#is it because it's only relevant in the miracle box

[actually-factually-anonymous]

Ladybug Vs Avatar's use of the supporting cast and the problem thereof.

I'm not sure if this has been covered before, but there's a serious problem with Marinette being the be-all end-all of everything in Miaculous.

And it's not just because "she's stressed" or "it's all on her". Her being the most important, talented and plot-relevant character in every situation is.

Let's make a comparison to the Gold Standard:

In Avatar the Last Airbender, Aang is the axis of the story. He holds incredible powers beyond anyone else, can bend every element and could conceivably end the entire conflict that plagues his world with relative ease- which he eventually does.

However, for 99% of the story he cannot do so. Because Aang is untrained, he cannot access that divine win-button of the Avatar State at will, and using it carried enormous risks to himself and those around him- making it functionally unusable for common conflicts. Furthermore while he does technically have the capacity to use all four elements, he had only mastered one and needed to learn the remaining three.

Indeed, Aang has outright difficulty with learning Earthbending despite his innate talents and while he's a quick study for the other two, he doesn't demonstrate the same effectiveness with water and fire as Katara and Zuko.

This means that Aang cannot do certain things as well as the others in his team. This means that for the majority of the story, even though his first and preferred element provides him with useful abilities" Aang has weaknesses that he needs others to cover and provide for.

Enter Katara, Sokka, Toph and Zuko.

Katara is a waterbender who teaches Aang and later advances her powers to include the all-important power of healing and the disturbingly effective (though situational) Bloodbending.

Toph is an earthbender who is also one of Aang's teachers, and whose tremor sense later allows her to both detect liars and invent Metalbending.

Sokka is seemingly just the comic relief normie. However his technical mindset allows him to serve as the general of the group, and even plan and lead in that role for entire armies later in the show.

Even Zuko who joins later and becomes less a teacher but a fellow student alongside Aaang in firebending is a skilled infiltrator and melee weapon expert. (This is less of a case than the others since it's not used as much, but it's more of a concrete example than his insights into the fire nation and his potential utility as a replacement Fire Lord).

They each provide far more than those short summaries, but it's important to note that in each case, even when Aang does learn the elements and starts growing into his role as the Avatar: he never gains the full range of abilities that his team offers. He never assumes the fully strategic mindset of Sokka, and even though it's downright implausible that no Avatar before him never learnt healing, he never demonstrates that ability or any Metalbending prowess even in the Avatar state.

There's also the enemy trio of Azula, Ty Lee and Mai. Azula is a powerful firebending genius, but Mai's prowess with her throwing weapons are a close match- and Ty Lee's chi-blocking can outright cripple enemy benders for any given fight when combined with her insane agility: something that not even Azula can do with her firebending. They are an incredibly dangerous combination and when Azula loses them, she becomes far less effective for their absence.

In both teams despite the leader being a powerful, talented bender who is objectively the strongest person on their respective side: there's no doubt about each member of the team contributing something that said leader cannot.

-

Now let's look at Miraculous:

Marinette is the "Greatest Ladybug" of all time despite being fourteen, only having had the earrings for less than a year, and having a list of predecessors that go back literally thousands of years and include Joan of Arc.

She is also the Guardian of the Miracle Box. Specifically she is the Guardian of The Mother Box that is the most important of all the boxes, despite there being at least a full Temple's worth of actually trained candidates somewhere in Tibet who should be far and above more capable than her or her mentor Fu. However, her supposed superior Su-Han seems entirely convinced that she's already surpassed any teachings his order has by how often she breaks said teachings in his face only for him to roll over like a dog. There's not been a single time when Marinette has been confronted by some shortcoming in her responsibilities as a Guardian where she has had to learn anything from the multi-millennia old Order of Guardians.

Marinette has also worn almost every single Miraculous in her Box at the same time, a feat that supposedly risked serious harm to her but merely made her woozy for an afternoon (if that). As of the season five Finale, she has also unified her earrings with her partner's ring: a scenario that in earlier seasons seemed to imply great risk: yet she was able to use the powers flawlessly.

As Ladybug, she is also the lone hero who has unlocked any new advanced powers with her Miraculous (unless you also include the arbitrary "adulthood" that she and Chat Noir achieved that allows them multiple uses of their Miraculous before detransforming), and on the occasions when she's used anyone else's powers has shown no sign of being any less capable than they are with them.

Ladybug does everything as well if not better than everyone else.

Marinette can not only unify with any Miraculous she needs for a given mission, she can use the powers as effectively as their "dedicated holder" can and without any restrictions. Unlike the majority of the cast who are still under the child-power limit. She can even unify with multiple miraculous at the same time without any drawbacks.

And without those drawbacks, without anyone on the cast being able to use the power of their Miraculous more effectively than Marinette: everyone else on the team is more or less superfluous.

Sure, Marinette has tossed out the Miraculous to her team like candy now. But when you get down to it: the real lesson that she should have learnt from Strikeback to just put some damn security on her Yo-yo/The Box. Because this just means that she has to wait for the hero in question to show up when she could have just pulled off whatever plan she has in mind herself.

And that superfluous label includes Chat Noir.

As frustrating as it is to come to the this conclusion: as of right now, there's no real reason for Adrien Agreste to be anything but a temporary holder. Certainly you can point to his experience with Plagg's power, and a few examples that seem to imply he can do more with it (in his second outing he was able to reconstruct part of the Eiffel Tower into a makeshift extension to catch someone from). Things that imply that if he perhaps received any actual training in the show like Marinette did from Fu, any guidance whatsoever from the Order or their Grimoire he might be able to achieve more.

But there's no solid evidence to expect that Marinette wouldn't be as effective, and the narrative precedent does not lend itself to the idea that anyone could overshadow Ladybug as a holder even of their own Miraculous. If anything, the sheer ability Marinette showed as Bug Noire implies that her having a partner instead of just keeping the ring herself is a detriment to any given situation.

If you can justify exposing the ring to potential capture in the first place considering that there seems to be no requirement to do. By all rights the practical thing to do is just keeping Plagg in the box instead of risking reality.

Of course we wanted to be generous, Adrien could still be of some use. He's the resident meatshield and narrative jobber. So long as he has a Miraculous he could continue faithfully serving in those roles, eating up mind-control beams and taking hits for Bug Noire so she can save the day as usual.

But everyone else on the Miraculous team might as well turn in their furry super-suits and go home.

-

You couldn't get a more black and white depiction of the value of others outside of the protagonist. in Avatar, Aang is literally a semi-divine being who still needs to be humble and learn while the others around him still have useful special talents and prowess that he can't simply attain at will.

While in Miraculous, there's only one person of actual true competence. From Paris to Shanghai, Marinette alone is the capable one- barring the odd episode in the limelight (Alya and Felix stand up and take a bow. Adrien can stay seated).

There is a word for a character that is impossibly more capable than any other in spite of all reason and logic. And Marinette is increasingly fitting that mold as the show goes on. There's also a term for characters that ultimately contribute nothing good or bad to a story; wasted space. You can't have an entire ensemble of characters as part of the cast and have them provide nothing if they're supposed to have even a smidge of narrative value without making them something the story would be better off without.

Just as you can't just have one person at the centre of everything, make them capable of everything and not eventually have the story they're in turn into (at best) a power fantasy.

And it's a shame. Because Miraculous seemed like it could have been a lot more.

[vpgoldenrod]

Aziraphale's Haunted Look: On Being Forcibly Outed and Exiled From The Garden

While we're all talking about Aziraphale's reaction to the kiss, I'm surprised by those who thought Aziraphale looked disgusted because that's not an emotion I'd seen in him at all. There's sadness, and confusion, and anger, but I couldn't remember seeing disgust. When I watched the scene again I realized there's something else going on that really struck a chord with me. It's an uncomfortably familiar look.

He feels exposed. And I know what it feels like to be exposed in such a violent and intimate way.

Stay with me, I promise this is relevant to my analysis.

I didn't know what being transgender meant when I was a kid. Being raised in a fundamentalist Christian house meant that I wasn't exposed to those ideas, so I lived my life feeling like something was always just kind of broken. It was like I was looking right through the problem at other things, trying to alleviate symptoms without understanding why they existed in the first place. I eventually met other trans people, who gently nudged me in the direction of my truth. I even became aware that I had experienced some minor dysphoria. Every time I came close to acknowledging the truth however, my eyes would once again begin to glaze over the problem. I always managed to subconsciously shove it back into a little box and move on with my life. It was like I accidentally “did a big miracle” and hid this truth from myself so well that I continually forgot it was there.

Til one day I had an encounter that changed everything.

We're friends now but oddly enough, it was only meant to be a fling. I won't go into too many details because it's not just my story, but it was a lovely time that culminated with us meeting and doing what adults do. The person I was with, a cis man, silently clocked me the minute we were face to face. For reasons I now understand, without warning and in the middle of our shared intimate experience, he decided to talk dirty to me as if I were a gay man.

No one had ever spoken to me like that before. It had never occurred to me to ask anyone to do that, or that anyone would want to. I was in an intimate space and filled with the typical emotions and endorphins one has during sex, but it was a fling. I had walls up. So for the first time in my life, in this incredibly vulnerable position, someone grabbed me by my lapels and forced me to face a deep truth about myself that I'd spent decades silently dancing around. It was a blunt, irrefutable truth and it hit like a sucker punch to the solar plexus. He saw me when I was very much not trying to be seen, and there's few things more terrifying than that.

Even now, years later, I have such a hard time putting into words the overwhelming emotions I felt that night. There were so many, and yet somehow I can see every single one of the emotions I felt in Aziraphale's face when Crowley lets him go. My heart breaks all over again seeing how exposed he felt. He can barely make eye contact until he stumbles onto the one emotion that gives him his agency back: anger.

Gabriel shows up to the bookshop completely naked. When a bewildered Aziraphale points it out Gabriel says, “Who told you I was naked?”

But that's not how the story goes.

God looks for Adam in the garden, but he hides from her. He eventually tells God, “I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.”

Then God asks Adam, “Who told you you were naked?” And of course Adam knows he is naked because he ate the apple.

I've made jokes about Crowley being the apple that bit Aziraphale, but I forgot the bit that happens afterwards. He is aware of his own nakedness. He is exposed. To God, to Crowley, and to himself. As a result he is exiled from the safety of his Eden. Man, if this isn't the perfect analogy for being forcibly outed I don't know what is.

This show is so gay you guys.

[newoctopus]

What’s up gang I’m back- now all the way to episode 425 - it feels like every time I have gained power and also suffered a new incest plot so that’s exciting. Do I have a better grasp on canon? Who’s to say. Did I write this on my phone in a fugue after watching the third movie? Absolutely.

So, a little context: Something I’ve been really enamored with is the character challenge of figuring out how in the everloving fuck Shinichi’s relationships recover from this just acutely whack lie he’s been telling. Not only because of the betrayal in trust (though obviously that’s um…a problem) but also in particular with the Mouris in that he made them fall in love with a little boy who, essentially isn’t real. Which is a whole damn thing.

Tbh I haven’t quite been able to work that out yet but this is a first stab at the aftermath: I have a headcannon that after the black org goes down there’s a year between that climactic finish and the development of an antidote where Shinichi has to deal with the fallout of the wildly questionable choices he’s made. I imagine this would fall somewhere in that period so my guy is still small as hell just for fun.

——

“It’s not an excuse” he said, eyes fixed on the spot over her right shoulder.

“I’m not asking you for an excuse Shinichi” she told him and her voice was feather soft at the edges in a way it hadn’t been for two months, three weeks and two days. “I want to understand why you didn’t tell me.”

His jaw tightened, the tension headache he’d been fighting for a day and a half flaring in his right temple. That was the core of the problem wasn’t it? Here, with three months of distance, three months of relative safety, three months of being able to breathe, every reason he had concocted sounded so stupid.

He’d read about the brain’s reaction to prolonged stress- of course he had. It was relevant almost every third case he was on. But somehow, when his life checked every box for catastrophic hyper vigilance, he had missed it.

Really, it was that he had failed to take into account a critical component of the reaction: when the brain was focused entirely on survival, critical thought often ceased to function. The brain was seeking fast, effective methods to keep the body safe and alive so it didn’t tend to have much room for asking if those methods were totally reasonable. Or if they were going to completely dissolve your life when survival was achieved.

He had been afraid. Objectively true. Terrified really, that he would wake up one morning to Gin holding a gun leveled straight at his nose, the corpses of everyone he loved stacked in a bloody tower not far off.

He hadn’t slept well in two years. Also objectively true. Not that he was sleeping well now, but at the time it felt like he spent more of his time with his eyes closed trying to ease the trembling buzz under his skin than he spent actually resting.

Now in the face of Ran’s quiet question it all fell fairly short of any kind of justification.

If he was being totally honest it had felt insufficient at times even in the middle of it all, but whenever the guilt or exhaustion crept in his brain shut down at the idea of changing course. And then somehow it felt easier constructing a complicated scheme to lead her off track rather than to just tell the truth.

Or Haibara would put a gun in his face to shut him up, but seeing as that was a one time deal it couldn’t really be used beyond a month as justification.

Ran’s fingers started gently tracing a wrinkle in her skirt, eternally patient. It was honestly a miracle she still had patience to spare. He needed to say something.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me” came out of his mouth almost on impulse.

Ran’s lips twitched up just a little, her brow furrowing down in a familiar expression of fond frustration. “Shinichi” she said, leaning over and down to force eye contact. “I want to forgive you. Give me a reason to.”

Oh.

Well.

For once, his mind went blank. Ran must have seen it on his face, the frustration vanishing to be replaced by a small smile and just a hint of tears at the corner of her eyes. “Tell me why.”

“I didn’t tell you at first because I was scared” he said before he could overthink it. Her eyebrows winged up at the admission and suddenly the eye contact was a bit too much. His eyes slipped over to her left ear.

