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Game Information

• Game Name: Halo Infinite
• Release Date: December 8, 2021
• Story Length: 9 Hours
• Completionist Length: 25 Hours
• Setting/World-Type: Sci-Fi Open World
• Genre/Sub-Genre: First-person shooter
• Perspective: First-person
• Development Engine: Slipspace Engine

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Game Publisher and Developer Information

• Developer: 343 Industries
• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Headquarters Location: Redmond, Washington, United States
• Director: Pierre Hintze
• Lead Producers: Chris Hager, Brian Lemon, and Casey Marissa Wu
• Writers: Dan Chosich, Paul Crocker, Jeff Easterling, Aaron Linde
• Technical Director: David Berger
• Design Director: Max Szlagor

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STORY ATMOSPHERE LORE - 100/100

During the boarding of the UNSC Infinity supercarrier, Master Chief is thrown into space by Atriox, leader of the Banished. The Banished are a mercenary group that was previously part of the Covenant but broke away due to disagreements with the Covenant leadership. You’re eventually rescued by the Pilot, a survivor of the attack, who reluctantly assists the Master Chief in his mission to take down Atriox and the Banished. After destroying the warship, Chief is picked up by the Pilot, and they head down to Zeta Halo to search for a “weapon” in the mysteriously damaged portion of the ring. With these two introductory missions out of the way, you’re introduced to Halo Infinite’s vibrant yet dangerous open world. Across the 16-story missions, you will find yourself going across Zeta Halo and into the depths of the Forerunner installation.
The campaign features wide and sprawling open fields, claustrophobic underground facilities, and everything in between. The pacing of missions in Infinite is well done and isn’t too fast or slow. Missions are not too long, and you can expect to spend about 11 and a half hours on Zeta Halo when focusing on the main objectives, making it the longest campaign to date, according to HowLongToBeat. When looking to see everything the game has to offer, it’s estimated to take around 27 and a half hours to finish.
Knowing the lore behind the factions only adds to how enjoyable it is to fight against each enemy. For example, Brutes are always looking to fight opponents of noteworthy strength, so they approach battles with the Master Chief with bravado and are often happy to battle with the Spartans. Jackals, on the other hand, are typically pirates and mercenaries and will remark about claiming the bounty on Master Chief during combat. They go as far as commenting on canon events during combat, which is a first for the series. For example, Grunts will sometimes taunt you with a remark about the events of Halo: Reach by saying, “Hey Spartan, Reach called! Just kidding - ha!” Sometimes, Grunts dab after killing you, making them even more hilarious to fight. The colorful personalities that make up the Banished mercenaries make them feel more alive and like real characters you’re battling against. Previous Halo games had less personality-oriented enemies whose combat chatter became repetitive and didn’t make for a marginally more interesting battle.

GAMEPLAY - 95/100

WEAPONS

Since Halo: Combat Evolved, a damage system consisting of Kinetic and Plasma has been in place. Hardlight didn’t make a place for itself until Halo 4 and Shock Damage had its inception in Halo Infinite. Most human-made weapons deal Kinetic damage, which is effective at taking down unshielded enemies like Grunts, while Plasma works best against shields. Hardlight is good against any enemy regardless of their shield status, but the weapons and ammo are few and far between. Shock damage arcs between targets and is great for groups of Banished and their vehicles. As the newest addition to the weapon ecosystem, it makes a powerful statement when used in the midst of battle. Much like previous Halo installments, having only two weapon slots forces you into giving encounters some forethought since you’ll want to be properly prepared for the skirmish. It also makes you have to sacrifice certain weapons and pick up others to gain the upper hand in a fight, especially when facing a boss. Ammo resupplies aren’t new to Halo, but the ability to refill certain ammo like rockets without picking up a duplicate of the weapon is new to the series.
As a first for the series, the open-world design makes the open-battlefield style fights from previous games even more exciting by allowing different approaches to fights to be more viable. Previous installments of the series pitted Master Chief against enemies in arena-style fights, which had a repeating cycle of short battles and then exposition. Infinite has a different sense of balance between combat and exposition. One minute, you’re riding along through the ring, and suddenly you stumble upon a battle between Banished forces and surviving Marines. All hell breaks loose. In prior installments, you knew when combat would start due to the layout of an area, but in Halo Infinite, it’s less predictable but in the best way possible. It brings the ringworld to life and has a sense of curiosity as to what you’ll find yourself in next, similar to random encounters in other RPGs.

