and the car filling with water, but I also think that the trapped dads theory also works a lot here, especially if you put them both in the situation while off duty, aka without gear or backup, and you can play with a lot of elements of every nde before that and create a catalyst for them to talk and figure themselves out. I also think everyone is getting ahead of themselves, I don't think they are in the place to get that catalyst yet, and 2 episodes are not enough to get them there when we are talking about an ensemble show. I feel like people are expecting a direct callback because we got a well callback and are getting a lightning callback, but while buddie was front and center during the well callback, they actually used it to further Chim at first. It works to get the audience thinking about different aspects of their past, which in turn makes it so that when they talk about it, it will be in our minds, but it doesn't explicitly address the implications with buddie. I think the lightning callback will be a lot about reminding Buck of whatever it was that he was supposed to learn with it the first time around that they never truly explored due to the network switch and Natalia not coming back. I also think that confronting the situation where Buck almost died and possibly watching a freshly heartbroken Buck be impulsive can push Eddie to look at some stuff that would push him into action to figure himself out.

Especially if @stagefoureddiediaz ends up right and the lightning callback ends up being a truck bombing callback too since the well callback is also a subtle callback to the kids on the cliff call in 304 and could be played into different directions when it comes to what comes out from it moving forward. Buddie has a lot to talk about, but they need a reason to think about the stuff they need to talk about on their own before getting to a point where they can actually have those conversations. I think they rely too much on how well they understand each other that they fail to consider the way they can't actually read each other's minds, and figuring that part out is important before pushing them to the catalyst. And please don't get me wrong, I'm like, 90% sure that the catalyst will be another nde, I just don't think it's gonna happen until 8b.

[iconicbuck]

Many centuries ago when Buck was wallowing after the embolism when Bobby won't allow him yet to go back to work, Eddie dropped Christopher to help him look after him. To accompany him.

Then the tsunami happned.

Years later, Buck is seen wallowing again. This time due to a break up and cooking and baking unhealthy amounts of loafs as his coping mechanism, Maddie dropped Jee Yun to babysit him. To accompany him!

Then what now? At what cost? Is it the Buck getting shot theory? Another pile of Buck NDE as Season 8A cliffhanger?

[blazeeblake]

Senseless, unqualified rambling incoming:

I don’t pretend to know what direction anything is going with regards to Buddie callbacks, or whose “turn” it is to have something life-threatening and traumatic happen in the silly wee-woo show, but by my estimation, here’s the tale of the tape so far, so to speak (and I 100% could be missing a few instances, so feel free to [gently] call me out if I do):

Season 2

- Truck explosion crushes Buck’s leg. To my knowledge no call back to this but maybe some behind the scenes hints of it, and I do think it would be interesting for this to be revisited in a flipped way (ie: instead of Car accident that maims Buck➡️ Buddie grocery store drama, they do Buddie drama➡️ Car accident that maims Buck)

Season 3

*Tsunami endangers Buck and Christopher. I don’t know if this counts in the overall NDE/injury tally because even though Buck’s life was in danger (especially because of the whole blood thinners thing), this was largely about Christopher going missing and Buck trying to rectify this and not fail his BFF. I don’t think we’re going to get a call back to this moment unless something goes down in the process of Christopher coming back home, and I have no guesses on the timing of that resolution.

-Well/tunnel collapse almost kills Eddie. We’ve already had a callback to this as of 8x06, and can safely rule this incident out as something revisited directly upon the boys. ✅

Season 4

-Eddie gets shot in probably one of the most tragically iconic Buddie moments to date. No callbacks as of yet but definitely a possibility going forward. Could be that it would be revisited in a way that jogs Eddie’s memory of that day (or forces him to admit he remembers more than he lets on 👀), and/or threatens Buck’s life this time around, just because I don’t think they would full on repeat the circumstances of something this formative/important to the canon.

Season 5

-Eddie and Buck are held hostage by escaped prisoners, and ultimately Eddie alone is held at gunpoint in the ambulance. This isn’t really a serious injury or NDE situation, so much like the tsunami, I don’t know if it belongs on this list or has any revisiting potential.

Season 6

-Buck is struck by lightning in yet another shockingly (sorry) memorable Buddie-flavored disaster. From the previews, it looks like we’re getting all visual callback to this next week, which should be interesting but also likely rules it out as something that’s going to directly impact/threaten either firefighter. ✅

-Alongside Bobby, Chim, & Hen, Eddie is injured in a bridge collapse. Again, not exactly an NDE and one could argue that Chimney and Bobby were in way more danger than Eddie, but I think the parallels of it all (Maddie, Athena and Buck trying to save their partners from a life threatening catastrophe…) are worth mentioning. That said, I don’t think this one was major enough to come back to in the near future.

If everything on this list “counts,” even in spite of my doubts, they’re both about even with life threatening situations above and beyond the typical expectations of firefighter endangerment, with about two really major situations apiece (truck explosion & lightning strike vs. well collapse & shooting). I don’t know if the order of all those things matters/will be taken into account in terms of which one of them is at risk for a new NDE or trauma, and honestly I think if it’s going to happen at all it’ll come down to who most needs that kind of push to have a breakthrough.

It could be argued that it’s Eddie’s turn since Buck’s lightning strike was the most recent actual NDE, and that newly single Buck could use the wake up call of almost losing the person who checks all the boxes Josh listed. There’s also the Christopher of it all (maybe Eddie almost dying will bring up The Will and somehow shock Chris into coming back home, but I kind of want that to explicitly be Chris’s decision rather than anything knee-jerk).

One could also make a case for it being Buck’s turn again, timing-wise if the bridge collapse counts, and because of the remaining scenarios to call back to/flip and reverse (drama + car accident or the shooting). There’s also the potential for Eddie to have some kind of realization or need to be honest with himself in a way he never felt he could now that he’s opening himself up to joy and self-exploration. Again, I don’t know anything and I am far from an analytical expert of any kind, so these are just my hyper-focused ramblings, but I do think the show could be narrowing down to something very pointed and specific. Given the behind the scenes pictures and interviews that are probably best taken with a grain of salt, I can easily envision the car accident/drama scenario, but maybe just because I like the narrative roundness of that choice. And obviously, I can’t rule out a variation on the sniper angle because, again, it’s Iconic.

It could also be that I’m just spinning my wheels, delulu on main in full clown regalia, but a gal’s gotta fill the time between now and Thursday somehow, so 🤷🏽‍♀️

[blondrichclosetwitch]

I’m changing mediums.

To those involved, your corruption seeps from your pores, and it is sick, and it is sad. But that’s for you to deal with. I’m not your toy nor your queen. 16 years younger, and this is your representation? I should have listened when he warned me y’all were caustic. Oh darling you didn’t know the half of it.

I’ll leave you with what I found when I did a search for Gina in my phone, which I then tried in a scene.

All the text with the exception of the closing monologue & lines from Liza/ggg come from texts messages I sent, my tarot reading on 10/02/16, (5 days before her accident)and things my analyst and her writing assistant wrote about me. If I wrote them myself, there’s an asterisk.

Here I am after the Tarot Reader brought it to my apartment. It’s symbolic that I’m covering up my nakedness with it.

ANALYST

I remember the NDE well. It was during our first August break. I always had the chain in mind of the abortion, accident and the death. Too much for one person, too close in kind to keep in mind.

Her case was haunted from the beginning by a question of belief. Vera, articulated, desperately, how much she needed to believe that I believed her, needed me to indicate that we shared the same beliefs, and asked that I validate what she was saying as the truth.

I have it written down that she made a comment about how she was always mourning a twin sister lost at Birth, and went on to suggest that she wasn't sure if it was a literal loss or more of a metaphorical one, but it had a structuring effect and was a key feature in her remembering her history. I continue to notice how this first narration she offered came up again and again in different relationships with women others, also intense and intimate and transformative in different ways.

