Easter quote by lear

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2017.06.30 14:35 ShaneH7646 MovieDetails

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2024.05.14 16:01 FairPlay-Mtg That was surprising (to me)!

I was on the comic book website and in one of the past lower articles there was a post of a post from twitter suggested by beau we watch “Final Decision” as last minute homework. This was one of my favorite episodes! I thought I remembered it better, especially magneto’s expositions, but I was surprised/shocked that wolverines last lines to magneto, where direct quote from magneto in this episode. Easter egg or something deeper in meaning?
“Final decision”, “TNG- cause and effect”, “pryde of the X-men”. I think these are pointing to an apocalypse saga intro to season 2. Magneto is ready to destroy the earth. (Pryde of X-men), and we are loaded up for an epic sentinel battle (final destination), but Xavier will dye (cause and effect) setting off the ripple in time and the apocalypse saga. This is also weighed heavily on the fact that Magento leading the X-men ( beginning episodes of 97, and the apocalypse saga) are far more richediffferent story telling than Xavier leading the X-men against Magneto and his band of Mutants. We’ve also seen a brief clip of apocalypse in the intro, but no hint of Onslaught
*interesting side note: in the pryde of the X-men Magneto refers to himself and his band of mutants as terrorist. Not revolutionary fighters. Just made me think a little more about identity

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2024.05.14 05:44 courtingdisaster Presenting the evidence: 17 May 2024

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
https://preview.redd.it/4ikx6teucd0d1.jpg?width=443&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6aec634e52a1083cccbcaefcb78227f2fe8db793

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.

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submitted by taitaigarvin to blackmagicspelling [link] [comments]

2024.05.13 17:21 Rare_Initial9258 Did I pick the right career path? (Long rant)

This is about to be a really long post, so if you do not want to read it, I completely understand.
Here is some backstory: The summer before my senior year in college, I (22M) had the hardest time in my life securing any type of employment. I'm talking interview after interview and nothing coming from it, and for me, this was really upsetting considering how many jobs I've had and how easy it was for me to apply, interview, and get the job (these were minimum wage jobs, so maybe that had something to do with it I don't know). Pretty much all of my previous work experience has been in customer service or food service, with some different work-study jobs mixed in there when I lived on campus. It wasn't until I had finally gotten an interview for a concierge position. I was interviewed, hired, and even offered a shift to work all on the same day (This was the first red flag). This was back in November, and I have been working at the job ever since. At the time, this job seemed like a silver lining after so many closed doors in my face, but as I am sitting here writing all this, I am starting to think that this was some sort of bad omen. When I first started working here, it was around Thanksgiving and Christmas break, so I used that time to get as many hours as I possibly could, completely unaware of just how bad this company was going to take advantage of my desperation for money and a "stable" job. I was working around 45-50 hours per week with "holiday pay "(I put quotes because I later found out that holiday pay wasn't really a thing here, and my manager was just offering me that because none of the other seasoned employees would agree to work on Christmas or Thanksgiving), which I cut down to only working on weekends when the second semester started up again, and I am letting it stay this way now that I have graduated. The company that I work for (which has been subcontracted by the apartment complex that I work at) is a complete, disorganized mess. I included some screenshots of reviews I found of the company that I feel really get into what it is like working here and why it seems like such chaos almost every single day that I clock in. But I also included some screenshots of reviews about the property itself because I want to get across how, although the company I work for is pretty bad, I think the leasing office and building managers also play a part in what upsets me about this job so much due to the disorganization and lack of support for pretty much anything.
I work in a building that considers itself "luxury, "which, in comparison to most apartment complexes this place is pretty luxurious, but in comparison to what I am sure are much better-run luxury apartments, this place is a piece of crap. They do pay a lot to live here. I think a 1 bedroom is between $2,500 and $3,000 a month, and you have to make 3 times that even to be considered. All of the doors are supposed to be locked and can only be opened using your phone. Unfortunately, most of the doors do not lock on their own, and most residents cannot open doors on their own either. I don't have this problem at all because I am given slightly more access than them, but this is still a constant issue. (this has gotten so bad that several homeless people have broken into the building; there was one guy who had been covered in blood sleeping in the leasing office). During my first few weeks working here, someone came in to check the water in the pool, jacuzzis, and spa to test the chemicals, make sure they were safe, and whatnot. I was shocked and disgusted to find out that all of those things mentioned had to be shut down immediately because the "chemicals were all wrong." Keep in mind before I started working there, this place had been open for at least 5 years, I am not a pool technician, and I have never had the opportunity to own rental property, but I am pretty sure 5 years is enough time to know which chemicals should and shouldn't go in the water that all of these residents use daily. I never got to see them shut down anything, and I didn't start working officially until a few days later, after which I saw no signs or indications that the amenities were still closed. One really big problem this building has is a severe lack of parking spaces. Part of this is due to the fact that this building, with around 40 floors of apartments split between 2 buildings, has only 5 floors for resident parking and 1 and 1/2 floors for guests (The 1/2 is for the ramp that leads to the resident parking area) and the fact that in order for this building to be built in the first place an agree was made between the property owner and the marina next door in which a set number of parking spaces on each floor were given to the marina and their members.
Combine all of this with the fact that so many residents own multiple cars and refuse to pay additional fees to be able to put their cars in the resident garage, and decide to use guest parking as their parking spot either overnight or for several days, and you will understand why there is such a problem with parking here.
One thing I do want to talk about that isn't really discussed too much in the reviews are the residents. The residents are really the main reason I am writing this, and they are the main reason why I am contemplating switching career paths. I think this is mainly because of the way I have been raised, the environments I've grown up in, and the people I have interacted with in the past that have given me a negative view of people who come from privileged backgrounds either due to generational wealth, or extreme wealth that they have acquired through whatever it is that makes them rich. I don't see every single person the same way, but there is an overwhelming majority of people that I really don't like working for, and they happen to be residents at this property. Most of them act so spoiled, entitled, arrogant, borderline racist, careless, and really gross.
Whether it be letting their dogs take almost human-sized dumps in high-traffic walkways or in front of doors or getting so drunk on the weekends that fights end up breaking out and the police have to be called on someone at least once a week. This isn't to say that these things don't occur in other apartment complexes, but with the way these people act, you would think they would have a little bit more class and decorum. I am often confused with my coworkers, both of whom are shorter than me, have completely different ethnic backgrounds, different hair lengths, hair textures, skin tones, and very different builds. I don't know if it's because I don't work often or what, but it really is starting to get ridiculous; they don't have to remember my name, but calling me the name of a different coworker who looks completely different from me because we both wear glasses is very annoying. Also, whenever I work on a holiday (Cinco de Mayo, Easter) and residents bring their families to hang out, and they just so happen to be a minority family, I will get consistent complaints from residents about "too many people" at the pool they're not even going to or the classic "I don't think they live here" phrase and it's mostly a group of children. I don't know what they think is going on, but random people aren't walking on the property just to get into a pool that you can only see from the inside. Granted, on Easter, that specific family that was having a party got so many complaints from residents that they ended up calling the property manager and my manager to the point where I had to kick everyone out, and later on that night, I did have to call the police because of a fight that broke out because of all the drinking they were doing.
Update: As I'm writing this, I found out that an hour after I clocked out yesterday, our live-in maintenance guy and his group of guests got into a fight with a different resident and his guests, leading to the police being called. My coworker was pepper sprayed by one of the guests, and blood and glass were left all over the pool area. (The pool is still open today)
I don't dislike doing my actual job; the problem is that it feels like I am more of a babysitter than I am a concierge. We have a spa area in our building that has a sauna and a steam room. The steam room has a sign next to the door and a sign on the door itself that reads, "Please do not leave this door open. The alarm will sound, and you will be fined." no one ever gets actually fined, but the fire department has to come to this property at least once a week to shut off the fire alarm because of this exact issue. Believe it or not, even though I do have a desk that I sit at and work from, I am not just sitting down all day waiting for something to happen; I am constantly getting up to help residents, mail deliveries, food deliveries, guests looking for the leasing office, and random miscellaneous things that don't keep me sitting at the desk 100% of the time. I don’t have time to keep running up behind these people, making sure they’re not destroying this place. I think these people hear 24-hour concierge and think that our job is to wait on them hand and foot, which, according to the rules I'm supposed to follow, is far from the truth. Since the company I work for was subcontracted by the property I work for, the amount of access and control is very limited, which makes sense but also makes no sense at the same time. Concierge's are the only 24-hour service this building provides; maintenance isn't even 24-hour service unless it's an emergency. There are times, especially during night shifts when I get requests and complaints about things that are clearly either a leasing office, which isn't open past 5 every day, or maintenance, which is also unavailable after 5. Here are some examples:
Resident: "Hey, I got locked out of my room." (I'm not allowed access to the rooms so I have to call maintenance, and if this is taking place after 5 I have to call emergency maintenance and hope someone answers (they usually don't) and spend however long it takes to communicate the problem effectively in a language that our live-in maintenance guy doesn't understand very well). Mind you, while this is going on, I have angry residents in my face, wondering why it takes me 10-15 minutes just to get a door open. This is constantly an issue, and you would think by now they would just complain to the leasing office about this (which some do, and they're ignored). They sit there and continue to complain as if doing that is going to somehow change anything. I can complain to the leasing office until my face turns blue, and it would mean literally nothing.
Resident: "The parking decal that lets me into the parking garage isn't working, and I can't park my car upstairs." This is a leasing issue. I don't have access to parking decals, so I can't make more parking decals. This is a repeated issue, and I don't understand why you have to wait until the weekend when the leasing office is closed to tell me about this.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind helping anyone with anything; in fact, the reason I like the hospitality industry and I enjoy working in places like this is because I like being given a problem and being able to solve it, earning the satisfaction of whoever I'm helping. It just frustrates me to no end when I am faced with a problem, and the simple solution is blocked by all of these different laws and rules that I can't get around; it makes me feel useless and like I am not actually doing anything of use to help anyone. I'm not supposed to enter residents' apartments, but if a single woman or an elderly man asks me to help bring their groceries out of their cars and upstairs to their apartments, am I just supposed to say no and watch them struggle? It wouldn't feel right to just let it happen, which is why I am always ready to help. Obviously, I can't drive anyone's car, but if I have an elderly woman who's going to crash her car trying to park it and she's asking me for help, do I say no, watch her struggle, and deal with the aftermath if she ends up damaging her car and the building? Or do I just hurry up and park this woman's car so everyone can get what they want at that moment. Personally, I've stopped following the rules and taking a lot of the rules seriously once I realized how this place operates and how I can pretty much do what I want, but what if I was some goody-two-shoes rule follower? Nothing would ever get done, and I would get way more complaints than I do now.
We're coming to the end of this rant, and I wanted to touch on one more thing. One of the reasons I am having second thoughts about this career path is that I think that sometimes my social skills aren't where they need to be in order to succeed in this industry. I'll give some examples;
Resident on a Saturday Morning: "Hey, so I left my raybands by the recycling bins. Did anyone turn them in?"
The first thing I do is check the drawers in the desk because that is essentially our lost and found (it wasn't in there). I checked the leasing office because sometimes lost things get placed there, too (they weren't in there). I checked both rooms where our packages are stored just in case they were in there for some reason (I still couldn't find them). I went back to the desk and started asking a few questions because maybe the glasses might be easier to find with some additional details.
Me: "When did you lose them?"
Resident: "Thursday."
My brain stops working. I freeze, and all I can do is stare at him. I know what I want to say, but I also know that what I want to say isn't what he wants to hear, nor is it going to help the situation. In my head, I'm thinking, well, if you lost your sunglasses on Thursday and today is Saturday, and you still haven't seen them or recovered them, then they're probably gone. My brain, for some reason, cannot think of anything else to say, so in reality, I end up saying nothing other than, "I'm sorry" or "I'll keep a lookout for them," knowing I won't. I feel a big thing wrong with the residents here is that a lot of them live in this bubble outside of logic, and in my opinion, a lot of the things I get asked about here are really, really stupid. Keep in mind I wasted like 10-15 doing this, and when I came back, I had a line of people waiting for me to help.
Here's another example: a resident walked up to me asking if I had seen his dog because earlier this morning, his daughter opened the door, and their dog had run out.
Me: "I haven't seen any dogs around. What time did this happen?"
Resident (he speaks and understands English but not very well): "I don't know, it might've been early this morning around 4 or 5 am" (I clocked in at 7). I started checking the security cameras to see if any dogs were running around the property (this did nothing).
So here's my thought process; 1. So the dog ran out of the apartment (on the 5th floor) and ran out to where? Every floor in these apartments is just a long hallway; there are no open doors, and it will take the strength of a human to push any of the doors open, and it would take any human person tall enough to reach the elevator buttons in order to get the elevators open, which brought to me to my second thought, 2. If the dog somehow managed to get in the elevator, ride it down to the first floor, and then run out into the main lobby, why did no one see this or notice this? Why was the elevator door open in the first place with no one on it, and how did it get to the first floor without anyone pressing the button on the first floor? He went back upstairs too quickly before I could ask any additional questions, but I was stuck at my desk, thinking how none of this made any sense to me. Literally, I could be the dumb one in this situation, and I just don’t realize it.
This last thing really grinds my gears, and it really boils down to something as simple as patience.
Me: Very clearly hauling over 30 packages into the package room so that I can scan them into the system and organize them.
Resident: "Hey, I'm looking for a package, but I can't find it anywhere."
Me: "Okay, when was the package delivered"
Resident: "Today."
Me: "Oh yeah, it's probably in this stack of packages I have right here. I just have to go through them all."
Resident: "Oh, so should I wait?"
Yes???? Like, why would I have to say this to you? Once again, this seems like common sense to me, but I might just be a rude person and I just don’t realize it.
Update: I kid you not while I was writing this I had to stop and organize the package room because the package concierge didn’t show up, and this exact thing happened to me with two different residents. The Amazon truck had left not even 30 minutes ago before I had people in my face asking about packages. One guy even walked in while I was scanning them and instead of waiting until I got done going through all of the packages he repeatedly asked me if I had seen his three packages. I told him 3 times that his packages were probably in my stack I just had to get through them all to which he replied, “okay I’ll help you look through them” (something I didn’t ask him to do), repeatedly touching and moving packages that belonged to other people ignoring me obviously trying to do my job.
I really wonder if I am cut out for this industry, and I am questioning whether or not I made the right decision by majoring in hospitality. Part of me feels bad working in these apartments that are actively gentrifying the surrounding area, so should I even feel bad that these people are getting scammed out of their money for the crap this place provides? Should these things upset me the way that they do? Is it something about me that I should fix? Is it something that I can fix? Or is it one of those things where you either have it or you don't? The fact that I am even questioning my decision in the first place, makes me feel a little confused. Let me know your thoughts.
https://preview.redd.it/0wnkqypsm70d1.jpg?width=1468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f7be006cbc2e39687403967bf76db82d02e86e4b
https://preview.redd.it/7zdpqypsm70d1.jpg?width=1410&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=47022a7ebbdac3d78b128cca1db44e0ea37671e8
https://preview.redd.it/yhyorzpsm70d1.jpg?width=1455&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4b9ad81719e9e694059c596832f5840380c35864
https://preview.redd.it/25o1waqsm70d1.jpg?width=1540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb3d8ef410508af150b434d09d6507990ad75bc1
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https://preview.redd.it/zzgld2qsm70d1.jpg?width=1556&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c9b7287d8cc6a9c15b853c5928ed1d6fe34fa7a
https://preview.redd.it/3kdkj1qsm70d1.jpg?width=1553&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=26d7d0ea667c3f5408a301a7ac5613efb39115a8

submitted by Rare_Initial9258 to jobs [link] [comments]

