#unsolved easter eggs

[kdnotkevindurant]

Unsolved crimes should be given to swifites bc if they’re good at anything it’s reading too much into something and hunting down what they want

“Did you see the Easter egg in the bejeweled music video of the hood it was totally a reference to willow”

- actual TikTok

[incorrectbatfam]

the batfam as very specific internet rabbit holes that you fall into at 3 am and can't stop looking into for the rest of the night

Dick: pizzawave music

Jason: how to read ancient Sumerian

Tim: cloning mishaps

Damian: the AMBER alert system

Duke: multiverse physics

Cullen: cults still active today

Stephanie: the Philadelphia chicken man

Cassandra: bottomless pits around the world

Barbara: unethical science experiments

Harper: spontaneous human combustion

Carrie: Gravity Falls easter eggs

Kate: Jack the Ripper theories

Helena: the Yakuza

Luke: cryogenic technology

Bette: the Yellowstone Caldera

Alfred: CIA coverups

Selina: unsolved art heists

Bruce: Reddit murder confessions

[bismuth-soup]

> Buy cool looking game, pretty fun

> Learn that there's an unsolved easter egg

> Open document on what people know about it

Other required reading includes: [List of declassified NSA documents on military cryptanalysis]

> Ah of course

[carlos-in-glasses]

✨ The Wonder of It ✨

By @lemonlyman-dotcom @carlos-in-glasses and @ladytessa74

3 chapters, rated M. Now live on Ao3

To @thisbuildinghasfeelings on your birthday - Lemon, Tessa and I are delighted to bring you The Wonder Of It. (There are lots of easter eggs in there for you. We hope you'll enjoy finding them and reading these stories.)

Thank you, Anne, for being such a lovely friend, cross-stitcher and fandom archivist. We hope you're having the best day!

Fic Summary: As Carlos comes to terms with his relationship with his father, he realises he's ready to become one himself. Over time he and TK begin the adoption process and prepare to meet their baby boy. But even as they settle into family life with Elijah, Carlos knows that the past won't stay there. When his father's unsolved murder comes back to the forefront and puts his son in danger, Carlos will do anything to protect his family. But is it enough?

Chapter 1 by @lemonlyman-dotcom - I Know It’s Love That’s Got Me Feeling Okay

Chapter Summary: A year and a half after their wedding, Carlos and TK are settling into their marriage, and Carlos surprises TK with a trip to a Canadian mountain resort for his 31st birthday. Set against a majestic backdrop of snow-capped mountains, vast star-filled skies and the wonder of his husband’s unshakable love, Carlos realizes that he’s finally at peace with his father’s passing and their turbulent relationship, and he begins to understand that maybe fatherhood isn’t something one ever feels truly ready for. But with his soulmate by his side and their found family at their backs, he feels ready to begin exploring their options.

Read on Ao3

Chapter 2 by @carlos-in-glasses - In My Father's Footsteps

Chapter Summary: It’s Carlos’ 34th birthday, and while TK is determined to celebrate, Carlos is too preoccupied to care. In three months’ time, they will bring their newborn son home – and there’s a lot that needs to be dealt with. As the day passes, the couple fix up their house and work through their insecurities about impending fatherhood. Luckily, they make a pretty good team. 

Read on Ao3

Chapter 3 by @ladytessa74 - Lingering in Happiness

Chapter Summary: As Carlos and TK trade off Elijah's care, as per their agreement, TK returns to work at the firehouse. The day before the tenth anniversary of Carlos' father's murder - unsolved all these years - Carlos takes Elijah to the Reyes ranch for a mini vacation while TK is stuck at work. But even as Elijah plays with the horses, danger looms. Carlos may find out what really happened to his father, but what will it cost him?

Find the official playlist for this fic: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4QbUoYbapr8LX0t5sEl2fG?si=uQJYbI0ZS2Ku7NnPxDHUHQ&pi=u-u7xlJrlwTZGP

Huge thank you to Tessa for opening up her glorious Elijah Verse to Lemon and I to play around in. It's been a pleasure working and conspiring with you both to create this fic for Anne! ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜

[waywardmillennial]

SPOILERS FOR PH 7x04

there will be MAJOR spoilers under the cut -- so DO NOT click through if you don't want to see Lore spoilers for the Watcher TV episode from Jan 31, 2025!

okay, if you're buckled up then let's crack in!