“I got home and I couldn’t reach the handle to my own gate. I got lucky that the Professor was there to let me in or you would have found me on the street and-“ he paused, breathed out a heavy sigh “I didn’t know who they were. I just knew they were a criminal organization that thought I was dead and” he shrugged, “it sounds stupid now but at some point it felt like the second someone found out who I was it would kill them.”

“Heiji knew.”

“He found out. Early. I… couldn’t really convince him otherwise.”

“Doesn’t seem like you tried very hard to.” Ran said it idly but it had an edge of steel to it.

He grimaced. The reasoning felt cold but “I didn’t care about him enough to at the beginning.” He’d cared, but not as deeply. Not enough that it stole the air from his lungs in a blind panic at two in the morning to think about losing him “And then by the time I did he was…he was fine.”

“And you couldn’t extend that reasoning to me?”

“I should have.” He met here eyes again, in time to see a tear slip down one cheek. But her expression wasn’t crumpled. Instead, she met him head on, lips tight, leaning forward like what he said next would be critical.

“Why didn’t you?”

“I was going to, at the hospital but-“ his words choked off a little, fingers twitching just once. “Haibara asked me not to. It wasn’t just my secret anymore.“

Ran’s brow furrowed. “You barely knew Ai-chan then. Why-“

“She asked me with a gun.” Ran’s flabbergasted expression surprised a little chuckle out of him despite himself. “It wasn’t loaded, when she pulled the trigger I got a face full of flowers it just…” He paused, trying to find the words.

“Made it feel dangerous again” Ran supplied, studying his face.

“Catastrophic really” he said, voice deliberately light. “I guess that feeling never really faded. Even when it should have been more than obvious it was safer for you to know I just… couldn’t get past it.”

“Couldn’t get past it.” Ran repeated softly and he jerked a little half nod. She sat for a few beats in silence, eyes fixed off somewhere distant. “And after? When it started getting dangerous for me not to know?”

This was where his justification dried up. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to answer that question- they’d had a much more explosive version of this conversation eleven times so far. But those times the question had been shot at him like a penalty kick, grief and heartbreak in motion.

This time the words were soft, careful. This time Ran’s eyes were looking at him like him, rather than the man turned boy who somehow killed her little brother and was him all at once.

That was the question behind it all really, how could you do that? How could you make me love a little boy that was never real?

“I don’t have a good reason, not really.” He said, going back to studying his lap, worrying a thread pulled loose from the weave of his pants. If he had still been Conan, Ran would have scolded him, grabbed his hands and pulled them away, but now she just watched him, face careful, waiting for a better answer.

“I was scared.” He said finally, voice so soft he wasn’t sure if she heard it. But she tilted her head and nodded for him to go on so he said “scared of what you’d think of me, that you wouldn’t forgive me, that was part of it. But… after a while I had just built it up so much it-“

His voice choked just a little, he twisted the thread and tugged. Another thread came loose.

“It felt like nothing I could do would keep you safe. Like me being anywhere near you would kill you but I couldn’t leave. Which is stupid. I could leave, I just didn’t. I couldn’t think about what a day would be if I had to go into hiding for real, if I had to go back to that empty house and-“

His voice had risen so much it was like a shout and he stopped, mortified, tightening his hands into fists in the fabric beneath them. It was course and rough, the sensation of pressure tight against his small fingers where the cloth didn’t stretch.

“Sorry. Sorry I-“ he cast a glance out the window to avoid seeing her face “I was selfish. I was selfish and scared and I wasn’t thinking enough and I’m sorry Ran. I’m so sorry.”

The headache was pounding behind his right temple now, sending splinters of pain into the spot right above his eye but he couldn’t unclench his jaw for more than a minute before he forgot, teeth grinding into one another, the grit of enamel against itself.

They sat in silence for a minute, he counted each second in his head, casting desperately for something to say.

“I know it’s not enough.” he settled on and Ran shook her head.

“No, it’s not. Not really.” She sniffed again, a high hiccup and he finally chanced a look back at her face. There were tears streaking down her cheeks, but a small smile was pulling up the side of her lips.

Whatever she saw in his expression made her laugh a small, wet laugh. “You haven’t apologized like that to me since we were ten.” She said, her eyes unbearably fond in a way he was sure he hadn’t earned.

“I apologize to you all the time,” he said shakily, returning the smile in slight disbelief “you just think it’s different now because I weigh forty pounds again.”

She laughed a little laugh, eyes crinkling up at the corners and he felt a tiny sprig of hope bloom in his chest.

“I really am sorry Ran. There’s nothing I can say that will fix it, but I mean it.”

“I know” she said, breathing in deep and letting it out as a sigh. “Some of me wants to be mad at you forever, and it still hurts so much Shinichi but…” she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and tilted her head, hair falling to sweep over her shoulder in a chestnut wave. “I’m tired of being mad at you I guess.”

It was too good to be true. It was more than he deserved. He held onto the hope of it like a life raft thrown to a man halfway through drowning.

“You should stick up for yourself more” He said instead of the fifteen desperate things that were fighting to get past his lips and she laughed, the sound thick and nasally with tears.

“I’ve got you and Sonoko to do that for me.” She said, despite them both knowing she stuck up for herself just fine with anyone but the two people she just mentioned. Who would of course stick up for her against each other. Typically by bickering each other’s ears off.

His lips tugged up into a half smile “Sure, but it tends to be a bit less effective from a first grader.”

Ran giggled again, then paused, eyes going distant again for a moment as she thought.

“I still need time but…I think maybe soon we can try again. With some ground rules. Not” She exclaimed, cutting herself off with the thought “dating. Not…I don’t think I can-“

She didn’t have to finish the sentence- he knew that coffin had long since been buried. “I know. I know it’s too late for that it’s ok I just-“ his voice cracked and he looked away. “I missed you.”

She sniffled again, choking on a sob as she said “I missed you too.”

[moonmerchant]

Master Fu & Guardians

I've seen people talk about how they don't like how Marinette was made the new Guardian of the Miracle Box because of how young and irresponsible she is. While I do agree, my main problem with this runs a little deeper.

I don't like the Guardians as a concept, and I'm sort of surprised that I haven't seen others have/voice this particular gripe. It just seems a little ridiculous to me that these incredibly powerful beings with various (often strong-willed) personalities would be okay with humans deciding who gets to wield their Miraculous instead of deciding for themselves.

These ancient creatures, often referred to in the fandom as god-like, bending to mortals' will? I can see some like Wayzz, Pollen, or Tikki going with it, but Kalki? PLAGG?? Not only does it feel strange for their characters, it makes the Kwami as a whole feel less impressive to me.

If I were to rewrite Miraculous (which I am), I would cut out the Guardian Order altogether (and by extension Suhan). I would have Master Fu simply be a wielder of the Turtle Miraculous (and a former wielder of the Butterfly Miraculous) who considers himself as a mentor to these younger and less experienced wielders.

He can still have his tragic backstory, having wielded the Butterfly (due to the change in the Peacock's power in this rewrite) irresponsibly. He can still have been raised in a monastery or temple with a very strict lifestyle. He can still have been selfish and careless in his youth, accidentally getting people hurt due to his actions. He can still feel immense guilt and horror over what he's done, renouncing the Butterfly permanently.

He can still have tried to change into a more mature and thoughtful person, thus drawing the attention of the Turtle. He can even still have his love story with Marianne, tragically ripped apart before finding each other again, aged and weathered but still caring for each other.

Taking the Guardian Order away from his character, if done properly, can honestly have very little impact on his story.

(And simply cutting the Guardian Marinette arc would be for the better, in my opinion. It only serves to reinforce how she is the sole main character. Adrien is not granted dual-Guardianship over the Miracle Box. His interaction with Master Fu and the Guardians as a whole are quite limited.

This plotline highlights the divide in how the supposed duteragonists are treated in terms of relevance and importance. Marinette is given this sacred responsibility, access to even more power, and the immediate love of the Kwami. Adrien is given nothing, save for an even bigger gap in power and knowledge between himself and Ladybug.)

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #23

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 2, The Clue, blameless goats

...

Hairstyle Notes

The hair is longer and more fluffy than the previous scene. It is also longer than the scene that started off the whole episode and minisode.

From the front when closer to Aziraphale, it looks more red.

The curls themselves change, dependent on camera angle too. If one wishes to lean into the character POV approach, the more red hair seen from the front is possibly Aziraphale's POV.

I still prefer to NOT lean into such a thing and think of it as generally shared myself because I put so much stock into how important the hiss is for this scene. It's important for Crowley since it's such an integral part of his own Threshold Trick for himself (The Sunglasses Trick). It's important for Aziraphale to remember that it happened because it's part of the message he is receiving.

Crowley's hair is generally dynamic throughout season 2, and the present day of season 2 even shows it can change based on his emotions.

Regardless, we are now shown a new type of space for this era.

This space is a human-built structure with no roof. It has not experienced the damage the barn did. It will be damaged later through the storm. This space also has a fountain, so water is nearby. There are no humans on entry, and there will be no humans by the time this scene ends.

As such, this hairstyle is the closest match to a "supernatural" reading when comparing to the season 2 present day.

The space recognizes Crowley is a demon, or at least a supernatural being. The crows already within it are the goats he transformed into crows earlier in the minisode.

...

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects)

Most of the scene looks to be outright avoiding earthly object touches, largely to help focus on the events of the scene itself with the revelation that the crows were the goats. As such, Crowley was, in a way, "holding" an earthly object during the scene through a miracle touch. Aziraphale himself touched the crows through changing them back to their original forms as goats. Aziraphale used Crowley's name for the time period, "Crawley".

During this scene is the next touch of The Sunglasses Trick.

Here is a GIF:

This time, we're at the second Single of a group of three Singles that will become a Triple.

Crowley makes a pocket between his right arm and beard, using his right hand to touch the right end piece. This pocket exists for both cuts that show the touch. The arm casts a shadow over where the season 2 present day Tied Hands would be. His headband is like his substitute Belt Head. He received overhead lights before this set of minisode scenes started. He also didn't show his actual hands in the preceding scene.

The sunglasses are different than the last Single, he hissed, and he was miracle-holding crows-that-are-secretly-goats. As a reminder, the sunglasses being different are what demonstrate this group of three is the one for three Singles to become a Triple. The hissing is what they have in common for their eventual switch to a Triple.

This touch really stands out in the Threshold Tricks overall because it is the only touch that takes place in a minisode. All of the others are in the season 2 present day.

Why?

Well, I'm always theorizing though I believe in some of my theories more strongly than others, but nonetheless, here's a reminder that's what I'm doing before I give my answer.

As stated before, these minisodes are stories with hidden messages between Crowley and Aziraphale. Gabriel arrived with a cardboard box at least twice. With the possibility of making themselves forget things from the first time, the characters left themselves clues to solve their own puzzle.

This scene is giving Aziraphale a huge clue that amounts to "goats". I mean, it could do more and mean more, but that's the relevant part for a certain step he's going to take in the present day.

Among the various clues listed on the record is "Goat Gate," so Aziraphale will consider the clues from the minisode, including the goats that are part of this scene, and decide to get himself to Goat Gate.

The next touch for The Sunglasses Trick will not be until episode 5.

Time to pay attention to the pockets.

After Crowley crosses the threshold on entry, he is shown pocketed between two plant stands before Aziraphale arrives.

When Aziraphale is first shown, he's also revealed to have passed a pocket of two plant stands.

I don't think these plant stand pockets mean much more than a general clue about how important the plants are for the season 2 overall connection and ending with The Door Trick, The Door Catch, and the maintained Green of Rainbow Connection.

Probably one of the most important pockets in the scene, communicating the same thing as above, is when Aziraphale and Crowley themselves are pocketing a plant as Aziraphale challenges Crowley to look him in the eye before the hiss. This pocket disappears after Crowley says his full line about "blameless goats", then briefly reappears as Aziraphale starts to walk away.

Crowley's robe makes a pocket with itself and the ground that is generally shadowy and black. It further opens slightly over the ground while the first crow bleats like a goat. That serves as a clue that yes, Crowley somehow lowered his guard enough to let it be known the crows were goats.

The last cut shows Crowley and Aziraphale pocketing the goats, before that cut is pushed away to the camera's left.

...

For my tangential reading progress, I finished re-reading Good Omens. I discussed some of that in this post here: Finished Re-Reading Good Omens. I have a lot more highlights and thoughts, but I don't have the energy to go over them in a post like this one, for now.

I started reading Eric by Terry Pratchett this morning.

...

Story Commentary

Here we are again in the minisode with Crowley first, then Aziraphale. This time we are connected from a scene where we entered by looking at a book. Both of them were on screen, and Crowley received the focus to imply he was the one remembering that previous scene.

Eventually, we're going to pull out of this book and be left with Aziraphale, leaving us to assume that Crowley left sometime during the recollection of the minisode.

This scene is more serious than their last encounter because Aziraphale regards Crowley as a serious threat who destroyed Job's goats and on his way to destroy Job's children.

Crowley himself doesn't seem to take things seriously until Aziraphale draws closer and challenges him by saying he, Aziraphale, doesn't think he, Crawley, wants to destroy Job's children.

The two continue into a more dramatic confrontation that includes the touch on the sunglasses with the hiss.

Before that hiss, Aziraphale brings up the angel Crawley was, and Crawley says quite pointedly, "The angel you knew is not me."

This same angel was shown to not give his name in Before the Beginning.

Season 1 gave us more than one scene showing Crowley doesn't like being a demon. He remarked that he just hung around the wrong people, that he only ever asked questions, that he never asked to be a demon, and so on. Season 2 shows us here—and will show again—that doesn't mean he wants or wanted to go back to being an angel.

Season 2 also doesn't show us Crowley having the same level of regret at his demonic status that season 1 did. The Earthly Objects game even goes so far as to demonstrate Crowley play rather strategically, taking advantage of his status as a snake-eyed demon. The sunglasses are his door, yes, but they are also his accessory. They can switch and give the preferred points he wants within the game, dependent on his own play. He receives multiple Overhead Lights to his left, including and especially the sun in The Door Trick.