2024.05.13 08:23 Funny-Barnacle1291 The Mad Woman in The Attic: WAOLOM, mad woman, Jane Eyre and the Eras tour WAOLOM visuals

Taylor is now repeatedly drawing us back to lesbian and queer poetry and literature, which consistently has themes of madness, sickness, and suppression. I feel that she is telling us over and over that she is sick from closeting, and she can't take it anymore.
When I saw the WAOLOM visuals for Eras tour, I thought Taylor is meant to be in an attic. I've come across 'The Mad Woman in the Attic' by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar before, but I have never read it all the way through. I believe Taylor is directly referencing this book, and Jane Eyre, to inform us all that she resonates with this story as a queer woman, and that she is stuck in her own attic - her closeted life - and she wants to burn it all down (with Karma, imho).
The WAOLOM visuals
https://preview.redd.it/t65tjj0sq40d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=0b67556a1c3a40b003758021bfb3f2ea0bd621bc
https://preview.redd.it/z6an5k0sq40d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e94d7826f38733daf436aa64884dbbffba286b3
https://preview.redd.it/kzrelk0sq40d1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=e781aa36535a50ba101d59a22f982f29aa741411
To me, this house either looks like the Lovers House or her childhood home - or it represents both, amalgamated. The reason I'm drawn to the Lovers House is because of the very obvious triangular imagery as we zoom in, showing her in the attic. She is also using a lot of mirrored images, something that's important when considering The Mad Woman in the Attic. However, it's also possible the Lovers house is drawn from her childhood home, which I have no doubt has been theorised before. Another alternative is through suppressed intergenerational trauma, Taylor is realising themes of her childhood home have been bleeding into her work.
The two houses for reference
https://preview.redd.it/figix1har40d1.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81f8f09ca909b246debbe72428e2dd64985f0f7c
https://preview.redd.it/5c2mnihar40d1.png?width=400&format=png&auto=webp&s=f73fb08b2cbd159b3d2f3377a1c96176f291d63f
The Mad Woman in the Attic
WAOLOM is directly related to mad woman, made very clear during the Eras tour (if it wasn’t already!) by the imagery.
Taylor is in the attic, the mad woman in the attic, which is also the title of a book by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar analysing Victorian literature through the lense of Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë), and it's worth noting Taylor repeatedly makes references to Jane Eyre throughout Folklore and within mad woman. In Jane Eyre, Bertha Mason is locked in an attic by her husband Mr Rochester, and in the mad woman in the attic, Gilbert and Gubar use this as a frame of analysis to explore madness and angelicness in the works of Victorian women authors from a feminist perspective. The book examines work from Charlotte and Emily Brontë, Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, Mary Shelley, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Christina Rossetti. What do all of these women have in common, beyond being literary authors? They’re all rumoured, or essentially confirmed (in the case of Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson) of being queer, particularly lesbian. It is a very key and formative piece of feminist literature.
The premise of the book is the authors explore how women writers were forced to make the women in their books one of two things: angel, or monster. They argue this is imposed by a “reductionist, patriachal view of women’s roles”; they have, from what I understand, received some critisism for not saying the quiet part out loud here: under cisheteronormative patriachy, women are defined in relation to, by and for men – - and so lesbians and lesbian identity is alienated, hidden, erased. The book does not make the obvious connection here - these writers were forced to closet themselves for their own protection in Victorian society. Gilbert and Gubar draw on what Virginia Woolf said for their argument: “[women writers] must "kill the aesthetic ideal through which they themselves have been 'killed' into art". Let’s not forget here, the connections between WAOLOM and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, posts on this sub with this theory here from u/throw_ra878, here from u/slejeunesse and here from u/AliceStanleyJr. Gilbert and Gubar do argue that men originally set up the dichotomy of female characters as either pure, virginal, angelic or rebelillious, mad, ‘hysterical’. A direct quote that jumped out from me from the Preface is “for just as women have been repeatedly defined by male authors, they seem in reaction to have found it necessary to act out male metaphors in their own texts, as if trying to understand their impliciations.” Indeed.
Crucially, the book describes “a female schizophrenia of authorship” or a “split”: as a representation of themselves, authors would write, process and act out their own suppressed nature and emotions through the process of ‘employed mirrors’; and thus create the image of the mad woman. A direct quote: "these madwomen emerge "over and over again from the mirrors women writers hold up both to their own natures and to their own visions of nature,"..."they appear from a silence in which neither [they] nor [their] author[s] can continue to acquiesce"". The book fails to really dig into this silence: the silence, and the common nature, is that of holding a queer or lesbian identity, and all of these women were forced to suppress it. This draws me to the lesbian memoir from Glennon Doyle, Untamed, in which she talks of how suppressing your true, queer self leads to sickness and ill-health, including mental health issues, and Taylor has links to this book too - she has credited it as being a "huge help" during 2020.
I will say, it is hard to miss what Gilbert and Gubar are getting at, especially is queer, or even only familiar with just two or three of these authors work (which we know Taylor is); it's natural to ascertain that what these women were hiding was their queerness, and this is specifically a consequence of cisheteronormative society. It is also a widely discussed critisism.
I can’t think why Taylor could be drawing from a text like this…
mad woman and Jane Eyre
A lot of Folklore is littered with references to Jane Eyre, that lots of people have noticed. A really good summary of all the references in Folklore can be found here from @/Karisma Takhar on medium. Here is what they wrote about man woman and references to Jane Eyre
"The Jaye Eyre references continue in ‘mad woman’, the track title a reference to who the literary world now refers to as the ‘Madwoman in the Attic’ thanks to Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. On Jane and Mr Rochester’s wedding day, it is revealed the latter is married to Bertha Mason, whose mental health deteriorated rapidly after the wedding. Mr Rochester decides to lock his wife away in the attic of their home, leaving Grace Poole to care for her, though Grace’s drinking occasionally leads Bertha to escape and roam the hallways. She rips Jane’s wedding veil in half the night before the wedding, an incident Mr Rochester blames on one of maids. When Mr Rochester formally introduces his wife to Jane, she ‘scratched and growled like some strange animal’; Taylor makes similar statements in the song, likening the ‘mad woman’ to both a scorpian and a bear in its defence."
I think this makes it incredibly likely Taylor is not just drawing from Jane Eyre but she is aware of how her sub-conscious suppressed is spilling out into her work, and she is choosing to deliberately make this bigger and louder.
I think the strongest links to this theory are 1989 onwards, which I believe is partly linked to Karma the lost album, the album I do believe is going to 'burn it all down' in order for Taylor to rebuild as an artist who is out and proudly queer.
Here are some lyrics which link to this theme of the 'mad woman, with themes of madness, craziness, rebellion and hysteria - and a process of ‘splitting’ in Taylor’s work, where her suppressed desires come through in her lyrics, leading to consistent themes of madness:
· Treachourous (Red): "This slope is treacherous, this path is reckless, this slope is treacherous, and I, I, I like it"
· Say Don’t Go (1989): “the waiting is a sadness, fading into madness, oh no, oh no, it won't stop, i'm standin' on a tightrope alone, I hold my breath a little bit longer, halfway out the door, but it won't close”
· I Did Something Bad (Reputation): "I never trust a narcissist, but they love me, so I play 'em like a violin, and I make it look oh so easy, 'Cause for every lie I tell them, they tell me three, this is how the world works" / "I can feel the flames on my skin, crimson red paint on my lips, if a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing, I don't regret it one bit, 'cause he had it comingThey say I did something bad, then why's it feel so good?" / "And I let them think they saved me" / "You gotta leave before you get left" / "They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one, they got their pitchforks and proof, their receipts and reasons, they're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one, so light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up), light me up, go ahead and light me up (light me up)"
· Look What You Made Me Do (Reputation): "But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time, honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time, I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined, I check it once, then I check it twice" / "I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me, I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams"
· End Game (Reputation): "“I hit you like, "Bang", we tried to forget it, but we just couldn't, and I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em, reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy”
· Getaway Car (Reputation): "It was the best of times, the worst of crimes, I struck a match and blew your mind, but I didn't mean it, and you didn't see it, The ties were black, the lies were white, In shades of gray in candlelight, I wanted to leave him, I needed a reason, "X" marks the spot where we fell apart, he poisoned the well, I was lyin' to myself, I knew it from the first Old Fashioned, we were cursed, we never had a shotgun shot in the dark" / "There were sirens in the beat of your heart, should've known I'd be the first to leave, think about the place where you first met me, in a getaway car, no, they never get far, no, nothin' good starts in a getaway car, It was the great escape, the prison break, the light of freedom on my face, but you weren't thinkin' and I was just drinkin', while he was runnin' after us, I was screamin', "Go, go, go!", but with three of us, honey, it's a sideshow, and a circus ain't a love story, and now we're both sorry", "We were jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde, until I switched to the other side, to the other side, it's no surprise I turned you in, 'Cause us traitors never win"
· The Man (Lover): “they paint me out to be bad, so it's okay that I'm mad, I'm so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man (you know that), and I'm so sick of them coming at me again (coming at me again)” “I’m so sick” is repeated 8 times, which just so happens to be the number representing infinity.
· The Archer (Lover): "Combat, I'm ready for combat, I say I don't want that, but what if I do? 'Cause cruelty wins in the movies" / "I've been the archer, I've been the prey, who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?" / "And I cut off my nose just to spite my face, then I hate my reflection for years and yearsI wake in the night, I pace like a ghost, the room is on fire, invisible smoke, and all of my heroes die all alone"
· The Last American Dynasty (Folklore): “Holiday House sat quietly on that beach, free of women with madness, their men and bad habits, and then it was bought by me, who knows, if I never showed up, what could've been, there goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen, I had a marvelous time ruinin' everything”
· Seven (Folklore): “I think your house is haunted, your dad is always mad and that must be why, and I think you should come live with, me and we can be pirates, then you won't have to cry, or hide in the closet, and just like a folk song, our love will be passed on, please picture me, in the weeds, before I learned civility, I used to scream ferociously, any time I wanted”
· mad woman obviously, just the whole thing!
· Champagne Problems (Evermore): ““This dorm was once a madhouse”, I made a joke, "Well, it's made for me"” // “"She would've made such a lovely bride, what a shame she's fucked in the head, " they said, but you'll find the real thing instead, she'll patch up your tapestry that I shred”
· Anti-Hero (Midnights): “Midnights become my afternoons, when my depression works the graveyard shift, all of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room” / “I should not be left to my own devices, they come with prices and vices, I end up in crisis (tale as old as time)” / Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism, like some kind of congressman? (Tale as old as time), I wake up screaming from dreaming, one day I'll watch as you're leaving”
· WAOLOM ofcourse, just the whole thing.
Interestingly, Taylor's references to virtue, or themes of angelic, virginity, are pre-1989.
· Hey Stephen (Fearless): "'Cause I can't help it if you look like an angel, can't help it if I wanna kiss you in the rain, so come feel this magic I've been feeling since I met you, can't help it if there's no one else, mmm, I can't help myself"
· White Horse (Fearless): "Say you're sorry, that face of an angel, comes out just when you need it to, as I paced back and forth all this time, 'Cause I honestly believed in you, holdin' on, the days drag on, stupid girl, I should've known, I should've known, that I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale, I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell, this ain't Hollywood, this is a small town, I was a dreamer before you went and let me down, now it's too late for you and your white horse, to come around"
· The Lucky One (Red): "New to town with a made-up name, in the angel's city, chasing fortune and fame, and the camera flashes make it look like a dream" I think this whole song is really interesting to read when considering this idea of beasts versus angels, madness versus virtue, and the idea of her having been sold a lie.
In Summary
Taylor is using imagery of herself in an attic to imply she is aware her true self, her closeted and suppressed self, is coming through in her music, and she is saying she directly relates to Jane Eyre - she feels trapped by her closeted life, by the "1950s shit they want from me", she wants to be free, healthy, out. She is telling us all that these themes of madness are a direct result of all she is suppressing, a direct result of living in a cisheteronormative patriachy, and it is stifling her, ruining her life.
Taylor has got to a stage where she is now deliberately referencing queer media, authors and literature, knowing full well it will be looked into. These consistent themes are not accidental; she is saying through her art and her music that she is queer and she doesn't want to hide it anymore. I partially think a lot of the themes of death are about how she doesn't want to die in the closet and her work be analysed years later, to them be summarised as possibly gay later on. She wants to be known, now, as queer, as her true self, to cure her sickness of suppression.
She is also implying she is an unreliable narrator and there are certain parts of her music you can't trust at face value; that she is suppressing a huge part of herself and it is presenting in her lyrics, it is filled with queer closeted trauma and comphet as a manifestation of the suppression of her true identity, and she needs people to know.
I truly think she is ready to burn it all down, with Karma. In the words of Taylor, "all I think about is Karma".

submitted by Funny-Barnacle1291 to GaylorSwift [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 04:58 Laxman20000 Why the Catholic Church is Right (from a recent convert)

Hi everyone, this is my first post in this community (23M). I was baptized, confirmed, and received my first communion on the Easter Vigil this year. The main reason I joined was because I believe we are right and the evidence is overwhelming. I come from a secular upbringing and little exposure to religion so all of my knowledge has been gained over the last 6 years (most within the last 8 months). I have believed Christianity is true since 2018 but I wasn’t 100% sure which church was right until the last year. I wanted to just provide a helpful bullet point “cheat sheet” of why we are the true church that I tried to keep as brief as possible, I think I did an okay job. I wanted to address the protestant objections specifically. I didn’t include the full bible verses below for all the ones quoted to save space on this post so please look those up on your own for full scripture.
Why the Catholic Church is the one true church:

1: The Papacy and Central Authority:

-Matthew 16:18 (Peter is given the keys to the church and head apostle power)(binding and loosing) -Early church fathers stress the importance of being in communion with Rome

2: Not by Faith Alone:

-James 2:24-“a person is justified by his works and not by faith alone” (only time “faith alone” shows up in the bible) -John 3:36 (believe in Jesus or disobey-this implies the opposite of believing is disobeying which means not only faith is needed) -James 2:19 (the devil believes in God and is not saved) -Philippians 2:12 (we have to work out salvation-implies works are involved if initial justification is not enough here (this is obeying, look back at John 3:36)
**They may quote the following 2 verses to object: -Galatians 2:16 (works of law here=Jewish mosaic law (613 Jewish commandments that christians don’t follow so of course we wouldn’t be justified by them)(example: required circumsicion or banned from eating pork) -Romans 3:20 (works of law here is human law, Paul is speaking to gentiles)

3: Confession to Priest

-John 20:23 (“If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven”)(Jesus says this to his apostles)

4: Baptism Required for Salvation/Infant Baptism

-John 3:5 (“no one can enter kingdom of heaven without being born of water and spirit”)

5: Real Presence in Eucharist

-John 6:51, 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 (both describe the literal flesh and blood of Christ being present) -Look up Eucharistic Miracles for real life proof

6: Apostolic Succession/Traditions

-Acts 1:12 (You see here that Judas replaced by Matthias therefore showing the first apostolic succession) -2 Thessalonians 2:15 (keep apostolic traditions) -1 Corinthians 11:2 (keep apostolic traditions)

7: The Catholic Church predates the Bible and decided on the Biblical Canon in 382 AD at the Council of Rome/The Protestants Removed 7 Books from the Bible

-The Early church used the Greek Septuagint Old Testament as their holy book to reference so Martin Luther removing the 7 books is a huge problem if preaching bible alone, it’s not even the full bible that was canonized.