The tarot reader & blondie especially. *

The idea of the lost twin sister always informed how i thought about the work with her. She was so often experiencing this feeling of connection being life or death.

That’s the reason she wrote me so much, I gather. *

*And then she disappeared into the spirit world. She was no longer talking to humans, just her dead niece & an italian guide born in 1902 called Gina.*

TAROT READER

yeah it looks like Gina came to you in the time when you were having a breakdown.

And it looks like she did come to you because she was pregnant and all of that, and she didn't want you to be confused about this relationship or anything like that.

It looks like she wants you to get in touch with your own magic as well that's come across as well, and she also wants to show you different sides of things and so you can actually see things more create clearly and not worry so much.

I think she's going to be very decisive and just wants to give you quick clear answers, but she doesn't look bad. She looks protective actually, a little overly protective. Because she feels like you need to be protected.

She looks she looks OK I wouldn't be wary of her she's genuine.

It looks like she just wants to give you a clear answers.

I think with her she's been through that, she knows what they are.

And she does very much care about you, and the baby.

VERA

but now I'm working with Gina who is one of my main Spirit guides who I understand connected to me in italy.

The tarot reader said Gina is a real guide. she said I can trust Gina's info but that spirit's sense of time is a little off so it's just going to take James a little while still.

Gina told me James would be shot.

Four times.

I have to do more research on this so I can understand it in more depth. but I have another spirit, Gina, who I've been talking to since I got back and she's very protective of me.

She too was pregnant.I guess that’s why she connected to me, according to my reading.

it's helpful to have a human who knows the spirit world to validate it all.

It was Gina Who woke me yesterday with thoughts of Blondie.

LIZA

And then she started to fall.

the first fall was hours after coming back from the funeral. the funeral will be the last place that she would go without the painting. it was always with her.

VERA

Gina says that all the Falls are connected to past traumas but that this was a slam to the ground of realization that I need to be done with my family. she's been saying this ever since I went to Italy.

Gina wants me to write my father a letter asking for a settlement for what he has put me through.

the gun is still happening Gina says.

Now I just work with Gina and my niece and the baby.

the funny thing is when I went back to the pharmacy I ended up pulling out Gina for the Polish woman who runs it, because her brother had died while I was in Italy and she wanted to know if he was okay. so I asked Gina if he had to send it in front of the woman and if he was okay. he was, he wasn't in the store, but he was okay and the woman was beside herself with joy to witness that. she hugged me so hard. it's the third or fourth time I've done that with a stranger. I told my analyst this morning.

Gina says we're done.

I haven't been talking to anyone at all besides my analyst and Gina and Stella.

Did I tell you Gina was born in 1902? I'm working with an Italian strega.

You're not going to believe this. this is not alternate world. I just learned from gina, my main guide, that my father sexually abused me. I don't know what to do. I obviously will let the tarot reader look at it first to verify it, but it makes sense why he flipped when I faced him at the funeral. he knew it was coming probably.

Gina says I can bring him to court.

There's only one living person who knows according to gina, the mistress Laura who was basically like my big sister.

I just have to trust that Gina would not lead me on a wild goose chase.

By the way Gina says James and I are moving to Carroll Gardens. and that we will marry next summer.

Gina says you have rich white girl privilege.

so I asked Gina if there was something more to my Falls. yes, she said. I was eight. he had just taught me to ride my bike. he took the training wheels off and the next day I landed mouth first two teeth on the ground. that's when I started falling.

ANALYST

Falling is the trauma of the father.

VERA

I have been falling over and over since, unable to speak. Falls and fucked up teeth.

(VERA is in a Gina trance, repeating everything she’s hearing to everyone around her.)

Gina has been telling me for 2 months he's getting a divorce and coming to live with me.

Gina just told me Blondie wished I would get hit by a car. remember in October Gina told me that Blondie would drive me insane?

Gina has been giving me exact dates for things. Gina says she's willing to look at stuff whenever you want. Gina wants you to understand she is preparing me to do my work.

Gina told me James would be shot.

No, I don't think Gina is fucking with me at all. Why would you say that?

(She turns to the TAROT READER.)

VERA

The painting is Gina. she just told me. when it came into my home... July 24th I think, I started to shift, and that's when my magic started and my connection to the spirit realm began to deepen. Gina has been working on me this whole time, through tarot, through the painting, through necromancy. she's my protector, she and Stella, and when you brought her into my home the transformation started. it wasn't the lachesis or Italy per se.

it was the painting.

THE TAROT READER

((smiling at her duplicitously) The story continues to unfold.

VERA

*I revisited my Google cal of spring 2017 and sure enough there were blocked off days where I went to three hotels in a row, because Stella said Blondie was on the hunt to get me arrested in Brooklyn and Gina aka the painting was insisting I'd make $1,400 a day easy, working in a Connecticut Hotel. it was the first time I was convinced to bring the painting with me. and we were there for 10 days straight. imagine 10 days with the painting witnessing all you do and a psychic estranged boyfriend telling you the contents of his heart, and a dead 9-year-old niece as a companion. almost every moment of my day and night belong to them.

but overall, I consulted Gina about everything. about possible clients, about how many days to stay, about the payoff check that I was always being promised. about what to do about psychic james. about how everything I was being told was true. the tarot reader had said Gina was a Strega, some sort of spiritual Master teacher, and so when Gina said I needed to do some sort of Sex Magic Ritual for the day witnessed by all the pictures in front of the window so the sun would shine on me, I followed her instructions to the letter.

now I realize it was for better lighting.

remembering the details of being on the hotel carpet, surrounded by important pictures.

if Stella said it, it must be true.

But if Gina said it, it was the word of God.

Once Upon a Time in 2017, Gina told me Stella was a big fat liar and possessed by the devil and purposely misleading me.

it got me in a lot of trouble.

Gina told me that I needed to banish her. I was told I had no choice.

She told me to cut up all her pictures, look up how to perform a banishment, go to the roof and banish my niece.

Gina said she would basically go to a reform school on the other side, but for my own good I needed to send her away.

(feels Stella talking to her)

Are you saying Liza was involved when I was told to banish and burn your pictures?

( She is enraged. It takes her a minute to calm down.)

I still have some of what was burned. kept the remains with the charcoal locked in a box. call me a Masochist. *

GGG2

There's more to the picture than meets the eye. (lyric message)

(Blackout.)

Addendum: Ask “Gina” about the things she told me about my dad. And how in heaven, families are different.

Oh wait, the families are different thing Katie just reminded me was fakekatie. That’s an important detail.

And to the Tarot Reader’s LP, sorry you got dragged into this. I know you had nothing to do with it.

“As clear as a cut crystal painting”

[destinyimage]

Man Who Lost His Mom & Little Brother Sees Them in Heaven

While Mark McDonough was in surgery to repair the burns he sustained during a house fire, He saw both his mother and brother who had both died as a result of the fire.

Other people’s NDE experiences have included very accurate descriptions of loved ones and their features.

I don’t remember seeing Mom or my brother the way I saw them here on earth, but I saw them and I was comfortable in the dynamic and the relationship. It’s like they’re there and they’re with me in every decision I’m making and they’re equally present and I had no problem with it. It wasn’t like I’m sitting there going, “Wait, I don’t see them like I did yesterday in the swimming pool.” That just wasn’t an issue. I kind of liken it to how my wife often wonders if those close to us who claim to be atheists, will they have the opportunity to change their mind at a certain time, or will we miss them if they’re not in Heaven?