ENEMIES

In a first for the series, boss fights also make an appearance in the campaign. The boss fights in the story force you to take the damage system seriously because, without them, you’re bound to have a hard time. The bosses come with their own special fighting style. For example, the Spartan Killers, Hyperius and Tovarus, are both battled at the same time in the mission ‘Pelican Down.’ Hyperius wields a unique Ravager, S7 sniper, and rides a Chopper, while his brother Tovarus has a Scrap Cannon and spike grenades. Fighting both at the same time proves to be a mighty challenge since you’re in an open area with limited weaponry. Each boss has an arena that puts you at a disadvantage, like when you fight the invisible, energy sword-wielding Elite, Chak ’Lok, in a small room full of smoke. Another example would be fighting against the lightning-fast Harbinger in the final mission, along with her incredibly difficult waves of enemies. The bosses come in all forms of Banished and remain a constant threat in both main missions and side objectives.
Although the bosses are difficult, Halo Infinite’s standard enemies pose their own threats and must be handled differently. For example, Jackals have to be dealt with quickly since they often show up with marksman rifles that deal heavy damage. Elites are easily recognized by their tall stature and signature mandibles. They’re honor-bound Captains of the Banished whose inspiring presence makes their soldiers more emboldened and less fearful. Taking them out makes the rest of the battle much more manageable. Grunts are the small and frightened cannon fodder of the Banished who often run in fear when their higher-ups are defeated.

UPGRADES

One of the other new additions to the campaign is an upgrade system. Master Chief can now upgrade parts of his kit to make his gadgets much more powerful by finding and acquiring Spartan Cores. Become a walking tank by upgrading your shield to absorb more damage before breaking or greatly improve the agility of Chief by reducing the cooldown between uses of the Grappleshot. Reduced cooldown is an absolute must if you plan on playing around with the grappling hook during combat since waiting for it to recharge can mean life or death. All of the upgrades play their parts and can be integral to having a battle go your way. The Threat sensor can be upgraded to have a permanent mark on the enemy along with a visible health bar. The Drop Wall can have its strength increased and add shock damage to projectiles you fire through it. Finally, the thruster can increase its dodge distance and give you a cloak effect after use. Each ability upgrade plays into how well you’ll perform during a fight since not using them can cause you to take a lot more damage.

OUTPOSTS

Those aren’t the only new changes Infinite brings to the table. Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) are another new addition to the map. They appear as outposts you can claim during your fight against the Banished and serve as fast travel points. Alongside these FOBs comes a currency known as Valor. Valor is earned through completing the various side missions available across Zeta Halo. The currency allows you to unlock supplies and weapons to aid you in dominating the Banished and the battlefield. Your hard-earned Valor needs only to be spent once for unlimited access to the requisitions. From the simple yet reliable Sidekick sidearm all the way to the big bad behemoth of ground warfare, the Scorpion, Valor enables you to bring out any sort of weapon or vehicle for any scenario.

SIDE OBJECTIVE

The open world of Zeta Halo also has many side missions available, such as hunting down high-value targets (HVTs), rescuing UNSC Marines, and capturing abandoned outposts. These missions can be a great break from the story or provide much-needed Valor to help during the story. Undertaking a High-Value Target mission is as simple as going to the marked location and killing the target. The bosses appear as various types of Banished, and each has its own dossier with backstory and potentially useful information, such as strengths, weaknesses, and potential combat strategies. The HVTs also carry a unique weapon that drops when their wielder is defeated and can be purchased with valor for use during missions. When you’re not taking Banished lives, you can instead save those of the survivors of the UNSC Infinity’s crash. The Marine survivors will usually be engaging Banished troops, and it’s your job to make sure they survive. Upon saving the Marines, you’ll be rewarded with Valor as well as some new comrades who are willing to ride in vehicles and fight with you. Aside from the HVT hunting and marine distress signals, outposts are also available. Each Outpost offers several different objectives that need to be completed in order to shut down the facility. The objectives vary depending on the function of the Outpost, and completing a task can cause enemy reinforcement. Similarly to FOBs, the Outposts act as fast travel points after they’re finished and can be used to call in supplies unlocked through Valor.

FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER - 80/100

As a first-person shooter, Halo Infinite’s campaign excels at the traditional formula while adding new gameplay elements like boss fights. In these additions, Infinite delivers a fun and memorable combination of well-paced storytelling and solid gameplay. The RPG elements, like armor upgrades, make for a more engaging experience by giving an enticing reason to explore the levels and open world of Zeta Halo. All of these elements come together and deliver an amazing FPS game that doesn’t disappoint.