He said "former demon" in front of Shax earlier, but he'll drop the "former" when talking to Muriel later.

Moving on, Aziraphale still challenges Crowley further to look him in the eye and tell him he, Crawley, wants to do the destroying of Job's children.

Not only do we see the hiss, we are shown a specific choice in wording by Crowley in what he says, which is, "I want to. I long to destroy the blameless children of blameless Job, just as I destroyed his blameless goats."

It sounds menacing and works effectively. It's actually a lot like the mixed tutorial sequence we received in episode 1, in that there is a hidden truth within a lie. There is a big lie here of Crowley destroying the goats. He didn't do that. There is a truth within that lie. He longs to "destroy" the children just as he did the goats—which would be, not destroying them. Also, Rule of Three. The word "blameless" was used 3 times.

Crowley's lie and hiss are so effective that the lighting shifts to indicate Aziraphale's angel light dimmed, and Crowley's demon darkness darkened by making his robe look significantly more black.

Season 1 showed us Aziraphale can lie to Crowley in its present day and get away with it. Season 2 shows us, at least in 2500 BC, Crowley could lie to Aziraphale and get away with it.

With Aziraphale feeling defeated, Crowley lets Aziraphale learn the truth. That's then Crowley taking a chance on trusting Aziraphale this far back in their history together.

Aziraphale figures out the crows are goats and looks rather pleased with himself for doing so.

With the last cut shifting the way it does to the camera's left, it's reasonable to think that could be Crowley leaving the room.

However, Crowley's next present day scene is going to be the first touch of The Pocket Trick. We just had another touch in The Sunglasses Trick. The Tied Hands were retied before we entered the book to watch this part of the minisode.

If possible, something in this minisode should retie them, besides just being a minisode. I suspect that something is going to be the part with a sign saying, "THE NEXT DAY". I don't know if that means Crowley leaves the room when that part is happening on screen or not, but it's the type of thing I look for when playing the games of the story. I'll mention another oddity he does with his hands later when Job's children are restored, in the scene before we actually get back to the season 2 present day.

...

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

...

Main post:

The Sideburns Scheme

[flightfoot]

ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 125K+ Words

So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!

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Dreams of You by @chocoluckchipz

Dreams had long been his only escape. Dreams of Ladybug, the girl who had always been there for him.

If only in his dreams. And only while she was also sleeping.

Because with the first rays of sunshine gliding over her skin, with the first fluttering of her eyelashes, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, memories of Adrien would vanish from her mind.

She would go on living her life.

He would always be the only one who remembered.

At least until they meet in the real world and fall in love all over again, something that would’ve been easier to do if Adrien wasn't a prisoner in his own home.

Chocoluckchipz has some of the most beautifully executed lovesquare fics I’ve read, and this is no exception. Most of the fic is dedicated to Adrien wooing Marinette, spending time with her, with her own dream self acting as his wingman, giving her tips on how to get her to fall for him, all the while frustrated that she can’t share memories with her waking self, and that she and Adrien can’t share as much information as they’d like while asleep, due to limitations of the “curse” that allows Adrien to share dreams with his soulmate. 

It’s not all cute Adrienette fluff though. There’s a threat in the background waiting to erupt, as the weirdness of Gabriel’s ultimatum to Adrien about finding Ladybug or else being forced to marry Lila keeps on gnawing at him - and with good reason. This is a world with magic and kwamis still, and that fact makes itself very relevant in the last third of the story. 

It’s a well-written tale and very much worth a read!

---

one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

All of Paris watched as Hawkmoth murdered Chat Noir, taking the Black Cat Miraculous for himself. Ladybug swears revenge, but her enemy—and every miraculous in his possession—disappear without a trace.

Six years later, a new team of villains launches an attack for the last remaining Miraculous: Volpina, armed with new powers; Queen Bee, with questionable loyalty; Argos, the new holder of the Peacock Miraculous; and Cat Walker, who Ladybug hates the most.

Takes place after S4 - Strike Back.

This is a simply phenomenal fic. You get to explore a lot of different perspectives, like Felix, Kagami, Marinette, and Adrien’s, just to name a few, and see their different thought processes and plans and priorities, and how it can cause their plans to collide with each other, even when they all ultimately are aiming for a good outcome for everyone. The characters are pretty complex and can mess up at times, even when they’re doing things (or not doing things, looking at you Luka) with the best of intentions. It was a joy to read and a real nail-biter the whole time, I actually wrote a fic for it halfway through just to resolve some of the tension for myself, One Does Not Love Shadows.

It also features the version of Luka I’ve connected best with to date, as he feels like Luka, but also is a lot more fleshed out, and can make some major errors while simply trying to avoid missteps. It’s helped me get a better handle on a character who I’ve generally had a lot of problems with really understanding.

It is an M-rated fic, though I think Wackus is being overly cautious on that front. There’s no sexual content and I wouldn’t put the violence or gore above a T-rating, so I wouldn’t let the rating scare you off.

---

Boomer!Luka: FeLuka Ending series by @19thsentry-blog

In the Shadows (the first fic in the series) summary:

On one side is Luka, 140-year-old Snake Miraculous holder and keeper of the Guardian's secrets, on the other is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a relatively newly minted hero of Paris and Guardian of the Miracle Box. Each is looking to fulfill their promises to their now gone mentors to reunite the Kwamis and keep them safe. Sounds simple--until you throw in a rocky start, the Atlantic Ocean, Félix Graham de Vanily, and a whole host of secrets…and suddenly simple becomes complicated (story of Marinette's life, right?).

So this is obviously way outside my normal wheelhouse. I don’t typically read Lukanette fics, even ones that turn into FeLuka later on in the series (though boy it becomes apparent quickly that the author’s fascinated with FeLuka’s dynamic.) But this one is really good, with the best Luka-centric fics I’ve ever read, and some of the best Felix-centric content as well. I love how Luka has his own baggage here, with all the pressure of wandering around for over a century, looking after the few Miraculous he found, trying to keep what’s left of the Order alive, unaware of Fu’s survival or of the Miraculous user’s re-emergence in Paris. There’s a lot of focus on Luka’s own feelings and thoughts and problems, not just on helping other people with them. 

The plot works even without the romantic aspect, so even if Lukanette isn’t a pairing that draws you in, I still recommend this fic, so long as you don’t actively dislike the pairing itself. And even though it’s a Lukanette fic, Adrien and Alya are treated fairly and with respect. Adrien may not end up with Marinette and is bummed about it, but the narrative is still kind to him overall, there’s clearly no ill well towards him, or Alya for that matter. (There are later fics in the series that focus more on Adrien just healing and coping and living after finding out that his father’s a villain and his mom’s been in the basement this whole time, and in the multiversal travel fic, Alya gets some standout appearances as Scarabella which are fun).

And FELIX - it’s clear that 19thsentry has this whole conception about Felix’s psychology. He’s wrapped in a ton of self-loathing until it started to consume him, made him lash out. Him being a sentimonster, wanting to get the Peacock Miraculous, actually gave him some direction for that at least. And he’s just in this pit of his own making, until he meets Luka, who can see through him when no one else can, who cares for him even though he doesn’t understand why, who’d been through so much over the years and yet kept himself kind. He’s attracted like a moth to a flame, infuriated that he cares, yet not able to stop himself from caring about this mysterious, infuriating musician. 

Yeah if you can’t tell this is the series that really sold me on FeLuka as a couple.

Oh yeah, one of the fics in here is M-rated, and it does earn the M rating for sexual content, though it’s nothing too major.

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Accidents Are Also Miracles by @liiinerle

After a few turbulent days where four new people discover her secret identity, Marinette loses faith in her ability to keep the secret hidden. Wracked with doubts and insecurities, she pleads with Alya to take over as Scarabella, but she still can't let those worries go. Especially not once Monarch starts taking a particular, and personal, interest in her.

Along the way, she also starts to date Kagami, and has to deal with changing feelings about herself, Adrien, Alya, Kagami, and the idea of being Ladybug. At the same time, Alya works to uncover Monarch's secret identity, while Kagami struggles against a controlling parent, and a girlfriend who seems bent on destroying herself - with or without Monarch's involvement.

Fantastic Marigami fic here! You’ve got three major POVs in this fic: Marinette, Kagami, and to my delight, Alya. I loved getting to see Alya cope with taking over as Scarabella especially.

But of course, this fic centers more around Marinette and Kagami, with Marinette struggling with Monarch targeting her, and Kagami struggling against her abusive parent, as well as both of them trying to navigate their relationship together when they know that not everyone will approve. 

There’s also some other plots going on in here, like Sabrina breaking away from Chloe and becoming more independent (and closer to Adrien in fact), as well as a Lila takedown plot, though thankfully not one that involves demonizing other characters. While there are conversations about people believing Lila and siding with her, no one’s actually attacked for it except for Lila herself.

Oh yeah, and while this fic may not have much focus on Adrien, he’s still treated fairly and with respect, even when he messes up. He can make mistakes, but people understand where he’s coming from, and are still kind to him and want things to be okay, and to help him escape his abusive circumstances.

---

Awaken by InkyIbis

The previously white butterfly, now oozing black and purple as a conduit of the butterfly miraculous powers, flutters softly within the silvered-gloved hand.

It sits there for a long time.

"Go, my akuma," The soft sigh pushes the butterfly, the akuma, out towards the despair of a love not returned. The same ache within his chest. On a level so great that he's willing to sacrifice the city to mend it.

It's okay if he's the villain for now. He'll force the miraculous of creation and destruction to be revealed, and once he gets his hands on them, none of this pain, none of his loss, will ever happen.

This is essentially a canon rewrite for Miraculous (specifically seasons 1 and 2, with a bunch of the events mixed around) that focuses primarily on Adrien, with his relationship with Nino being the main driving relationship of the fic. (Don’t worry, Marinette’s still treated fine, she’s just not the focus). This is the best “rewrite Miraculous with more of a focus on Adrien” type fic I’ve seen, with it reworking the plots of the episodes so that they’re different enough to be their own distinct thing - it’s not trying to just rewrite the canon episodes but from Adrien’s POV, there’s a lot of lore changes going on as well, and things occur in different orders.

Like lorewise, Chat’s given a more important role in cleaning up the mess the akumas leave, with his power helping to cleanse akuma victims and he and Ladybug needing to use their powers in tandem in order to cast Miraculous Ladybug. There’s also no Miracle Box holding the kwamis. Instead, Chat sometimes surpasses his limits and ends up summoning kwamis, which is dangerous to him, but very useful.

What really makes this fic great though, is its focus on Adrien’s emotions. You really get a feel for Adrien’s insecurities, especially when it comes to not feeling like he’s good enough for Nino, with not wanting to bother him when he absolutely should, with feeling like he’s not a good enough friend to him, and then there’s dealing with all of Gabriel’s usual abuse on top of that.

Speaking of Nino, this is an Adrino fic (though several characters get crushes on Adrien, Nino’s the one who matters most for this), though a slowburn one. Nino’s clearly head-over-heels for Adrien, but Adrien has like, no context for what a romantic crush feels like and is basically viewing Nino the way he viewed Marinette in canon prior to season 5. He clearly cares for him a lot, including romantically, he just... doesn’t get it.

Anyway, if you want an interesting canon rewrite fic from Adrien’s perspective with Adrino as the main pairing, this is a good story to pick up!

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Kintsugi - The Beauty Of Broken Things by @xaran-alamas

When freed from Mayura's control, and given a chance at a normal life, the Sentimonster clone of Ladybug must learn what it is to be not only a hero, but also a human being, and part of a family.

Meanwhile Marinette needs to figure out what to do with a hyper-energetic Kwami with a broken Miraculous.

Sentibug-centric fic here! The longest one in existence, in fact. Xaran does a great job of developing Centi, having her figure out what she wants and how to belong, and also deal with her feelings towards her creator - which are pretty negative since, you know, Mayura tried to kill her. The way she’s developed is excellent, and I adore her fitting into the Couffaine family after they take her in, with Juleka, Luka, and Anarka taking a shine to her quickly, and her to them. We spend a lot of time with the Couffaines as a result, so it’s also worth reading if you want to see more of that family, especially Juleka.

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you made me a hero - reverse crush short stories series by @non-fantasy

This series is just plain fun! Like the title says, it’s a reverse crush AU, so Adrien’s head-over-heels for Marinette, while Ladybug’s smitten with Chat Noir. Which means that Adrien’s constantly trying to woo Marinette while Ladybug’s attempting to have normal conversations with Chat Noir (and failing), and both of them are oblivious to each other’s feelings. 

I love the way non-fantasy executes it, with Alya literally carrying around a spray bottle because of how eager Adrien is, and Ladybug being VERY SCARY if you ever lay a finger on Chat Noir (seriously akumas will literally beg for their akumatized object to be broken just to escape her wrath). 

Oh, also, Ladybug regularly stops by Adrien’s room so they can both lament how difficult of a time they’re having wooing their crushes, and just have fun together.

There’s a lot of entries in this series - 29 of them in fact - but most of them are pretty short, making it great if you want to devour some quick, cute, hilarious romcom action! 

Some stuff does actually change over the course of the series, it’s not just slice-of-life. Like identity reveals, dating, and even Hawkmoth’s defeat, so there’s clear progression and changes in circumstances as well.

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Not a Monster at All by @book-sandwich

Adrien Agreste overhears a conversation he shouldn't, and a revelation sends him falling onto the terrace of the only person he can trust: his good friend (?) Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Takes place sometime after the first two episodes of season 5!

As you can probably guess from the title, this is a Sentimonster Adrien, Monarch takedown fic. Adrien’s going through a tough time, and Marinette’s just trying to be there for him as his whole world’s collapsing around him. Unfrotunately, they still don’t know what the object is, or how likely Gabriel would be to control Adrien if he hinted that he knew the truth, which leaves Adrien in a precarious position - still not having done an identity reveal doesn’t help matters.