I know that won’t be a concern. I feel that those things that we think we will miss here on earth just won’t be issues. That’s kind of the way it felt. Whether I see my mom again, ever face to face. In Randy Kay’s book, he talks about playing golf in Heaven. Will my golf clubs look the same? I don’t know if they will, but I won’t have a problem if they’re not Titleist or if they’re not Arnie Palmer. It’s just those kinds of issues weren’t there. But the overwhelming feeling and sense was that everything is the way it’s always been, and it is just the way it’s supposed to be, and it’s always going to be the way it’s supposed to be. God has it all covered, and yet everything’s so simple. As He said, it’s just as we’ve been told from day one. And I’ve also said it felt as if every question that could possibly come to mind, I didn’t even have to ask. The answers came as fast as I could think.

It’s so hard to put into words—just the security, the secure, safe, certain, nurturing, loving, forgiving. It’s all there in one, but a euphoria that I can’t put into words. When John Burke interviewed me, he pointed out a quote, and I must have said somewhere in another interview, “It’s really difficult to put into words.” And then right after that, “Almost indescribable”—as if it wasn’t redundant, but I can’t be redundant enough on that one.

Reflections on Mark McDonough’s Experience

While Mark McDonough didn’t see his mom and brother face to face in Heaven, he is confident that they were there with him while he was in Heaven. He goes on to talk about how our worries over whether we’ll see this family member or that friend in Heaven will not be an issue. That fits perfectly with what so many of our Heaven experiencers have shared. You’re so overwhelmed by God’s presence and love and the sheer awe of what you’re experiencing, all the questions and worries simply fade away.

Mark also touches briefly on being able to get answers to every question that came to his mind while he was in Heaven. These answers sound like they came instantaneously and fit with the spirit-to-spirit communication many others have described throughout this book.

Similar to pretty much all of NDEers we’ve interviewed, Mark notes that what he experienced is so indescribable, it’s difficult to put into words. Although it’s difficult, we’re so glad our friends who’ve been to the other side give it their best shot, because their stories give us so much hope and insight into the future that waits for each of us in the afterlife.

/*<![CDATA[*/ (function () { var scriptURL = 'https://sdks.shopifycdn.com/buy-button/latest/buy-button-storefront.min.js'; if (window.ShopifyBuy) { if (window.ShopifyBuy.UI) { ShopifyBuyInit(); } else { loadScript(); } } else { loadScript(); } function loadScript() { var script = document.createElement('script'); script.async = true; script.src = scriptURL; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(script); script.onload = ShopifyBuyInit; } function ShopifyBuyInit() { var client = ShopifyBuy.buildClient({ domain: 'nori-media-group.myshopify.com', storefrontAccessToken: 'd4019987e189be3ec0cf97ea37531adb', }); ShopifyBuy.UI.onReady(client).then(function (ui) { ui.createComponent('product', { id: '7163230191800', node: document.getElementById('product-component-1695928387066'), moneyFormat: '%24%7B%7Bamount%7D%7D', options: { "product": { "styles": { "product": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "max-width": "100%", "margin-left": "0", "margin-bottom": "50px" }, "text-align": "left" }, "title": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-size": "26px", "color": "#000000" }, "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "border-radius": "25px", "padding-left": "26px", "padding-right": "26px" }, "price": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-size": "18px", "color": "#444444" }, "compareAt": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#444444" }, "unitPrice": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#444444" }, "description": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" } }, "layout": "horizontal", "contents": { "img": false, "imgWithCarousel": true, "button": false, "buttonWithQuantity": true, "description": true }, "width": "100%", "text": { "button": "Add to cart" }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto", "Droid Sans" ] }, "productSet": { "styles": { "products": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "margin-left": "-20px" } } } }, "modalProduct": { "contents": { "img": false, "imgWithCarousel": true, "button": false, "buttonWithQuantity": true }, "styles": { "product": { "@media (min-width: 601px)": { "max-width": "100%", "margin-left": "0px", "margin-bottom": "0px" } }, "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "border-radius": "25px", "padding-left": "26px", "padding-right": "26px" }, "title": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", "font-size": "26px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "price": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "18px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "compareAt": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "unitPrice": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "15.299999999999999px", "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "description": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif", "font-weight": "normal", "font-size": "14px", "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto", "Droid Sans" ] }, "option": { "styles": { "label": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" }, "select": { "font-family": "Roboto, sans-serif" } }, "googleFonts": [ "Roboto" ] }, "cart": { "styles": { "button": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "background-color": "#ffb400", ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, "border-radius": "25px" }, "title": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "header": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "lineItems": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "subtotalText": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "subtotal": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "notice": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "currency": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "close": { "color": "#4c4c4c", ":hover": { "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "empty": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "noteDescription": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountText": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountIcon": { "fill": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountAmount": { "color": "#4c4c4c" } }, "text": { "title": "Checkout powered by Faith & Flame" }, "googleFonts": [ "Droid Sans" ] }, "toggle": { "styles": { "toggle": { "font-family": "Droid Sans, sans-serif", "font-weight": "bold", "background-color": "#ffb400", ":hover": { "background-color": "#e6a200" }, ":focus": { "background-color": "#e6a200" } } }, "googleFonts": [ "Droid Sans" ] }, "lineItem": { "styles": { "variantTitle": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "title": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "price": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "fullPrice": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discount": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "discountIcon": { "fill": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantity": { "color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityIncrement": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityDecrement": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" }, "quantityInput": { "color": "#4c4c4c", "border-color": "#4c4c4c" } } } }, }); }); } })(); /*]]>*/

[niuniente]

Anon who asked me 3 strangest (paranormal) thing ever happened to me

I’m sorry, I completely forgot that I made a promise to answer them when it’s not like 3am. But here you go now. Thanks for the ask back then, I guess it’s been 2 or 3 week already (sob, I’m sorry).

I’m actually going to tell 4 as a compensation. 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Uninvited Sleepover Guest

This happened perhaps 7 years ago. I had a wide bed, wide enough for two people. I need lots of space as I toss and turn and spread like a starfish to every direction when I sleep.

I woke up and I noticed I was sleeping on my right side just at the edge of the bed. Very strange as I always sleep on my back, tangled with 8 pillows and 1-3 blankets. When I got my eyes open and realized my unnatural sleeping position, I felt how the mattress moved behind me. The same way as when someone gets up and leaves the bed.  A big person, a grown up.

“Good, now it left!” I thought myself and turned around to spread all over the bed, and I fell asleep happy that I could sleep freely again. Apparently I had slept at the edge of the bed some time already and felt sore.

It wasn’t until morning when I woke up and remembered this and went “...WAIT WHAT, WHO OR WHAT WAS SLEEPING IN MY BED WITH ME?!”

I still don’t know was it something to be called what or who, because in Finnish we have 1 gender pronoun “hän” but yet everyone is simply called “se”: it. I’m it, you are it, he is it, she is it, they are it, god is it, president is it, God is it.... 

I don’t know either why it was on my bed. This has never happened before or after that.

Countess of Brune

This happened when I was 19 or 20. It’s a long story so I tell a short version of it.

I had vision while sleeping (not a dream). I met my inner child, who told me that I had been countess Brüne in 17th century. So in 16-something-something. I also saw a short vision of that life time. 

After waking up, I had a feeling that Brüne was a German surname (so not a name of a place of a manor), and it’s written either with U or Ü. I had never heard that word before, so I wanted to research it. Back then I didn’t have good internet access. I could use my landlord’s computer and internet but only for a few minutes. I found only a short mentioning that Brune was a medieval German surname. 

Fast forward to year 2019. By that time I had visited Berlin many times and wanted to start German studies, as I had fallen in love with the language. I visited nearby second hand shop and there were - first time ever - books in German, meant for teenagers. I thought I will buy one as it’s only 1 euro. It will help me with upcoming German studies. 

I opened the book and saw the name of the previous owner:

Markus Brune. 