GRAPHICS ART DIRECTION - 95/100

Halo Infinite is the most graphically advanced Halo to date thanks to the new Slipspace engine, which allows it to outshine the previous installments by providing new and updated visuals. The engine enables excellent use of volumetric lighting, giving the interiors beautiful rays of light that shine through cracks and around objects. Each of these components lends itself to the world of Zeta Halo and makes it a true marvel to look at. Indoor sections feel realistic through their use of volumetric lighting and high-resolution textures. These elements make the walk through Forerunner facilities feel strange and alien as the lights twist and turn while you maneuver through the halls. Master Chief's damaged armor looks amazing in the cutscenes, where it looks battered and beat from the various battles the suit has seen. Compared to Halo 5, it’s far more appealing in the lighting and detail while remaining much more realistic with its high-resolution textures. It’s small things like this that make all the difference in how you perceive the game and the time put into it.
The art design of the levels works great in conjunction with the Forerunner plot elements introduced in Halo 4 as the beginning of the Reclaimer Saga. We see a lot of the Forerunner technology at work through things like bridges appearing as you approach and the Forerunner Sentinels flying overhead and working on repairs within facilities. These seemingly small details play a big role in making the factions more believable while also allowing the world to feel unique. While some levels in other Halo games felt a little too similar to one another in some cases, each level in Infinite feels completely different while retaining the identity of Halo Infinite. Compared to the first mission, where the halls of the Banished ship are claustrophobic and limit movement while eliciting the feeling of having a daunting task ahead, ‘Silent Auditorium’ brings you within a massive Forerunner facility that feels larger than life and has a feeling of finality to it.
The larger-than-life buildings of the Forerunners combined with the shiny silver exterior that makes up their facilities make for very regal settings. When paired with the grand and open interiors, the areas provide a majestic feeling and truly make the sci-fi notion come to life. The Banished forces come with their own unique looks as well, with their scarlet armor providing a contrast to the environment that allows for them to be easily distinguished from the background. The scarlet of their armor compliments their ferocity in battle since the Banished aren’t ones to run away from conflict, even with Master Chief.

REPLAYABILITY - 85/100

One of the best parts of Halo campaigns is how replayable they are. Whether you’re playing alone or with a friend at your side, the story of Halo Infinite is captivating and gripping enough to make it worth a few extra playthroughs. The side missions and the optional bosses are plentiful enough that you may not be able to complete the extra objectives in a single run. Aside from a completionist run, you can also try your hand at the infamous LASO challenge. LASO, standing for Legendary All Skulls On, is the ultimate test of your Halo skills and can be as infuriating as it is gratifying once you make it through a section. LASO is just one of many challenging ways the community has made Halo replayable and always a fresh experience. Master Chief’s journey on Zeta Halo is easy to jump back into even after beating it and is great if you’re looking to experience a quality storyline in a fan-favorite universe.

FUN FACTOR - 95/100

The Halo Infinite campaign is incredibly fun and makes for a memorable experience with all of its new additions. Between the classic and new formula for Halo, it finds itself in the middle, where new gameplay elements mesh together with the traditional style seamlessly. The game succeeds at giving you fun new things to play around with while remaining true to the original Halo style. You’ll find the most fun moments when the gameplay finally ‘clicks’ and you manage to pull off that awesome sniper shot or kill that boss that’s been giving you trouble. It’s such a satisfying feeling when you manage to latch onto a Brute chopper with the Grappleshot and yank the Banished out of their vehicles. It feels straight out of a movie and makes you truly immerse yourself in the incredible feats Master Chief is known to pull off. These moments of triumph are what add up to making the campaign so fun and can keep you coming back for more.

TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE - 97/100

Through the time played on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X, the game was incredibly well optimized. The graphics were noticeably different between the two generations, but it’s to be expected with the hardware differences. The game ran as smoothly as ever from the beginning to the end of the campaign. The Xbox One had some intermittent lag and stutter, but it wasn’t enough to impact gameplay significantly. The game ran very consistently throughout the campaign experience and made for a very enjoyable experience since it suffered no crashes.