8: Overwhelming Real Life Evidence of Miracles that Science has tested

-Eucharistic miracles, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe

9: Unity

-Christ preaches against division, why would he want 30,000 denominations? The Central Authority keeps the Church unified and not broken off -Why would Jesus allow a false church to run the world for 1000-1500 years and then a man in the 1500s knows more than a church descended from Christ himself -Oral tradition precedes the Bible and Jesus doesn’t say to write the Bible anywhere in the Bible, he does say he is establishing a church, however. (Matthew 16:18) -The only way to have consistent teaching is through one church

10: Purgatory

-1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Matthew 12:32 also why would there be no in-between if someone dies in minor sin because nothing impure can enter heaven (Revelation 21:27)

11: Praying to the Saints

-First off, Prayer does not mean worship, it means request for help or expression of thanks-that is the dictionary definition -Intercessory prayer is supported in the bible and Mary is clearly in heaven and full of grace (rev 12)(luke 1:28) (also prayers to Mary are found in catacombs 250 AD) -The saint prayers are likely more found in tradition than the new testament itself since the saints were all alive at the point the new testament works were being written but the bible supports it anyways (bible doesn’t say bible alone so it wouldn’t matter) -The saints are not dead-they have eternal life, so it’s not praying to the dead: “And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.” - Mark 12:26-27) (Revelation 5:8, 8:3) -Also…Why do protestants pray for each other if only God is needed? -Only valid question here is how do we know the saints are in heaven but that shouldn’t be a real problem with all of the above listed
Conclusion: when Jesus was on Earth, he gave us a church that administers sacraments to receive God’s grace. The Bible itself is the Inspired word of God that came years and years later. The Church and Tradition predate scripture so to ignore their continued importance is hard to argue because the religion would not have spread for 300 years without them. This is why the Catholic Church is truly the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

submitted by Laxman20000 to Catholicism [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 22:27 Lipe18090 (Spoilers Extended) A List of Every Confirmed and Completed TWOW Chapter We Know About, Updated

Intro

Almost four years ago, BryndenBFish released a post and tried to figure out how many Winds chapters are already written. However, many years have passed and we have more information, so in this post I'll try to extend his post with the new chapters that George has talked about! I'll give both the pessimist and the optimist possible estimates.

Arya Stark: 3 - 7 Chapters.

Mercy (Arya I): original draft written 2000-2001, released as a sample in 2014
At least one more complete Arya chapter that GRRM sent to The Lands of Ice and Fire artist Jonathan Roberts in 2012. George sent this "batch" of chapters to Jonathan Roberts in order for the artist to develop the map of Braavos more fully. (Original reddit post by ). Perhaps the Mercy chapter and two more, since two wouldn't make sense describing as "a batch".
GRRM was working on an Arya chapter in 2013
In 2018, GRRM was asked which POV he was working on, and he answered cryptically "Smudge.", which could mean an Arya chapter.
GRRM was returning to Westeros to write an Arya Chapter where she killed someone in June 2020
GRRM talks about writing "a girl with no name" in August 2020. Perhaps the same chapter he was writing in June, but maybe a new one.

Tyrion Lannister: 5 - 7 Chapters.

Tyrion I was read by GRRM at Eastercon and Miscon in 2012. He also read it again at Stockholm in 2015. One chapter.
Tyrion II was read by GRRM at Worldcon 2013 released in the World of Ice and Fire app in 2014. One more.
GRRM was "visiting" Tyrion Lannister in June 2020. One more.
GRRM was writing "Ty" in August 2020. Perhaps the same that he was writing in June, but maybe another one.
GRRM talks about spending a "lot of time" writing the Lannister, particularly Tyrion and Cersei in November 2020. At least one more, probably two.
GRRM talks about writing Tyrion "the past week" in June 2022. One more chapter.
GRRM talks about writing Tyrion in July 2022. Probably the same chapter he talked about in June, but maybe one more. In the same month, in an interview to the "Game of Owns" podcast, GRRM said he was struggling with a Tyrion chapter a few days ago (probably the one he talked about in July) thinks that after this one he needs only one more Tyrion chapter to finish his storyline. So one more.

Barristan Selmy: 3 - 4 Chapters

Barristan I was released in the paperback version of ADWD. One chapter
Barristan II was read at BosKone 2013 and Worldcon 2013. One more
GRRM was "visiting" Ser Barristan in June 2020. One more
Since the Tyrion storyline was almost finished, and since his storyline is tightly closed to the Meereen characters - and he said that he was close or even done with some others storylines beyond Tyrion - Barristan has probably more chapters done.

Arianne Martell: 3 Chapters

Arianne I was written for ADWD in February 2010, cut to TWOW in July 2010 and released as a TWOW sample in 2012. One chapter
Arianne II was written in February 2010, cut to TWOW in July 2010 and released as a sample in 2016. One more
Arianne III was a "completely unwritten chapter" by 2010, but GRRM planned to write it. One more

Melisandre of Asshai: 1 Chapter

GRRM talks about writing "Mel" in August 2020.

Theon Greyjoy: 2 Chapters

Theon I was written during the timeline of A Dance with Dragons and released as a sample in December 2011
GRRM was revising a Theon chapter in January 2016

Aeron Greyjoy and Samwell Tarly: 3 - 4 Chapters

I'm joining both of these characters since they are both currently either on or heading to Oldtown.
"The Forsaken" (Aeron I) was read at Balticon in 2016
When asked if "The Forsaken" would be Damphair's only chapter, GRRM answered "No."
GRRM talks about writing Sam in August 2020
GRRM talks about paying a visit to Oldtown "a time or three" in November 2020. This would sign that he's written at least one chapter, maybe it being Aeron's second, but probably more.

Areo Hotah: 2 - 3 Chapters

We know that two of the Dornish chapters GRRM moved from ADWD to TWOW were Arianne I and II. He also stated in 2016 that he wasn't planning to add more Dornish POV characters besides Areo and Arianne for TWOW. The third chapter is probably an Areo Hotah chapter as he stated in 2010 that he wouldn't have to write Arianne's third TWOW chapter "not yet anyways".
GRRM was also "visiting" Areo Hotah in June 2020
GRRM talks about "visiting" Dorne in November 2020.

Cersei Lannister: 4 - 6 Chapters

GRRM was working on a Cersei POV chapter at Balticon in 2016
GRRM was "visiting" Cersei in June 2020. Again, this could be him revising the Cersei chapter he was working on in 2016, but I think it's more likely that it's a different chapter than the one from four years ago.
GRRM talks about spending a "lot of time" writing the Lannister, particularly Tyrion and Cersei in November 2020
GRRM talks about finishing a "clutch" of Cersei chapters that were "giving him the fits" in June 2022. From what I've searched, a clutch could mean at least two or three.

Asha Greyjoy: 2 Chapters

GRRM was working on an Asha chapter in June 2014
In June 2020, he was "visiting" Asha. GRRM could be working on the same Asha chapter he was writing back in June 2014, but I think that's unlikely.

Jon Connington: 2 Chapters

GRRM had a partially-written "complementary chapter" between Arianne II and Arianne III written by 2010. Given that Arianne II ends with her declaring her intent to sail to Storm's End, this is probably a Jon Connington chapter.
At WorldCon 2011, GRRM said he originally wasn't going to feature the Battle of Storm's End in TWOW, but he decided he was going to write it. This Battle of Storm's End chapter would almost certainly be from the POV of Jon Connington. Here's the original quote by from 2011.

Sansa Stark: 1 Chapter

Alayne I was released as a sample in 2015

Victarion Greyjoy: 2 - 3 Chapters

Victarion I was read by GRRM at Tiff Bell Lightbox and EasterCon in 2012
GRRM talks about spending time with "Vic" in August 2020
Since the Tyrion storyline was almost finished, and since his storyline is tightly closed to the Meereen characters - and he said that he was close or even done with some others storylines beyond Tyrion - Victarion has probably more chapters done.

Bran Stark: 1 Chapter

GRRM planned for a Bran chapter to be included at the end of ADWD, but it didn't make the final cut. It's likely this chapter was cut to TWOW

Daenerys Targaryen: 1 - 2 Chapters

GRRM was working on the Dothraki in 2012. This is likely a Dany chapter
Since the Tyrion storyline was almost finished, and since his storyline is tightly closed to the Meereen characters - and he said that he was close or even done with some others storylines beyond Tyrion, and that Tyrion and Dany would intersect in a way - Daenerys has probably more chapters done.

Davos Seaworth: 1 - 2 Chapters

GRRM has indicated that Rickon will "appear" in TWOW. Also, Osha will return as a character and will be influenced by Natalia Tena's portrayal of her in Game of Thrones. Additionally, GRRM has said that TWOW will have unicorns in it. Davos Seaworth is on his way to Skagos by ADWD -- where Osha and the unicorns are. So, GRRM is probably referring to at least one Davos chapter where he meets Rickon, Osha and the unicorns.

Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth: 1 - 2 Chapters

GRRM talks about spending a "lot of time" writing the Lannister, particularly Tyrion and Cersei in November 2020, which doesn't mean he hadn't written some Jaime too.
GRRM was "wrestling" with Jaime and Brienne in June 2022

Prologue:

At ComicCon 2014, GRRM stated that Jeyne Westerling would make an appearance in the TWOW Prologue

Unknown TWOW Chapters GRRM Has Written or Was Writing

In April 2011, GRRM cut three chapters from ADWD to TWOW. It's unclear the identity of those chapters, but I think it's likely that these three chapters have been been released as samples in the years since and accounted for in this post. (My guess on the chapter identities are Tyrion I, Victarion I and Barristan I as Tyrion and Victarion's chapters were read as samples in early 2012 right after GRRM finished his ADWD tour, and Barristan's chapters were reportedly "new to us, but not to him, implying he had written them a long time ago.")
In 2013, GRRM's editor Anne Groell reported receiving a batch of 168 manuscript pages from TWOW. This translates to about seven to nine chapters. Additionally, she stated: "I know more [chapters] exist, because he keeps talking about chapters he hasn’t yet sent me."
In the midst of the 2015 Hugo Awards Sad Puppy controversy, GRRM was returning to a TWOW chapter.
In his January 2016 Winds post, GRRM reported having "dozens" of completed chapters from TWOW complete. So, that's at least twenty-four chapters.
In December 2016, when asked about “The Forsaken”, GRRM reported that there were a lot of dark chapters in TWOW.
In June 2020 and July 2020, GRRM stated that he finished "six" total chapters. The identity of these POV chapters are unclear, but I would note that GRRM mentioned visiting Areo Hotah, Asha Greyjoy, Ser Barristan, Tyrion Lannister, Cersei Lannister and Arya Stark (Six POVs) and has reported completing three chapters in June 2020 and three chapters in July 2020 (Six chapters). It's possible that the number of POV he's been "visiting" and the number of chapters he's finished correspond. Or it could be coincidental! Either way, we're taking the extreme pessimistic view and saying that the numbers align. Six POVs mentioned = six chapters he's completed in June/July 2020.
In a notablog post from July 2020, GRRM indicated making good progress on several other chapters. Standard definition of several is "at least three." So, three more known TWOW chapters.
In the Game of Owns interview, he talked about a few characters more being done or close to be done other than Tyrion.

Conclusion

Here's our grand tally for confirmed chapters that George was writing or wrote from TWOW:
Minimum Number of Confirmed TWOW Chapters: <46 (38 Known POV chapters + 5 Unknown POV Chapters (Spring 2015 TWOW Chapter, "Smudge" in 2018 and the 3+ chapters he was making good progress on in July 2020).
Maximum Number of Confirmed TWOW Chapters: 64>
GRRM expects The Winds of Winter to be about 300 pages longer than A Storm of Swords and A Dance with Dragons. The books had respectively 82 and 73 chapters in it, meaning that at the pessimistic floor of 46+ chapters he's working on/has completed for TWOW, GRRM would be about 3/4 complete, which does in fact factor that he has already said that Winds is around 3/4 or 75% done in the Stephen Colbert interview.
Again, that's the statistical floor, the most pessimistic possible take for where George is at. The statistical ceiling is higher, but even then, the reality is that GRRM has more finished, drafted or fragmentary chapters than the ones I've been able to find in my research. It only seems that each time he writes, the book becomes bigger.
The storylines that seem closer to conclusion are Cersei, Areo, Arya and Meereen, while the Northern storyline seems to be very far from being finished.
Now, we should bear in mind that GRRM has recently stated he still has a "long ways to go" and "not to get too excited." At the very least, we can celebrate GRRM making progress and see some hard data behind his stated progress, but get depressed because he seems to not have written anything in 2023, since he estimates 1.100 pages done both in the end of 2022 and in the end of 2023.
Ultimately, I hope this post both provides hard data and also links to the sample chapters/recounts of chapters read at conventions and links to places where George has talked about other TWOW chapters. If I've missed anything, feel free to let me know!
Thanks for reading!

submitted by Lipe18090 to asoiaf [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 02:56 PhilMathers Sophie V - FInal Days

10,000 Stolen Days

May 10, 2024 marked exactly 10,000 days since Sophie’s life was taken. 10,000 days which had they not been stolen from her in December 1996, must have seemed to be filled with possibility .1996 had been a banner year, she had achieved so much in the previous 6 months, setting up her production company "Les Champs Blancs", and producing three different productions, with more on the way. But it had been exhausting few months with all this work and travel, and although Christmas is a holiday, it is not always a relaxing one.
Christmas had often been a difficult time for Sophie. She walked out her first husband Pierre Jean at Christmas 1981, so suddenly, she left her infant son behind and had to steal him back with a ruse involving a relative. She broke up with Bruno Carbonnet over Christmas in 1993. leaving him a puzzling note;
“Je suis partie là où tu n'a jamais été, là où tu n'iras jamais".
“I have left there where you have never been, there where you will never go”. This didn’t make much sense to Bruno. He waited alone for two weeks in the apartment hoping she would return, he a had bought a bicycle for Pierre Louis for Christmas. In January he left to teach in Le Harve and when he returned the locks had been changed and all his stuff was on the landing. Sophie was deliberate about change in her life she didn't just let things happen to her. Her agenda year planners reflect this. She was meticulous in recording meetings, calls, contact details and travel plans. She brought 1995, 1996 & 1997 year planners with her. There are notes and reminders stretching into February 1997. She even tore off the little perforated corners as each week passed. It's a poignant reminder of how abruptly her life was cut off in full flow - the week beginning 23/12/1996 still has its corner intact.
Sophie’s style was austere, almost minimalist. Her cottage was painted white inside and out, with a except for the ground floor, which was black slate with a shiny varnish. The only decorations were a few sprigs of holly placed by the housekeeper to welcome her. A traditional Christmas week filled with loud music, tinsel and overconsumption was the diametric opposite of her character.
Worse there is the prospect having to trade pleasantries with tiresome relatives.
That Christmas Daniel had decided for the first time to have a big family Christmas inviting his extended aristocratic family to his chateau in Ambax in the South of France. For Sophie, who even after six years of marriage barely knew Daniel’s relatives, this was an easy choice and a hard no.
She bought her ticket on the morning of her travel planning to spend nearly a week in Ireland including Christmas Day and return on the 26^th. It may be that this was the only return flight she could get at the time. Or it may be, as she told her aunt Madame Opalka “she was going to go to Ireland to spend Christmas there, because the house in Ambax was full of people”. From what Daniel has said, and from what others have said, it may be he tried to persuade her to come to Ambax for Christmas and convinced her. Sometime during the weekend she got an itinerary by fax at the cottage confirming her flight back on the 24^th. But even on Sunday afternoon she told friends she had not made up her mind which flight she would take.
It is difficult to say how well their marriage was going at that time because the reports vary. Daniel said it was "harmonius and peaceful" which was far from accurate. There are several biographies of Daniel Toscan du Plantier, and they paint a vivid picture of a man who though incomparably charming, lived his life his own way without much concern for his family. He married four times and in three cases his wives were already pregnant before they got married. When he married Sophie, his eldest son and daughter were not even told about it, they only found out later in the summer when Sophie turned up at events.
Some witnesses including Daniel said was it was the happiest period, others say she was basically “an official wife” and that “their open marriage was an open secret”. The truth was probably somewhere in between. She had visited Ambax in November and collaborated closely on the documentary Europa 101 with Daniel. Whatever their personal arrangement, Daniel was deeply affected by her death, even though he refused to come to Ireland. His daughter Ariane wrote how she spent months taking care of him, feeding him sedatives and sleeping pills. He was clearly overwhelmed, so Sophie must have been more than an "official wife" to him. Was their marriage "open"? They clearly had a high degree of independence from each and had affairs in the past.
Nevertheless, Sophie may have balked at spending Christmas in Ambax. For one thing, it was far away from Paris, where her friends and family lived. For another, Daniel’s family and entourage knew very little about her. Apart from his second son Carlo, who was friends with her son Pierre Louis and some servants, she would have been on her own. Christmas in Paris would have been tolerable, she could escape and visit her parents and friends whenever she wanted, but in Ambax, she would be cooped up with nowhere else to go.
There is a question of whether Daniel was having an affair at the time. According to a Garda memo, French journalist Caroline Mangez said that Daniel was with a female film producer. However the files are full of unsubstantiated rumours and lies. Even if he wasn’t having an affair Sophie may have suspected he was. If Daniel had invited a mistress, or even a former mistress, or a former wife to Ambax, it would be unbearably awkward for Sophie. Daniel had uncountable affairs, and many of his mistresses knew each other, some remained on good terms.
Daniel may have been faithful at that time, perhaps he was telling the truth when he said their marriage was harmonius, but in any case Sophie had other reasons to skip Christmas. She had wanted to come to Dunmanus for months, but work got in the way. The heating had just been fixed and she needed to pay the plumber and her housekeeper. They preferred cash.
And if Daniel was unhappy that she wasn’t going to be there for Christmas, they were going on holiday together in the New Year to Dakar, Senegal. It would be much easier for Sophie to be with Daniel by himself than his whole family. This trip to Ireland would be a breather for her. She didn’t want to be alone, she asked at least 8 different people to accompany her, including 2 former intimate partners, though there is no evidence that she was having an affair or intended to have an affair.
There is a post-it note with a message in Sophie's hand seemingly inviting someone to spend Christmas: "Je vous laisse le choix : venir ou de refuser histoire que vous passiez un bon noel"
"I leave you the choice: come or refuse just so you have a good Christmas"
Whoever that note was written to, it was to someone she addressed as "vous" so not one of her closest friends or family.