The first evidence ever that Brune is a German surname. I told about this in a post here  and also here . German followers told me that Brune and Brüne are indeed surnames in Germany. I did some research and found out:

- Brune/Brüne is a medieval surname which later rose to be a noble German family line. - Napoleon had an officer in his army called Brune (in 1804). He was a count.

So, Brune is a German noble family line that has counts and countesses in it.

Perhaps in some gallery or in old German manor there’s a painting of me or my husband count Brune there. I’m sure I could dig out more information if I had fluent understanding of German and money to travel freely around Germany for research.

The Shadow Creature

This happened more than 10 years ago. I woke up not feeling well and by the time I was walking to catch my bus to school I decided to skip this day. I went back home and back to bed. 

As I was laying on the bed I heard noise coming from the hallway. I listened it and suddenly I hear my door being opened. It’s 7am, dark winter morning. First I thought it might be my landlord but why would he come in? He has never even seen me. Then I thought it must be my mother! Perhaps she’s heading shopping to a big city and wants to see if I want to go along!

I turn on my back. My front door is behind a corner next to my bed. I see how a really tall shadow figure with no facial features sneaks in, half-crouching, behind the corner. I think it’s mom and I try to say that she can turn on the lights as I’m awake.

But I can’t speak.

The tall figure notices me. It’s skinny and it has got really long limbs.  It comes very slowly to my side and bends down, just in front of my face. It curiously looks at my face tilting its head (it has no face, it’s just a shadow). It’s just a few inches away from my face when I finally manage to make “HMMH”-sound. It spooks and disappears hastily, and I get my eyes open.

I’m laying on my bed like “....Okay, that definitely wasn’t mom.”

I have seen the same figure once after that. Both of my siblings have seen it, too, in different locations. It seems to be a “race” of its own. They are harmless, curious and very shy, running away as soon as someone spots them. I heard they are curious about people who have sunny, happy energy. 

I have seen one photo taken from an American man’s basement, which featured the creature. We saw the photo together with my sister and we just looked at one another and went “That’s it! That’s the Shadow Thing! I can’t believe someone has photographed it!”

Here’s the photo:

Out of Body Experience (OBE)

I had this when I was 19 or 20, in November. It’s very remarkable and long, close to near-death experiences people have. I will tell only a short version here.

I was laying on the floor on a mattress on my stomach. Suddenly I felt like someone would have been yanking my legs upward. I thought it’s not physically possible, knees can’t bend like that. On 3rd yank, I sprung out of my body.

I ended up in a place of nothing. Just darkness and not even darkness, because nothing existed there; not even the darkness. No direction, sound, temperature, weight.... Nothing. I heard later that this is the space between physical and death realm but I didn’t know where I was. 

“Oh fuck, I’m out of my body!” I said to myself. I could feel that my body is somewhere really far away, like on the other side of the globe. I had no idea how I can get back.

I had learned about angels as guardian spirits so I yelled them to help me. Two gigantic(!) angel men, one with blond hair and one with brown, came to me immediately. Brown haired guy took my left hand, blond my right. Suddenly I was out, in a summer scenery and I was watching myself from 3rd person perspective. I had 360 degree vision with no limitation, which I had never heard (I heard about it from NDE-person when I was 30. She had experienced the same. Until that I thought I had imagined it). 

I thought that I what if my hand slips? If it slips, will I be yanked somewhere horrible again? The blond angel heard my thoughts and said to me; “Don’t worry; I can carry you.”

Then we were back in the dark nothingness with him and he was holding me in his arms. He was so huge I fitted his upper arms and my hands didn’t reach even near around his neck. He was probably 5-6 meters/ 16.5 - 20f tall.  I was boggled that he was so kind and concerned of me. I managed to say my thanks and tell him that I’m really scared and would like to go back home.

“I’ll take you there,” he said.

I saw my body and my vision was spinning as I came back. I felt how I was placed gently within my body. I could see cupboards and the whole room, even when my eyes were closed. When I was placed back to my body, the angel said “Ok. Now you can start to gently wake up”.

My eyes shot open but my vision didn’t change, as I had already seen the room with eyes closed.

I was so afraid it would happen again I didn’t dare to go to sleep for hours. I later learned that the blond angel is my guardian angel.

[theoanetflix]

Trailer Theory!

This part of the trailer is killing me. Like, they really overloaded me with just these few shots. I have other posts I want to make but I have too much to say about the trailer for 1 post so I’m splitting it up.

This post is loooong so I’m putting the rest under the cut :)

Okay so, we now know for definite that there’s multiple dimensions. And that the dimensions have split before. I think the reason that The OA likes to be called ‘The OA’ more than any other name she’s been given might be because she’s had so many names in all the different dimensions, whereas The OA is one unifying name. In the trailer, a man calls her Miss Azarova, which was her surname back in Russia at the beginning of season 1. I’m assuming in season 2 we’re with “Nina Azarova”, not “Prairie Johnson”

Originally I thought that this season would take place in multiple dimensions, and I’ll make a post about that as well, but to me it seems more likely that it’s going to take place in just one. Well, at least OA (or ‘Nina) will be in 1 dimension. I’m not sure about the others, I need to do more digging. We know that OA meets back up with the captives but we don’t know which dimension that’s in yet.

This is my rough addition to the flowchart we see. The triple lines show the path that season 1 took, and I think season 2 will loop round so that we move from ‘Prairie’s Dimension’ to ‘Nina’s Dimension’.

The red text shows the split in each dimension (The two... ‘Forking Paths’.. if you will ;)... S1E6). There are some splits we’ve never seen so I’ve put question marks there. I split it every time we see OA interact with Khatun. It’s likely that the paths forked every time she had an NDE, but we know that the five movements are the only way to stay in a dimension, so I think that even if the paths did fork, they didn’t go far. Therefore it didn’t seem worth including them. However, when OA gets hit on the back of the head, she meets with Khatun and chooses to live. That’s what makes me think there’s another full fork where either she chooses to stay with her father. (or maybe she doesn’t try to escape at all. If that’s the case, there’s a dimension where she’s still blind) Maybe those dimensions will be explored in this season, however I think if they are explored it’ll be in later seasons.

I think there isn’t a time jump after the ending of season two. We’ve seen behind the scenes photos where Brit Marling is in the wolf jumper with the gunshot wound, so I think the season will start off in “Prairie’s Dimension” and then we’ll see OA wake up in “Nina’s Dimension” which is what we see at the beginning of the trailer.

The reason I’m so certain that we’re in “Nina’s Dimension” is because that’s what’s on the left hand side of the flowchart, and it seems to be what’s been filled in first. And I think if anyone were to make this sort of flowchart, they’d fill in their side first. As well as that, on the right, one of the things listed is ‘PRAIRIE’. ‘NINA’ isn’t listed on the other side, probably because she didn’t think it was necessary to write her own name. Also, we’ve seen her be introduces as Miss Azarova. It makes sense that she’s Nina Azarova for the entire season.

This is the only other shot in the trailer where she’s wearing the same outfit she wore while writing on the wall. It’s the shot where she says “Homer” before she lists Scott, Rachel, Renata, BBa etc...

I think this scene might be her piecing everything together, so it’s likely it comes near the end of the season. At the beginning of the trailer she answers that the president is Obama, so she seems to have memories from “Prairie’s Dimension”. However, we know dimensional travelling can cause amnesia. She may have forgotten a lot of what happened and spends the season remembering. I didn’t notice her scars in the trailer but I’m sure they’ll play a part, since they were intended to help the captives remember the movements. It’s got to be significant that we barely see Homer in the trailer. He has two of the movements on him, they never wrote down the 5th. This flowchart could be a ‘map’ to help her find Homer, or it could be what jogs her memory of him. Or it could be something else entirely! We don’t know! I just know I’m excited for the new season!