CREATIVE REVIEW

Halo Infinite, released on December 8, 2021, is an ambitious follow-up to 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians. The game began development by 343 Industries just three years later. This sci-fi first-person shooter is the third installment in the Reclaimer Saga that began with Halo 4 and was published by Xbox Game Studios. Infinite was intended to be a launch release for the Xbox Series XS but was delayed due to internal conflict on development decisions. This installment utilizes the new Slipspace engine in conjunction with Faber, a set of developer tools with some of its components dating back to the early 2000s. Since its release, the campaign has been the subject of critical acclaim, with many praising the innovations the new story brought with it. An open world, new armor abilities, and a new faction all come with the installment’s 28-hour story mode. On the other hand, the free-to-play multiplayer was heavily criticized for its lack of content at launch. Since then, Infinite’s multiplayer has gone through several seasons, each of them introducing new content and different cosmetics to obtain through battle pass progression.
When I booted up the campaign for the first time, I couldn’t help but reminisce on all the good times I had both solo and with friends in previous installments. Memories like Grifball on Halo: Reach, dying four thousand times to Jackal Snipers on Halo 2, and Arbiter saving Chief with a flamethrower in Halo 3. I went in expecting something at least a little better than the catastrophe of Halo 5, but instead, I was met with something very different and unique for the series. Let’s start from the beginning: the opening cutscene and mission one. While Chief is known to be one of gaming’s coolest characters, he got humbled extremely quickly. The scene opens with pure chaos ensuing. There’s fire, plasma, and bullets flying everywhere, and Chief is at the center of it all. I felt like a kid in a candy shop, watching him skillfully maneuver and take down several opponents. That is until the big baddie of the Banished came along. The following encounter between Atriox and Master Chief was absolute humiliation for the mean green killing machine. Atriox grabs him, beats him with his admittedly cool hammer, drags Master Chief through the hangar, and then throws him into space. I was in pure shock as to how Chief just got beaten like nothing. Isn’t he a ‘hyper-lethal’ class Spartan? Maybe it was because he got caught off guard. Regardless, I just watched my childhood get thrown to his presumable death, and I wanted revenge.
Mission one sees us go in a Banished Warship to free the Pelican that Echo-216 saved us with from certain doom. It was straightforward, and I got a good glimpse of that classic Halo gameplay loop so many of us loved: Exploration, combat, and then some exposition. It’s a simple yet effective formula that kept me engaged the whole game. In this opening mission, we get introduced to the newest piece of equipment: the Grappleshot. While simple, it plays a huge role in every aspect of this game. As I got the hang of using it, I found that I could use it for more effective maneuverability in combat, something I did the entire game, which saved me many times. I got to the control room and promptly blew the ship to Smithereens, which left me feeling a lot of satisfaction as I mentally recovered from seeing Chief beaten up by Atriox. After the Banished Warship and one other mission, we get to explore the open world of Zeta Halo.
The world is exciting and fun to explore while supporting characters and cutscenes only add to the already gripping story. I quickly fell in love with the campaign and its characters in a way I hadn’t felt since Halo 4. When I wasn’t doing one of the story missions, I was out, causing a ruckus with the side missions. The High-Value Target missions were personal favorites that you’ll love if you’re a fan of boss fights, something Infinite doesn’t shy away from and has plenty of. Each fight feels like a real challenge since they all put you at a distinct disadvantage, like the Pelican Down mission, where you fight Hyperius and Tovarus at the same time with limited space and weaponry. This challenge translated well into a stark contrast between regular enemies and bosses. It made the bosses really feel threatening, a feeling I felt most games lacked since the fight with General Raam way back in the first Gears of War. There were countless battles, a lot of dying, and tons of fun to be had.
By the time I reached the Silent Auditorium, I had amassed an arsenal of weapons that I thought would make it a piece of cake. Spoiler alert: it was far from easy. I struggled on this mission quite a bit and had to take a break and tackle it again the next day. There were tons of enemies of varying calibers and carrying a lot of guns, but that was nothing new for a final Halo mission. It feels like enemy AI was much better this time around due to technological improvements and level designs largely being in favor of the Banished. The Silent Auditorium is a beautiful but deadly level that kept me on my toes and gave me a real sense of finality and importance as I made my way through the Banished army, protecting the final boss. It really makes you utilize every bit of tech and upgrade you’ve gotten up to this point. I had to throw down many Drop Walls, use a lot of Grappleshots to run away and heal, and use more Threat Sensors than I could count. Eventually, I got to the final boss with little ammo and very small amounts of optimism about the upcoming fight. The reasoning is spoiler-heavy, so I won’t say much, but when you get ready for this mission, come prepared to die a lot.
Halo Infinite had a rocky beginning but has a bright future ahead of it so long as 343 Industries keeps up the amazing work they’ve been doing during the past and current seasons. The campaign is on par with the original trilogy, which many consider to be the pinnacle of the series. It manages to define itself as a fantastic third entry to the Reclaimer Saga that had a rough start with the release of Halo 4 and the negatively received Halo 5: Guardians. While the campaign introduces some things that may initially turn away long-time fans, the gameplay and new additions make the story able to be experienced in a new and unique way. This is only furthered by a fantastic upgrade system that keeps you in the fight against an enemy that hits hard and can take a punch. The level design choices utilize the new gameplay additions like the Grappling Hook to their full extent and encourage you to play around with your new toys, see what strikes your fancy, and master their uses. Likewise, the multiplayer has a lot of charm. The addition of new weapons, new maps, and new modes add up and make for an awesome bout of fun with friends or even by yourself. The seasonal releases and cosmetics for the multiplayer only add to the fun with what many consider to be the best customization received since Halo: Reach. It may have been roughly criticized in the beginning, but it’s clear that 343 Industries took the criticism and set out to give Infinite the makeover of a lifetime. Halo Infinite surpasses expectations while remaining humble in its delivery of an unforgettable campaign and an equally addicting multiplayer that keeps many of us coming back for more. It’s amazing to see how far the game has come since its beta, and it’s hard to contain the excitement that comes with pondering what comes next.

SCORE SUMMARY - 92/100

Halo Infinite is a fantastic entry into one of the most well-known gaming series, and it delivers on nearly every front in its campaign. The cutscenes are beautiful, the RPG elements are prevalent but not overpowering, and the core gameplay is reminiscent of classic Halo. The campaign is easily one of the best entries in the series and delivers a stellar game in all aspects.
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Roland Martinez
Reviewer
Favorite Game: Gears of War

Come one, come all, we're clooowning again! 🤡
Thanks to u/1DMod for posting the Jimmy Fallon video that led to me to start to connect the dots that other creators have noticed. Long story short, we're clowning for Stockholm N1 (maybe even night ✌️ as well), buckle up clowns!