After several episodes where the Professor and Ryan have been taking Phorgedytol regularly (given to them by Elmer Walter Williams) Ryan convinces the Professor to skip their dose at the end of 7x04 and they start to remember what happened at the end of season six

and that's when we learn the sad news that Estranged Producer Shane Madej (EPSM) died during the season six wrap party

beautiful memorial video here from @trashworldblog - RIP to a real one

now in the trailer and previous episodes we see EPSM walking down this alleyway but here we also see that he stops and turns to face his unknown assailant - so he knows who did this! (I think this will be important - more on this in a minute)

we see Ryan and the Professor both stunned at what they remember

then we pan over to the memorial for Shane and there are lots of easter eggs that I wanted to point out

first, lmao at Shane's lanky body needing a second urn - and also Boo Buddy!

in the next shot, there's a note from someone (Shawn?) that says "I don't really know what you did at Watcher anyway but we'll miss you. PS [your mom] follows me on IG"

and Lizzie's pink note that reads "To my fellow long white Midwestern Producer. I will never phorget u. ♡ Lizzie" and she spelled forget with the "ph"

OMG! "PH" masks the true name of Phorgedytol (instead of Forget-it-all) but also PH is Puppet History!

(ahem, sorry for that random train of thought interruption - where were we?)

also scattered in the notes are at least two references to Shane owing people money with, "Shane I can't believe that you never paid me back for that In-N-Out WTF Sam" (not 100% on the name) and another that says "This man still owes me $20… with condolences"

and a note with a drawing of the Spirit Box from Ghost Files that reads "You can still star in Ghost Files if you want (but as a ghost)"

(I definitely feel like the Spirit Box will make an appearance again soon)

and I really wanted to point out the note that's presumably from Ryan that says "Haunt me bitch" signed with a heart (!) and the note in front of the newspaper article that reads "Do Not Haunt Ryan"

another note that could also be from Ryan reads "No for real please haunt me. I -"

(and I'm probably glad the end of this note is cut-off or I'd launch myself out a window -- if Ryan was this sad about EPSM and he made himself forget it -- I am crying in the club T_T)

finally we get a look at this newspaper article dated Saturday, August 12, 2023, one day after the PH season six finale, which aired on August 11, 2023

I've transcribed the article below as best I could:

Estranged Puppet History Producer Murdered in the Street Like Dog Los Angeles, CA - In a shocking and tragic turn of events, Shane Madej, the estranged producer of the popular web series Puppet History, was found dead in an alleyway late Saturday night following the show's sixth season wrap party. The discovery has sent shockwaves through Hollywood, with fans and industry insiders reeling from the sudden and mysterious loss of the lanky ghost hunter. A Night of Celebration Turns to Tragedy The evening started out in high spirits as cast, crews, and friends of Puppet History gathered to celebrate the completion of another successful season --2nd column-- remain murky, and the Los Angeles Police Department has yet to release any official statements regarding potential suspects or motives. The investigation is ongoing, and the case has quickly become one of Hollywood's most talked-about unsolved mysteries. Madej's death has rattled the entertainment industry, where he was known not only for his work on Puppet History but also for his contributions to other popular culture at large, such as [hidden] BuzzFeed video "Dogs Watch Television for the First Time.

(it's so funny the article refers to him as a lanky ghost hunter and how this is the most unsolved mystery and that meme dog photo that looks like him hahahaha)

the episode ends with Ryan calling Dorothy Ruth to discover she married Elmer and the Professor wishing they could talk to EPSM, but he's dead, and Ryan says "hypothetically, what if we could"

[ROLL CREDITS]

theory: I think the Spirit Box is going to make an appearance (even better if they used Boo Buddy after all Shane has bullied him imo) to try to contact EPSM, and they'll find out he's in Purgatory with all the puppets that have been sent there and they'll finally be able to rescue them!

I do feel like Elmer has to be behind Shane's murder, even if he's not the one who pulled the trigger, but I don't quite know his motive? we've only been shown he wants to marry Dorothy Ruth but how does that involve EPSM?

and Elmer was really only dosing the Professor and Ryan with Phorgedytol, and maybe some of the other Watcher staff? but Shane's murder was in the news and being investigated by the police?? unless Elmer was really trying to cover it up by pushing the pills on all of Los Angeles and that's why they have the billboards all over town ...

fyi, there was a new billboard spotted in the PH s7 poster that Watcher put on IG yesterday that reads "Phorgedytol - Make Brain go 'MMMMBZZT!'"

maybe the PH buzzer sound?

that's all I have for now! thanks for reading and drop your thoughts and comments in the notes below!