[3amflailing]

THE OA PART 2 TRAILER BREAKDOWN- VISUAL/AUDIBLE ELEMENTS

·    Buckle up, because this is only part 1 of the breakdown! so this is my notes from the trailer, where I try to clarify on the shots and also put in any really really strong associations. I’m going to do a part 2 (either tonight or tomorrow depending on when i finish my homework) where I break down the important bits and their significance, what I think the storyline will be, and questions that arise. I hope the format isn’t too messed up, I don’t really want to rewrite this all. over 2000 words y’all, and we’re not done yet! please add any notes/thoughts you have, i’m only one person and I’m gonna miss stuff 100%. thanks!!!!!

 Trailer starts in hospital, similar parallel to first season in which we find Prairie in the hospital

·        Coherence check: fingers, year, president (OA is there but in a new dimension, where everyone, including Barack Obama, is no longer the same person in the previous dimension)

·        “I Did It” (dimension jump)

·        Boat scene- curious that Nina is travelling on water (water symbolism)

o   Seems to be affected by an unseen force, likely OA’s consciousness travelling into her body

o   Looking over Golden Gate Bridge- we see this bridge from another angle later

·        Hospital scene cont’d

o   We see OA check her chest, where the bullet should have been. There isn’t a would, she is perfectly fine, so it is her mind/consciousness that is travelling through to another body, not her entire self jumping

o   “I jumped” OA

o   Sobbing in happiness afterwards

·        Port of san Francisco

o   Is there another scene/shot of this location in s1? It has a different vibe to it

§  Red/white/orange colours, interesting that Nina was wearing orange upon jump

o   “nothing happens the way I imagined”

·        Nina’s Apartment

o   Does he say “let me in, Ms. Azarova”???? butler

o   Old fashioned key, very fancy, expensive Parisian apartment

o   Nina Azarova is RICH- a butler/personal driver?? A personal maid??

o   The key looks old fashioned but we hear beeping- indicating that it is actually technology?? Disguising the old as new

o   She wears lots of white here, symbolism

o   “I live here?” OA

o   Furniture

§  Birdcage

§  Portrait of father

§  Painting over chair

§  Various Russian pictures? Hard to see

§  Gauzy curtains, plants

§  Furniture items in front become a gateway into house

§  Glass tables of varying heights- this is really impractical, but could it be symbolism for dimensions?

§  Very circular- white couch, candles and its white table, fireplace things, table, plant pots

§  Things in fireplace, what are they?

§  The rug almost seems to be a distortion of the floor print, it looks just like it but raised a little

§  Four pictures frames each look alike but the art within is different (at least sized), dimension symbolism

·        Hap + Captives

o   “we travelled into another dimension, into other versions of ourselves” -Hap

o   They all had bindings on them- wrists and mouth? At least Rachel’s mouth was bound (interesting given her NDE power of singing) which connected them all together

o   Pentagon shape

o   Colour symbolism- renata and homer in light clothes, Rachel and Hap in grey, Scott in black

o   Do the Movements in an empty field- does he take them there?

o   Field pentagon goes right into building pentagon

o   Building pentagon

§  Looks like a group therapy session almost, very clinical and clean

o   Hap in office

§  Once again looks like Hap is a scientist

§  Lots of things on board- standouts are the human brain, something to the left of it (can’t tell what), picture of a clock(?), maybe stars?, wavelengths?

§  Two busts, one bald and white, the other brown/yellow with hair

§  Clock on desk

§  Weird hanging lamps

o   Different haircuts and facial hairs-

§  Hap has a beard and longer hair

§  Homer has a beard

§  Scott has no beard and clinical fringe

§  Rachel has clinical fringe

o   Hap laughs joyfully and grabs on to Homer (he doesn’t see them as experiments but as coworkers- does Homer feel this way too?) Homer appears to start grabbing Hap’s arms also

o   Woman in background- nurse? Attendant? Who is she?

o   Shot of eye, in which the pupil contains constellations and galaxies flickering in and out

o   “do you understand what we’re on the edge of here?” -Hap

·        Tunnel

o   Red lighting

o   Karim Washington

·        Circle shot

o   Looks like an eye

o   Something bright in centre, with beds circled all around it in 3

o   Beds appear to have children on them- can see stuffed animals

o   Inner circle has 8 beds, 3 attendants(?) (though there are 4 spots), one child appears to be moving to/off their bed

o   Attendants appear to be holding something- maybe a computer? A typewriter?

o   2nd circle has 12 beds- room for exits at the front and bottom of the shot, looks like every 2 beds also has an attendant

o   3rd circle can be seen on the edges of the shot

o   Hap voiceover: “it’s godlike, prairie”

·        Tunnel cont’d

o   Karim looks down through window/vent in tunnel with confusion on his face- is he looking at the earlier circle shot?

·        C and H Pure Cane Sugar

o   Red/white/orange colours again, yellow

o   “my name’s Karim Washington. I’m a private investigator”

·        Karim

o   On a street, looking into the Cane Sugar place perhaps?

o   Binoculars

o   We see him show his badge/certifications to OA

§  Looks like they’re in the same clinical place where the pentagon travelled to

o   “I’m looking into the disappearance of a teenager staying at this house”

o   Karim crouches down and looks at a hideout?

o   There’s a vent or something in the wall, it either could have a red fabric stuffed into it or be a weird art piece of a rose

o   Mishmash patterns of blankets, though this shot looks to be inside? Maybe in a basement?

o   Very big house, dark colours, shot paints it to be very dark, ominous and looming

o   “Is this the missing person?” OA asks to Karim

§  OA and Karim, they appear to be at a restaurant or coffee shop at the side of a road

§  Meeting for breakfast- OA has pancakes, untouched

§  Karim appears to be holding something up to his face- did he get punched? Is that ice? Definitely something held in a napkin

o   “why, what, you look like you’ve seen a ghost” Karim replies

§  Puts down his pack of ice(?)

o   “the image just… reminds me of a young man I knew in Michigan” OA

§  OA is visibly disturbed, this is one of the Crestwood 5 boys

·        OA writing

o   She’s writing her personal timeline

o   It all leads back to the bus crash- without it she remained Nina Azarova, went to Paris, her father lived, she went to college

o   The bus crash is where her identities split and become separate people

o   “it’s all connected” OA

·        BOAT SHOT

o   We see someone walking down the causeway of a dock

o   This is not OA, this person has dark hair

o   There is one boat missing, and boats at various lengths away from the causeway

o   Water symbolism

o   “we can get to the bottom of it” OA

·        Underground tunnel

o   OA and Karim hurrying towards a light

o   “you’re tougher than you look” Karim

o   “you’re kinder than you seem” OA

o   Humour within those words- almost as if its black comedy, prepping themselves for something difficult

o   Karim reaches to open a metal door or vault or something

o   Harsh green light- likely still under in tunnel

o   OA turns around suddenly- is someone behind? Is she on the lookout?

·        Homer

o   This shot mirrors the last shot of season 1, except it’s inverse: the light is dark, OA looks like she’s about to crumble/is devastated, her voice ticks downwards

o   “Homer” OA

·        Flashback to her and homer touching hands through the glass of their cages

·        Shot of Rachel and scott and OA- likely touching for the first time, Renata at the window smoking with the golden gate bridge in the background

o   “Rachel, Scott, and Renata” OA

o   This is the other shot of the bridge!!!