It’s a really solid fic for the genre, though since it started up before the later parts of season 5, there are a few things that don’t match up with the canon information we obtained later on. 

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Under Oath by @eoscenes

In the aftermath of Hawk Moth's defeat, Ladybug finds her heart torn between her schoolgirl crush and her superhero partner ― who returns, after an unexplained hiatus, more irresistible than ever.

⋆☆⋆

Gabriel Agreste is unmasked, and Paris rises up in the aftermath.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng must weather Paris' anxious protesters, ravenous reporters, a scattered team of judiciary investigators, and her conflicting feelings for two different boys. In the eye of this storm is the elusive Adrien Agreste, the primary witness in his own father's trial, who might just hold the secret to finding the Peacock Miraculous.

(If only she wasn't in love with him.)

Meanwhile, locked away in Le Grand Paris hotel, Adrien grapples with his responsibilities to a city that can't decide if it hates or loves him. Keeping his daytime persona and Chat Noir separate entities becomes even harder when Ladybug, whom he has finally decided to get over, starts visiting him at night, determined to figure his secrets out.

(If only he wasn't in love with her.)

When an unknown figure returns with the Peacock Miraculous, Ladybug and Chat Noir will have to save their city once more — or lose each other trying.

I love how this fic shows Adrien just breaking down over the reveal of Hawk Moth’s identity, he’s in a Very Bad Place for a substantial portion of the fic, and being a suspect and witness in the case does NOT help. It’s got the most detailed “Adrien suffering the consequences of the backlash to his father’s prosecution” plot that I’ve seen.

Still, things get better with time, slowly, gradually. It’s not all at once, or a completely linear road, but he’s got his friends, even after everything.

[quantomeno]

My ranking of the 'And that person is you!' scenes from Professor Layton

Ah, the iconic 'finger point' scene. They are Layton's trademark and it's so much fun when you know it's about to happen. You can feel the tension build.

But these moments are not all equal. Which scene will reign supreme?

Because these scenes involve big revelations and plot twists, this list will be rife with spoilers for both trilogies and the movie.

7. Azran Legacy

Firstly, the audience already knows who it is and no one else in the room could be it even if we didn't know. The other issue is that it's just got no build-up: Layton gives his spiel and then does the point. The room is cramped and there's not much drama or flair. By far the greatest problem though is that this felt like a side story. Bloom himself felt like wasted potential in some respects, but this whole mystery didn't seem all that important in the grand scheme of things. I honestly don't remember it that well and I am pretty sure he only stole a few artefacts that weren't plot relevant. It feels like they just wanted a pointing scene and this was the only logical place to put it.

6. Lost Future/Unwound Future

It is far too short, but the reveal has much more heft than Azran Legacy's. It is somewhat obvious that it's Future Luke once you realise what's happening, because only Don Paulo could be the other option, but the Clive revelation is still a massive twist. I give this scene bonus points because I like Clive's reaction to the accusation too.

5. Eternal Diva

I like this one, but it also feels a bit tacked on. The 'who has the key?' thing feels like it doesn't need deduction because they could just check everyone's pockets (and she's literally just holding it), but what saves it is that it ties into the bigger mystery and the revelation of Janice/Melina's identity. It feels impactful by the end, even if the initial tension feels overblown.

4. Miracle Mask

This one feels a fraction lacking in drama, but it makes up for it with its position/significance in the story. The wind blowing at the pivotal moment adds some nice flair. I would say it's also quite a shocking twist. It is what I would consider the baseline 'finger point' scene because it contains all the key features that make a good one, but I just don't think it has the same sensation of suspense that it needs to rank higher. Its execution is not as great as some.

3. Curious Village

This one lacks the trademark phrase, and it is also obvious who's the 'criminal element', but it makes up for it with the atmosphere of the room: it gives a classic murder mystery vibe, where all the key players have been gathered to learn the truth. It is scenes like this that makes me wish CV was a more traditional murder mystery because it has all the hallmarks of it. I am tempted to put this one below MM, but I feel this one is a touch more elegant and I value that.

2. Spectre's Call/Last Specter

This is one of the few times the game manages to surprise you with the revelation and has actively worked to make it seem like it was someone else. The foreshadowing of Doland, out of focus, standing behind Clarke, and Luke staring at his father, fully believing his own dad has been terrorising the town... and then how the camera pans from Clarke to Doland. It is a cleverly laid out scene and it has a great feeling of drama.

Pandora's Box/Diabolical Box

I could watch this scene on repeat forever. It is gorgeous. It also gives classic murder mystery vibes which I love. The suave coolness of Layton stirring his tea and calmly telling Chelmey he's go thee wrong man: perfect. Everyone's shocked reactions are fun and add to the tension. The pause after Layton's reasoning, and the shots of those involved leaves us with a delectable moment of suspense. Every shot is framed perfectly. And the revelation: it is not really surprising given we see Flora get kidnapped and she just made the comment that gave Layton the proof he needed, but it is still such an outrageous idea that Flora killed Dr Schrader and stole the box. The shots of everyone during the aforementioned pause at least try to create the illusion that it could be someone else. It also resolves one of the earliest mysteries of the game. The cherry on the cake is Luke's reaction (I love him so much). It is moments like this that make me want to put PB as my favourite game, but alas... I love LF too much.

[collidedscope]

After watching Good Omens 2, I have a bit of an out-of-the-box theory as to a plot twist that might be coming in s3: Crowley used to be Lucifer and had his pre-fall memory removed.

My evidence:

Crowley was the one who tempted Eve to eat the apple. According to the Bible, this was Lucifer's doing.

I'm pretty sure Crowley is the only entity who we know is able to stop time.

Adam is described as being "human incarnate"… But he was SUPPOSED to be Hell incarnate… what changed? Crowley. Crowley "went native" and so did his son.

[The more compelling pieces of info are from s2 and they are under the "keep reading". I spent a LOT of time on this so please give it a chance.]

Both Saraqael (the new archangel) and Furfur (the demon who made the Nazis zombies) immediately recognized Crowley, but he had no memory of either of them. It seems odd to include both of these instances within 6eps, especially considering the fact that other lines were removed for not being plot-relevant.

The convo with Saraqael: Throughout the conversation, Crowley has his smiling facade, but looks clueless (even surprised she knows him by name), and Muriel looks smug. "Hello Crowley. I didn't expect to ever see each other again." "Do we know each other?" "When you were an angel. We worked together on the Horsehead Nebula." "I meet a lot of people..." She then smirks and immediately changes the topic.

The convo with Furfur: "We have [met], haven't we?" "Have we?" Furfur looks incredulous that Crowley didn't recognize him on sight. "What do you mean 'have we'- you know we have. We were in the same legion... just before the fall...? Doing dubious battle on the plains of Heaven...? Remember?!?" "... Well, I remember going into battle, I don't remember being there with you- sorry." "Wha-? I was right next to you!!! We did loads together!!! You used to jump on my back like a monkey in a waistcoat!!!"

Crowley did not remember a very high-ranking person he collaborated with (on a project he was very passionate about). He also did not recognize someone he was very chummy with, even when he was reminded of specific events, even though Furfur had immediately recognized Crowley by name all these years later.

Crowley was able to open the confidential file on Gabriel. And when he did it, he looked like he was trying to open them... no sarcastic remark beforehand, no bragging about his previous position... just Crowley trying to open it. (As if he doesn't remember his rank.)

Crowley tells Aziraphale "I am NOT the angel you met"... I believe he meant this in the sense that he's truly not the same entity... he's not operating on the same memories that angel!Crowley was, and he isn't going to remember his experiences he had with Aziraphale as an angel,

The miracle that Aziraphale and Crowley did together (masking Gabriel) was described as an archangel-level miracle, enough to raise someone from the dead 25 times over. Now, maybe this was because A&C were working together.... however, they were under the assumption that this would make them less conspicuous.

In the instance of Gabriel being removed from the position of supreme-archangel, his memory was erased. He assumed he would be sent to Hell, and seemed to already have a plan for his memory to be erased- he immediately requested a box, Beelzebub had already gifted him the perfect place to hide his memory, and Gabriel had quickly carried everything out before anyone else was even suspicious. Almost like this had happened before and he knew what to expect. (And according to the Metatron, there was only ever one other "Prince of Heaven" who was removed and cast down to Hell.)

Now, the the Metatron was going to erase Gabriel's memory "as a kindness"... So what was the reasoning for erasing Lucifer's memory? Control. My guess is that Lucifer somehow messed up God's original plan... Just like how Crowley was the reason Armageddon failed (I acknowledge there were many reasons why Armageddon failed, but Crowley was the instigator and Crowley was the one who stopped time to prepare Adam.)

It makes sense that if someone upended your system, it would seem like a safe bet to erase their memories and stick them in a fairly low-level position, where they are barely able to interact with any powerful entities.

Who would now be in charge of Hell and why? My guess is that there's some demonic equivalent of the Metatron, and they are given power over Hell in exchange for pretending like there's still a Satan.

Then what was the Satanic monstrosity in s1e6?? idk man, i just go here. Maybe a paid actor or something. But Adam defeated it by saying "YOU'RE NOT MY DAD! You never were." and then it just... vanished??? into smoke???? That never made sense to me... like did fucking Satan just... die??? (Do not ask me what really happened or how Crowley didn't know he had a son.)

Okay now the big question: WHY????

We all know that Aziraphale still has a lot of unlearning to do when it comes to his ideology of "Heaven/angels= good, Hell/demons= bad". Because, SURE, there's been exceptions to this rule, and Aziraphale has come to understand that human morality is somewhat nuanced.

And sure, there's some "bad apple" angels like Gabriel, who just don't understand God's will. but he still believes that God is unequivocally good and Heaven will be too, as long as it's under good management.

Right now, Aziraphale views Crowley as some kind of exception, an anomaly. In Aziraphale's mind, Crowley should be an angel- there really must've been some mistake that he's supposed to be a demon.

And Aziraphale has believed this for MILLIONS OF YEARS. Since the beginning of existence, Aziraphale has been brainwashed. And I think the only thing that will break it is being presented with irrefutable proof that Crowley is Lucifer and having to figure out which one is false:

Crowley is not evil.

Lucifer is evil.

Crowley is Lucifer.

I think first, Aziraphale will disbelieve #3. He will refuse to believe Crowley is Lucifer until it's undeniably true.

Then, I think he will instinctually disbelieve #1. He will believe Crowley was lying, tempting him, tricking him all along.... until he is confronted by every undeniably nice thing that Crowley has ever done for him.

Then... #2 is the only one left. It must be wrong. Hell must not be inherently evil. Which means Heaven must not be inherently good. Which means everything has been a lie. It means Heaven and Hell are 2 sides of the same coin. It means a full dismantling of the system.

It means a full episode will be dedicated to a 50minute "I was wrong, you were right" dance.

I certainly believe this all lines up with Neil's description of s3 to be "Bigger, Louder, Final."

[melissak2802]

A talk with a person pointing out superficialness of the connection of the Miraculouses with Chinese culture inspired me to look a bit more into the Miraculous power and culture context.

So we have in the show the Chinese Miracle Box with 19 Miraculouses.

The duo of Ladybug and Cat: as the person rightfully pointed out, indeed based on European folklore concepts. Also in the show associated with Yin Yang duality.

The next five:

Fox IS alluding to Asian folklore of illusion-crafting fairy foxes. Additional point for them using a flute and the visual of summoning a ball of light (in some Asian folklore such as Japanese the fairy foxes were considered responsible for atmospheric light phenomena, don't know if it is the thing with China too). A cunning fox is a cultural archetype in Europe too, but a bit different.

Turtle, while matching the actual characteristics of the animal, IS prominently featured in Chinese culture, and IS symbol of protection and longevity, such as its image used in traditional monuments to represent survival through centuries.

Bee, Butterfly, Peacock - I know next to nothing of their role in Chinese or generally Asian cultures.

The zodiac Miraculouses: the list of them is using the Chinese zodiac, despite they don't feel actually like a set (too different powers, disproportioned power scale, and some of them look like the authors were desperate to find ANY kind of power because the animal has to be on the list - most notable with Goat). So it feels like if they weren't a fixed list, it could be better. What of their individual powers...

Mouse. Mice being small and coming in multitudes is just a fact, does NOT look like a culture reference.

Ox, Tiger. Oxen being steady and tigers being fierce and strong also is an obvious fact, but at least tigers ARE actively featured in Chinese culture with these connotations of fury and power, so I'll let it pass. Seems like oxen also can be culturally relevant, but not sure.

Rabbit. The time travel powers in Miraculous seem purely authoric mythology (does not allude much to actual rabbits either). Rabbit is relevant in Chinese culture, but with a very different role - moon and healing. So NOT.

Dragon. It IS obviously relevant in Chinese culture, and indeed with weather/elemental powers.

Snake. Snakes associated with wisdom and prophesy (-> Intuition -> knowing beforehand) is a culture archetype, as well as association with cyclicity (the Ouroboros theme), and probably IS more clearly seen in Asian cultures than in Western European where the snake is mostly connected with treachery.

Horse. Horses being used for transportation is just a fact for any material culture that has domesticated horses, NOT a symbolic thing.

Goat. This power does NOT seem to allude to anything at all, on top of being repetitive within the show system.

Monkey. Monkeys associated with parodying and mischief IS an archetype and IS relevant for Chinese culture via the legendary character of the Monkey King.

Rooster. Roosters being (over)confident and showing off looks like an obvious fact. There are prominent symbolic connotations of roosters both in Asia and Europe (like sun symbolism), but those are NOT used in the show.

Dog. Dogs fetching things is another obvious fact.

Pig. Pigs are viewed culturally, in Chinese culture too, as symbol of hedonism which can connect to "jubilation", but their association with down-to-earth delights of the moment feels like the opposite of dream-based power.