[spade-riddles]

Random thought : After watching a tiktok of a Gaylor explaining possible failed coming out attempts I started thinking of the line in Champagne Problems “one for the money, two for the show” which could be hinting as to why the first and second coming out plans were abandoned.

“One for the money” possibly because she was still very early in her career Speak Now/ after 1989 and her team knew she could make a lot more money.

“Two for the show” I’m sure there were A LOT of plans/art contigent on Taylor coming out. I'm sure "the show" could also allude to her “public persona”.

I often think of all the easter eggs that will go unsolved because Taylor didnt come out and all subsequenet art/music she would have released to be paired with those eras wasn't released therefore we won't have the "key" to look back and comb through her work and solve those Easter eggs.

[selfiesforalgernon]

Actually one of the funniest images I have saved, off the FF06B5 subreddit, the notorious unsolved Cyberpunk 2077 easter egg; like.. no shit lmao

[puhpandas]

FNAF fans are over complicating things again as usual bc why am I seeing fans getting angry at the easter eggs for not being lore accurate rn?

like even if theyre not canon they were still acknowledged?? Someone on the team STILL had to have gone up to Scott and ask “hey can we put a GGY ref in our game?” and Scott wouldve had to been like “yeah” for it to be there like its not that big of an issue…

I kinda thought it was obvious that mega cat studios games are gonna stay separate from steel wools main timeline anyways 😭 they cant interfere with another studios work unless theyre like actively collaborating I would think? And they deadass probably added the GGY line right around when the book released, probably added Garrett’s plane when the movie released, ect. Its all just to build up hype and not confirm/debunk anything

since Scott is involved with both projects I think that he ws the one to put the ggy ref in but yeah I agree. of course I'm not upset at fnaf fans for looking deeper and seeing if theres a way to connect things in general when new releases drop, but it annoys me when even after it becomes clear they dont fit they still try to connect things that clearly dont connect on purpose then get mad that the story is unsolvable

like yeah man that's because oswald isnt supposed in the same universe as garrett schmidt its just an easter egg

maybe it doesnt fit because it's not supposed to😭

[iantimony]

tuesday line go up (derogatory)

hello from the end of my workday. writing this on my office computer as i watch my simulation crash in real time in the background. convergence line go up :(

listening: astonishing legends the body on the moor part 1, for some reason astonishing legends is such good Cleaning And Organizing noise to my brain. i've raised my eyebrow at some of their conclusions sometimes but i love a good unsolved mystery that doesn't focus on true crime what i can say

more 00s, just whatever shit the spotify algorithm spits out basically..."hard and heavy headbanging tuesday afternoon". i think for brevity i am going to focus on posting only the things that stuck out to me or are ear worms at the moment, which for this week is miss murder by afi, the kill by 30 seconds to mars, and out of control by hoobastank, especially the line in the latter after the chorus that goes 'and i may never know the answer to this endless mystery' that for some reason tickles my brain.

reading: Bring Back Those Pumped Italian Sodas (Anna Hezel): i LOVE italian sodas. the candy shop on main street near me does italian sodas and it is my favorite little treat to do a hot girl walk downtown and get a little bevvy to come with me. they whip so hard. bring them back everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!

elitism is the enemy of the people (Mina Le) and the linked The machine in the garden. (Emily Sundberg) ... discourse(tm) about What Substack Is For, which means nothing to me as a non-substack user. i use a rss reader to follow a few specific substacks but i do not use the platform even a little bit. sundberg seems to disparage the list format (shoutout to miss deb perelmen who i saw in there as an example of things that are pushed on the platform now) (deb's newsletter is one of the ones i follow with my rss feed lol) slash the concept of "list of content I’m consuming" which. looks at my weekly roundup posts. lol. i do understand to an extent, though - does my weekly roundup post make me a Writer(tm)?? i would kinda agree that no not really.

this zine that i think i reblogged yesterday is very cute.