·        Crestwood 5 shot-

o   BBA swimming, French, Buck, Steve, Jesse, and Angie all watching her

o   Does Angie replace OA as young female in group? What does she know- what have they told her?

o   “BBA and the boys” OA (does she not know about Angie then?)

o   Shot of all except BBA running towards beach/ocean- water symbolism

§  BBA and another blonde woman come in behind

§  Steve and Buck are looking right (viewer’s right)

§  Jesse and French looking left, with BBA and other woman

§  Angie is looking straight? Or eyes closed

·        OA talking

o   “I asked you to believe in impossible things”

o   Flashback to Prairie in the sun when Hap lets her upstairs, OA on Steve’s bike

o   Shot of a door, a window, or something- is this from s1 or s2?

o   Karim looks through a small window, confused, what is he seeing?

o   NO ONE SURVIVES text

o   “you never once looked at me like I was crazy” OA

o   OA fighting in hospital, likely trying to escape

§  This shot has a fence through the window- where is this? It almost looks like a weird private hospital or a home

o   OA covers her eyes in hospital, wearing nail polish and two rings with a hospital band

o   ALONE text

o   Rachel and OA touch heads

·        The House

o   “everyone who goes inside this house comes out cracked up or doesn’t come out at all”

o   Appears to be Karim and OA inside the house mentioned

o   They are carrying old-fashioned fire torches?

o   OA looks closely at a single picture on the wall, wearing the Red Dress

o   OA has a lighter for light and touches her fingers to a hole in the wall

o   Karim is in a mirror room with red candlelight- he appears panicked, as if he doesn’t know what’s happening or where to go

·        Outside shots

o   “you gotta open your eyes” scott

o   Shot of OA in wolf top and Young Nina watching what appears to be Rachel in a floating glass/ice box- ties in with Snow White, episode title of “Mirror Mirror”

§  Rachel opens her eyes (brown) and then it suddenly turns to OA

o   Forest with lightning (?) running through it

o   Flashback to steve running after OA in ambulance

o   “I cannot give up on you” OA??? Rachel???

o   Homer appears outside, bearded, wearing normal clothing and what appears to be a ring (resembles the one in s1), looks frustrated, putting his hands to his head

o   Crater shot

§  4 people in craters- it’s hard to tell who they are

§  Pits dug all around, some look as if they were made from something launched at them, others by regular digging

§  Then the next crater shot appears to be Angie and Jessie in one hole (?) pulling Karim (?) towards them while 2 unidentifiable people try to do the same (separate holes) and another person is to the right corner, watching perhaps?

§  “this is not a time to be brave” Karim

·        The House cont’d

o   OA goes with her lighter, Karim with the fire torch, to the door of the house, Karim looks through the window

o   The light is on inside

o   “this is a time to be smart” Karim

·        Tree shot

o   OA and Karim appear to be putting together a puzzle which highly resembles the cut of a tree trunk- each puzzle piece is hexagonal

o   The tree is huge

·        Renata speaks(?)- [I can’t tell if this is Renata or not but both women have brown hair, an accent]

o   “all this beauty, this energy, what holds it all together?” Renata

o   Hap and Renata appear to be at a concert or some fancy event

o   Shot of forest, OA looks up and closes her eyes (same location as with her and Young Nina)

o   Karim and OA are underground in a (Russian?) strip club, there are dancers in only underwear hanging from the celing

§  This looks to be the same place as the underground tunnel

o   Steve, Angie, and French all in swimgear running to the ocean

o   Jesse looks on

o   Shot of the sunset of the beach, then of the sunset of the city with a bridge in view (unclear if GG Bridge), two traincars passing each other

o   OA and Nina underwater

§  Nina pounding at glass again- new shot of from s1?

o   Shot of entire world

o   “what keeps it all from dissolving into noise?” renata

o   Hap burns something in a pit (pit looks like what we see in the craters before)

§  Can’t tell if this is a body or clothes

o   Clinical building of pentagon shot- scott and Renata(? Very long hair, completely different from s1) are locked away in separate rooms

§  Highly suspect that this is an asylum or mental health facility

§  Scott is #348

·        Assorted shots

o   Sun rising up

o   Steve shaving his head (Asheville?)

o   A man underwater holding his head- maybe Steve but the body looks less fit than him, maybe Homer? Unclear

o   Karim coming down steps holding a body/someone- this doesn’t look like OA in clothes and everything

o   OA being thrown into the earth/hole and coming out of a massive tree trunk which appears to float in the air, likely representation of a portal

o   Shot of a keyhole-shaped tunnel of neon light, as seen in the press photo being released of P2

o   TEXT The left side of the A in OA appears to be distorted by the light, not straight, same with the left side of the O

§  Another OA comes behind it

·        Ending

o   OA in Red Dress and unknown man walk through the neon tunnel, OA turns to him, there is a single chair in front of a red curtain visible

o   “cue spots in 5, 4, 3 [distorted], 2, 1, “

o   Shot of a mouth- perhaps Karim’s?

o   Shots of switches-  labelled ENRY #1, ENTRY #2, there is a label that says “ARMED”

o   OA’s hand is tied to the chair, circular marks up her arm are visible

o   The neon lights in the tunnel start going off

o   Karim looks upon something

o   Black and white camera of OA looking very unsettled, her Red Dress now looks white and the patch is clearly visible- reminiscent of a shot wound where blood spreads

[infinitycircuit]

baskin (2015) | tomie | final trial

The others speak. Tomie scoots her chair a little closer to Aurora’s as she takes notes — a big NO DAD under Kakeru and Mercedes’ names, DAD HAVER under Lily and Akaji's, NDE under just Akaji — and sets down the puzzle so she can take one of Aurora’s delicate, fidgeting hands in her free one. Her thumb rubs circles into back.

“See, this is the problem with stories like this,” she says when Larcei’s done. “Time travel’s not real — I mean, it wasn’t real until just now — so there are no consistent rules, so every time travel movie has to spend half its runtime on exposition about the rules of its version of time travel. It’s total bullshit.”

She taps her pen against her notebook.

“But we’ve got the exposition we’ve got, and we shouldn’t assume anything that’s not in these notes. We can’t bring in rules from other movies, like ‘you don’t remember getting erased and un-erased.’ We don’t have anything suggesting that right now, do we?

“Because the notes say this person remembers getting blipped to the end of the world and knows what they’re doing. The second article: ‘I’m not crazy. This happened. I still know things I shouldn’t know. I still have nightmares about waking up to everything red and empty around me.’”

As she reviews, another phrase jumps out at her. She reads it aloud almost involuntarily.

“‘I’m not crazy, but I know how it sounds.

...

That’s why I absolutely can’t tell anyone.’”

Her gaze flicks from Mugen to Katashi to Lindsay to Akaji. And her stomach tilts.

Remember that thought? The one representing a terror so huge her mind can’t hold it? It’s starting to creep in. Or maybe crawl out, blackness welling up from between the folds in her brain.

She squeezes Audie’s hand, a movement like a heartbeat.

“Yo, Dogsaw,” she says suddenly, turning her attention to Rinpa. “What happens if we get it right? Not just to us. To them. Do they get executed? Do they disappear forever? I’m not going to — nobody deserves to die for fighting to fuckin’ exist. Especially when the reason they don’t exist is that some stupid fucker playing with spreadsheets at Total Ass Pain, Inc. just wrote them out of the script."

Alice once thought about how Tomie’s entire life has been a struggle to create a place for herself in the world. To say, No, I am a real person, and I don’t give a shit if you didn’t invite me to your party. I’m showing up anyway, loud and tasteless and so fucking brilliant I’ll burn your eyes out.

She can’t deny that to someone else. She can’t, even now. Long shots, reckless schemes and desperation are all write-offs like them have.

And she wouldn't love horror movies if she didn't feel intense camaraderie with the truly miserable freaks and nobodies of the world. Like her old friend—

"It's like Leatherface," she adds to the table. "He's not the real villain of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre series, right? He's a guy who doesn't even fully understand what's going on, except that his family is ordering him to do chainsaw violence and he can't take care of himself enough to live without them. He does it because...because what else is he going to do? What else can he do? He's not the one anybody should be trying to kill."

[ageeksnerdyworld]

So I have this idea that I might turn into my next graphic novel if/when I ever finish The Forgotten…

Anyway.