To sum up: out of 12 zodiac Miraculouses, only 4-5 actually use Chinese cultural symbolism (Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Monkey, and possibly Ox). At least three missed a good chance to do so (Rabbit, Rooster, possibly Pig) by picking non-culturally-charged powers.

So yes. The supporting Miraculouses could easily be a random collection of Miraculouses from around the world, postulating Chinese connection only for those four. Not a set. Also, that would allow to rid of the Goat if the authors ran out of imagination, or replace it with any other animal/power if they wanted a Miraculous for Nath so much. Also with the Pig, they could use a better animal for the dream power if not bounded by need to shove everything into the zodiac.

[monstersqueen]

I don't really have any interests in the 'who fell first/who fell harder' question ? most of the time i find trying to answer the question feels like trying to force a dynamic in boxes that just don't fit.

but this said i'd like to say - dazai fell first, ango fell harder.

here's how it goes.

way back in the port mafia, in those miserable days where friendship was the only candle in the night, dazai used to have something of a small crush. it was not very important nor relevant next to friendship, trust, affection. it was just a small thing that he didn't feel the need to do anything about, when good things in his life was already so few and fragile. not a risk worth taking, not even a strong feeling, overshadowed as it was by the miracles that were the nights the three of them shared.

then, of course, dark era happened, and dazai burned all of it down, every positive feeling he had for ango - affection and friendship, trust, respect, nascent romantic feelings - all of it, leaving only behind pure rage and resentment and hurt and blame. until they met again, four years later, and it turned out that none of it actually disappeared and that those four years of estrangement had completely fucked up dazai's ability to separate his crush from the rest of his feelings. what is this doing there. why are those feelings - any of it - still there.

dazai's carrying a torch, but he is not pining. not really. only a little, buried under the weight of the grief and the heartbreak and the anger, all of it disguised as murderous hatred, all of ti hidden behind the need for revenge

meanwhile ango IS pining. absolutely. he is 100% platonically pining. because he met dazai and odasaku, ango was spying on the mafia. because odasaku was the lowest ranking member of the mafia, but that didn't mean he didn't have the potential to be one of the most lethal members - that didn't mean odasaku wasn't a retired hitman. and dazai ? dazai was way too sharp, and perceptive, and close to mori himself, and the youngest executive of the mafia, and also the guy the torturers call when they couldn't crack someone. dazai was this very dangerous, troubled, highly placed teenager. so all the affection that ango developped, all the friendship he couldn't prevent himself from accepting, from getting into, because when they meet their ranks in the mafia didn't matter, their positions didn't matter, and so his role as a spy didn't matter - this was oh so important for him, and he loved them both so much, for the possibility of being himself, for the vulnerabilities they all allowed themselves , for all of this - but also. those circumstances put some very real limits in the feelings he developped, and so none of it was romantic.

and then he spent four years blaming himself, and grieving, and missing his friends, one of which he would never be able to see again, and the other who would not want anything to do with him.

until they met again, of course.

and in twenty minutes dazai cared again, and in a few days or weeks he was looking at his feelings and not understanding how this happened. the anger is still there. he still doesn't want to forgive ango. but also? this small crush that didn't matter back then? it's not a small crush anymore. it's there in every feeling of affection and trust and respect that comes back, and he doesn't want it any more than he wants any of it.

meanwhile ango is STILL quietly pining in a pure platonic manner. dazai isn't anymore a highly placed teenage mafioso; he's an ex-teenage mafioso who was ango's dear friend and is now in the ADA. But as they spend time together - and they do, i'm pretty sure they met times we didn't see, that's kinda the vibe i got from Wan, and also it explains how we get to the whole 'being dazai's contact while in prison' -, as dazai still is treating him so coldly, he stays that ex-mafioso now in the ada, who used to be ango's friend and for whom ango still cares. so nothing changes - at first.

but the thing is - dazai HAS changed, even if i'm not sure how much he realized it himself, and as he softens towards ango, there's a slight switch that happens between 'ex-port mafia member who happened to be in the ADA now' and 'member of the ADA who used to be in the port mafia'. it's a small thing, and it has no incidence on the important part of ango's feelings, or really on how he sees dazai - but it does.

it's not something that would have happened if he had been there to see the change, and it's only something that can happen as he spend time with dazai now. at some point, he looks at dazai and he sees the man he is now, and yes it's the same person he's known all along. but - as he realizes that dazai is not in the mafia anymore - that it is not as important a part of his identity anymore, he realizes the rest of it isn't true anymore either. he's not lying about his role anymore. he's not hiding a potentially deadly secret. he's not spying. and dazai is not anymore entranched in the darkness of the mafia. the whole circumstances that defined their interactions back then - none of it is true anymore.

and it hits him all at once and suddenly this massive affection he feels - changes its nature all at once and he has zero idea how to deal with it

anyway. in this particular case i have a very specific answer to 'who fell first and who fell harder'. as you can see.

[theytistic]

Are that any MLB characters that WON'T appear in any way in your AU? (You mentioned Marinette is not in Paris, does that mean she'll not even appear? Or will she switch places with zoe/Have went do NY because of the fashion career Audrey has offered her?)

Also, You mentioned something about keeping the specials. Are you gonna keep all of them? Are you including all the special characters? And most importantly, are you keeping the Prodigious and the heroes of NY or are you changing that?

And will you only use the main miracle box, or will you somehow plan/write other boxes as well (like the NY one)?

There are some I wish I didn't put in, like Andre (Glaciator) or Marinette's grandfather (Bakerix), and they might appear, but some of them wouldn't be very relevant, I think they'd still have to appear even minimally. Oh, the guy of Action, he definitly will not appear. About Marinette, she'll appear, but not at the beginning of the comic, since she went to Shanghai, the most I can say is that apart from being nothing to do with fashion, it was more like therapy than a hobby, apart from her meeting Fei. Oh, and Zoé is in Paris, sort of a "supervisor" for Chloé. And about the part of me saying that Derision is canonical, I'm only referring to the flashback part, because, even if the characters are 2 years older, I'm considering the beginning of the origins as the beginning of the comic, so what happened to Marinette in this ep, that originally she would have been 12 years old, happened with her being 14/15 years old (I'm sorry for leaving this information a bit ambiguous).

Regarding the specials, I was referring to the specials I created "chaotic weekend" and "worst choices" (again sorry for leaving it ambiguous), I can't say much about them, as for the official specials, I can even fit them into the story, really, it would work very well for the development of some characters, thanks for the idea! If I were to put it in, the only one I wouldn't put in would be the one in Paris/the reverse, because considering the powers of miraculous, at least in this universe, it wouldn't be possible to see the villainous holders. About the prodigious, I can see it happening, of course with a big change in the story, and a bit of how it works, as well as the change in appearance, not to mention that Kwami guardian, I would love to use, but that will be a bit later for me to define these new specials. No kidding, but I hate the way they did the New York special, everyone is a hero? No secret identity? With powers? It's nice that they established the idea that there are other jewels, and it's nice that they showed that there aren't just miraculous, like in the case of prodigious, but now, you can just born with powers, that's something that really bothers me, most of them have powers, I'll see what I can do about it, but depending, I'll create new jewels or miraculous to justify it. Obs: if the Brazil special comes out and I like it, maybe I'll put in.

My initial idea is only for the main box, which in the story is just a cluster of "domains", being separated into Yin-Yang, Elementals and Zodiac. Well… about other boxes and miraculous, it would depend a lot, as I said, the case of NY, maybe, outside of that, I doubt it very much, but maybe, who knows.

[lord-vermin]

Oh shit I don’t think I’ve actually told this fucking story on here BUT (and this story is totally made up for many reasons) I ~accidentally~ kinda stole(?) a painting/tile worth iirc 15,000

So this was back at my old shop and basically it used to be an art gallery, the building was old as shit and I had a theory that the loft (attic) of the building connected to the other two buildings & my boss wanted me to store some furniture but we were so limited on space in this tiny fucking studio that I decided hey - I’m going to strategically break (gently rip it open) the door to the loft & see if we can get away with storing the furniture upstairs.

I get up there and it’s creepy as shit but my theory is true it’s HUGE up there & because it’s not the same building we can store stuff up there & hopefully the landlord won’t have a clue. But on my exploration into the world of black mould and asbestos I find these cardboard boxes filled with pictures, frames, tiles, etc.

(Fictional pictures to help your imagination)

& bc the building used to be a gallery up until the 80(?)s when the guy who owned the gallery passed away. I immediately start seeing what’s good - I decide ‘hey let’s not go crazy’ and I took 3 downstairs for people to look at.

Alas I only have pictures of the two that aren’t relevant to this story & not the third one which was the once that caused all the fucking trouble in the first place.

But I take them downstairs wayyy too eager to please my boss and I’m like “hey these are cool maybe we should put them on the wall?” I mostly just liked the one with the crows Ngl. We all agree they’d be good to fill some gaps on the wall and they go into a plastic bag on the floor while we all procrastinate on actually putting them up. Which turned out to be a fucking miracle.

So the landlord comes by and this is the first time in years he’s stopped by, first time I’ve ever seen the dude and he’s PISSED because SOMEONE broke into upstairs and has gone through all his paintings (no idea who that would be) and even worse some are missing. We own up to using it as a cheeky storage space which he says is fine. And I SOMEHOW had to look this man in the eye, with said paintings wrapped in a plastic bag on the floor in front of him and go “no clue mate sorry” while this painting shaped plastic bag sat on the floor in front of him. My boss decides he will keep the paintings because they’re his bc he pays the rent despite me saying maybe we should just put them back upstairs.

So the dude apparently reports the paintings as stolen & takes everything he had from upstairs and removes it. And my boss on a slow day tasks me with finding out what the fuck is up with these paintings and why this guy lost his shit. The first two paintings, the ones pictured above - worth £100 at a stretch. Valued at that but no one is buying. But the other one was this ceramic tile that I end up bringing to a gallery and I’m like “do you know anything about this” the guy immediately is like “oh my god where did you get this I haven’t seen one of these in forever” I lie. Just frantically making shit up as I’m starting to realise it’s probably been reported nicked and I’m getting it fucking checked out. And he tells me the artists name & some info and I get back to the studio and we do about 5 seconds of googling and this guys incredibly well known & his stuff goes for a lot. This piece was part of a set and some of the other pieces of the same set had been sold at auction for roughly 15,000. I am fucking mortified.

This is where the realisation that I’ve fucked up really starts to set in. We don’t want this anymore. We wrap it up in plastic & bubble wrap - put it in the store room and never speak of it. Kinda running off the logic of ‘it’s never left the building so it’s not stolen it’s just misplaced’

until one of the tat-artists who decided to secretly move studios steals a bunch of shit including the tile-painting-thing. But then he suffered a psychotic break and gave it to someone. So now it’s just out there somewhere??? The other two got put back up stairs into storage.

[gwydionmisha]

Personal: I Ain’n’t Dead

It took about an hour and a quarter total, but we will find out if i had a heart attack or not on Tuesday.  They I had to chase down the asshole agency as they had not called to tell me the cleaner wasn't coming, so it's now rescheduled for Tuesday.  Then I waited on hold to try to schedule the mobility assessment, only to discover the number they gave was for central processing.  They were going to transfer me when call waiting beeped, so i made them give me the direct line number and extension.  (It was meds.  Pharmacy was delivering meds and they only wait five minutes so that was the correct call on my part.)  The making appointment direct line was faster by far, but I had no clue which wheelchair vender I was interested in. O.o  apparently they have the vender in on assessment days, so that effects scheduling.  I let her pick.  She was like: We like this one better, but we have to offer both.

Forage delivery still hadn't arrived.  It was now really hot and polleny outside.  This is relevant.  I can't leave food out there very long or it will spoil.  Inside, i have air conditioning and extra filtering.  I can breath inside, but not outside.  I was exhausted and frustrated and really pissed off about the medical stuff.  My chest was still tight.  There is a band of intense pain keeping me from lifting my arms  properly.  I manage to drag the laundry basket to me room anyway, but I'm not remotely up to the pain involved in folding it.  Livia wants her love.  I climb into bed for Livia loves.  My experience is, getting ready to sleep summons Forage Delivery somehow.  Livia is done with her love.  I've been in bed over an hour waiting.  Tavy insists I should sleep with claws to my nipple, because health stiff makes him anxious.

The phone rings.  We have the conversation where we double check which porch to put it on.  I lie there a bit, working up to the pain of levering myself out of bed.  I lumber out there.  No food boxes.  so I'm thinking did he think left instead of right?  So I'm out in the mid day sun with my crutch and bare feet, struggling to breath because I can't breath in the heat on a good day and this isn't close.  I have no idea how I will get the food boxes to my apartment.  My best guess is crawl on the pavement pushing them ahead of me because there is zero chance of my arms even lifting them.  It's not on the patios of any building facing the gazebo.  Me: did they drive past and hit the wrong side of my building?  So I hobble around the other side in baking heat and it's not on the logical patios.  I have to then hobble all the way back to my patio, exhausted.  I simply can't be out any longer or I will collapse.  This is why I have forage delivery, so I don't have to seriously endanger myself getting the food.  Which i am now doing and failing at miserably.

I try last call return.  No one answers.  Fuck!  I restart the computer and look up forage delivery dispatch.  I get a live human without a long wait on hold for the first time in two days.  This is possibly a miracle.  I am still struggling to breath when I explain and ask if they could at least give me a hint as to where the food is because I can't be out in the sun searching anymore.  She puts me on hold and reaches them.  she says they will come back.  

So I go lie down in my room where the air is best and wait.  He’s like: I’m right here.  The food is here.  I go look.  No man.  No food.  I used my stop a kid from across the playground below to see if we could get a Polo for my Marco.  No dice.  I had cleverly left the phone off the hook when I went to look on the grounds that the food was definitely not on my patio previously.  