watching: i saw the new alien movie with a friend! it was really good, i enjoyed it, i did look up the jumpscares beforehand because i do not do well with those in theaters especially the big imax ones, but it ended up not being necessary - the local theater here has no imax or any of the big surround sound gimmick things, which i actually prefer, and it also means the tickets were dirt cheap. 10/10 experience. the movie itself was fun, the correct amount of peen/vag imagery that one would expect from an alien movie. important to note that the dehumanization of an android character (who is also the only black character and strongly autism coded) is a big plot thing, it is not Good that he is treated that way and that is also a plot thing but it is important to know going in so it's not a surprise (thanks to someone in a server i'm in for pointing that out, i didn't clock it as being potentially triggering when i saw it but i was like ohh yeah that does make sense to warn people about). really good cast and plot overall, there was only like one point where i was like "whyyy nooo that makes no sense, why would you do that" (without too much spoiling, the gravity turns on and off in a portion and they were just. zooming up an elevator shaft using the lack of gravity. like why would you not be staying near the ladder. you KNOW it's going to turn off at some random point. anyways), but in general the decisions the characters made were really reasonable which made it very fun to watch the consequences of like, yeah, that is also the choice i would have made, shit. the ending made me go EUGH!! in a good way. lots of good easter eggs that i probably missed some of. made me weirdly nostalgic for my dad because when i was growing up he had a life-size hyper-realistic rubber facehugger model. he used to mime getting attacked by it. my mom hated that fucking thing. it must have gotten thrown out or given away at some point. anyways, as the kids would say: it's kino

thank u celestialtourguide for ur dropout login xoxo, i have been watching a lot of 'make some noise'. i love how sometimes you can hear the crew laughing in the background.

youtubesphere:

jimmy robins: The Fallout of Watcher's Betrayal, what sparked me looking more at dropout. also found out from the comments section that sam reich is son of robert reich ??? wild

finished the george r r martin problem. basically: yeagh

dangelo wallace: not gonna link em all but his videos on chapell roan, katy perry, blake lively, and starbucks. pop culture updates that mean nothing to me. good background noise tho

mina le: underconsumption-core, travel outfits, and Paul Mescal’s shorts, the luxury of privacy & the celebrity vs. influencer paradox. my boyfriend is a proponent of the tiny inseam shorts and i wholly encourage it. more of that, please, from everyone.

made in the moment: My Crafty Boston Apartment Tour. as someone who is also just moved into my own apartment alone for the first time and is in the process of making the space feel like mine, this hits interestingly.

playing: dnd as normal. i finally got to go mask-off, was replaced by a doppleganger like six months ago and finally got to pop off and kill some guys and beat the shit out of my friends lol >:b i have also moved the game that i run to biweekly instead of weekly. i just have too much fucking things happening and dm burnout real.

making: evil eye coasters! these made me very nervous because of how streaky the underglaze is! so i did the tedious task of re-coloring in around my sgraffito lines of my [redacted] coasters. clear coated them and crossing my fingers. these coasters are also too thin, two of them are too warped to use as coasters so ill have to figure out what to do with them. maybe drilling a hole (carefully...) so i can hang them up somewhere? the [redacted] coasters are like twice the thickness so i don't think they'll be warped as bad thankfully.

i also. made. mesopotamian foot bowl :) i did not have a reference image at the time because that happened to be when the t mobile towers went down for a few hours last saturday so i kinda just freeballed it but he looks. so silly i love him. i think im gonna have to modify him, i was chatting with the studio owner about it and she was like "if you threw that bowl on a wheel you should hollow the legs out, wheel pottery twists slightly as it dries and that plus the drying rates being different will make them just pop right off", which, i can always glue them back on! but i should give him the best odds possible. bonus lil tushy

i made a BIG BOWL !! it's not really clear from the image but it's the most clay i've ever thrown at once, i think it's like. 2.5 lb?? i didn't actually weigh it first oops i should weigh it. but it's like a foot across at the top. i put it on little ball feet to use as some sort of display bowl i think.

and there's one more bowl that is really unremarkable so no picture for now.

fiber art: made a fucking. magic the gathering card cozy for a friend that my local mtg group is putting together a care package for. it's so fucking stupid i love it. not gonna post a pic of the front, it's just a dark red border to hold the card in. i might outline the swamp symbol with matching embroidery floss (or maybe navy??) to make it pop more, might also sew a small square of fabric on the inside to hide the loose ends. colors were chosen to match his main commander which is braids

eating: FINALLY finished the gyudon. um . didn't cook many more recipes. i was going to do one pot chicken meatballs with greens and deb smittenkitchen's corn bacon and parmesan pasta last night but i spent two hours wandering walmart like my ancestors wandered the desert and came home and just had leftovers lol. the cooking will commence......today after i post this and go home.