✌️

First things first, May 17 is ✌️ fortnights after the release of TTPD on April 19. We know that Taylor is still throwing up peace signs which seems unnecessary if it only ever meant that there was a second part of TTPD. I think it's an indication that we haven't completely cracked that egg yet.
This photo was necessary for the post, ok

National/International Day Of

While these days aren't necessarily solid proof of anything, Taylor did release TTPD on Poetry & The Creative Mind Day and also released the ME! music video (ME! Out now!) on Lesbian Visibility Day so I think it's definitely worth investigating.
After publishing this post I was reading through the comments in this thread about easter eggs and was reminded by u/-periwinkle that some people predicted the Toe breakup date based on something Taylor mentioned in her NYU speech ("Part of growing up and moving into new chapters of your life is about catch and release"). 11 months later, the Toe breakup news came out on, you guessed it, National Catch and Release Day. More on the NYU speech later.
First, let's have a look at the holidays for May 17 that could be relevant:

• Endangered Species Day - Does anyone remember the ✌️ trips to the zoo while in Sydney...? We also have the big cat imagery on her new 1989 outfit to consider. If you haven't read this incredible post by u/Funny-Barnacle1291, I'd urge you to stop clowning with me (just for a moment) and go and read it. Taylor's TikTok bio still reads, "this is pretty much just a cat account" which could be a surface level meaning of her posting videos of her cats, but we know miss Feline Enthusiast herself loves a layered meaning. She also compared herself to feeling, "a lot like being a tiger in a wildlife enclosure" in the Lover diaries she released (pictured below).

TNT at Sydney Zoo Paris N4 TikTok bio Lover diaries comparing herself to a tiger Sydney Zoo

• National Pizza Party Day - I know I am personally still haunted by her Stephen Colbert interview on 13 April 2021. The interview starts with Colbert talking about Taylor's Versions and also talking about how he believes the song "Hey Stephen" is about him. What surprise song did we get on guitar Paris N3..? Important to note that this interview also talks about him "waiting tables on the lunch shift at Scoozi, an Italian restaurant in the River North area of Chicago, that, by the way, serves a really incredible slice of pizza." Taylor also goes on to say that the song is actually about Stephen King and Taylor then says "The Dark Tower series changed my life, plus The Shining, The Stand and don't even get me started on his short stories... Absolutely luminescent." This interview is obviously very strange and likely filled with easter eggs. We know that her mention of the River North area of Chicago was also the location of one of the TTPD murals that went up ahead of its release.
• I've just seen this tweet which has beautifully tied in the new Red shirt that was premiered Paris N1 ("This is not Taylor's Version") with a quote from the Stephen Colbert interview, "This isn't about you, it's about pizza... See?" We can clearly see the mood board is about Stephen however she keeps only talking about the pizza. It feels like a Cassandra moment where we (Gaylors but Stephen in the interview) are recoginising all the Stephen pictures and the general public (Swifties) are only focused on the pizza because that's what Taylor is showing them (the public narrative featuring Travis Kelce). There was also this excellent post connecting the new Red shirt to a painting by René Magritte's titled, "The Treachery of Images". We then get "Treacherous" as a surprise song on Paris N4.
• u/naked_blanket pointed out that there is a scene in the Lavender Haze music video "where a bunch of people are gathered around a pizza box."
• I can't remember where I saw it now but I was reminded of the below photo of Taylor and Keleigh Teller. Keleigh posted this to her Instagram on 30 May 2023 along with 8 emojis. The importance of the 8s will be explained further down the post under the Stockholm heading but for now, pizza.

No... This is pizza
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• International Day Against Homophobia Transphobia and Biphobia - I honestly don't think I need to say anything else to the Gaylor Swift subreddit as to why this day might be a day of importance to Taylor...

ME! Out soon 😉

• National Graduation Tassel Day - Taylor was awarded with an honorary doctorate at NYU in 2022. We know that her speech at this event was filled with “Midnights” easter eggs including lyrics to “Labyrinth” and “You're On Your Own, Kid”. I wonder what other easter eggs are hidden in this speech...? Here's a link to the video and you can also read the full transcript here. I'm not going to do any further digging into this one right now, just presenting it as evidence but please feel free to note anything of importance in the comments. I do want to note here though that I recently saw a video where Taylor was leaving TTPD easter eggs while doing promo for Red TV (maybe an ATW10MV short film interview?) so I don't think it's out of the question that this speech contains TTPD (and beyond) easter eggs. I'll link the video if I can find it again.