It turns out that they'd put it in the middle of the other side of the building, expecting me somehow to drag it all that way over carpeted halls.  O.o  I didn't think to look there because we'd discussed patio locations in such a super specific way moments before he'd put it at the main entrance instead of a patio.  He was nice enough to bring it around and drop it right inside my door.

I have recently learned Millennials generally don't know the word "gazebo" and are afraid to ask or look it up because of the cleaners.  I am now wondering if patio may also be too bougie to be familiar, but lots of apartments around here come with small patios if they are ground floor, even the shitty apartments I can generally afford, just like tiny balconies are super common on upper floors in this region.  Surely jungle of plants and blue chair were hints though?  IDK.  We've lost a lot of delivery people in the decade we live here too. Something about the complex confuses people.

Forage delivery guy looked like a thiryish Mr. Clean and really was very kind, just confused.

Goth Millennial was sweet enough to come in on their day off to work and extra two hours looking after me, and then we finished the back third of a movie we'd been re-watching together.  I'm not great, but improving.  I also have a new unexplored theory about what is wrong with my arms from the article about statins I linked in this space.  I guess I'll run it by the doctor when I see them.

[jcmarchi]

Applying the Web Dev Mindset to Dealing With Life Challenges

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/applying-the-web-dev-mindset-to-dealing-with-life-challenges/

Applying the Web Dev Mindset to Dealing With Life Challenges

Editor’s note: This article is outside the typical range of topics we normally cover around here and touches on sensitive topics including recollections from an abusive marriage. It doesn’t delve into much detail about the abuse and ends on a positive note. Thanks to Lee for sharing his take on the intersection between life and web development and for allowing us to gain professional insights from his personal life.

When my dad was alive, he used to say that work and home life should exist in separate “watertight compartments.” I shouldn’t bring work home or my home life to work. There’s the quote misattributed to Mark Twain about a dad seeming to magically grow from a fool to a wise man in the few years it took the son to grow from a teen to an adult — but in my case, the older I get, the more I question my dad’s advice.

It’s easy to romanticize someone in death — but when my dad wasn’t busy yelling, gambling the rent money, or disappearing to another state, his presence was like an AI simulating a father, throwing around words that sounded like a thing to say from a dad, but not helpful if you stopped to think about his statements for more than a minute.

Let’s state the obvious: you shouldn’t do your personal life at work or work too much overtime when your family needs you. But you don’t need the watertight compartments metaphor to understand that. The way he said it hinted at something more complicated and awful — it was as though he wanted me to have a split personality. I shouldn’t be a developer at home, especially around him because he couldn’t relate, since I got my programming genes from my mum. And he didn’t think I should pour too much of myself into my dev work. The grain of truth was that even if you love your job, it can’t love you back. Yet what I’m hooked on isn’t one job, but the power of code and language.

The lonely coder seems to free his mind at night

Maybe my dad’s platitudinous advice to maintain a distance between my identity and my work would be practicable to a bricklayer or a president — but it’s poorly suited to someone whose brain is wired for web development. The job is so multidisciplinary it defies being put in a box you can leave at the office. That puzzle at work only makes sense because of a comment the person you love said before bedtime about the usability of that mobile game they play. It turns out the app is a competitor to the next company you join, as though the narrator of your life planted the earlier scene like a Chekov’s gun plot point, the relevance of which is revealed when you have that “a-ha” moment at work.

Meanwhile, existence is so online that as you try to unwind, you can’t unsee the matrix you helped create, even when it’s well past 5 p.m. The user interface you are building wants you to be a psychologist, an artist, and a scientist. It demands the best of every part of you. The answer about implementing a complex user flow elegantly may only come to you in a dream.

Don’t feel too bad if it’s the wrong answer. Douglas Crockford believes it’s a miracle we can code at all. He postulates that the mystery of how the human brain can program when he sees no evolutionary basis is why we haven’t hit the singularity. If we understood how our brains create software, we could build an AI that can program well enough to make a program better than itself. It could do that recursively till we have an AI smarter than us.

And yet so far the best we have is the likes of the aptly named Github Copilot. The branding captures that we haven’t hit the singularity so much as a duality, in which humanity hopefully harmonizes with what Noam Chomsky calls a “kind of super-autocomplete,” the same way autotune used right can make a good singer sound better, or it can make us all sound like the same robot. We can barely get our code working even now that we have all evolved into AI-augmented cyborgs, but we also can’t seem to switch off our dev mindset at will.

My dev brain has no “off” switch — is that a bug or a feature?

What if the ability to program represents a different category of intelligence than we can measure with IQ tests, similar to neurodivergence, which carries unique strengths and weaknesses? I once read a study in which the researchers devised a test that appeared to accurately predict which first-year computer science students would be able to learn to program. They concluded that an aptitude for programming correlates with a “comfort with meaninglessness.” The researchers said that to write a program you have to “accept that whatever you might want the program to mean, the machine will blindly follow its meaningless rules and come to some meaningless conclusion. In the test, the consistent group showed a pre-acceptance of this fact.”

The realization is dangerous, as both George Orwell and Philip K. Dick warned us. If you can control what words mean, you can control people and not just machines. If you have been swiping on Tinder and take a moment to sit with the feelings you associate with the phrases “swipe right” and “swipe left,” you find your emotional responses reveal that the app’s visual language has taught you what is good and what is bad. This recalls the scene in “Through the Looking-Glass,” in which Humpty Dumpty tells Alice that words mean what he wants them to mean. Humpty’s not the nicest dude. The Alice books can be interpreted as Dodgson’s critique of the Victorian education system which the author thought robbed children of their imagination, and Humpty makes his comments about language in a “scornful tone,” as though Alice should not only accept what he says, but she should know it without being told. To use a term that itself means different things to different people, Humpty is gaslighting Alice. At least he’s more transparent about it than modern gaslighters, and there’s a funny xkcd in which Alice uses Humpty’s logic against him to take all his possessions.

Perhaps the ability to shape reality by modifying the consensus on what words mean isn’t inherently good or bad, but in itself “meaningless,” just something that is true. It’s probably not a coincidence the person who coined the phrases “the map is not the territory” and “the word is not the thing” was an engineer. What we do with this knowledge depends on our moral compass, much like someone with a penchant for cutting people up could choose to be a surgeon or a serial killer.

Toxic humans are like blackhat hackers

For around seven years, I was with a person who was psychologically and physically abusive. Abuse boils down to violating boundaries to gain control. As awful as that was, I do not think the person was irrational. There is a natural appeal for human beings pushing boundaries to get what they want. Kids do that naturally, for example, and pushing boundaries by making CSS do things it doesn’t want to is the premise of my articles on CSS-Tricks. I try to create something positive with my impulse to exploit the rules, which I hope makes the world slightly more illuminated. However, to understand those who would do us harm, we must first accept that their core motivation meets a relatable human need, albeit in unacceptable ways.

For instance, more than a decade ago, the former hosting provider for CSS-Tricks was hacked. Chris Coyier received a reactivation notice for his domain name indicating the primary email for his account had changed to someone else’s email address. After this was resolved and the smoke cleared, Chris interviewed the hacker to understand how social engineering was used for the attack — but he also wanted to understand the hacker’s motivations. “Earl Drudge” (ananagram for “drug dealer”) explained that it was nothing personal that led him to target Chris — but Earl does things for“money and attention” and Chris reflected that “as different as the ways that we choose to spend our time are I do things for money and attention also, which makes us not entirely different at our core.”

It reminds me of the trope that cops and criminals share many personality traits. Everyone who works in technology shares the mindset that allows me to bend the meaning and assumptions within technology to my will, which is why the qualifiers of blackhat and whitehat exist. They are two sides of the same coin. However, the utility of applying the rule-bending mindset to life itself has been recognized in the popularization of the term “life hack.” Hopefully, we are whitehat life hackers. A life hack is like discovering emergent gameplay that is a logical if unexpected consequence of what occurs in nature. It’s a conscious form of human evolution.

If you’ve worked on a popular website, you will find a surprisingly high percentage of people follow the rules as long as you explain properly. Then again a large percentage will ignore the rules out of laziness or ignorance rather than malice. Then there are hackers and developers, who want to understand how the rules can be used to our advantage, or we are just curious what happens when we don’t follow the rules. When my seven-year-old does his online math, he sometimes deliberately enters the wrong answer, to see what animation triggers. This is a benign form of the hacker mentality — but now it’s time to talk about my experience with a lifehacker of the blackhat variety, who liked experimenting with my deepest insecurities because exploiting them served her purpose.

Verbal abuse is like a cross-site scripting attack

William Faulkner wrote that “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Although I now share my life with a person who is kind, supportive, and fascinating, I’m arguably still trapped in the previous, abusive relationship, because I have children with that person. Sometimes you can’t control who you receive input from, but recognizing the potential for that input to be malicious and then taking control of how it is interpreted is how we defend against both cross-site scriptingand verbal abuse.

For example, my ex would input the word “stupid” and plenty of other names I can’t share on this blog. She would scream this into my consciousness again and again. It is just a word, like a malicious piece of JavaScript a user might save into your website. It’s a set of characters with no inherent meaning. The way you allow it to be interpreted does the damage. When the “stupid” script ran in my brain, it was laden with meanings and assumptions in the way I interpreted it, like a keyword in a high-level language that has been designed to represent a set of lower-level instructions:

Intelligence was conflated with my self-worth.

I believed she would not say the hurtful things after her tearful promises not to say them again once she was aware it hurt me, as though she was not aware the first time.

I felt trapped being called names because I believed the relationship was something I needed.

I believed the input at face value that my actual intelligence was the issue, rather than the power my ex gained over me by generating the reaction she wanted from me by her saying one magic word.

Patching the vulnerabilities in your psyche

My psychologist pointed out that the ex likely knew I was not stupid but the intent was to damage my self-worth to make me easy to control. To acknowledge my strengths would not achieve that. I also think my brand of intelligence isn’t the type she values. For instance, the strengths that make me capable of being a software engineer are invisible to my abuser. Ultimately it’s irrelevant whether she believed what she was shouting — because the purpose was the effect her words had, rather than their surface-level meaning. The vulnerability she exploited was that I treated her input as a first-class citizen, able to execute with the same privileges I had given to the scripts I had written for myself. Once I sanitized that input using therapy and self-hypnosis, I stopped allowing her malicious scripts to have the same importance as the scripts I had written for myself, because she didn’t deserve that privilege. The untruths about myself have lost their power — I can still review them like an inert block of JavaScript but they can’t hijack my self-worth.

Like Alice using Humpty Dumpty’s logic against him in the xkcd cartoon, I showed that if words inherently have no meaning, there is no reason I can’t reengineer myself so that my meanings for the words trump how the abuser wanted me to use them to hurt myself and make me question my reality. The sanitized version of the “stupid” script rewrites those statements to:

I want to hurt you.

I want to get what I want from you.

I want to lower your self-worth so you will believe I am better than you so you won’t leave.

When you translate it like that, it has nothing to do with actual intelligence, and I’m secure enough to jokingly call myself an idiot in my previous article. It’s not that I’m colluding with the ghost of my ex in putting myself down. Rather, it’s a way of permitting myself not to be perfect because somewhere in human fallibility lies our ability to achieve what a computer can’t. I once worked with a manager who when I had a bug would say, “That’s good, at least you know you’re not a robot.” Being an idiot makes what I’ve achieved with CSS seem more beautiful because I work around not just the limitations in technology, but also my limitations. Some people won’t like it, or won’t get it. I have made peace with that.

We never expose ourselves to needless risk, but we must stay in our lane, assuming malicious input will keep trying to find its way in. The motive for that input is the malicious user’s journey, not ours. We limit the attack surface and spend our energy understanding how to protect ourselves rather than dwelling on how malicious people shouldn’t attempt what they will attempt.

Trauma and selection processes

In my new relationship, there was a stage in which my partner said that dating me was starting to feel like “a job interview that never ends” because I would endlessly vet her to avoid choosing someone who would hurt me again. The job interview analogy was sadly apt. I’ve had interviews in which the process maps out the scars from how the organization has previously inadvertently allowed negative forces to enter. The horror trope in which evil has to be invited reflects the truth that we unknowingly open our door to mistreatment and negativity.

My musings are not to be confused with victim blaming, but abusers can only abuse the power we give them. Therefore at some point, an interviewer may ask a question about what you would do with the power they are mulling handing you —and a web developer requires a lot of trust from a company. The interviewer will explain: “I ask because we’ve seen people do [X].” You can bet they are thinking of a specific person who did damage in the past. That knowledge might help you not to take the grilling personally. They probably didn’t give four interviews and an elaborate React coding challenge to the first few developers that helped get their company off the ground. However, at a different level of maturity, an organization or a person will evolve in what they need from a new person. We can’t hold that against them. Similar to a startup that only exists based on a bunch of ill-considered high-risk decisions, my relationship with my kids is more treasured than anything I own, and yet it all came from the worst mistake I ever made. My driver’s license said I was 30 but emotionally, I was unqualified to make the right decision for my future self, much like if you review your code from a year ago, it’s a good sign if you question what kind of idiot wrote it.

As determined as I was not to repeat that kind of mistake, my partner’s point about seeming to perpetually interview her was this: no matter how much older and wiser we think we are, letting a new person into our lives is ultimately always a leap of faith, on both sides of the equation.

Taking a planned plunge

Releasing a website into the wild represents another kind of leap of faith — but if you imagine an air-gapped machine with the best website in the world sitting on it where no human can access it, that has less value than the most primitive contact form that delivers value to a handful of users. My gambling dad may have put his appetite for risk to poor use. But it’s important to take calculated risks and trust that we can establish boundaries to limit the damage a bad actor can do, rather than kid ourselves that it’s possible to preempt risk entirely.