Work

If she had another relationship, it is not obvious from her diary and it was unknown to her friends. What her diary does show though is that she had thrown herself into work.
Apart from her agenda she kept a working notebook, a red hardback book which is filled with a tantalizing mash of different references to famous works of art, music, and contacts details of artists and philosophers. She had recently completed work on three different films. The first work was a documentary on African Art. The next was Europa 101, a documentary written by Daniel showcasing the wealth of European cinema. This was Daniel’s pet project, he loathed US cinema and the dominance of Hollywood. He once likened his wife’s death to a “bad movie”. His life’s work was a “struggle against cheap portrayals of violence, which is what leads to deaths like this” (Irish Independent 12/07/1998). This project involved gathering interviews and footage from dozens of famous directors and actors, including John Malkovich, Ingmar Berman, Pedro Almodovar, Werner Herzog, Nanni Moretti, Jean Luc Godard and many others. It was broadcast on December 8, 1996.
The third was an art house movie called “He sees folds everywhere”, a concept movie exploring the idea of folds and creases in everyday life, in hanging clothes, paper, wrinkles on skin, folds of a human brain. This was a project of the director Guy Girard, and it was the work to complete this that delayed her trip to Ireland. But she had other projects in train in her notebook. She was researching Greek folk music, Rebetiko. She had a project or projects in mind which were somewhat dark in nature.
She was in contact with George Didi-Huberman who had written a book called “The Invention of Hysteria”. This is a photographic history of how Jean Marie Charcot – one of the giants of 19c French science – locked up thousands of women for the imagined maladies of hysteria, lethargy, catalepsie and experimented on them, deliberately photographing them in contrived and frightening poses. It is a very weird and frightening history.
Her next project seems to have been based around human fluids. Her final notes are filled with references to human flesh, death and the four medieval humours of blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile. There are extensive notes to what seems to be a lecture given by linguist Jean Claude Milner on the subject of melancholia. Note that “melancholia” is a synonym for “black bile”, one of the four humours.
She was researching the avant garde Irish/British painter Francis Bacon, who was known for producing uniquely disturbing images. She references “Three Studies for the Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion”. There was a Bacon exhibition in Centre Pompidou in 1996 and Sophie must have attended it. Her notebook contains her jottings from a lecture on Bacon by writer Philippe Sollers which seemed focused on blood.
"Why does painting touch the central nervous system?" "We are carcasses of meat, meat above all" "The canvas bleeds, blood spurts red" "Dostoyevsky had a crisis in front of the 16^th century Hans Holbein’s painting “The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb She jotted down a quote from the play Libation Bearers from Aeschylus:
Orestes sees the Furies coming and exclaims "O Lord Apollon look! Now they come in troops, and from their eyes they drip loathsome blood!"
The last entry reads "research the Furies"

Friday

Having failed to convince anyone to join her in Ireland for Christmas, she went alone. She telephoned Josephine on Tuesday 17^th, told her she would be arriving alone on Friday. She called her again on Thursday to ask her to make sure the house would be warm.
She went to the airport on Friday morning, bought a ticket with the return date on the 26^th, carrying with her a rather hefty bag filled with clothes, including some eveningwear. Perhaps she envisaged visiting people at Christmas time. She expected to stay nearly a week. Later, possibly on Sunday she changed her ticket, she called the Aer Lingus ticket desk in Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris and got a return flight for the 24^th. She received the itinerary details by fax, as she had a machine in the cottage.
She was not in a good mood when she arrived. She had some words with the woman at the Avis counter who passed her to her colleague. The photos on CCTV show a woman looking tired and drawn, something which was remarked upon by the Avis rep, who estimated she was in her forties, a little older than her 38 years. But nobody looks their best walking off an aircraft. She had also attended the Unifrance Christmas party the night before. This was a lavish party held in “Les Bains Douche”, a unique Paris nightclub combined with a swimming pool. Apart from the late night, the social effort must have been tiring. There was a rumour that Sophie had a row that night at Les Bains, a row with one of Daniel’s mistresses, but I have never heard that confirmed. But other reports say that those who met her there found her "radiant", "in good form", "playful". "She went arm in arm to see friends," one guest at the party told Paris Match, "but she always came back to the table where Daniel was sitting." (Paris Match 09/01/1997) Daniel was quoted years later by Michael Sheridan - “She spent some hours having an intense, passionate conversation with a film-maker” - Alain Terzian, producer of Les Visiteurs, one of the most successful French comedies of the 1990s.
Strangely though, Daniel’s first statement said she left on Wednesday. So perhaps it didn’t register with him that she was at the Unifrance party with him on Thursday 19^th, or perhaps he had forgotten the party altogether.
Sophie was captured on Cork Airport CCTV at 14:41 pushing a trolley through the arrivals gate. The scheduled arrival time was 13:20, but because of almost an hour’s delay in departure it didn’t touch down until after 2. It would have taken about 15 minutes to pick up baggage from the carousel.
Cork is a small airport and it is quick to get through the arrival hall to the car hire desks, only a matter of a few meters away.
Sophie hired a silver Ford Fiesta and would have been on the road by 14:50.
The quickest route to West Cork would have been via Bandon and Dunmanway but it is more likely she went via Clonakilty and Skibbereen. She stopped in Ballydehob to buy kindling. She may have stopped in Skibbereen to buy petrol. A pump attendant reported seeing a woman matching her description driving a silver Ford buying petrol. He also noted a tall male companion in the passenger seat. The Gardai discounted this sighting because they accounted for the petrol in the car when it was hired and the mileage thereafter. There were also some discrepancies in the vehicle’s appearance and its description in the statement. Also the Ballydehob sighting is more reliable as the woman got a chance to talk to her. It would seem odd to stop in both Skibbereen and Ballydehob, both petrol stations.
But she seems to have stopped again in Schull because she bought bread and cheese in the Courtyard Deli, and this was most likely on Friday. She talked with the proprietor, Denis Quinlan to ask if there would be live music. At this stage it would have been around 4:30pm and after this she went to the cottage. She called her caretaker Josephine at 5:15, so she must have been at home by then. We don’t know if she went out after that point. She may have stayed in. At 10:15 she called her friend Agnès Thomas and spoke to her for half an hour.

Saturday

Sophie’s whereabouts on Saturday morning are unknown. Perhaps she stayed in, perhaps she went out. Finbarr Hellen was working on his land nearby and saw her car outside the house 12 to 1pm. He didn’t see her and thought it was unusual for her not to come out and say hello. He also remarked her car was parked in an unusual place. He did not elaborate more than this.
The next event we know is that she bought some groceries in Brosnans supermarket on the main street in Schull and took £200 out of the ATM.
For the curious, her shopping list is listed below:

Item	Price
Firelighters	0.85
Independent Newspaper	0.85
EP Televised "Chopped" & Her	0.52
Parsley	0.40
Low Fat Yoghurt	1.90
Ballygowan Natural Spring Water	0.85
Napolina Penne	0.75
Rashers	1.26
Courgettes	1.23
Chicory	1.79
Onions	0.09
Fox's Classic Biscuits	0.83
Flat Mushrooms	0.65
Pepper Coated Salami	0.85
Cooked Turkey	1.89
Mushrooms	0.34
Avonmore Leek & Potato Soup	0.99
Monini Olive Oil	3.45
Ballygowan Natural Spring Water	0.85
Avonmore Carrot & Coriander Soup	0.99
Ballygowan Natural Spring Water	0.85
	22.18

This list does suggest she was buying just for herself, but also that she planned to cook moderately elaborate meals with parsley, courgettes and chicory. Together with the cheese, bread and fruit already in the house she had enough food on there to last a few days. This quantity of food suggests she had not decided to travel home on the 24^th at this stage.
The till recorded a time of 2:49pm.
Sometime after this or perhaps before Sophie entered Tara Fashions, the clothes shop run by Marie Farrell. What Marie Farrell saw that day and subsequent days has been subject to revision, retraction and details seemed to be added with each telling. But I think the most reliable report is the first and all the subsequent revisions cannot be trusted. Farrell called the Gardai on the 25^th but they didn’t get around to taking a statement from her until 27^th. Even so we can assume her memory was fresh. Here is her statement, verbatim.,
On Saturday the 21st December 1996 I was working in my shop at Main Street, Schull, Co. Cork. Between 2p.m. and 3p.m. I noticed a weird looking character across the road from my shop. He was approx 5’10” in height, late 30’s, scruffy looking, long black coat, flat black beret, thin build, sallow skin, short hair. He was there for about 10 minutes. On Sunday morning at 7.15a.m. approximately I noticed the same man on the road at Airhill. When I saw him he was walking towards Goleen on the right hand side of the road and I was travelling in the opposite direction. When he saw me he stopped and put up his hand to thumb a lift. I did not see this man before or since. On Saturday the 21.12.1996 at approx 3p.m. there was a woman in my shop. She did not buy anything. I now know that this woman was the deceased woman from Goleen. I recognised her from the photograph on the television.
There is also a record of her questionnaire which may have been taken earlier than this statement.
In reply to question no 8 When/where did you last see him/her alive? She replied "saw her in shop. She bought a "Carrig Donn" aran sweater aran nap coloured, rolled neck late Sat aftemoon. Paid £39.00. Questions No. 9, 10, 11 & 12 were left blank. In reply to question No. 13 "any other help?" Marie Farrell replied "saw a man on Sat afternoon hanging around street. Desc late 30's, 5'10" very short hair wearing black beret. Saw him again Sun morning @ 7.20am walking towards Airhill but thumbed her.
In a later questionnaire, Farrell said the sweater was too big and she didn’t buy it.
What is interesting her is that Farrell does not draw any explicit linkage between the weird character in the long black coat and the woman in the shop. They were just there at approximately the same time. Farrell did say in later statements that the man followed her up Ardnamanagh road, but this was many years later. Her statements that she saw the same man at Kealfadda bridge at 3am on Monday are untrustworthy, but we won't go into this here.
A farmer, Frank Lannin, saw Sophie driving towards Schull from Goleen around 3pm. She saluted him as she passed him in his tractor. The time or the direction of travel must be wrong here.
The final sighting on Saturday she was seen in the Courtyard pub, eating a crab sandwich and left at 3:30pm. Sally Bolger went to feed her horses on Alfie Lyons land at 4:15pm and says she saw Sophie’s car at her house.
Saturday evening is a complete blank. Nobody saw her, she may have called people on the phone but we don’t have precise details. Her husband said she called him twice on Saturday, but we don’t have any confirmation of this.
At some point Sophie changed her ticket home. Her diary has a number listed as “O’Mahony” and the number was the line to the Aer Lingus ticket desk in Charles-de-Gaulle Roissy airport. The new itinerary was faxed to her in her cottage. The reason why she decided to come home early is not known. Her friend Jean Senet said her husband Daniel persuaded her. For his part Daniel said there was no particular plan and he was to pick her up from the airport at Toulouse at 8pm. Another report tells that she came home early to meet her father, so she could help him with his taxes.