misc: the midwest is hot this week! fml! on the plus side i don't think my average energy bill in my new place will be worse than my old one despite the worse insulation based on the mid-cycle energy report email i got, on the minus side now i am not splitting that cost so technically it feels more expensive :( thankfully i have finally been finishing the process of closing my dad's accounts so i will have a little padding in my bank account, plus i think i am supposed to get the fellowship i won deposited soon?? shrug. i booked some flights using credit card points that in retrospect i should have booked with Money because of that fellowship but oh well. i am still in the Everything Is So Expensive stage of moving as i finish getting furniture and miscellaneous home goods, hence the two hour walmart wander yesterday. i still need a couch. i think i am getting a frat house walmart futon for like $150 just because it's space efficient and won't break the bank and will be easy to sell when i move out. i should probably order that before i go visit home for 3 weeks ...... anyways. that's this tuesdaypost done and dusted.

[defeated-drum]

wanted to make this a separate post lol

Fic Promotion: Valdelobos, Vol 2: The Castle

Howdy hey, I literally just published an RE4R fic on my ao3, titled “Valdelobos, Vol 2: The Castle.”

One of what will eventually be three oneshot collections (Village, Castle, and Island), these Valdelobos Volumes will explore the hidden stories told to us in files, from before, during, and after Los Illuminados’ takeover, exploring the culture, characters, and horrific tragedies that befell each of these three areas.

If you’re looking for a fic that explores the worldbuilding, history, and lore of Resident Evil 4 Remake’s setting - if you’re looking for a fic that pays homage to various plot holes and unsolvable, mysterious easter eggs - or if you’re looking for a fic that dives headfirst into the horror, gore, and tragedy in Resident Evil 4 Remake, this is the fic for you (I hope)!

TW are in the tags, but just in case: TW for gore, body horror, referenced child abuse. These will be updated as I add chapters!

The first chapter of Valdelobos, Vol 2: The Castle has been posted - in this chapter, we see what happened to Ramón Salazar’s father, Diego Salazar, and how Osmund Saddler cemented himself in the castle halls.

As the file “Salazar Family Chronology” states,

7th Gen. Count Diego, The Severe

Similar to his predecessor, Diego was exceedingly

strict. He was murdered at the hands of a devil.

I hope you like it 🥰

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62737810/chapters/160612327

[micelangelooo]

My first fan art poster and tribute made for Unsolved. Originally from 2019, this poster was featured In the Q+A Episode of Bella in the Wych Elm. The drawing is filled with easter eggs and references to the Buzzfeed Unsolved series. 

I've since made a fan poster for Ghost-files, which I personally think was an improved poster. Both in regards to composition and the way Shane and Ryan are drawn. It was a great honor to hear those two icons talk about my drawing, which you can see in the link down below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92KRYkBZoWU&list=PLYY6CgVGfl-kUTVY8OnQl6grXZ_0-orXX&index=2&t=101s

[sincerely-sofie]

Are there more Pokémon in the old 2 au? Besides the team and the sableye crew?

While I haven’t ironed out 100% of the AU’s plot yet and therefore can’t guarantee which characters will make an appearance in the final product or how, I can say that all of the original PMD2 cast are still around, and I’d like to give everyone at least a nod here or there as a result. That said, I do have a few supporting characters in mind that I have some plans for the appearance(s) of:

Officer Magnezone and the two magnemite deputies who accompany him will appear, though I doubt it will be more than a brief cameo. Dusknoir frequently works alongside them, so they’ll be mentioned fairly often.

Twig’s neighbors, a gallade and gardevoir couple with a young daughter, will be a persistent presence during sequences set in Twig’s residence of Verdant Village. Gardevoir and Gallade see Twig as a member of their family despite how poorly her informality matches their love of courtly manners and etiquette— they’re persistent in their efforts to support and include her in the mundane happenings of her new neighborhood.

Kip’s expedition team will show up in instances of his POV.

Team Skull will finally make good on their promise to return and be back to their old tricks. Things will not go as expected for anyone involved.

A handful of my exploration team OCs will also appear for easter egg purposes— Team Crypt will be chasing leads on unsolved mysteries in the background at some point, you can count on it.