Dr Taylor Alison Swift

• Pinot Grigio Day - A day celebrating u/getmeapinotgris! That's it, end of the easter egg! I'll touch on just a couple of pieces of evidence here as I think it's pretty common knowledge that Taylor likes her white wine. We now even have a direct white wine reference on TTPD, "these chemicals hit me like whiiiite wiiiiine" which was then used by Taylor as a caption in a tweet recently when she reposted a review of TTPD. I think the most interesting potential easter egg to me is her drinking a huge glass of white wine leaving her last performance of the LA shows and she was obviously still performing. It looks to me like it's the same Midnights dress she wore Paris N1 ^{Chiefs colours, obviously!} which could be an interesting connection. When looking for the video footage of her leaving LA, I noticed that the account that posted it is verified and she appears to be an Entertainment Journalist with the Hollywood Reporter who received a 1989TV PR package with the cardigan around the release of 1989TV. What an interesting, fun and not at all related coincidence that the Entertainment Journalist happened to have seats to the show in the obstructed view section where you see Taylor leaving the stage...
• Credit to u/intheafterglow23 for commenting on this post to remind us all of this incredibly special scene in Schitt's Creek where David says, "I like the wine and not the label" which is a metaphor for his sexuality. u/intheafterglow23 goes on to note that while the season the clip is from debuted in 2015, it really took off in the US around 2018/2019 - Taylor's response that I have screenshot below was posted on 25 May 2019, right in the middle of her sparkling summer where there were blind items she was going to come out as sexually fluid. I've tried looking for this blind without any luck, if anyone has a copy can they please post it in the comments!

These chemicals hit me like whiiiiite wiiiiine

• Shades Day - Why? Because shade never made anybody less gay! Jimmy Fallon is a long-time perpetuator of Taylor Swift's easter eggs and I don't think this video he posted on 1 May 2024 is any exception. The video shows Jimmy decked out in TTPD merch singing along to Who's Afraid Of Little Old ME! and he then dons a pair of orange shades and the camera pans down to show the orange Nike swoosh on his shoes. Credit to u/International_Ad4296 for posting on this thread that the shades Jimmy is wearing in the video are shutter shades that were worn by Kanye West in his 2007 music video "Stronger" and then went onto become known as "Kanye West glasses". Kanye has been a big player in the TSCU since he interrupted her while accepting an award for "Best Female Music Video" during the VMA awards in 2009. That's all the airtime I'll give that person.

Direct 17/5 easter eggs

• Tokyo N3 - One of the surprise songs during Tokyo N3 was "The Outside". This excellent video by Kristen (underthepink7 - go follow her, she's amazing) goes into some additional easter eggs that I'm not going to go into here but definitely worth a watch (which also connects to "Down Bad"). What I do want to talk about though is what Taylor said when she introduced the song. Here's a video of the performance including her speech beforehand where she says, "this song is 175 years old." At the time most people thought that it was an egg for number of days leading us to 2 August 2024. It could still be referring to this however I'm starting to believe it's related to the date.
• Date format - Before we go any further, it's important to note that the date format in Europe (where the Eras Tour currently is) goes DD/MM/YY. This is why I think the 175 could be a date as that equates to May 17 in Europe.
• Tokyo N4 - On 10 February 2024, the surprise songs in Tokyo were "Come In With The Rain" (track 17) and "You're On Your Own, Kid" (track 5), another 175 and in this case it's specifically 17/5.
• Anti-Hero music video - There's been some really interesting analysis that I've seen on Twitter where the timestamps in Taylor's recent music videos appear to be lining up with the date of things happening in real life. Underthepink7 and Kiturakk on Twitter have pointed out some interesting connections to the numbers 175 in the "Anti-Hero", "Bejeweled" and "Willow" music videos. I'll admit this could be considered a bit of a stretch but what if I told you none of it was accidental...

Is Taylor using timestamps in her self-directed music videos to refer to dates in real life?

Important days in history

These could be nothing, could be something, still worth noting:

• Anne Boleyn and 4 lovers executed (could this be why she directly mentioned the number 4 in her Betty speech Paris N4?)
• The diaries of Lord Byron are burnt by six of the poet's friends, described as "the greatest crime in literary history". u/thingwithfeathers38 has just pointed out that this stuck out to them as they've had this article saved in their notes app for a few weeks - Lord Byron had a half-sister named Augusta who was "sexually fluid".
• "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was first published 17 May 1900
• The first legal same-sex marriages in the US are performed in the state of Massachusetts in 2004

Important events in history that may be important to Taylor

Important events in the TSCU on this day

• "Bad Blood" music video premiered at the Billboard Awards
• Entertainment Weekly where Taylor is on the cover with a rainbow pin and gravestone that says "I tried" is published
• City of Lover concert (i.e. Taylor's Lover concert performed in Paris) airs on ABC for the first time