Hard things, you either survive them or you don’t. Getting security wrong can pose an existential threat to a company while compromising on psychological safety can pose an existential threat to a person. Yet there’s a reason “being vulnerable” is a positive phrase. When we create public-facing websites, it’s our job to balance the paradox of opening ourselves up to the world while doing everything to mitigate the risks. I decided to risk being vulnerable with you today because I hope it might help you see dev and life differently. So, I put aside the CodePens to get a little more personal, and if I’m right that front-end coding needs every part of your psyche to succeed, I hope you will permit dev to change your life, and your life experiences to change the way you do dev. I have faith that you’ll create something positive in both realms.

[sonkitty]

I am reasonably sure that Crowley is actually Crowley when the lightning shot out because it’s just after a very tricky dual tutorial on the Earthly Objects game and the Sideburns Scheme.

You reblogged my post about those tutorials before making this post but as a refresher to whoever, that tutorial was a simple rule-breaking session on Earthly Objects because of the untouched, unquestioned cardboard box and untouched plate of Eccles cakes. Meanwhile, there was a fake Crowley, who was Gabriel, who left the private room. Then there was a fake Crowley, who was Aziraphale, who passed by the cardboard box.

Somebody picked up the sunglasses. I don't know who.

The Earthly Objects rule-breaking specifically ends with Presumably Actual Crowley touching his sunglasses as he puts them back on. I really do think that's him by that point.

The sequence also serves as a sideburns tutorial to show how they work. Proximity to a private space with Aziraphale or humans in a human space makes them shorter. Proximity to Gabriel makes them longer. Because Aziraphale played a fake Crowley that helps inform an audience player he knows about the sideburns. That's relevant for other stuff later.

It was exasperating to play early on because I had to conclude that there is a hidden truth within a lie and that the answer is in the question. The question being, "How else am I supposed to figure out how the sideburns work if I know the story is blatantly lying about what happened here?" There is no other way to know. To keep playing the game, I had to reach that conclusion. Playing the game without that conclusion makes it much harder.

Nonetheless, then actual Earthly Objects sets start happening from Crowley. He's, probably, the best player in the game. Now that he wants points, he's going to earn them in a way that only Crowley can. Crowley's sunglasses are a special accessory. They can switch between Door Mode and Accessory Mode. He just put them in Accessory Mode. He's finishing the process of shortening the sideburns.

He earns a point for the fingers touching the sunglasses as him putting an accessory on. He mentions the word "ten" in his dialogue for a second point. The third point is because he touches the sunglasses with his face. Because he puts the extra effort of the human context with the short sideburns and the word in the dialogue, he earns that type of point.

...

Anyway, my latest general theory is that the lightning is sent to the coffee shop so that it can charge up with more power. Crowley's hair is going to be charged up with more red once he recalls it back to him later. Then with all this charged up power, he's going to be playing a role in what sets off alarms in Heaven. Here is my post about Crowley finding Gabriel in the bookshop, which covers a lot of my theorizing for the story having at least two drafts, the matchbox, the streak in Crowley's hair, the possible Big Miracle the first time around, and so on: Post #8 (finding out Gabriel is in the bookshop) And here is my post taking note of an Overhead Light that Crowley gets in the scene with the miracle to hide Gabriel: Post #16 (hiding Gabriel) The Overhead Light gets stronger visibility with Crowley during his actions after the miracle is performed, suggesting those actions are what actually set off the alarms. The characters might have tricked themselves into doing such a thing. If I'm way off, then I would go with saying the lightning is covering up the Big Miracle from the first time Gabriel arrived with a cardboard box or it is the Big Miracle, just manipulated in ways as needed to move the story where it needs to go. The more saturated red streak in Crowley's hair is somehow related to the lightning or previous Big Miracle even if it is shown chronologically in the presented story before the lightning and sometimes missing afterwards.

Hive mind, I need help. I'm sure we've talked about this before, but my brain is spinning on it tonight. As always, Occam's razor says that the face value interpretation is the most likely option. But, if we entertain something more unusual (please don't tag or ask Neil about fan theories) --

What is really happening in the lightning scene?

GIF by fuckyeahgoodomens

Here are my issues:

Crowley has big feelings, yes, and he's never very careful about hiding his otherness from humans. But this is such a flashy move to make in public!*

The writing is a bit clunky. Good Omens characters rarely tell us or each other directly how they're feeling, which is how we end up arguing over lines like "You go too fast for me" and "I forgive you." But here he straight up tells us he's angry.

The lightning only hits the coffee shop, no other buildings on the street.

During the lightning, some people on the street appear to be frozen but not everyone*, and Maggie and Nina aren't frozen. Afterward, the crowd walks on, unphased.

The sky brightens back to daytime and Crowley walks on. He does not go to the Bentley. We see the Bentley through the coffee shop window for the rest of the scene where Nina and Maggie discuss being locked in. But the next time we see Crowley, it's dark and the Bentley is parked in the mews.

What I'm suggesting here is that this scene is faked. Crowley is acting, and overacting a bit. To what end?

*These could cancel each other out. Let's say Crowley is genuinely losing his temper, but not enough so that he forgets he needs to momentarily hypnotize humans in the vicinity so they don't see this display. But it doesn't work on everyone because some people on Whickber Street are actually demonic/angelic spies on the hunt for Gabriel.

[sonkitty]

The Pocket Trick: Basics

The tie strands are connected to the hands because they are Crowley's Tied Hands.

...

(For reference: The Earthly Objects Game | Earthly Objects Study - Crowley's Sunglasses | Threshold Tricks)

(Previous version: Earthly Objects Study: The Pocket Trick)

This post was last updated 04/28/2024.

Introduction

The Pocket Trick is difficult to say the least. This Threshold Trick was almost certainly meant to be found last because, from my own experience, it snowballs into an increasing realization of its profound impact on a lot of what is happening in Good Omens 2.

It is the epitome of the saying, "Big things come in small packages," and that was assuredly intentional.

The Pocket Trick is a monster.

It is a gigantic, frustrating, infuriating, challenging monster.

But at least it has a sense of humor.

And it's insightful too.

I call it a "giant pain" most of the time.

The core concept is, "Think outside the pocket."

That phrase is more commonly understood as "Think outside the box," but this Trick is about pockets. We'll think outside the box and replace that word with "pocket".

Once we start to think outside the pocket, a lot of other things in this confusing Trick start to make sense. Specifically, it helps to understand the idea to pocket while pocketing and grasp that these touches are puzzles using assorted word play and imagination.

It takes time for various aspects of this Threshold Trick to truly sink in.

I eventually thought of that core concept because Crowley gets boxed in, like in a frame—a Pocket Frame, but not fully boxed in as part of the touches in the Trick. Reason being, it's like putting Crowley in a pocket. There are both words right there. Plus, there is a lot happening outside the pocket. In fact, there are so many things, when I first started to grasp how much this Trick entails, it felt like everything matters when it comes to the pockets. That realization was—and still is—overwhelming.

There is a curious clothing touch requirement on the pocketed hand(s). While I have long struggled with it, I have finally come to the conclusion it's a big assist to filter and find the touches themselves. You see, once I grasped the scale of this thing, pockets were better understood to be everywhere in Earthly Objects because they are not limited to relevance in The Pocket Trick itself or literal apparel pockets. Pockets are advanced mechanics within the game.

The Pocket Trick impacts every Threshold Trick because every Threshold Trick uses advanced pocket mechanics in some way. It impacts things like understanding there is a significant Overhead Light for Crowley when performing the miracle to hide Gabriel or realizing the Tied Hands are often active even outside the touches of The Pocket Trick.

While I can't fully understand every move happening the way it does, I do understand Crowley can't just touch apparel or be touched. There are rules. There is some logic to what can be touched and when. The clothing and the accessories pass along or share touches as necessary until they get what they want to accomplish the touch. It involves them making pockets amidst each other with the assistance of the hands while an audience player guesses what Crowley is trying to even do.

Lighting acts as clues but might even do more to allow certain things.

Shadows seem to allow leniency, such as stretching things or hiding things just enough to qualify.

This Trick wants to perform. It is playful. There are puns, rhymes, alliteration, references, callbacks, and illusionary threshold touches. It is constantly challenging you to question everything on the screen if you dare, but maybe you should at least check the lighting.

...

Summary

So, get ready for a long haul that amounts to, "I have a limited understanding of what's happening here, but I know things are happening," or just take this summary at face value. There were threshold-only touches on pockets or using pockets by Crowley in Good Omens 2. Yes, really.

Here is a visual representation: The Pocket Trick Visual Representation

Action #1 (Episode 2; Short sideburns; Triple Part 1)

Crowley walking alone before encountering Nina. The Pocket Frame is Between Building Windows.

Action #2 (Episode 2; Short sideburns; Triple Part 2)

Crowley walking alone after encountering Nina and encountering Aziraphale. "Do you need a lift somewhere?" The Pocket Frame is Between Cars.

Action #3 (Episode 5; Two pockets; Double)

Crowley standing against the door of the music shop using two pockets. The Pocket Frame is Between Door Frames and Papers.

Action #4 (Episode 5; Short sideburns; Triple Part 3 that has its own two parts)

Crowley standing and watching Aziraphale invite Justine. The Pocket Frame is Between Car Windows.

Action #5 (Episode 6; Astragal; Single)

Crowley walking into the bookshop after escorting Maggie and Nina out. The Pocket Frame is Between Door Windows.

He has a potential two Triple multipliers on the door panel for shifting the fingers and whatever else was necessary at the right times.

...

Definitely Not a Summary

Now for the long stuff that's still just helping lay the groundwork.

There is a lot going on.

This Trick part of a game, and this part of this game is something I very much struggle with. I have often said I am defeated by this thing.

I am defeated in the sense that I can't explain every little bit of every finer mechanic happening. I still pieced together some significant parts, and that's worth something.

I'm not going to throw away all my progress by deleting my save, so I'm still keeping and sometimes updating this post anyway.

Despite my complaints and frustrations, The Pocket Trick is my strongest assurance that the Earthly Objects game is a game and it does exist. It's given me some laughs along the way too.

I'm still taking breaks and if I actually do think of a way to go further, I take the time to do so.

Even so, I am going to miss things because it is really hard to pay attention to everything when you don't really know what's going on but know enough to sense something's going on. It just is.

Crowley's dark clothes and the show's lighting make this part of the game difficult. My own PC wasn't the best to use for the visuals either, but I have finally found a way to adjust the brightness in a more suitable way. The way this Threshold Trick works, a player has to be willing to check things frame by frame. It helps to be willing to do things like brighten a screenshot or draw a line from one place to the other too.

...

The Door Trick

The Door Trick should be considered while analyzing The Pocket Trick. It uses a pocket touch.

One of the Pocket Trick's many mechanics is a Pocket Chain, and The Door Trick is indeed linked to the Pocket Chain of The Pocket Trick.

It's also using the Rainbow Connection in the Pocket Chain.

That's on top of so much else The Door Trick itself is doing with its truly exceptional circumstances.

While they are two different Threshold Tricks, The Door Trick clearly using some form of the other mechanics involved just differently to enough to get what it wants.

While the touches in this Trick require Crowley's four fingertips to be definitively shown on screen at some point, or something very close to them, The Door Trick does not. It shows certain fingers certain ways when it starts. At the end, it has one curled pinky with a tip touching that pinky. The ring finger and middle finger are curled and not showing their fingertips. The pinky is touching the ring finger, which is touching the middle finger. That version is still allowed for a Triple multiplier within The Door Trick as part of the skin contact touch.

Presumably, that's because those fingers are handled the way they are in an acceptable manner., largely aided through human assistance and the way the apparel Crowley himself is wearing has been positioned.

All of these things are supposed to lead to the left index finger and right thumb to touch the pants where the legs are crossed and earning a Double clothing multiplier.

As part of playing this game from the story, we are probably supposed to compare and contrast the two. That way, we can eventually figure out both, should we be so lucky.

Once things start to settle in, it becomes evident the story wants this puzzle figured out because it is actually quite relevant to the part after The Door Trick is visually finished. Aziraphale then does The Door Catch because, like I said, this Trick uses word play.

...

The Bigger Thresholds Trick

As noted earlier, every Threshold Trick uses advanced pocket mechanics.

The Bigger Threshold Trick starts with the Double in the pub and in the same episode The Pocket Trick starts. The pub visit is, in fact, before The Pocket Trick starts and has a particular pants pocket touch that I think is filling in any possible prerequisites for this Trick to start to begin with. If it's not doing any prerequisites, it's at least ensuring a pocket touch during that part and showing a contrast to how the rest of these touches in The Pocket Trick are done.

Later, The Pocket Trick Double and The Bigger Thresholds Trick Single are happening at the same time in the same place.

Then for the Triple, this Threshold Trick helps alert a player to pay closer attention to touches both Crowley and Muriel are doing when it comes to their use of the Heaven elevator.

I don't think The Bigger Thresholds Trick has a direct link to Crowley's Pocket Chain, but it does have the overall link of advanced pocket mechanics being in play.

...

Hands

For most humans, we have two hands with 10 digits total. Of our digits, we have 4 fingers and 1 thumb on each hand. That's 8 fingers and 2 thumbs.

To use more than half the digits of one hand requires 3 digits.

To use more than half the digits of two hands requires 6 digits.

We use our thumbs for a lot of things differently than how we use our fingers, and that's important.

Crowley may not be human, but he chooses the shape of a human with two hands, much like most humans.

As a snake-eyed demon, he actually has a very special touch to his own sunglasses that involve thumbs. If he wants to switch them from an accessory to a door or a demonic tool as he removes them from his face, he almost always has to have a thumb tip visible in the motion, even if the motion is blurred. That thumb tip is a requirement with one notable exception. In the exception where it is not seen, the middle finger crosses under the index finger. A pocket forms between the thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Yet another pocket is formed between the pinky finger, lower part of the thumb, and the palm.

All of these pocket touches in The Pocket Trick involve at least the right pants pocket and one of them adds in the left pants pocket.

They all involve both hands.