Walrein and Manaphy might appear, I’m not too sure— but if they do, Manaphy will swiftly return to the throne of Ultimate Chaos Child with a thunderous declaration of “do you have games on your phone.” Not literally, but something to that effect.

Chatot and Wigglytuff will pay Kip a visit when he returns to Treasure Town, and Chatot’s poorly-veiled worried mother hen tendencies will come out in full force when he suspects something sinister about Twig’s failure to greet Kip as she had told Chatot she intended to.

Drowzee shows up at the worst of times and nearly gets beheaded as a result.

Cresselia will appear to provide a much-needed item and break some extremely bad news.

I plan on giving every major supporting character from PMD2 a line or three saying what they’re up to, even if they don’t appear on screen, per se. For example— in The Present is a Gift, Bidoof is training as Wigglytuff’s apprentice to become the next Guildmaster, and Marill has joined the guild as the newest member!

[thxgrxmrexpxr]

Long as HC: HUNK never really "left" Raccoon City:

In terms of timeline appearances, HUNK has not been seen in-game since the 4th Survivor DLC. However there's a lot of Easter Egg's scattered in later games that reveal his whereabouts post-Racoon City while also (in my opinion) nodding towards the way he is beginning to resent the reckless actions that other members of Umbrella make.

In particular this quote from when he messaged Alfred Ashford:

"There's one thing that I don't understand. We are normally assigned to special missions. Why were we ordered to transport a frozen capsule this time? I understand that this may be classified as top-secret, but without knowledge of the contents, our safety could be at risk during the transport. This is especially important if the contents are potentially harmful. We would like to ask you provide us with more information, should we be assigned similar missions in the future."

The way I like to write HUNK is by building off what happens around him as much as what he does in the series. Canonically, he was stuck in Raccoon City during the outbreak for at least a week before being evacuated and during said evacuation he underwent an extraordinarily stressful run to meet with Nighthawk - one that put him up against the same B.O.W's that I think we can safely assume he has been picking off, fighting, or running from for the whole period of time prior.

It's never clearly stated, but I draw from how famous HUNKs moniker is even before (everyone around him seems genuinely in awe of "The Grim Reaper". It's something Nighthawk even uses as an excuse to go back for him) to assume he was likely one of Umbrella's golden children - someone who was likely dangled in recruitment processes to entice others into taking contracts. But for all his infamy he is still almost left to die in the city and running the DLC really conveys how truly stressful it might have been. It's very clear HUNK was a hair's width from dying - he almost got left behind.

When I talk about how I think HUNK never really "left" Raccoon City what I mean is that I think that event was crucial in just how traumatic it was and how deeply it altered his perspective of his superiors. HUNK in Code Veronica doesn't write like someone whose ambivalent - to me he writes like someone whose frustrated and boiling over. He makes a (valid imo) point about how dangerous Alfred's ambiguity is, how unsafe it is to keep operatives in the dark or hold intel hostage, and generally there's this undertow of exhaustion I read from his report.

I think after Raccoon City, HUNK became disenchanted. It was the first time he saw Umbrella's curtain noticeably lift: That no matter how famous he was, how competently he did missions, or how long he served loyally and with compliance Umbrella was still willing to axe him if it was no longer convenient for them to save him. They made a choice and covering their ass is what they picked.

Which is why when I write HUNK after the events of Raccoon City I portray him as having trauma related to that event that feels unsolved. It is also while his Post-Raccoon City self appears to be significantly less loyal, and far more critical of the poor choices authoritative figures makes.

HUNK at his core is a deeply traumatized person and the indication I get is that Umbrella either ignored or encouraged it because having their head of security be devoid of emotion benefitted them in multiple ways. The pitfall to it is that HUNK is not a product or something being reproduced in a lab: he is a human under his persona and human's do not snap back from that kind of trauma. I'm taking full advantage of the fact that Capcom POORLY wrote a lot of his entries/lore, esp his pysch evaluation, but I think it works for exploring how deep Umbrella's cruelty goes and how wrong a lot of the characterization of HUNK is.