Here goes.

Story starts off by following a little elderly woman as she goes about her day. She’s a Middle Eastern, Muslim, immigrant and speaks English well but it’s heavily accented so even if she doesn’t wear a hijab in public people can tell. With the increasing hatred towards Arabs and Muslims sometimes she sees horrible things happen to good people. In fact her son was beaten on his way home from the mosque. He confesses that he didn’t tell her right away because he didn’t want to worry her. Despite wanting to speak up and do something about this injustice she does nothing. What can I do anyway?, she thinks, I’m just a frail old woman.

And then on to someone else. Ex-police officer who was shot on the job trying to save someone from an armed robbery and the perp got away. Not severe enough to kill or disable him but he needed to go to the hospital and recover for a while. He tried so hard to protect the city he loved a job which was made even harder because he’s black. Many of his fellow officers would say mean and racist things to him making his job even harder. When he was shot he took a leave of absence to recover but then the department let him go. Being a single father was hard enough but an unemployed single father is even worse. So he’s turned his back on the city since then and vowed never to help anyone in it again.

Then we turn to our next character. They’re a genderfluid person from the wrong side of the tracks. Teenager or early twenties. Various run-ins with local police have lead to a bit of a track record. Spent some time in jail. But they’ve only done what they needed to do to survive since they were kicked to the streets by thier abusive parents when they came out as genderfluid. They also come across lots of crime and injustice in the city but don’t do anything because they’re afraid of being confused for the criminals and being arrested again.

Then we switch story again. Now we peek into the life of a disabled young teenager. He’s been disabled ever since his parents’ store/restaurant got robbed and he was shot multiple times in the abdomen taking away use of his legs. Or something like that. But even before that the city and the people in it were cruel to him. Hispanics aren’t very well-liked or well-treated by society. He’s treated everyone nicely, giving them the benefit of the doubt until they’ve proven him wrong, and they’ve pretty much always proved him wrong. And then ever since his accident things took a turn for the worse. And so now he pretty much keeps to himself when others are in need of help. What can I do anyway?, he thinks, I'm disabled from the waist down so I can't fight.

And then we flip to a lesbian college student. She’s very open with her sexuality but not active about helping people. Vocal about it but not actively helping. That’s because she’s been ridiculed, sworn at, and a whole other manner of things whenever she’s tried. So she’s pretty much given up on helping others. There’s no point in trying to help people when they refuse. Especially when most of the bad guys she deals with are the type who can squeeze thier way out of trouble. Students who come from wealthy and powerful families. Professors who abuse thier power over students. People like that.

So all our main characters are classic bystanders as revealed by backstories. They all see something bad happen and do nothing because they think that someone else will step in and help. But they’re all bystanders with good reason. Until one day they all just so happen to be in the same place at the same time. A, very severe, mulitple car crash or something. Thier fight/flight instincts kick in and none of them can suppress them any longer. So they all jump in to help. Their fight/flight instincts combined with the overdose of adrenaline from the event causes them to develop superpowers.

(Or they all are in the multi-car crash and have NDEs. Meet when they all wake up in the same hospital.)

But none of them know they have powers yet. Then we get a few sequences over a few months time with all five of them where they figure out thier powers. They all meet back up, unintentionally, at the spot of the incident. With no one else to turn to they promise one another to help each other figure out what the hell is going on. But that’s it. Separate ways after that.

And then a villain arises in the city. Our villain has emotion manipulating powers. Or possession powers. Or Inception powers, so like, idea-planting powers. It’s the only one I’ve narrowed down to at least a few ideas.. Our main characters are forced to become a team. Villain has some type of origin story that’s more suited for a hero’s origin than a villain’s. They take down said villain and kick ass.

Working title: The Bystander Effect

[untothisstorm]

okay i feel really dumb but what is OA?? feel free to ignore this

// You’re not dumb! It’s a confusing show and she’s a confusing character!!

So OA is the main character from the show The OA. Her birth name is Nina Azarova and then her adoptive parents named her Prairie Johnson. Essentially she had a near death experience (NDE) when she was a child and becomes blind. Eventually she connects with this evil scientist (Hap) who experiments on people who have had NDEs. She gets kidnapped and bonds with the other people (Homer, Rachel, Scott, and Renata) in the basement, then the figure out that he’s been repeatedly killing them to study their NDEs.Also, she has this connection with Homer and I suppose they’re in love or at the very least, they’re soulmates.

They use that to their advantage and discover that they need to learn the “five movements” which will help them escape. During one of her NDEs, she’s able to regain her sight but foreits the ability to be with her father in the afterlife. Eventually, once they’ve learned all five movements, Hap dumps OA on the side of the road. Once home with her parents, she bonds with five strangers (Buck, Steve, BBA, Jesse, and French) and tells them her story.

At the end of S1, she tries to stop a school shooting but ends up being shot and she dies. In S2, she wakes up in another dimension at Nina Azarova, a wealthy heiress who never experienced an NDE and who has everything that Prairie has ever wanted. S2 gets pretty crazy. I mean, the whole show is crazy enough…but S2 is really wild. 

And no one really knows if OA is human or an angel or what? I suppose she has supernatural powers since she can communicate with Khatun in her NDEs. It’s revealed that Nina, who is a different version of OA, is a medium and can communicate with the environment.

[moondahluna]

The OA theories that make the most sense to me

“The yarn that Prairie spins takes place mostly in our own, recognisable world, but it does also quite clearly visit an alternate dimension: the place the subjects go when they do.

That means we have two dimensions in play (assuming the story is true), but what if there's a third. There's the afterlife place, the 'real' world where Prairie is now, and then a third world with Hap, Homer and the rest. Prairie is trying to get back to them when she jumps, and then surrounds herself with alternate versions of her fellow captives.

There are numerous similarities that can be drawn between the characters. The most obvious is between French and Homer ....” 

(First one to have a cut on his forehead, though Hap and Steve also get this. His purple & white lacrosse backpack looks like Homer’s jerseys. He takes off his mothers shoes - Renata takes off Homer’s. French gets really out of character and upset to hear of Homer & Renata ‘How could he do that? I would never do that!’ Then, obviously, he sees Homer in the mirror at Prairies. THEN, at the finale scene he’s wearing the exact same outfit that Homer did in Cuba. Cuba is when Homer had a choice - the finale scene is when the group had their choice. 

I most strongly believe that Alfonso is a representation or version of Homer, or that they are the same person in different dimensions ... French is to Alfonso what Homer is to ______. We got that whole ‘Your name is not Homer! Do you know Dr. Roberts?’ in his NDE recording)

“It's not a totally perfect match-up - there's no real accounting for Steve, for example - but it does work to some degree. The show obviously wanted us thinking about other dimensions, and this may be why. It could be that they're exactly the same, having also crossed over (travelling between dimensions causes memory loss), or just spiritual representations of them.”

Prairie’s in a coma/purgatory theory: “Nina didn't get adopted, didn't go missing for seven years, but instead 'died' when the bus crashed.

The theory states that Nina now exists in either in a coma, waiting to wake up, or in purgatory, waiting to cross over to the other side. It notes that when she was in the bus, there were four other children with her - making a total of five, two boys and two girls.

It also explains why Hap killed all of his victims by drowning them. Therefore she has to make a choice, to go onwards or back. It's interesting, though doesn't explain why her mind created this particular story, or where she is at the end (though that could be a representation of her waking up and coming back to life).

On that note, another theory is that at the end of the show she is now in purgatory, or at least another dimension. The all white room invokes imagery of heaven, and ties in with the idea of the fifth movement being death. So she's been shot, and now is the time for her to either move on or go back.”