Sunday

For Sunday morning we don’t have any reports.
She called to Dunlough at in the early afternoon, perhaps around 1pm. Sophie had walked here several times before. It is a spectacular headland featuring a lake and three crumbling castles. It was cold and dry at the time, good weather for a walk, if bracing. It is necessary to pass the farm to walk the headland and when Sophie did so she met Tomi Ungerer. This was the second time they had met. Sophie had called here in April but it seemed Tomi and his wife were having a row at the time and Tomi had not paid much attention. Daniel said that Sophie feigned a puncture as an excused to call to the farm. In June Sophie had sent Tomi a fax about the death of a mutual colleague, Gilbert Estève. She may have been seeking information or just making contact. Sophie made a habit out of making contacts with important artists and thinkers. It was one of the things that a colleague said of her, she knew all the right people. It is possible that Tomi was one of the people Sophie wanted to meet for a while. Tomi invited her in for a drink after she had finished her walk. She returned an hour later and they had a conversation over two glasses of wine.
Tomi was a renowned visual artist, with a keen eye and a professional interest in culture. Born in Alsace he was marked by World War II and had seen the ravages of the Nazis and the backlash from the French afterwards. He worked for as a cultural ambassador to improve Franco German relations.
The statement that Tomi gave is remarkable in the insight it gives to Sophie’s character her interests and state of mind.
“She was saying how great Ireland was for literature and education compared to France, how France had thousands of books published every year but that there was no good Authors there, how Ireland was vibrant as a centre of literature for a small Country. She discussed her family, moreover her children and their education in France. She indicated that the reason she was here in Ireland was she wanted to be alone for Christmas. I considered this strange but I sometimes like to be alone too. We talked about books and culture and how the language here was more meaningful and truthful compared to the superficial nature of the French.”
“She seemed a very genuine person, a fine person, not pretentious or snobby. I thought she was deep and intelligent, so much so that I made notes of some things she said, “In a language there should be no need of the use of cuteness” “The problem of France is her lack of modesty”. I wrote those saying they might be useful for my work in the futre. I wrote the quotes on a card in which we exchanged addresses before she left. On hindsight now I would go as far as saying she was not beaming, that she had something on her mind. It’s hard when you do not know someone well to say. I offered her a third glass of wine but she did not take any. We gave her some eggs to take with her, half dozen for her supper. We have hens.”
The word “genuine” is telling. Tomi was struck by Irish people, how the highest compliment an Irish person can give about another, is to say that person is “genuine”.
Tomi described her appearance:
“She was wearing some type of black leather expensive looking pants, brown suede hiking boots, a white/cream ribbed polo necked sweater and a beige wool blazer and a navy blue wool jacket with belt and a navy wool cap and red suede gloves, wine/red gloves. She was dressed very well. She had her hair tied back.”
As to her demeanor, this seems to have grown with the telling. The documentaries made much of the legend of the lady of the lake, whose appearance is reputed to be a harbinger of death. This lurid tale does not feature in the early Garda statements. Tomi remarked that “she was not beaming”, that she may have had something on her mind. His wife Yvonne turned up while they were chatting.
“While we were chatting, Sophie told me that while she was up at the castles she felt this great anxiety almost fear. This is not an uncommon feeling for people who visit the castles. She wasn’t in a cheerful mood but she wasn’t really glum either. She talked about her plans for the future and we spoke about meeting up in Paris in the Spring. She seemed happy to be here and she wanted to be here. She said she liked it here but her husband didn’t. She said she would be back at Easter. We made vague arrangements to meet over the next three days. I gave Sophie some eggs and she left here at about 5.45 p.m.” Yvonne’s estimate of the time she left must be an error. It is more likely she left at around 3:45.
After leaving Dunlough Sophie went to Crookhaven to Sullivans pub, a legendary stop. Here she spoke with the proprietor Billy O’Sullivan and his son Dermot, both of whom speak good French and knew Sophie from prior visits. They also knew her friend Alexandra Lewy. One time Alexandra had arranged to buy a cast iron church gate for Sophie’s birthday, Sophie was fond of antiques and bric-a-brac. Dermot had carried this gate up to the cottage. Sophie asked about getting logs for her fire. Dermot recommended she go to a filling station. She said there was only kindling at the filling stations.
It is interesting that so much of Sophie’s alleged stops and conversations were about fire, kindling, logs etc. Despite this, the photos from her house show she had a lot of fuel. There is a stack of logs, several bales of peat briquettes, what looks to be a 40kg bag of coal and one, perhaps two baskets full of kindling. She had enough for days of fires, unless she lit both hearths, which would be unlikely considering the second hearth did not draft properly, and she was arranging to have it fixed. The kindling may have been bought from Camiers Garage when Kitty Kingston reported meeting her on Friday.
She told her friend Alexandra before she left that she was going to sleep in the guest room because it was the warmest room, being directly above the oil range. There was also a brass bedwarmer found next to her bed. All these details point to Sophie being acutely aware of the cold.
A witness heard her discussing the old Coastguard houses with the Sullivans. These are a prominent landmark visible from O’Sullivan’s pub across the water. The witness left before Sophie did at 4:30pm so she must have returned to the cottage no earlier than 5pm.
The witness noted she was wearing “black leather pants and brown suede desert boots and a long chunky jumper”. This matches well with Tomi Ungerer’s account.
Note the "desert boots" seen by this witness and the "suede hiking boots" mentioned by Tomi Ungerer are probably not the hiking boots she was wearing when she died. The hiking boots she was wearing were very worn, the laces had snapped and had been tied halfway down the lace holes. It looks to me she shoved them on without untying/tying the laces. Sophie would not have visited Schull wearing old worn-out shoes. A pair of dark brown suede "desert boots" are visible at the bottom of the stairs in the garda photos. These match better with the shoes seen by the witness.
It’s 25 minutes drive from Crookhaven back to the cottage so if Sophie left at 4:30 she would have been back home before 5pm.
We know she most likely went home, because at 5:32pm she called her friend Agnès Thomas to wish her a happy birthday. Agnès was out so Sophie left a message.
The postman called at 6pm and noted the lights were on. Presumably he was doing a Sunday shift to cope with the Christmas rush. He didn’t see Sophie’s car, but as he only went as far as the lower gate, it is quite possible he missed it.
At 7:30pm she called her housekeeper Josephine but she was out. She tried her again at 9:10pm but again she was out. Josephine returned and called her back at 10pm. Sophie told her she would be leaving on the 24^th, not the 26^th as she originally intended. They arranged to meet the following day at noon.
Sophie’s phone records were not available, as the exchange she was on was a traditional analogue exchange, with no recording facility. Schull was one of the last places in the country to have such an old system. Days later Garda technicians tried to retrieve call details from her cordless phone but its batteries were flat and nothing was found.
At around 10:30pm she called her husband Daniel, who said he couldn’t take her call. He said he was in a meeting with Unifrance associates. As it was nearly midnight in France, this an unusual time to have a work meeting. Daniel called her back “about twelve minutes later”. He said she was sleepy and probably in bed. Given that the cordless phone was found next to her bed, this seems plausible. He also said that she told him about her visit to the Ungerers and had formed a work project with him. He said she told him she returned home at 9:30pm, but he could be wrong about this. The phone calls to her friend and housekeeper strongly suggest she was at home from 5:30pm.
This was the last anyone heard from Sophie until her body was discovered at 10am the following morning.
From this point all we have is are the police photos and the story they tell is ambiguous, there are multiple possible interpretations.
The fire was lit that evening and there was an empty wine glass on the mantlepiece with dregs of wine in it. There was a loaf of bread, a white crusty “basket loaf” which had been sliced and left open. This is odd as there are no crumbs visible on the table and no plate. Would Sophie have gone to bed leaving the bread out? It’s possible. Another possibility is that the bread was sliced in the morning. But if so where is the plate that she used?
Conceivably Sophie may have left these items from another evening, but it is more likely she consumed the wine that evening, possibly with some cheese she had in her pantry, and the bread she had cut. There was a book open on the table, propped open by a jar of honey next to an empty teacup. However as the cordless phone was found by her bedside, it seems likely this was all left from the previous evening.
It seems the most likely Sophie spent her last night reading, went to bed and then took the call from Daniel.
The book propped open was not a Yeat’s anthology. There is a tale repeated by many true crime authors that Sophie was reading a Yeats poem called “A Dream Death”. It contains the lines
I DREAMED that one had died in a strange place Near no accustomed hand,
Ralph Riegel titled his book after this poem. But this is not the poem she was reading, if any. Yes there was a Yeats anthology found on her bed, but not the bed she slept in, it was on the bed in her personal room which she didn’t use that weekend. The anthology is “Quarente-cinq poèmes suivi de La Résurrection”, a collection of later Yeats poems translated by Yves Bonnefoy. It does not contain the poem “A Dream of Death” but it does contain a poem called “Death”, a meditation on how animals die versus men.
Nor dread nor hope attend A dying animal; A man awaits his end Dreading and hoping all;
But the Yeats anthology is not open on the bed, it is closed in the police photos. Unless the Gardai picked it up before photographing the room, then we cannot be sure what poem or poems she read. As regards the book propped open on the kitchen table, it’s prose and it is French. Journalist Lara Marlowe wrote that the book open on the table was a book about lighthouses.
Among the exhibits the Gardai took are three books

Le Coeur Battant – “The beating heart” – this is the title of a 1960 French movie.
Le Tenes Vert – Unknown – looks like a transcription error by the Gardai, could be “Les Terres Vertes”
Le Cine Monde – World Cinema

Other books in the house seem to correspond well with what we know of her character. On the landing there is another book from an Irish writer, Sean O’Casey, “Les Tambours de Dublin” in French.
On the shelf in her box bedroom we can see a book by Virginia Woolf, the title itself is illegible in the photo but Woolf’s distinctive profile photo is visible on the spine. I wonder if the book might be “A Room of one’s Own”. This essay advocated that a woman writer could never accomplish anything unless she had financial independence and her own space to work in. Even if it was some other book by Woolf, this essay would have been known to Sophie. It hints at what the white cottage meant to her. Her tiny box room tucked under the gable and raised single bed was a quasi-monastic cell - a creative space, a room of her own in West Cork.

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2024.05.10 22:05 SourceMedium6031 Daily News Report: 05/04/2024 - 05/10/2024

Date: 05/10/2024

Reading time: 3 minutes, 657 words

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CivilGe

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Eleven people were detained on May 9 on Chavchavadze Avenue, where police confronted protesters marching after the controversial arrest of military blogger and activist Ucha Abashidze. Five of them have already been released on parole. Two more opposition politicians were beaten by violent groups the same night in Tbilisi.

CivilGe, MIA: Firearms, ammunition and cartridges were seized from blogger Ucha Abashidze’s house

Parliament Chairman Speaks about ‘Spiral of Violence’, Slams Embassies, Donors

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili blames NGOs and radical opposition for recent wave of violence against government critics. He also accused foreign Embassies and donors of turning a blind eye to what he claimed was “NGO-led violence’s” during rallies against the foreign agents law. The Speaker said he rejected request from heads of the Parliaments’ foreign affairs committees of several countries who asked to meet with him during their planned visit to Georgia next week.

CivilGe, International Reactions to Intimidation, Violence Campaign Against Civil Activists, Opposition Politicians over Foreign Agents Law

💵 Economy

Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion and ASYAD Group Showcase Oman’s Investment Potential at AIM Congress 2024

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) partnered with Asyad Group, Oman’s global integrated logistics provider. The 13th edition of the AIM Congress, which took place from May 7-9, 2024, at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi. Under the theme ‘Adapting to A Shifting Investment Landscape: Harnessing New Potentials for Global Economic Development’

GeorgiaToday

Export from Georgia to Israel increases

In the first quarter of 2023, products worth 4,648.33 thousand dollars were imported from Georgia to Israel, and in the same period of 2024, 8,670.21 thousand dollars. Accordingly, the export to Israel has increased by 87%.

GeorgiaToday

Date: 05/09/2024

Reading time: 3 minutes, 742 words

🏛️ Politics & Government

Orchestrated Intimidation of Protesters Against Agents’ Bill

Since the beginning of the protests against the Foreign Agents Law, there have been multiple attempts by still unidentified perpetrators to intimidate the protesters. These actions seem to be part of a well-organized campaign of intimidation against the opponents of the GD. Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on May 8 announced that Georgian Dream, through its party structures is launching a database containing information on all individuals.

CivilGe, CSOs: Government Violence Cannot Stop Georgian People’s European Aspirations, Ombudsman Calls for Law Enforcement Response to May 8 Beatings of Protest Activists, Public Defender: Attacks on civilians require immediate and effective response

The Correct but Untenable Geopolitical Quadrangle

Georgia has been trying for quite a while now to convince the world that living within a peaceful and potentially fruitful geopolitical configuration could well be the most optimal way for us to survive and successfully develop. Sakartvelo-West-Russia-East-Quadrangle has proven to be of little effect in the current neo-realistic world order, with a looming multipolar international arrangement.

GeorgiaToday

MIA Says Detained Six Demonstrators, Announces Further Criminal Investigations Against Protesters

Six people arrested during the ongoing rallies against the Foreign Agents Bill on charges of assaulting a police officer and damaging property. Director of the Tbilisi Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Sulkhan Tamazashvili, held a briefing on the six people arrested on May 9. He announced new criminal investigation against all whose speeches during the rallies contain “criminal offenses”

CivilGe

Interior Minister on attacks: I condemn all kinds of violence

Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri has responded to the attacks on civil activists. 6 persons arrested on charges of assaulting a policeman and damaging property at the rally of the opponents of the ‘Transparency of Foreign Influences’ law.

GeorgiaToday

Georgian Ambassador to France Resigns Over Foreign Agents Law

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco, Gotcha Javakhishvili announced his resignation over the reintroduced Foreign Agents Bill. According to him, the atmosphere that was created between Georgia and its friends and partners due to the re-introduction of the bill made his job “extremely difficult”

CivilGe, MP Maka Botchorishvili on the “Foreign Agents” Bill and Georgia’s Chances at EU Integration under Georgian Dream Leadership

Ambassador Herczyński, President Zurabishvili Address Europe Day Event, GD Absent

European Union Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili spoke at a special Europe Day gala concert at the Rustaveli Theater. The addresses resonated with pertinent issues such as Georgia’s alienation from the EU due to the Foreign Agents Law and the strengthening of authoritarian tendencies.

CivilGe, EU Ambassador Herczyński Calls on Georgia to ‘Stay on the EU Path’ on Europe Day, Georgia to Celebrate First Europe Day with European Union Candidate Status, Georgia to Celebrate First Europe Day with European Union Candidate Status, Georgia to Celebrate First Europe Day with European Union Candidate Status

⚽ Sport

Paolo Barjija on the future of Napoli and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Paolo Barjija shared insights on the future of the Napoli club and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on Radio Capri’s program Bordocampo. Antonio Conte had no intention of joining Napoli, while Fiorentina's Vincenzo Italiano is being considered.

GeorgiaToday

Date: 05/08/2024

Reading time: 2 minutes, 552 words

🪖 Military

Georgian Citizen Illegally Detained by Russian Occupation Forces

Another Georgian citizen was illegally detained by the Russian occupation forces in the vicinity of the village of Akhalubani, Gori municipality, near the Tskhinvali occupation line. All existing mechanisms for the release of illegally detained Georgians have been activated, the SSSG reported.

CivilGe, Two Georgians Illegally Detained by Russian Occupation Forces Released

Two More Georgian Fighters Killed in Ukraine

Davit Ghoghadze and Beso Lomidze were killed in the vicinity of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. The latest casualty brings to 50 Georgian citizens who have died fighting in Ukraine since Russian invasion on February 24.

CivilGe

🏛️ Politics & Government

GYLA Raises Alarm Over Surge In Abusive Phone Calls Amid Protests, Alleges Personal Data Breach

The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) voiced concern about a recent wave of abusive and intimidating phone calls targeting individuals involved in ongoing protests against the foreign agents law. The GYLA alleges a violation of the processing of personal data, possibly involving the use of state agencies’ databases. The Personal Data Protection Service said that it is studying the legality of processing of citizens’ telephone numbers.

CivilGe, MIA Showcases Violent Rally Dispersals Abroad, Threatens Similar Actions Against Agents’ Bill Protesters, Speaker Announces Launch of Incriminating Database on Opponents, GD to create database where information will be gathered about those “involved in violence”, GD to create database where information will be gathered about those “involved in violence”

OGP Gives 30 Days to Government to Develop Working Plan Addressing Key Concerns

The Open Government Partnership’s Criteria and Standards Subcommittee issued a response policy document on May 6. Georgia's Open Government Interagency Coordination Council raised concerns about the reintroduced Foreign Agents Law. Georgia has until June 6 to develop a comprehensive plan to address the identified challenges. Failure to do so may lead to Georgia's suspension from OGP unless concerns are addressed.

CivilGe

💵 Economy

The EU and UNDP supports new opportunities for entrepreneurs across Georgia

EU and UNDP support opened new opportunities for thousands of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs across Georgia empowering them to embrace greener, more innovative, and more sustainable business practices.

GeorgiaToday

Date: 05/07/2024

Reading time: 4 minutes, 846 words

🪖 Military

An attack on Volodymyr Zelensky was prevented in Ukraine

Ukraine's President of the State Volodymyr Zelensky was planned to be attacked and killed. The head of military intelligence Kirill Budanov and head of State Security Service Vasyl Maliuk should have been killed before Easter, officials say. The assassination of the head of the state security service was intended as an inaugural gift to Putin, they say.