In the evaluation found about HUNK it states there's no human side of him and that he operates fully in a solider mindset. But the same report does not express any concern about the way he also reacts emotionally to the name Bella. To me, it implies intent on whoever wrote the report. Umbrella was clearly aware HUNK had PTSD and choose not to give him help or recommend treatment. He was efficient and useful as he was: trauma made him a "better" worker. Except that in HUNK's case there's growing self-awareness that would have overlapped with this: at some point I do think he at least somewhat realized that the damage caused was not worth what he got at the rnd. That sacrificing his health and mind did not spare him from still being just another cog in the machine to Umbrella. That anger over being left behind - it probably took awhile to manifest and really settle. But it's clear through the small glimpses we see into HUNK's mind afterward that the doubt is there.

So while he maintains a great deal of skill and experience after Raccoon City, HUNK does exhibit the feeling of stagnating or being in a feedback loop: he is constantly running those events in his mind and exhibits altered behavior directly as a result of remembering what it was like to feel left behind or "trapped". He does not talk about what happened. But the shift is there: the anger towards Umbrella is a lot more evident than perhaps it was before.

What I mean when I speculate that he never "left" Raccoon City is that he's never been able to move beyond that anger or trauma. It's my speculation and hc that HUNK disappears after Antarctica and only has vague mentions afterwards is because he could no longer do jobs for corporations similar to Umbrella. He was too willing now to criticize directly and far more likely to question their recklessness. It's possible he even got black listed with some vague pseudo excuse of being "uncooperative", forcing him to likely move in contract work or a different sector/industry.

[alltimefail-sims]

LORE TIDBIT TIME WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Did you know Vlad was apart of the settler colony who mysterious disappeared? This is obviously a nod to the Roanoke colony which I think is sooo cool. What do you think happened to Vlad's colony? I like to think Vlad was turned or became a vampire and whipped them out.

HELL YEAH LORE TIDBIT ABOUT VLADDY DADDY!!! 😏

I'm going to treat this as a "deep dive" into Vlad and Forgotten Hollow, so I'll be adding it to my Deep Dive Series tag. Unsurprising to literally everyone, but this is gonna be a long one.

So… let’s get into it! ↓

Going into this I will admit that I actually did know this about Vlad!! I've been wanting to talk about it for forever but have never gotten around to it haha. 🤭 I'm a bit of a history nerd and I love a good spooky story/conspiracy, so naturally the Roanoke Colony was one of my obsessions when I was around 11 or 12 years old.

I think it's an interesting tie in from the sims team, I'd even say it's a bit meta because I feel like the game normally sticks to making references toward itself and its own canon characters/events while generally staying away from anything that would be too direct of a reference to "our world." Personally though I wish they broke the fourth wall more! I like easter eggs or hidden details that make it easier to imagine the characters existing not in their isolated, imaginary worlds, but in ours instead.

It's interesting to think about why the sims team might have made this connection - was it just a cheeky, unserious little wink to a well-known unsolved mystery, or was it done for the purposes of creating implications and expanded lore regarding Vlad and Forgotten Hollow (a case of them showing us instead of telling us). There are so many theories archaeologists and historians alike have had about the lost colony of Roanoke over the years: some believe the Roanoke colonists could have all died by disease or famine, some believe they could have been victims of a deadly storm, some believe they were attacked by neighboring tribes or by Spanish soldiers. Nowadays there are scholars who will argue that no tragedy befell the settlers at all and that they simply relocated (that would be why they left "Croatoan" behind - there was a nearby location referred to as Croatoan Island, now modern-day Hatters Island).

With that in mind, along with Vlad's own refusal to recall the details of this event, it's safe to assume that the sims team isn't referring to the happier Roanoke theories...the 25 colonists of Forgotten Hollow likely faced an unfortunate end.