I think the ending, we see her ‘waking up’ in her NDE ... just the colouring looks like the hospital or wherever that Homer saw in his NDE. Or maybe she’s in this other dimension where she’s supposed to travel to find them oh my god!!!!!

But then just when I think that ....

“The unifying thread is that Prairie has mental health problems, something we did see signs of in the show, and the story is either a delusion of hers or she's made it up as a coping mechanism, because she did go through some sort of torture in her time away.

In terms of the former, we see her wake up in a white room that could be a psychiatric ward. We also know her parents were warned about her mental health when she was young, and we see Homer being chased through some sort of medical facility, with mention of a Dr Roberts.

For the latter, we know that she was away for seven years, and something drastic obviously happened to her. In the restaurant, the girl who approaches her mentions being kept in captivity and raped, which might actually be the true story, and she made up her friends and the subsequent story as a way to cope.”

This is interesting too ... because, having been an inpatient in a mental hospital, it definitely feels like you’re being held in captivity. The room with the fish tank in Homer’s NDE looked like a group therapy room, (and the fish tank looked like where they were kept) and the swallowing a living thing, to feel it inside you and give you inside, etc, could be opposite to swallowing medication which makes you feel numb and grey, which leads to the issue of her being medicated, which we in the hospital allll had strong feelings about lol

Basically I think any of this COULD be true, but literally how do we know for sure? This show is amazing and I can’t wait for more.

Quotes are from this which also includes the theories that Elias planted the books in Prairies room - which on my NEXT rewatch I’m going to keep an eye out to see what’s under her bed. Why would she wrap them in her favourite sweater? When she wears it? And also that Rachel is an FBI plant ... which ... Idk ... like it’s possible, but I feel like Rachel and Buck are similar, with that red backpack and with the singing and their overall demeanor and I’m kinda digging the alternate dimensions/realities

[joshuabeck1001]

“The OA”: A Theory

The OA, I thought, was a very captivating show. And, like my friend, who recommended it, told me, it is very difficult to describe. Sure, I can tell you what the plot is, but I can't vocalize the style or the tone of the piece. There is nothing like it. I don't even fully know if I understood it. I need to watch it again. It is a fascinating show. And it is a show that keeps you thinking even after the eighth episode ends.

But there's one burning question at the conclusion of the show, and whatever answer you come to formulates your entire outlook on the rest of the show. SPOILERS ahead, obviously. If you haven't watched it yet, stop reading this right now, and go watch it. I promise it is worth it. It is, however, a slow burn. It takes the first two episodes to even really start explaining what it is about, and even through to the final episode, it still feels like it is building. Have patience with it. It is worth it.

So the question at the end of The OA is whether Prairie, a.k.a. the titular OA (which stands for Original Angel, played by Brit Marling) was telling the truth. Was her story real, or was it fiction? Oddly enough, I think there is evidence enough for both possibilities. Let's look at a few examples, both FOR her story, and AGAINST:

FOR: There are many little details that simply don't add up if Prairie was making it up. Why was she trying to kill herself at the beginning of the series? How did she know who Homer was (and more importantly know how to look him up online and see a video of him)? AGAINST: If she did make it all up, but she believes it is all real, she could have incorporated Homer, who she saw somehow on TV or something, into her imaginative story. Likewise if she is under the delusion that her story is real, it could have also explained her attempted suicide at the beginning of the series.

AGAINST: The books in her bedroom were too on-the-nose to be coincidence. The Iliad by Homer. A book on Russian oligarchs. And books on NDE's and Angels. FOR: Those books are a little too coincidental. A little too perfect. In fact, the books themselves look a little too perfect, like they've never been touched. Never been opened. Brand new. Possibly ordered by her parents, but they didn't have any knowledge of her story at that point. Also they were in English, not in Braille. We don't know that Prairie doesn't know how to read (we never see her with any reading material after she regains her sight), but in an earlier episode we do see that she still uses her computer's accessibility features to read the screen, since she apparently isn't used to reading the words. The books were possibly planted there by someone looking to shed doubt on her story. But who?

FOR: What was the FBI counselor doing in Prairie's house in the middle of the night? Sure, French had broken in, but he hadn't been there long enough for the police to arrive, let alone the Feds, and especially Prairie's shrink. So what was he doing there? Possibly planting the books in her room? Or also looking for answers? AGAINST: Maybe we aren't supposed to read too much into his presence. Maybe it is a plot hole. Maybe he was just looking for answers, just like French was. But the coincidence is just too blatant to ignore. Especially with the discovery of the books. But what he says to French is the most important part of the scene, that even if the story was a lie, French and the others helped her by listening to it.

AGAINST: This is a stretch, but the cafeteria worker who tackles the shooter looks an awful lot like Hap (played by Jason Isaacs), Prairie's kidnapper in her story. Except we never get a clear enough look at his face, so there's no knowing for certain, unless someone in the production fesses up. But on the off chance that it is Hap, it throws her entire story into question, as one would assume that this man is the inspiration for the character she created. FOR: I’ve read a couple theories as to why Hap would be there. One says that he was there trying to track Prairie down again. But that doesn’t explain why he’s dressed as a cafeteria worker and just hanging out at the school that she doesn’t even go to. Another, more logical, theory is that it isn’t Hap himself, but merely the visual that the listeners used for Hap. Similar to how, when we read a book, we picture the characters in our heads. Sometimes we use real people, either actors or ones that we’ve seen in person. For example, Hermione Granger was my friend Hannah in my head until the movies came out. Prairie’s five listeners never saw anything, they only heard the story. Their only visual was her descriptions of the other people. So perhaps the Hap that we saw, everything was saw, was how the listeners imagined it in their heads, and they used someone they saw on a daily basis, the cafeteria worker, as their visual for Hap. Putting a face to the name. Of course, since the shot is so quick and blurry, it may not have been Jason Isaacs at all, but instead just an actor who looks similar to him. And this doesn’t explain at all why French saw Homer in the mirror instead of himself... That’s a whole different bag of cats there.

FOR: When Prairie is in the ambulance at the end, we hear a whoosh sound, just like the one Hap described when something leaves the body behind. It appears, especially by Steve's reaction to it, that the movements worked, they prevented a great evil (the shooter) and opened a portal for her to find Homer. Her soul left her body to go find him. AGAINST: It could have been the breeze that we heard. Just another coincidence.

FOR: OA's story just seems too detailed, too exact to have been made up. Things explained in her story fall apart if the story is fake. Like where she was for seven years. Or how her eyesight returned. Why she was trying to kill herself at the beginning. What about her premonitions? Too many questions arise if her story was fake. AGAINST: We can assume that Prairie has quite an imagination, as she is taking creative writing classes at the end of the season.

No doubt The OA was intended to leave us guessing. I personally don't think that anything we see in this show happens by coincidence or mistake. I think every moment is meticulously intentional. I believe her story. I also believe that it doesn't really matter. This is such an odd show for me. It isn't the type of show I would normally enjoy, but I loved it. There are things in the show that should have come off as corny, but they didn't. And usually, when there is such an ambiguous ending, I am fully in support of one way of looking at it, and hate the other way. But with The OA, I find that I loved this show, no matter if her story was real or fake. I think the biggest take away is that we can all be angels if we have the will to. If we have the courage to, we can all do good in this world. Whether the movements meant anything or not, Prairie's five listeners prevented the shooter from taking more lives. Either there was really a supernatural power created by those movements, or they simply served as a distraction long enough for the shooter to be taken out. It doesn't matter. Whether Prairie really was "the Original Angel" or she was just trying to cope with a horrific experience, it doesn't matter. Now, obviously, if there is a season 2 (and series star and creator Brit Marling says there are plans for a second season) we will probably get some definitive answers. And I'm ok with that. But alternately, if we never get answers, I'm ok with that too. And that is rare for me. Hopefully, though, season 2 will leave us with as many questions as it answers.