EuroNewsGeorgia

🏛️ Politics & Government

ECtHR Finds Failure of Criminal Investigation in ‘Gavrilov’s Night’ Cases, Orders State to Pay Damages

At least 240 people, including 40 journalists and 80 police officers, were injured in the police dispersal of the anti-occupation rally outside the Parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi on June 20-21, 2019. The ECHR finds the violation of Article 3 only in the procedural part, not in the substantive part, taking into account the complex nature of the investigation and the fact that many applicants applied prematurely.

CivilGe, Strasbourg Resolution on "Gavrilov Night"

Opponents of Pashinyan march from Tavush to Yerevan

Residents of the northeastern province of Armenia, Tavush, started marching to Yerevan to protest against the Armenian government's decision to transfer land to Azerbaijan. In April, Armenia and Azerbaijan came one step closer to normalizing relations. According to the agreement reached, Armenia cedes certain territory to Azerbaijan.

EuroNewsGeorgia

Russia bans “foreign agents” from participating in elections

Russian lawmakers have passed a bill banning "foreign agents" from running for political office in the country. It is the latest in a series of tightening restrictions against those whom the Kremlin accuses of working in the interests of Western governments. The bill will now be sent to the upper-house Federation Council, after which it will need to be signed by President Vladimir Putin.

GeorgiaToday

"The basis of Putin's regime is lies and corruption" - Navalnaya

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, urges Russian citizens not to give up in the fight against Putin's regime. She says now Russia is ruled by liars, thieves and murderers. Navalny's associates believe that Navalny was killed on Putin's orders.

EuroNewsGeorgia

Speaker Again Lashes Out at NED, EED, MEPs for ‘Non-transparency,’ Funding ‘Radicalism,’ Political Parties

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili again attacks the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the European Endowment. He accuses them of lacking transparency and funding what he called a “violent” local NGO, the Shame Movement, and, indirectly, political parties. The “I threw it” campaign was initiated by the “Shame Movement” to support of Lazare Grigoriadis, who was accused of allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at the police and setting fire to the police car during the March 7-9 protests.

CivilGe

MEPs Call for Suspension of EU Candidate Status for Georgia

Leading MEPs call for suspension of Georgia’s EU candidate status, review of EU funding of the Georgian state budget. The MEPs, in a letter of May 7 to European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, say that “continued undemocratic behaviour of Georgian authorities has crossed the line”

CivilGe, MEPs to Borrell: Georgia’s candidate status should be suspended, authorities crossed the line, MEPs to Borrell: Georgia’s candidate status should be suspended, authorities crossed the line

Fifth term and fifth oath - another inauguration of Putin

Vladimir Putin took the presidential oath for the fifth time in the St. Andrew's Hall of the Kremlin. Few doubt that Putinism is the modern incarnation of Stalinism, writes Alexander Nemenov. Putin does not seem willing to deviate from his path of destruction, repression and antagonism towards free countries, he writes.

EuroNewsGeorgia

SIS: Investigation into Police Brutality Ongoing

On May 7, the Georgian Special Investigation Service (SIS) released a statement saying it is collecting evidence concerning the allegations of police violence against the participants of the April-May protest rallies. SIS immediately launched a criminal inquest into possible facts of exceeding authority through the use of violence.

CivilGe

Top Abkhaz Diplomat Dismissed, Goes to Moscow

Inal Ardzinba is the de facto foreign minister of the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia, Aslan Bzhania, fired without giving a reason. He recently appeared at the Russian First Channel, the main Russian propaganda outlet, as an anchor of the talk show titled “The Global Majority” with Bashar Assad as his first guest.

CivilGe

A week of rallies against the Russian law to be held in regions of Georgia

A week of rallies against the “Russian” law is planned in the regions of Georgia. Citizens will gather in Zugdidi, Gori, Kutaisi and Borjomi to protest against the law.

GeorgiaToday

💵 Economy

EBRD Warns Against Foreign Agents Law

The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso warned that the foreign agents law may hurt investment in Georgia and the country’s economy. “We were surprised to see it coming back, and we are concerned by the dynamics of what's involved,” he said.

CivilGe

Close friendly ties, economic cooperation in focus of meeting between Georgian FM, Swedish Foreign Trade Minister

Georgia and Sweden discussed close friendly ties and growing trade and economic cooperation. The sides highlighted the importance of having a “very close” political dialogue. The parties reaffirmed their willingness to continue close and mutually beneficial cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally.

AgendaGe, Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation Visits Georgia

Date: 05/06/2024

Reading time: 0 minutes, 34 words

🪖 Military

Another Georgian Fighter Killed in Ukraine

Soso Gugutashvili was a fighter with the “Black Eagle’s combat unit. He was killed in the vicinity of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. 48 Georgian citizens have died fighting in Ukraine since February 24.

CivilGe

Date: 05/05/2024

Reading time: 0 minutes, 45 words

🏛️ Politics & Government

Patriarch’s Easter Epistle Urges Unity Through “Love of Motherland” Despite Confrontation

The 2024 Easter Epistle of Patriarch Ilia II accentuated the need for unity and peace. He lamented the distraction of people from spiritual thoughts to earthly life due to recent “political processes” He called for unity out of “love for the homeland” despite people’s differences.

CivilGe

Date: 05/04/2024

Reading time: 0 minutes, 98 words

🪖 Military

Sakpatenti, WIPO joint project, supporting production of unique Georgian products, completed

Project on Collective Management, Branding and Commercialisation of Selected Registered GI in Georgia was completed. It aimed to support farmers, associations and entrepreneurs who produce unique Georgian products marked with geographical indications and appellations of origin. Tushetian Guda cheese was selected, on which training sessions were delivered for producers.

AgendaGe

🏛️ Politics & Government

President Denounces Ivanishvili’s “Provocative” Speech, Urges High-Level European Visits

Salome Zurabishvili said ruling Georgian Dream founder and honorary chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili’s speech at the April 29 counter-rally in support of the Foreign Agents Bill “was very provocative” The President said Georgia is in a “tense” situation and called on Ambassadors to encourage high-level visits from Europe in May.

CivilGe

If you'd like to support this work/ get these reports emailed daily: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsreports

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2024.05.10 17:04 ascott35 Drugs: The Red Herring That Has Successfully Masked Her Queerness

I’ve been thinking about all of the drug/ alcohol references in TTPD and feel like there is some sort of connecting metaphor between them, and fans connecting them to Matty Healy is a red herring. The line that sticks out the most to me is in ‘Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me’, where she says “put narcotics into all of my songs, and that’s why you're still singing along”.
I think that the “narcotics” she puts in her songs is PRomance/ bearding, so I think that the drug/ alcohol references are metaphors for hiding her true self through closeting/ bearding/ comp het. Let’s not forget that WAG Taylor also seemed to make sure she was usually seen with a drink in her hand whenever she was stunting Travlor. The drink in hand is her hiding her true self through these stunts. The performance art is truly bringing TS11 together. At the end of the day, it is kind of fascinating that she has, yet again, been able to release an album laden with "society won't accept my love" ideas, and yet kept the queer rumours an arms length away.
Masked by "drugs", is it the extremely well-written cryptic lyrics coupled with an incredible PR strategy that keeps her queerness so well hidden, or is it the raging comp het that allows people to disregard the obvious flags/ plot holes in the crafted narrative? I think it is both, her bearding works as a drug to mask her, but comp het has also worked as a drug to blind people to the truth.
To preface this, I think Taylor is the main muse throughout this album, she is the tortured poet due to sacrificing her queer authenticity for the spotlight. This album is a journey through her time as a closeted celebrity. I think there are a lot of themes about previous attempts to come out that she must reconcile with, mainly referring back to the Lover era. This post will analyze Fortnight, Florida!!!, Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?, and The Alchemy. The use of drugs in these songs tell the story of a tortured poet who is trying/ has been trying to come out. #thisismetrying
With that being said, let’s get into it!
First we have Fortnight, both the song and MV demonstrate this idea that she is hiding her true self with ‘drugs’. She is both her character and Post Malone's character, there are many great analyses of the MV Like this one- broken link added to comments
The important bit for this analysis is the “Forget Him” drug dated from her birth, till TTPD's release date. This drug is what keeps the queer part of Taylor at bay, it is the comp het, bearding, and closeting that obscure the queer pieces of Taylor's story. Despite the mountain of queer evidence, this drug successfully keeps the queer identity hidden.
Fortnight-
“I was supposed to be sent away but they forgot to come and get me” The queer part that was exiled is still here. It is worth noting that this opening comes after ‘Hits Different’ was the last song on the Midnight’s extended album.
People have connected this line to: “I heard your key turn in the door down the hallway. Is that your key in the door? Is it okay? Is it you? Or have they come to take me away?” I think this continuation is purposeful, but the important bit is being forgotten, this section in Hits Different comes directly after she says “Argumentative, antithetical dream girl”
Immediately after an overtly queer line, she worries she will be taken away. She worries because in the past, her attempts at showing that side of herself have been taken away.
“I was a functioning alcoholic 'Til nobody noticed my new aesthetic” I think this is referring to the Lover era. She was not just an alcoholic (masking her queer self with bearding/ comp het), but she was a “functioning alcoholic” because she was draped in rainbows and pride and showing her true self despite the beard. But then no one noticed the new aesthetic, and she was no longer a functioning alcoholic, she was back to being completely masked by the drug of comp het. The bearding relationship with Joe and the prevalent comp het culminated into the erasure of the functioning flagging she was clearly doing.
“What about your quiet treason?” I think this is directed at the fans, she had trained her fans on easter eggs over the years, teaching them to look into her lyrics, clothes, MV sets, hair, nails, etc. to find hidden meanings. Yet when it came down to it, they silently betrayed her by not accepting her flagging as easter eggs. It was treasonous to assume that there was a hidden meaning behind everything she did, except if it was a rainbow or led to a queer explanation.
For the fortnight between her wearing the bisexual pride wig in the YNTCD MV and the Masters Heist, it felt like it would be a permanent change, that she would spend the rest of her career out. She touched the dream of being out, for only a fortnight. Now she is trapped in a never-ending grey February. She had to take a “move on drug”, to mask the gay, but it is temporary, and she knows she can’t do it forever.
“I love you, it’s ruining my life” I think this is directed both at the fans, and the queer part of herself. She is trying to satisfy both to no avail.
In the bridge Post and her are counting the fortnights they are apart “Another fortnight lost in America” “Move to Florida, buy the car you want, but it won’t start up” Florida = bearding/ one hell of a drug. She goes back to bearding where she is uber successful and can buy any getaway car she wants, but it feels useless without her queer self.
The name drop of Florida is a nice segway into the next piece of evidence that drugs/ alcohol is a metaphor for hiding her true self. Florida = bearding, and it's one hell of a drug to hide herself. Of course the Era’s Tour shows in Florida were also the first shows after the official breakup announcement on catch and release day. Joe was her Florida, not her destiny… but her Destin.
The opening line “you can beat the heat if you beat the charges too” is a very telling opening. You can beat the gay allegations if you are in a hetero relationship
“They said I was a cheat, I guess it must be true” Her fans prefer to interpret that she is cheating on every man she dates as the timelines never make sense for them lol. She is admitting to being a cheat because she is cheating, just in a different way.
Her friends smell like weed or babies, some of her friends smell like PR relationships, some are having babies.
She is only a guest in her own home because she cannot be authentic, she can easily and quickly be kicked out of her own home. Instead, she pays for a timeshare down in Destin. She is paying to share time with a beard. Not even paying for a high profile beard such as Miami or Orlando, she is paying to stay in Destin, a lowkey beard with Joe.
In Florence's verse, she further obscures herself with alcohol as the hurricane (Masters heist/ fans making fun of ‘ME!’ during the coming out attempt) hits. So, she goes back to hide in Florida.
Also, I think Texas could be a metaphor for the music industry, she has had to beard as she waits out the shitstorm she faces in the music industry. Which can be paralleled with “The dopamine races through his brain on a 6 lane Texas highway” She had a 6 album contract into the music industry, and she was focused on achieving success and fame first and foremost.
But damn, Florida (comp het) is one hell of a drug, it's like her coming out attempt never happened as the damage from the hurricane is all attributed to male muses in subsequent albums.
Taylor also explained ‘Florida!!!’ in the following quote. It sounds a lot like almost coming out and then hiding under beards/ closeting/ comp het to blend in as if nothing happened.
“‘What happens when your life doesn’t fit or your choices you’ve made catch up to you and you’re surrounded by these harsh consequences and judgment, and circumstances did not lead you to where you want to be and you just want to escape from everything you’ve ever known. Is there a place you could go? I’m always watching like Dateline—people, you know, have these crimes that they commit. Where do they immediately skip town and go to? They go to Florida, you know? They like try to reinvent themselves, have a new identity, blend in. And I think when you go through a heartbreak, there’s a part of you that thinks, I want a new name, I want a new life, I don’t want anyone to know where I’ve been or know me at all. And so that was the jumping-off point behind, Where would you go to reinvent yourself and blend in? Florida.”
Next, we can look at the song that sparked the idea that drugs were a metaphor for hiding her queer self ‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me’. I think this song is the one of the rawest songs she has ever released. I interpret it being sung from the perspective of the queer side of Taylor, who is absolutely pissed about how long she has been in the closet, and how her queer identity has been treated by the industry and her fans.
Opening with “The who’s who of who’s that, is poised for the attack”- I think this specifies which version of Taylor is narrating this song. It’s the ‘who’ in her work that is commonly asked “who’s that about” and answered with a male muse. She is the “the man”, she is poised for the attack. She is the who’s who of who’s that.
“If you wanted me dead, you shoulda just said. Nothing makes me feel more alive”- Nothing makes the queer Taylor feel more alive than fans talking about how Taylor could never be quee or people behind the scenes telling her to keep it a secret. Their hatred is the only time they talk about her, the only life she lives.
“I leap from the gallows and levitate down your street” She leaves the place she was executed, and as a ghost, she comes back to “crash your party like a record scratch”
“Who’s afraid of little old [ME!]” Looking back to Lover, her fans were afraid to acknowledge her through her flagging. Now she claims that they should be afraid of her, she can take off the mask and change their interpretations of her entire discography, and show that the fans have also hurt her. Their ignorance and internalised homophobia was felt.
“The scandal was contained, the bullet had just grazed” Her almost coming out and then being blindsided by the Masters sale and her fans not noticing was contained and she managed to keep her “good girl” name.
“So tell me everything is not about me, but what if it is?” What if she has been the muse in her stories, the man she is singing about/to is herself.
“Tell me they didn’t do it to hurt me, but what if they did?” The people on her team behind the scenes that convinced her to live this lie from such a young age didn’t do it to hurt her, but maybe they did? If she is in pain in the closet, she will write good “break up songs” that they would profit off of, maybe part of it was to hurt her? A vicious cycle of telling her “you need to be a little more popular” to ensure she can sustain a career after coming out, but as they realise how high she could truly go if they kept her in the closet, the goalpost was moved further and further back.
“I wanna snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me, you wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me” She is angry about how she has been treated. The music industry is the insane asylum where she has been trapped in the Fortnight MV. They are who have been “prescribing” her the drugs to mask herself.
“Put narcotics into all of my songs, and that's why you’re still singing along” So she puts ‘narcotics’ into her songs that conceal her true self and point to a male muse, that’s what keeps people interested and still singing her songs. Having a beard to connect songs to is precisely how her fans and the media have engaged with her music since the beginning, and it is still working almost 2 decades later.
But, she learned this trick from the people who did this to her, “You caged me and then you called me crazy, I am what I am 'cause you trained me” She is as big as she is right now, has as much power as she has right now, because the people who caged her, trained her. They taught her this trick, and she has mastered it. So now that she has all this power, “Who’s afraid of little old me?” After everything she has gone through in this industry… they should be.
The last song I want to look at is ‘The Alchemy’. I have seen some good interpretations that it could be about her fans, but I want to take this interpretation one step further than that. I think it is her biggest bait-and-switch ever! The obvious football/sports references are enough to satisfy the average listener who assumes it is about Travis, but I think viewed in perspective that this song is addressed to Gaylors, it takes on a new meaning. This one is for my fellow comingoutlors…
“What if I told you I’m back? The hospital was a drag” She has escaped from the asylum she has been locked away in, the real Taylor is back.
“Worst sleep that I ever had, I circled you on a map” After her sleepless nights, she has a new plan.
“I haven't come around in so long, But I'm coming back so strong” It’s been years since she last tried to come out, but she’s coming back even stronger this time around.
“So when I touch down Call the amateurs and Cut 'em from the team” The queer Taylor will touch down and the homophobic fans will be cut from the team.
“Ditch the clowns, get the crown, baby I'm the one to beat'' She will leave behind the super intense clowning with easter eggs, and gaylors will no longer be clowning for a coming out. Also, she likely ramped up the easter eggs so that people could see her queer identity coded into her work, which she won’t need anymore. She’ll finally get her crown, cue the “We all got crowns”. Will the Heartbreak Prince finally get his crown?
“Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me” She knows there are people who do see her and support her, and still hope to see her out.
“Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?” As we know, alchemy is turning metals into gold. Gaylor’s have long noted a golden motif, it has often been attributed to KK, but I think gold is queer in general rather than muse related. She is not going to fight that things are finally going to turn to gold.
In the second verse she forgives past mistakes because she is coming back to where she belongs.
“These blokes warm the benches, we’ve been on a winning streak” The beards have been on the sidelines warming the benches while she played the long game, she’s been on a winning streak now.
Now for the line we’ve been waiting for…
“He jokes that it's heroin but this time with an ‘E’” Back to our drugs metaphor- It is no longer bearding and closeting to hide, she is the heroine emerging victorious! There is no need for drugs, the real Taylor does not need a mask.
“Shirts off, and your friends lift you up over their heads, beer sticking to the floor” Now we are celebrating her win, the alcohol that once masked her is stuck to the floor.
“Cheers chanted, cause they said there was no chance, trying to be the greatest in the league. Where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me” People told her she would never reach this moment, that she would have to choose fame or authenticity, but now, she isn’t worried about the trophy or accolade, she is celebrating the union of Taylor Swift™ and the queer person who has been lost for so long.
“This happens once every few lifetimes. These chemicals hit me like white wine” I think that every few lifetimes, or era’s, she wants to come out and these chemicals of wanting out hit her as hard as the white wine that tries to hide her.
Some other lines that are interesting in this context. “The wine moms are still holding out, but fuck em, its over” “You needed me but you needed drugs more”. While there are more references to drugs and alcohol on the album, I think that the songs explored above are key for looking into the possible deeper, metaphorical meanings that she knows will lazily be attributed to Matty as the obvious red herring. I think they are all connected and tell a story about how she has hidden her queerness for so long, and how she has been treated when she has tried to express that queerness.
I think this has all been in the works for a very long time, I mean, the first easter egg for this album was the birdcage filled with books and a grammy in her post about getting her doctorate in 2022. We are in the middle of some sort of elaborate plan and (I think) the countdown to coming out is on! 3..2..