I think we're about to recreate her sparkling summer

Stockholm

• 88th show - Taylor made a point to let everyone know that Paris N4 was the 87th show of the tour. Yes, 87 is Travis' number, but what if it was also to let everyone know that Stockholm will feature both her 88th and 89th shows? Obviously 89 is an important number to her as it's the year she was born, however last year we saw Taylor embracing double dates (5/5 Speak Now TV announcement, 7/7 Speak Now TV release - there's probably others, that's all I remember off the top of my head) so I don't think it's a stretch to say that the 88th show would hold significance to her. I saw this thread on Twitter yesterday regarding "portal dates" and while obviously this is referring to dates, I can see "portal shows" being potentially noteworthy. Following on from this, Kristen has highlighted some Taylor Nation tweets that include the words "17" or "May" with one of those tweets being posted on 8/8 (while quoting "Betty" of all songs...) which Kristen notes is the karmic number representing resurrection and regeneration (tweets pictured below).
• I was reading through the comments in the Jimmy Fallon video thread and u/cookiechipchocolate reminded me that one of Kanye's albums is titled "808s & Heartbreak". Could be a sly reference to her 88th show however I'll admit this is a bit more of a stretch connection that I've made.
• In the same thread, I saw this comment from u/taytopancakes noting that the day after is "said to be the most magical/lucky day of the year" which just so happens to also be Taylor's 89th show of the Eras Tour. I'd say the stars are certainly starting to align!
• Following on from the Keleigh Teller pizza photo on 30 May 2023 that has 8 emojis that I shared above, the other big thing Keleigh contributed to the TSCU in 2023 is her quote of, "you're my Elizabeth Taylor" in the video she shared where she gave Taylor that opal and blue topaz ring for her 34th birthday. This quote always stuck out to me. I know that Elizabeth Taylor had many husbands so I looked it up and, you guessed it, she had 8 husbands (7 different men). It's also interesting to note that the first thing that comes up when you google "opal signficance" is "the opal has long been considered a lucky and protective talisman" which connects back to the TTPD announcement post that Taylor tweeted on 5 February 2024.
• u/slugs_instead and u/chickadee323 also pointed out that we have been seeing a lot of infinity symbols lately; we've seen the infinity symbols everywhere from The Man wall, jewelry Taylor wears, the Karma music video and most recently in the stage visuals for "Down Bad". An infinity symbol turned on its side looks like an 8. I believe the infinity symbol represents Taylor's cycle of death and rebirth, "I rise up from the dead, I do it all the time" and "I'm getting tired even for a phoenix, always risin' from the ashes". What better way to signify the two sides of Taylor than two infinity symbols side-by-side, i.e. 88. Important thing I want to note - I just went and watched the footage of the "Down Bad" infinity symbol that I linked above and it stops just before completing - she's still on the journey, the cycle is not yet complete.

Deep portal, time travel
https://preview.redd.it/a28zn1akid0d1.jpg?width=1237&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2b4751ac3530892d8a17d3c5ca1bbea8a1f5ee9

• Beyoncé - The Renaissance World Tour kicked off on 10 May 2023 in Stockholm at the very same stadium that Taylor is performing in next weekend. To me it would make sense to start a tour named Renaissance in Italy, where the Renaissance originated not in Sweden... We've seen Taylor and Beyoncé supporting each other a lot in the last year and Beyoncé's producer recently said, "let's just say she's on the approach of shocking the world." We know she's on her own three-act journey at the moment (complete with queer-flagging in her shows and her own Biyoncé rumours) so I don't think this quote is directly related to Cowboy Carter but potentially regarding the culmination of her arc. Is it possible that her arc lines up with Taylor's creating a supernova that will change the industry forever?

Taylor & Bey supporting each other at their respective film premieres, a literal pride flag on the Renaissance Tour (it's actually just Chiefs colours, phew!)

• Taylor recorded songs in Stockholm - Kristen notes that many of Taylor's important singles were recorded in Stockholm including "I Knew You Were Trouble", "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", "Bad Blood", "Ready For It" and "New Romantics". Perhaps this city holds a special place in her heart?
• One Direction - paging u/1DMod to go into more detail here however noting that One Direction has a song called "Stockholm Syndrome" and the lyrics are very interesting indeed ("I used the light to guide me home"). Checkout this recent post by u/1DMod regarding the possible Larry connections to TTPD.
• Friends Arena - The stadium in Stockholm is called the Friends Arena. Taylor had a Friends pin on her jacket on the Entertainment Weekly cover. Was this stadium always supposed to play an important role? Kristen also notes that the opening ceremony took place on 27 October 2012 (obviously 27 October is the day that 1989 was released, both times) and Elton John played there on 13 December 2010 (who had his own journey down the yellow brick road and people refused to see his queerness for years even though he was in screaming colour).