This link is probably a good point of reference:

https://www.neuro-spine-ortho.com/health-services/neuroscience-spine-orthopedic-institute/orthopedics/hand-wrist-care/hand-anatomy/

Since links go down sometimes, here are some notes that are very much copied and based on the above:

Working our way from the top down if you raise your hand with all digits extended as if counting to ten, the digit tip bones are the distal phalanges. For the fingers, below those are the middle phalanges. Thumbs do not have middle phalanges. Below the middle phalanges for the finger bones and below the distal phalanx for the thumb are the proximal phalanges. The singular form of "phalanges" is "phalanx."

The bones in the hand are called metacarpals. The thumb metacarpal makes a joint with something called the trapezium that "allows much of the thumb motion."

Now using this reference (https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/thumb-fractures/), that joint is is called the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint. I will simply be saying "thumb joints".

...

Thumb Joints

For these special pocket touches, the thumb joints act like catalysts for things to happen and what clothing item is linked to a given tie strand, even if that link seems to happen earlier. There's still something significant about these joints in getting things connected or managing the connections. Sometimes accessories are involved, but it's almost like the accessory is more of an assist with the clothes.

The left thumb joint is the more proactive one of the pair. It is going to be seen, and it is going to either make a vertex touch with the jacket or transfer one to the jacket. These vertex touches might be illusions, but if they are, it does not matter to this Trick. The point is to get it done. These vertex touches tend to be parts of pockets, but they are a special pocket due to the sharpness and jacket edges involved compared to other pockets that form.

The right thumb joint is usually seen but generally it is vertex touched, if that happens at all, instead of actively making a touch on anything else.

If there is a door-related pun to be found, the touch hinges on the left thumb joint making its vertex touch to the jacket through whatever tricky methods can be found. Or, the thumb joints are hinges.

...

The Right Thumb

Most pocket touches have the right thumb outside the pocket.

For these touches, once Crowley is seen from the front with fingers in his pocket, the requirement seems to be that a clothing-touch is allowed near that thumb or connected to that thumb so long as another outer pocket has taken shape between the apparel or, in the case of the Single, a threshold in that area.

...

Tied Hands

The header for this section is an intentional pun.

Each tie strand below the knot of Crowley's tie ends up connected to a hand in some way (The Pocket Trick - Tied Hands).

The tassels are the thumbs.

The tips of the tassels are the thumb tips.

The clasps above the tassels are the thumb joints.

For fingers, it might be the part of the tie above the knot, but I couldn't possibly explain to you the subtle change in position for skin contact on the neck compared to Triple Part 3 (part 2) and The Door Trick. I could just tell you, yeah, there is one and that the right side of that part of the tie touched his neck when certain fingers were visible on his left hand in positions for whatever they were set out to do.

These things have an imaginary mirror. They can switch which hand they are tied to—as in, the mirror can be flipped. The flip is done through Rainbow Connection Reflection trickery. You read that right. There we are using both word play and our imagination.

See the Rainbow Connection section further below for more.

...

Threshold

The threshold seems to be the front outside area of the pockets and requires extra care in fully qualifying itself to be touched in a threshold-only form due to special requirements for each hand and its digits.

It is extremely important to consider edges of things in general as thresholds for this touch.

...

Upper Body Clothing Layers

There are three layers of clothing on the upper body: the jacket, the vest, and the shirt.

...

The Jacket

The jacket is a huge requirement to any touch because it must receive that vertex touch from the left thumb joint, transferred in or not.

Another thing the jacket does is have sleeve pockets. By that, I mean if you look at certain frames within the touch, you are going to see a hole between a sleeve and usually the torso of the jacket because of how the hands have positioned themselves. However, the Single flips this idea by actually having the holes be between sleeves and parts of literal doors. The sleeve pockets go outward from the jacket to a door instead of inward from the jacket to itself.

It has other pockets or links to other pockets too, but the sleeve pockets are probably a big part of the job.

I'm not sure if the upper body clothing is actually supposed to be a door, or like a door, since I can't find the puns, potential other word play, or references like I understand for "tied hands". If the clothing is like a door metaphor, then the jacket edges are basically a door frame for the upper body apparel despite the watch being on the outside. The jacket is the way in, from the left hand to the right, outside the pockets.

...

The Vest

The vest seems to give the left thumb permission to touch things if the right vest tip is touching the right thumb. The vest itself is largely the resting place for the tie strands, along with the shirt, if the strands aren't intentionally swinging themselves off. The vest will intentionally touch the belt at various points.

If there is a door metaphor for the clothes and some word play for that metaphor, the vest tips are thumb locks. If the vest is touching the right thumb, not just the edge of the right thumb, the left thumb is up to something. Yeah, that doesn't have "vest" in it. The vest tips are still invested or something.

...

The Shirt

The shirt is the innermost layer. Sometimes the right shirt sleeve will be visibly out of the right jacket sleeve for some extra assistance. Tassels might aim for the shirt as part of a touch when that happens.

...

Other Apparel

...

The Watch

I don't know exactly what this thing does, but it does things.

In the first touch, the watch is what gives the first red alert on the Rainbow Connection but never does so again.

Its reflective surface will become more lit, likely as a clue to pay attention to something, especially with the fingers doing what they are doing.

In Triple Part 2, it makes sure to still be seen in a window pane reflection with the watch itself otherwise not on screen during the actual Pocket Frame Touch Point.

In the Double, it's doing something so important that Crowley said, "Can I watch?", then later the watch aligns itself quite deliberately with part of the jacket and part of the door frames on the door panel.

In the Single, it looks like it assists in a vertex transfer between the left thumb joint and the jacket, then perhaps helps keep the Tied Hands as tied.

I can't find the true consistency, but it's definitely managing something.

Generally speaking, it seems the watch is required to be seen in some form and well...watch things, like it's a "lookout".

The timing of the touches seem more dependent on factors other than the watch, such as the digits making threshold touches when they do and the framing being ready. The watch is watching for when that time comes.

...

Belt Head

If I search for "belt head" through Google, I find belt buckles.

The snake head buckle has a connection to Crowley's head. When Crowley is standing at the door to the music shop, the lighting looks to be giving the snake eyes. That's how Crowley does a self-mouth touch that otherwise does not seem to happen in the scene but happens in other ball invitation scenes.

There is a curious little self-pocket of hair on Crowley in The Door Trick with a left vest tip so near the back of the snake buckle's head. Plus, the framing near the head there is so intentional.

For a currently unknown reason, the Belt Head gets a truly special job in the Triple of The Bigger Thresholds Trick. The belt disappears on Crowley's altered appearance with the different clothes. Crowley then has no belt on his waist, but he does have...a headband.

It reappears during the exit, letting Crowley briefly have both a belt and a headband at the same time for a potential three heads at once. Ever so curious.

If the "head" for the belt is also supposed to have a door metaphor or further world play, that would be something like "head jamb". It would make the door upside down, possibly an upside down double door set with a strange design due to the location of everything since the jacket-edges-door-frame would extend below the belt.

...

The Pants

These things can pocket towards the bottom of the screen if they so choose. They are bound to help the jacket and car with some pocketing in The Door Trick.

...

The Shoes

The shoes appear in a reflection in Triple Part 1 and from the back standing in a shadowy area in Triple Part 3, so they probably do something. They are not fully shown in The Door Trick as part of a set of clues that leads to The Door Catch's Ground Zero cut.

...

Already-in-Pocket Rules

When the right hand is shown with only the thumb not already in the pocket:

Right Hand:

1. The right thumb must be outside the pocket and touching it.

2. The four fingers must be in the right pants pocket from when Crowley is shown at a front view.

3. The right hand must be touched by at least one piece of clothing during the touch. That touch is likely required to include a pocket itself so that the apparel can link as necessary through the rest of the touch.

4. The four fingers inside the pocket can never be shown as leaving the pocket.

Left Hand:

1. All five digits of the left hand must be visible, likely including their tips or nearly their tips, at some point during the touch. It does not have to be in the exact same frame, just sometime during the touch.

2. By the end of the cut for when the touch takes place, the digits have to be either off-screen or having accomplished proper threshold-only touches of their own, including at least one illusionary threshold-only touch for one digit.

3. The left hand should remain outside the left pants pocket.

4. The left thumb joint has to be visible sometime during the touch for its required vertex touch to the jacket. That touch can be transferred from the watch or human assistance, but it must be done.

Between:

1. Crowley must put himself between certain things as a figurative pocket to be in. Those things are the Pocket Frame.

2. Crowley can receive assistance from nearby humans if necessary to help complete the touch, such as framing him in properly or giving a temporary allowance on what the left hand is allowed to touch.

3. Crowley cannot speak to any humans during the cut with the right hand and pocket visible.

...

Going-in-Pocket Note

There is only one touch where both pockets are used with digits not already in the pockets and going in, so I'll cover what that touch seems to allow then.

...

There is a possible rule that Crowley isn't allowed to smile during the touches.

...

Pocket Chain

As I have said, this Trick loves word play.

After the first touch, each touch calls back to the other in some form, making them chained together.

The Trick takes things a step further where the chain allows certain touches under the right circumstances based on the chain. It will be easier to explain in describing each touch. I'm confounded and asking myself, am I really seeing what I am seeing? It's part of thinking outside the pocket, and I assume it links Aziraphale in for The Door Trick.

...

Pocket Frame

The way Crowley is put into a pocket is to frame him between certain things.

Keep in mind that pants pockets like the ones Crowley are using are supposed to have openings. He is not completely boxed in besides the overall existing box of a screenshot. The figurative frame tends to be on his sides. Sometimes things at the bottom do frame him in further. The top of the screen is the expected opening of the Pocket Frame.

...

Pocket Puzzle

These touches are tricky. They are puzzles. They are not the last video frame of the cut where the pocket touch is taking place or even the last time the pocket touch is seen on screen. It's sometime during the cut. A player has to figure out what the Pocket Frame is to begin with and pick up on the clues for when Crowley reaches what I just generally call a Pocket Frame touch point. I suspect there is one exact video frame to find. I have what I hope are good guesses, but I won't claim certainty they are right.

In addition to finding the particular Touch Point, the puzzles are about discovering the mechanics at work, such as the existence of the Tied Hands and Overhead Lights.

...

Humans

Humans are remarkably present during each of these touches. They are clues and unknowing assistants. Human are also remarkably present in The Door Trick. These things are not a coincidence.

...

Findable Rainbows

Each touch has a collection of rainbow colors or an actual rainbow to be found. Why? In part, probably because there is an Elvis Presley song titled "A Pocketful of Rainbows".

These findable rainbows help demonstrate that Earthly Objects is indeed a game, and that The Pocket Trick especially does have puzzles for each touch.

You can find the findable Pocket Trick ones here:

The Pocket Trick Rainbows

The Bigger Thresholds Trick, The Door Trick, and The Window Trick also have rainbows. The Sunglasses Trick receives a reflection of white light, theoretically due to its layering. The Perfect Entrance Trick doesn't get one, and I've excused it on the grounds that the Rainbow Connection described below hadn't initiated yet.

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Rainbow Connection

The findable rainbows are strangely easy compared to everything else in The Pocket Trick, and it turns out that's because they are a clue to a much more difficult mechanic in the Trick called the Rainbow Connection, named after the song from The Muppets Movie. A connection can be found through the names of songs as references through the word play mechanic of The Pocket Trick.

Here is what I was able to gather from trying to understand the Rainbow Connection:

The Pocket Trick - Rainbow Connection

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Overhead Lights

I had to look up that some doors have something called "overhead lights".

I can find Overhead Lights to the upper left of Crowley's head with some effort in every touch except the Single.

In the Single, it's much harder to determine what is going on, but there are hints something is compensating for their more clear presence, most likely through a reflective object shown above the part of Crowley's hair on the left side of his head.

As noted, the sunlight is part of The Door Trick, which further signifies to me it is acting as such a light. The sun is the greatest source of light on Earth while not technically being on Earth.

Aziraphale is given a special overhead light to his right for his Ground Zero cut of The Door Catch.

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Imaginary Pocketing

Aside from the pants pockets in use and the existing Pocket Frame, a player must analyze the visual pockets created in various ways. Use your imagination to think about if the pocket is saving something for later or moving something out of the way or telling you why what's in that pocket has any relevance at all and so on.

If there are filters to help determine what specific types of imaginary pockets do, I have not found them.

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Reflective Surfaces

For two of these five touches, there is a prominent earthly object found to the camera's right and Crowley's left with a reflective surface. Both instances are not the parts of the Triple, and both instances involve Crowley touching an actual literal door.

For the Double, there is an Overhead Light for Crowley before he enters a threshold bigger than him.

For the Single, no Overhead Light to his left can be found. Instead, he receives another reflective surface of an earthly object appears above his left ear when the touch itself is nearly over, as if that's an acceptable substitute. The Single itself is incredibly different than all the other touches.

While I don't know entirely what these things mean, I've at least taken note and think such things are intentional parts of the puzzle as clues to how important the sun is acting as the Overhead Light during The Door Trick.

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Hidden Messages

The Pocket Trick has hidden messages. They aren't necessarily found within The Pocket Trick itself. Some can be found by realizing the scale of impact this Threshold Trick has on the rest of Earthly Objects and the Threshold Tricks.

I will note them as best I can in my various Earthly Objects posts.

Here are some links and words that mention them:

The tie strands are connected to the hands because they are Crowley's Tied Hands.

The Metatron makes mistakes.

The Door Catch Ground Zero: "Here goes nothing."

Pay attention to the pockets.

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Links

The below links mainly cover the touches and have a conclusion.

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The Pocket Trick Touch #1 - Triple Part 1 - Between Building Windows

The Pocket Trick Touch #2 - Triple Part 2 - Between Cars

The Pocket Trick Touch #3 - Double - Between Door Frames and Papers

The Pocket Trick Touch #4 - Triple Part 3 - Between Car Windows

The Pocket Trick Touch #5 - Single - Between Door Windows

The Pocket Trick - Conclusion