Wrote this post before Paris N1 and I think the zombie Taylor on the screen at the end of the song is very telling that this song is being sung from the grave! Tbh the entire set really reinforced connections to the Lover Era and that there’s a lot of anger directed at the fans in TTPD. Comp het is working overtime to ignore all of the flagging last night!

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2024.05.09 09:34 Otherwise_Shoe4951 List of References in Harold Halibut

!SPOILERS Here is an incomplete list of references/easter eggs to other media I found in Harold Halibut. I haven’t seen a compilation elsewhere but I was impressed at the number of references the game made. Please comment with others you find!
Big Lebowski - Marty the landlord’s dance quintet scene. Takes place on the Arcade stage over multiple chapters. https://youtu.be/dLU_dAlyRz8?si=RWHnqKO2_IFzQBnB
The Simpsons - “I for one welcome our new alien friends” spoken by a side character (i forgot to note who) near the end of the Chapter 5
Tool (band) - Lateralus (song) - quote “overthinking, overanalyzing, separates the body from the mind”. This is almost verbatim written in one of the letters you deliver for Buddy.
Day of the tentacle - tentacle that is wriggling in front of one of the windows in the lab. A beautiful nod to an early adventure game.
Spider-Man - Graffiti written on wall in the Lab- “With great power comes great responsibility.“
Dragon Ball Z - flumylym kids do the fusion dance when you arrive in the cave
Last of Us - Near the end of the game, giraffes are grazing in the background. Both scenes take place at the end of their respective games and they both involve the animals surviving by grazing in a dilapidated environment after their human keepers stopped caring for them decades ago.

submitted by Otherwise_Shoe4951 to haroldhalibut [link] [comments]

2024.05.09 03:58 CapAccomplished8072 How do You know if You might like RWBY from YingYang Nevermore

Do you like ATLA and LoK? -> Chances are, you’ll also like RWBY.
Do you like She-Ra and other similar shows? -> Chances are, you’ll for sure like RWBY.
Do you like animated shows? -> Then you might like RWBY.
Do you like stories with badass teenage girls? -> Then you should like RWBY.
Do you like stories with found family themes? -> Then RWBY should be on your list.
Do you enjoy stories with in depth fantasy lore and history? -> Then RWBY would be a fantastic show to watch.
Do you like analyzing shows that have lots of significant hidden details, foreshadowing and easter eggs? -> Then you’ll quite like RWBY.
Do you enjoy watching characters grow by leaps and bounds? -> Chances are then that you’ll like RWBY.
Do you like slow burn WLW relationships? -> You guessed it, RWBY! (Bumbleby is CANON!)
Do you like shows with badass soundtracks made specifically for the show with lyrics that even add foreshadowing and other fun details? -> RWBY has that.
Do you enjoy shows that are all about hope and love? -> RWBY!!!
Do you like shows where all of the characters are based on fairy tales, myths, legends, historical figures, etc. with wee details added here and there to give clues as to who each person is based on? -> Do I need to keep saying it?
Do you enjoy complex female characters? -> Yep.
Do you enjoy shows that are more light hearted and fun but then also still get into serious topics like dealing with loss, alcoholism, PTSD, abuse, neglect, abandonment issues, etc? -> I’ll keep saying it if I have to.
Do you like badass fight scenes where the animation just keeps getting better and better as the show continues? -> You get the idea.
Do you like Warrior Nun and other similar shows? -> RWBY could very well be enjoyable for you too
Do you like long form story telling where details come back from all the way in the beginning of the show? -> RWBY definitely does that. We’re on Volume 9 and they brought up stuff from back in Volume 1 during it.
Do you like the Tales games? Chances are you’ll like RWBY
Do you like stories that constantly subvert expectations in brilliant ways? Like in ways that MAKE SENSE? -> RWBY!
Do you like shows that are even better when you rewatch them cuz you can then pick up on all sorts of details you missed previously that MAKE SO MUCH MORE SENSE NOW and make you love the show even more? -> RWBY is so damn easy to rewatch
Do you like stories about HOPE that aren’t just naive and blind to everything and to reality? -> RWBY 100%
Do you love angst and pining? -> RWBY has a few different flavors of that.
Do you like anime like My Hero Academia and One Shot, amongst others? -> RWBY has similarities
Do you like fantasy-mecha type weapons that can transform and badass n creative character fighting styles? -> Have I said it enough yet?
Do you like shows with INTERESTING villains that actually have interesting backstories and motivations that isn’t just simply cuz they’re “evil”?
Do you like the "Tales of" series of video games? Chances are you will like RWBY.
Do you like fantasy stories where the plot is not bound to a particular structure and is free to change as the story progresses (book to book or season to season)? And where consequences actually matter and don't get reset at the end of a book/season? Chances are you will like RWBY. (Though if you prefer more predictable structure or repetition or adherence to the status quo in your stories, RWBY might not be for you)
Do you like a story that actually constantly subverts expectations the right way, where it surpasses expectations with pretty much every reveal? Chances are, you'll like RWBY.
Do you just want to see a morally good protagonist, who does the right thing because it's the right thing to do and never lets fear slow her down? Chances are you will like RWBY.
Do you like super epic video game style fights? How about fights where it's not just "the most powerful" wins, and strategy, style, environment, emotions etc all play a role in determining the victor? Chances are you will like RWBY.
Do you like scary competent villains? You might like RWBY.
Do you like long form storytelling? Where 8 seasons in we are still getting payoff for plot points set up in seasons 1 and 2? Chances are you will like RWBY.
Do you just want to see some kick ass girls go to a school to learn how to kill monsters, which eventually evolves into a much larger story? You'll probably like RWBY.
Do you like fantasy-mecha weapons that transform from swords into guns?
Do you like My Hero Academia? RWBY is also a setting with a professional class of heroes who each have their own unique super-power... except more often than they deal with human criminals, they hunt monsters.
Do you have the patience for One Piece? RWBY isn’t as old, but it’s a much longer-running, slower-burning show than most other anime, especially compared to those not based on decades-long manga.
I know that the animation in the beginning can be off-putting for some people, but if you can hold out for a couple volumes it does get better. Everything about this show gets better and better every volume.
Do you love seeing the progression in quality in a thing? Just look at screenshots from volume 1 to volume 3 my man to steal a quote from the Beatles (I could’ve sworn this song was in Over The Hedge too) It’s gettin’ better all the time!
Do you long for big casts of interesting characters and/but/or like a lot of background characters without losing focus on the leads? RWBY’s got you covered!
Are you a fan of comedy? Because my god is this show really funny when it wants to be, especially in the earlier volumes where it’s more light hearted!
You tired of watching shows where the characters wear the same clothes forever when that makes no sense? Good news, the cast gets new duds every three or four volumes or so!
Do you like stories of hope that aren’t about being blind to tragedy, but instead about trying to make the world better?

There are more reasons/indicators than just these!
Others feel free to add more in the comments!
tumblr.com/yinyangofnevermore/625537965514506240/how-do-you-know-if-you-might-like-rwby?source=share

submitted by CapAccomplished8072 to cartoons [link] [comments]

2024.05.09 02:32 CapAccomplished8072 How do You know if You might like RWBY from YingYang Nevermore

Do you like ATLA and LoK? -> Chances are, you’ll also like RWBY.
Do you like She-Ra and other similar shows? -> Chances are, you’ll for sure like RWBY.
Do you like animated shows? -> Then you might like RWBY.
Do you like stories with badass teenage girls? -> Then you should like RWBY.
Do you like stories with found family themes? -> Then RWBY should be on your list.
Do you enjoy stories with in depth fantasy lore and history? -> Then RWBY would be a fantastic show to watch.
Do you like analyzing shows that have lots of significant hidden details, foreshadowing and easter eggs? -> Then you’ll quite like RWBY.
Do you enjoy watching characters grow by leaps and bounds? -> Chances are then that you’ll like RWBY.
Do you like slow burn WLW relationships? -> You guessed it, RWBY! (Bumbleby is CANON!)
Do you like shows with badass soundtracks made specifically for the show with lyrics that even add foreshadowing and other fun details? -> RWBY has that.
Do you enjoy shows that are all about hope and love? -> RWBY!!!
Do you like shows where all of the characters are based on fairy tales, myths, legends, historical figures, etc. with wee details added here and there to give clues as to who each person is based on? -> Do I need to keep saying it?
Do you enjoy complex female characters? -> Yep.
Do you enjoy shows that are more light hearted and fun but then also still get into serious topics like dealing with loss, alcoholism, PTSD, abuse, neglect, abandonment issues, etc? -> I’ll keep saying it if I have to.
Do you like badass fight scenes where the animation just keeps getting better and better as the show continues? -> You get the idea.
Do you like Warrior Nun and other similar shows? -> RWBY could very well be enjoyable for you too
Do you like long form story telling where details come back from all the way in the beginning of the show? -> RWBY definitely does that. We’re on Volume 9 and they brought up stuff from back in Volume 1 during it.
Do you like the Tales games? Chances are you’ll like RWBY
Do you like stories that constantly subvert expectations in brilliant ways? Like in ways that MAKE SENSE? -> RWBY!
Do you like shows that are even better when you rewatch them cuz you can then pick up on all sorts of details you missed previously that MAKE SO MUCH MORE SENSE NOW and make you love the show even more? -> RWBY is so damn easy to rewatch
Do you like stories about HOPE that aren’t just naive and blind to everything and to reality? -> RWBY 100%
Do you love angst and pining? -> RWBY has a few different flavors of that.
Do you like anime like My Hero Academia and One Shot, amongst others? -> RWBY has similarities
Do you like fantasy-mecha type weapons that can transform and badass n creative character fighting styles? -> Have I said it enough yet?
Do you like shows with INTERESTING villains that actually have interesting backstories and motivations that isn’t just simply cuz they’re “evil”?
Do you like the "Tales of" series of video games? Chances are you will like RWBY.
Do you like fantasy stories where the plot is not bound to a particular structure and is free to change as the story progresses (book to book or season to season)? And where consequences actually matter and don't get reset at the end of a book/season? Chances are you will like RWBY. (Though if you prefer more predictable structure or repetition or adherence to the status quo in your stories, RWBY might not be for you)
Do you like a story that actually constantly subverts expectations the right way, where it surpasses expectations with pretty much every reveal? Chances are, you'll like RWBY.
Do you just want to see a morally good protagonist, who does the right thing because it's the right thing to do and never lets fear slow her down? Chances are you will like RWBY.
Do you like super epic video game style fights? How about fights where it's not just "the most powerful" wins, and strategy, style, environment, emotions etc all play a role in determining the victor? Chances are you will like RWBY.
Do you like scary competent villains? You might like RWBY.
Do you like long form storytelling? Where 8 seasons in we are still getting payoff for plot points set up in seasons 1 and 2? Chances are you will like RWBY.
Do you just want to see some kick ass girls go to a school to learn how to kill monsters, which eventually evolves into a much larger story? You'll probably like RWBY.
Do you like fantasy-mecha weapons that transform from swords into guns?
Do you like My Hero Academia? RWBY is also a setting with a professional class of heroes who each have their own unique super-power... except more often than they deal with human criminals, they hunt monsters.
Do you have the patience for One Piece? RWBY isn’t as old, but it’s a much longer-running, slower-burning show than most other anime, especially compared to those not based on decades-long manga.
I know that the animation in the beginning can be off-putting for some people, but if you can hold out for a couple volumes it does get better. Everything about this show gets better and better every volume.
Do you love seeing the progression in quality in a thing? Just look at screenshots from volume 1 to volume 3 my man to steal a quote from the Beatles (I could’ve sworn this song was in Over The Hedge too) It’s gettin’ better all the time!
Do you long for big casts of interesting characters and/but/or like a lot of background characters without losing focus on the leads? RWBY’s got you covered!
Are you a fan of comedy? Because my god is this show really funny when it wants to be, especially in the earlier volumes where it’s more light hearted!
You tired of watching shows where the characters wear the same clothes forever when that makes no sense? Good news, the cast gets new duds every three or four volumes or so!
Do you like stories of hope that aren’t about being blind to tragedy, but instead about trying to make the world better?