New Romantics

Kristen, who I have referenced in nearly every part in this post (again, she's amazing, go follow her), has a mass coming-out theory that she has dubbed the New Romantics. I highly recommend checking out her content on Twitter and TikTok and she's also recently launched a podcast that you can read more about here for more information on this theory. Essentially the theory is that a large number of artists in the entertainment industry are queer and are working together as a "safety in numbers" type approach to coming out of the closet and potentially changing the industry in a monumental way.
Let's have a look at some players that are relevant to either May 17 or Stockholm (or both in one person's case!):

• Zayn - This is the person who is relevant to both May 17 and Stockholm! Obviously he was part of One Direction who I spoke about above as having a song titled "Stockholm Syndrome". Did you know his new album "The Closet" "The Room Under The Stairs" is being released this Friday, May 17? Again, I'll leave this to u/1DMod to add any additional relevant information as this is not my area of expertise but from what I understand, all members have their own queer rumours.
• Billie Eilish - Recently out as a girl kisser, Billie Eilish is also releasing an album on this day titled "Hit Me Hard and Soft" featuring a song called "Lunch" that would leave even the most homophobic Swiftie unable to defend her queerness if released by Taylor.
• Madison Beer - Madison is out as bi. Her tour, The Spinnin Tour, began 24 February 2024 in Stockholm (a different venue though).

Theories as to what exactly is coming

• TTPD: Part 3 - I recently made a post presenting the evidence on a potential third part to TTPD. In this post the majority of the evidence was just related to the "3s" that have been prevalent lately however there were also some "5s" which led us to believe something was happening 5/3. I've since had a couple of thoughts that maybe the "3/5" is related to her 35th birthday this year and that it's the third time she's trying to come out and five years from the last time. I strongly believe she'll be out by her birthday at the latest if not ON her birthday, but I digress.
• Karma - After the fiery ^"Chiefs" colours we saw displayed in Paris, I'm not sure how you could be a Karma-denier at this point to be honest! If you haven't already, check out this amazing post from yesterday by Dr Bryanlicious2 homewrecker, u/clydelogan. Their post discuses the numerology surrounding the number 8 that I referred to earlier however could this all be pointing us to the 88th show instead of a particular date...? Also if you are unaware of what we mean when we're talking about Karma, I recommend reading this collaborative post that is constantly being added to.

Karma is REAL

• Coming Out - I personally don't believe she would come out during a show in Stockholm, however it's worth at least noting as a possibility. It would mean that she was "out" before Pride Month 😉 She did just sing "Begin Again" as a surprise song in Paris N4 - is she beginning again as her authentic self at the very next show?
• Music Video - I know we thought we were getting a second music video for TTPD a fortnight after the album was released, however maybe that's what all this easter egging is for. I personally think it's something much bigger than that however will be very excited to dissect another music video! u/allie_lacey noted in this comment that Florence has recently said that she has "just got done filming with Taylor". A Florida!!! music video is something that a lot of us have been clowning for recently but I'd love to point to this comment by u/-periwinkle in particular as I think they've made a really good point about the mirrorball jellyfish which makes me think we will get a music video for this song at some point.
• Book - The creator of the video that u/1DMod initially posted believes that Taylor is announcing a book on 17 May 2024 with it to be released on 21 October 2024. I'm not going to go into this theory in detail however if you are interested in finding out more about what they have to say, here are a couple of videos of theirs (video 1, video 2, video 3).

Is this another easter egg that she laid 3 years ago?

In Summation

Something is happening in Stockholm. I don't know why exactly but it is THE ONE to watch.
I think it would be interesting to revisit the NYU speech, Karma music video, Stephen King, photos from the Uno parties and the Lover era in general for further hints as to what's coming. I think the key is going to be working together due to a comment that Questlove (yes, the one who throws the Uno parties) left on one of Kristen's videos. Here's a link to the video, the top comment is his.
Regardless, I'll be there talking smack in the megathread on Friday and keeping an eye out for any new "Chiefs" colours. See you there, clowns!
Who's clowning with me?! 🤡🤡🤡
Edit: I'll be making some additions to this post as people have been making incredible connections already, thank you! These will be noted as a new bulletpoint to try and keep it transparent as to what has been added. As I'm researching I'm also making new connections of my own that I will also add as separate bulletpoints.

Any tips to further improve my team besides running Gui instead of Welt (I still need to build her so it might take a while)? Also just got my Gepard to 134 SPD, and managed to get a 5 cycle clear on the first half of MoC12, but I still want to be faster, like 3 cycles maybe? Any advice/criticism is valid
Oh and I know rainbow sets are ugly asf but it is what it is, the RNG gods hate me lmao
Acheron is on her BiS 4p and 2p Salsotto cuz I didnt got a single ATK Izumo rope

So I live with an alcoholic bi polar 28 yo male. He drinks about once-twice a week. On those nights, it is agreed upon that I stay with family so that I don’t have to be around him (you will see why). Last night was no exception. He planned a drinking night, meaning I get the night away from him. Promised me he would be nice (every time he drinks he becomes a monster, so I knew this was an empty promise). I did everything he asked for-sent an Uber for him to get to his friend’s house, sent them food, and ubered him back home. I gave him no problems. Here is what I had to deal with. I know I am enabling him. But I can live with him full time. I need space away, so on those nights he drinks. It’s like a horrible cycle catch22. He wants space to drink, I want space away from him, and it always ends up harming me and our property.