Your theory of Vlad being turned and thus wiping out the colony (I'm guessing due to new-turn bloodlust) is sooooo compelling, the implications of that scenario are delicious and I personally never thought of it from that angle! My theory is only a little different: I agree that Vlad was turned on the day that the colonists "disappeared" (whatever that implies), but I have always played Vlad's story not as if he was turned and then killed everyone after, but rather that the thing that turned him successfully killed the other colonists but accidentally turned Vlad. It's a really long story that I play around with for fun in my brain but the short-ish version is: Vlad awoke outside - cold, alert, sweaty, dirty and covered in his own blood - but somehow alive, which he was thankful for. His new immortal condition is still unbeknownst to him at this point, but he felt an ache like never before, so deep in his bones it was excruciatingly painful, but his senses were heightened tenfold. He didn't remember much, just that the colony had been under attack the night before. His relief to be alive rapidly melted into abject horror as he found everyone else (friends, neighbors, family, children) dead. He realized soon enough what had happened to him and stayed in Forgotten Hollow where he would be memorialized as its "founder." He spent his days hellbent on retaliation and retribution, but was also steadfast in continuing the work that was began there before the attack. Eventually he does get to face off with the vampire who attacked him and his people, killing it and rising to power in the vampire world. He keeps the events close to his chest because they were traumatizing and cause him sadness, and he's worked diligently to remove himself from his humanity/human memories and from emotions in general (thus how he has become the person we see today). I always thought if he killed the colonists himself the other vampires in his circle - at least his closest confidantes - would know (as he's got quite the massive ego), but they don't seem to have knowledge of this event and they never mention it. I've thought that it could be possible that sharing the memories of this event would make Vlad feel weak, and he's not one to boast in his weakness. He'd much rather rewrite history in a way that is beneficial to his image; dragging up emotions about dead people would not bring them back to life, and by burying this history of a massacre in Forgotten Hollow he is also creating some mystery around himself and making it easier to play the role of a great-great-great-great grandson (or whatever he's pretending to be, relationship-wise) to the original founder.

But that's just how I play with Vlad! 🤷 I could be way off-base lmao!

Regardless of what happened, we know Vlad is the sole survivor of this event and he is scarred by it, impacted so deeply that he only ever vaguely alludes to it with no clear explanation. Whether he killed the colonists himself or just witnessed their death, the sims team will probably never give us concrete answers (and frankly, that's probably for the best considering their track record). But the clever connection of the LOST colony and FORGOTTEN Hollow are clear as day and I just think that is freaking cool! The occult lore in TS4, especially regarding Vlad and Forgotten Hollow, make interesting framework for storytellers and lore-lovers alike! Vlad is one of those characters who has sooooo many interpretations, and I eat up each and every one!

Okay, I think that's all I've got for now! Sorry about my word vomit! Somewhat related: here's an article I recently read on Roanoke that talks about the archaeological finds which have changed some of the discussions surrounding whether the colonists survived or not! I found it pretty interesting and you might as well!

[drfeelgreed]

some fun blog facts for people who weren't necessarily present for me making the blog and the facts.

my tags all correspond to a chapter across the baccano! novels. in general i've tried to aim for getting a RELEVANT chapter for each character, but at some points it was pretty impossible. they're mostly accurate, though. my favorites are the "joy anger sorrow fun (smile)" quintet from children of bottle because those actually very specifically refer to those five characters. they get portraits on the chapter title pages and everything!

the interview portions of my carrd are a self indulgent thing i added because i like showing off my muses' personalities in creative ways, but they also have some easter eggs. namely, the interviewer is referred to by a few people as "mr. president" or staples of that character are mentioned in passing because he's meant to be the president of the daily days!

(similarly, i came up with a character called the transcriber so i'd have a valid excuse for pointing out when a muse wasn't being honest. this is actually a self-insert oc of mine i made alongside some friends in the wider baccano! community called kingfisher! he is the president's son!)

on "interviews" taking place in the 2000s (so just claudia right now), because the transcriber is not immortal, i've specifically noted that the transcriber comes from a family who's always had a talent for lie detection as a nod to the fact that this isn't the original transcriber.

i reference the unsolved nature of the ice pick thompson murders on the front page of my card, and very notably everyone who was involved in the incident feeds the same incorrect information into their interviews; both laz and nicola so far cite laz as being the real ice pick thompson.

the transcriber's only spoken line in an interview is ronny's, which notably doesn't contain any indicators of lying. HOWEVER, the line spoken indicates that the transcriber himself can't tell.

[f0point5]

NO DONT END IT IN A WEEK IM LOVING THE SLOW BURN AND I USUALLY HATE SLOW BURN

Anyway, loved that new chapter, I like seeing fans threads and stuff and seeing what they have to say and their commentary etc. It’s sort of dramatic irony but not quite if that makes sense. My brain is working very fast but also too slow so I’ll maybe return later with a longer rant who knows

One thing I do love about this story is my mind does the “I’ve got it” and then the next part comes out and I definitely didn’t like this meme from buzzfeed unsolved

The fan threads are honestly my favourite lol they take forever to make but they’re so fun. I can sneak all sorts of Easter eggs in them.

Haha the dots do all connect, I promise.

The Christian dots are not connectable YET but it’s COOKING