There are more reasons/indicators than just these!
Others feel free to add more in the comments!
tumblr.com/yinyangofnevermore/625537965514506240/how-do-you-know-if-you-might-like-rwby?source=share

submitted by CapAccomplished8072 to fortheloveofrwby [link] [comments]

2024.05.07 23:20 GCsurfstar Dating Frustrations & Religion

This has happened in previous dating experiences, but the most recent one really hit me.
As an atheist leaning agnostic, I am pretty tolerant of different ideologies since my whole mindset is “I have no idea what’s actually true”, so I have been able to have some interesting conversation and lear a lot of peoples different beliefs and ask a lot of genuine questions without being demeaning - so I think.
The other night I was out with a girl I’ve been casually seeing, who recently found Jesus and has become very, very religious. She seems super happy and I love that for her, it’s great people can find so much meaning in something. That being said, it kind of came to a head when we got on the topic of religion.
Conversation started talking about gay marriage, my feelings have always been that people should be free to do whatever they choose so long as it does not harm others. I mentioned that to her and also mentioned how I don’t think the Bible really goes into detail or specifically states anywhere that homosexuality is wrong - outside of the famously quoted “shall not lie with another man as he lies with a woman” verse. Maybe I’m ill informed, but for some a severe sin you’d think it would get discussed at depth, but it’s not (to my knowledge). She is accepting of people who are gay, I guess, but told me that since the Bible says it’s wrong, even if they are a good person they will still be judged for their choices.
A classic debate. I asked if she has ever had an inclination towards the same sex, she said no. I said I feel the same and can not even fathom the idea of being with another guy, so I draw the conclusion that it’s not a choice. My brother is gay and said he is grossed out by the idea of being with a girl. People are born the way they are generally speaking. So if it’s not a choice, and god created everything, why would he create people who predisposed to commit such a ‘sin’ given it was never a choice to begin with? No real response to that other than “the Bible says”.
That brought up the topic of getting in to heaven, I didn’t have much to say since I don’t really believe but said that I would hope that if there is a god and I am judged at the end, I will be judged based off of the life I lived and not my dedication to a deity. This would be a way for people of all different beliefs to be judged for who they were instead of what they believed.
Christians espouse the “one true god” or the “highest god”. How do they come to that conclusion? How could anyone be so certain that they have it right when they have never even studied other belief systems? Is it arrogance? Delusion?
It’s just frustrating. We had a great time, and had no hard feelings but I can’t imagine dating someone who has no open mind for such a serious and mysterious set of beliefs. It is a deal breaker for her and myself.
This is just a rant, but living in the south, I am hard pressed to find anyone who isn’t deeply Christian. Ugh.

submitted by GCsurfstar to agnostic [link] [comments]

2024.05.06 03:45 BumpingBumbleBees I just lost my mom 2 days ago

I am kind of going to go through everything so its going to be long and venty, I really just want to get it all of my chest, and for some context my younger brother is 15 I am 19 and my parents were separated.
A couple days ago at 4pm my mom was found dead, I had not been able to have a full conversation with her since last summer, when we had a pretty bad argument, she had been treating everyone around her like trash, I only said something when she "forgot" my birthday started crying to the friends I had invited over about how little time I spent with her, and that I was no longer her kid. This led me to break down into tears and to talk to her about her behavior the next day. This made her to unleash the full brunt of her anger on me while she was having a bi-polar episode and was refusing to take her medicine. By the end of it I was staying with my dad to give her space and to get away from her I was already 19 so I was legally free to do so but my younger brother wasn't so lucky. My mom had already been a bad alcoholic but it started to get a lot worse, and after a couple of weeks my dad was able to take full custody of my younger brother since he said he did not feel safe, unfortunately he had to leave behind their cat. and near the end of the summer my mom ran off to St Lois, MO, leaving her cat behind. while we safely retrieved her cat we still didn't really know where she was or what she was doing. During this time I was heading to college and we only found out after Christmas where she was.
My older sister was the one who got to talk to her and apparently she was looking smaller but she mentioned something about free electroshock therapy and treatment. but things seemed like they were going better for her and this is when we started to send a couple of messages things like happy holidays and stuff but nothing major. it was also around this time I had begun to process her leaving us all behind without word, and then after about a month she mostly cut contact again which really made the whole thing feel fresh again. It was actually so bad it caused me go into a bad depression spiral, she then reached out again last month around Easter just to say hi, and then we get to now she was found dead in the back of a car with empty prescription bottles empty beer bottles, she was emaciated and all of her teeth had fallen out. When I first heard I was in a call with one of my close friends and I got the message from my dad, I couldn't bring myself to tell him but I stayed on call with him till midnight. I just wanted to distract myself but it wasn't very successful I kept breaking down through the night and couldn't sleep. and I have so many people telling me its going to be okay, so many bible quotes and videos on how to process grief. when I myself still can't really keep my thoughts still, I keep thinking about our argument how things may have changed if I could have stopped it all, I keep thinking about before she had started spiraling, when I actually considered her a good mom. I keep thinking about the things that remind me of her and it just all hurts but at the same time it just feels so distant since she had been out of my life for so long already, things aren't that much different. I feel like I should be feeling more and it may just be that I am still deep in shock. I wish it had been a less i guess ugly situation. I just don't know how should I be feeling? why do I feel like I need to do something even though there isn't anything I can do.

submitted by BumpingBumbleBees to GriefSupport [link] [comments]

2024.05.05 23:38 Wild_Butterscotch977 Theylor: a collection of major evidence

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the day someone makes a masterpost of theylor evidence but eventually I got tired of waiting and was too excited about the idea, so I decided to make it myself. I pulled together things I thought of myself and also culled information from past posts and comments that discussed it. I’m interested in hearing what evidence people think should be added to this collection. I tried to credit things that I found from other posts, but please let me know if I missed something and I’ll credit.
So first, what is theylor? Theylor is the theory that Taylor is gender expansive. Just like gaylor doesn’t necessarily prescribe what brand of queer taylor is, theylor doesn’t necessarily prescribe a specific gender identity. There are many possibilities including nonbinary, genderfluid, genderqueer, transmasc, bigender, etc. Although I don’t argue for any specific label – because we don’t know – I do discuss quite a bit the idea of a masc or male side versus a femme or female side, because I think a lot of evidence suggests that.
A note on pronouns: I spent a while trying to decide if I should use they/them pronouns. It felt appropriate given that this is a theylor post, and as a nonbinary person myself who uses they/them pronouns, I kind of wanted to. But not all gender expansive people use they/them pronouns, and as I stated above, there are many categories and labels that she could fall under. Moreover, “theylor” isn’t the theory that she specifically uses they/them pronouns – it’s the theory that she’s gender expansive, and that could include a variety of possibilities regarding pronouns. For instance, genderfluid and bigender people often switch back and forth between he/him and she/her or use both; some might additionally use they/them and some might not. Ultimately I took my cues from Taylor Nation who uses she/her pronouns for Taylor. As far as we know those are her stated pronouns and I chose to respect that.
Another important note: I want to say from the start that I fully recognize that some of this evidence can also be read as masc lesbian/wlw. That’s completely valid. But there are certain things that can’t fit so easily into that category. So I hope that skeptics will consider this with the same view that gaylors take with gaylor evidence: that certain things in isolation perhaps can be explained away, but the collective mountain of evidence is much harder to ignore.
Here we go.

Midnight Rain
On Midnight Rain Taylor synthed her voice so it sounds like it’s male, which alternates with her regular voice. This male voice is still singing from her POV, because they repeat the exact same chorus lyrics, so it doesn’t seem as if it’s intended to be an imitation of a duet involving two different people. Instead it sounds like the masc and femme sides of her are both chiming in.
The lyrics themselves can also be interpreted as theylor-coded.
He wanted a bride / I was making my own name / Chasing that fame
The hidden male side of her wanted to unite with the rest of her so she could be her authentic self, but she desired fame and to achieve all these dreams – and knew that to do so she’d have to hide away that male or genderqueer part of herself.

Using men as mirror images of herself in music videos: Style, Willow, and Fortnight
Style mv
There could be an entire theylor post devoted to the Style mv alone because it’s so loud. It has some of the most explicit and extensive theylor evidence of any mv she’s ever made.
Both Taylor and the male lead hold up mirrored shards to their face, and the other person is reflected back. For example, the man holds up a shard to his mouth and Taylor’s mouth appears instead. This suggests that they are two sides of the same person.
There are also several instances where her image gets cracked and fractured. In most of these she’s alone; in the one scene where the man can be seen as well, they’re not interacting and they look like they’re in two separate places. The cracking of the surface of these images indicates that when they’re separated, her true self is fractured, broken, and incomplete.
screenshots from Style: holding up mirrors and cracked images
Images of the man are superimposed on her face, hands, and body; and images of Taylor are superimposed on him as well. There’s a particularly interesting scene where we first see her face, and then she raises her hands so they cover her face, and the man’s face appears superimposed on her hands, echoing the mirror shard images.
In a similar vein, there are a couple different scenes where the man is looking out at the ocean from within her silhouetted body and head. In conjunction with the other scenes, this suggests the man lives within her.
One of the most explicit scenes is when the man is driving a car, and he looks in the rearview mirror and we see that it’s actually Taylor driving.
screenshots from Style: superimposed images and Taylothe man driving
Lastly, the actor playing the male, Dominic Sherwood, has heterochromia, which is when someone is born with two different eye colors. I think he was chosen for this role deliberately, and that the two eye colors might represent two different sides of her gender identity. This is supported by another scene where his eyes are superimposed on her outstretched arms, one on each side.
screenshots from Style: heterochromia
All these examples suggest that she and the man are the same person – male and female in the same body.

Willow mv
Willow contains a series of scenes where a man mirrors her in different ways.
First, Taylor looks into the water and sees a man reflected back where her own reflection should be. This is one of the clearest pieces of visual evidence in support of theylor, similar to the rearview mirror example in Style.
Willow mv: looking in the water and a man is her reflection
She plays with the child-male version of herself and then he disappears and she’s sad and confused. There’s a great deal of evidence suggested in the following sections of references to her losing or being separated from her male side.
Willow screenshots: playing with the boy and then he disappears
There are multiple scenes where they hold their hands up to each other like they are mirror images, and then at the end they clasp hands and walk out together into the daylight.
Willow screenshots: holding her hand up to the man's and then they walk out together

Fortnight mv
The theory that Taylor and Post Malone are the same person was brilliantly covered by u/18hundreds in this post; she has his tattoos, they wear the same clothes, etc. However I disagree with that post’s conclusion that male figure represents the public Taylor, the clean version that she presents to the world. Rather, I think that Post Malone represents the male or masc side she’s hiding.
One of the most important scenes is when Taylor is given pills from a bottle labeled “FORGET HIM” and the bottle shows dates covering her whole life, from her birth to the date that the music video was published. Since it starts from birth, this certainly can’t represent forgetting a dude she dated. However I think it also can’t represent the public Taylor because there was no public Taylor the day she was born, nor was there for several years after that. However, if she sensed that she was born with a masc side or a male inside of her, and she was socialized to be and act like a girl, and instinctively understood that she had to hide that queer male part of herself, then the dates make more sense.
Additionally, the two streams of lesbian-flag and gay-flag colored light that float out of the two typewriters and become an explosion of white when they meet may represent both the masc and femme sides of her that are equally contributing to her work. When they are united, when she is whole, is when she is strongest.
Fortnight screenshots: Forget him pills and the streams of light
Lastly, there’s a callback to the Style mv, where the sheets of paper are shaped like her silhouette and she and the masc version of herself are lying in the middle. This mirrors the Style scene where the man appears inside of her head.
Fortnight and Style screenshots that echo each other

Me! music video
Right at the line “and there’s a lot of lame guys out there” there are several different men falling from the sky. Among them is Taylor. Credit for this is u/Front-Inevitable7767 here.
Taylor falling in Me!
The suit and hairstyle in one of the scenes is also extremely masculine:
Me! screenshot: taylor in a suit
Even more interestingly, she alternates masc and femme outfits in the mv, starting with ultra femme in the white skirt, then the masc yellow suit, then the femme pink dress, then the suit and shorts cowboy boots combination, and ending with the femme paint dress:
Alternating masc and femme outfits in Me!

You Need to Calm Down music video
One of the first scenes is of a framed painting with the quote, “Mom, I am a rich man.” Though this is a Cher quote, it’s also extremely theylor-coded.
YNTCD screenshot: Mom I'm a rich man

Mean music video
In the Mean mv, Joey King is wearing a dress with a blue bow and isn’t accepted by all the other girls wearing pink bows. This might symbolize the masc side of Taylor not being accepted by society or in the music industry. There are many other ways that Taylor could have visualized a girl not fitting in with other girls. But she specifically distinguished them using only colors that are widely considered representation for the two binary genders.
Joey King in Mean and the blue and pink bows
In the mv for I Can See You, in the hall where Taylor’s old outfits are locked in glass closets, the young girl’s dress with the blue bow appears again:
Same dress in ICSY
This suggests that her masc side is closeted along with her gay side.

The Man
Both the song and mv. An entire work about if she was a man. Performed in full drag.
The use of ‘was’ versus ‘were’ in “if I was a man” is interesting. I’m not certain how much stock to put in this one because of the scene in Miss Americana where she’s writing this line and she goes back and forth between them, seemingly based solely on how they sound. But they have two different usages in proper English grammar.
Sourcing from the grammar.com page on this, “if I was” is used when it’s a situation that could have happened. “If I were” is used for a situation that could never happen, an imaginary scenario, something that couldn’t ever be true.
If you consider her to be cis, then she’s using the wrong one. In that case it should have been “if I were a man” because it’s an imaginary and hypothetical situation. But she used “if I was a man,” indicating a situation that could have happened.

Taylor Nation called her “The Man”
TN calls her \"The Man\"

Delicate
Although I’m trying to keep this whole post muse-free because muses aren’t all that relevant to theylor, I wanted to include this comparison between the Delicate scene where Taylor gets on the train to Dianna’s performance on The Killer’s mv for “Just Another Girl,” because I suspect this is being referenced based on the similarities. And most relevant to theylor: Dianna is in drag.
Taylor in Delicate and Dianna in drag in Just Another Girl

I Bet You Think About Me
There was a great analysis by u/Sea_Dress_8957 that the groom in the mv represents Taylor and her masc side, and that in the song she’s talking to herself. I won’t rehash the evidence that’s already listed in that post, but one thing to add is in the mv’s opening scene with all the men lined up at the urinals, one of them is wearing a skirt, certainly implying gender nonconformity and possibly genderqueerness too.
This comment by u/SubwayGirlsInTheMan in that post also points out that the groom and The Man are wearing the same shoes, further connecting these two mvs, in addition to the halos around the groom’s head and the Man’s head.

Ready For It? and the two Taylors
In RFI, the two Taylors hold up their hands to each other, echoing the scenes in Willow with the man:
RFI screenshot that was echoed in Willow scenes
The two Taylors, which appear in more videos than just RFI, have been discussed a lot. They are usually taken to represent the public Taylor versus the private Taylor. But from a theylor perspective they can also symbolize the masc and femme sides of her, and her struggle to reconcile and unite the two. If Willow is visualizing that with the way their hands are held up to each other on either side of glass, then the fact that the two Taylors did the exact same motion in RFI is interesting.
The two Taylors also reminds me of the very gay, very masc outfit she wore as she exited the stadium after the Eras tour in Vegas. The vibe of the outfit is a stark contrast to the costumes in the tour and some of the outfits she wears on pap walks, and I always think of it when considering theylor.

The Joker and the ~~Queen~~ King
The lyric video for Ed Sheeran’s “The Joker and the Queen” shows Taylor wearing the king’s crown.

Fearless TV cover
On the OG Fearless cover, Taylor’s wearing a white dress and looking to her right. But on the TV version, she’s wearing a shirt that looks very similar to Romeo’s shirt in Love Story, and she’s also looking in the opposite direction, to her left. By doing this she’s rewriting the Fearless narrative to position herself as a man, Romeo, and creating a visual distinction from the very femme OG cover.
Fearless TV cover and Romeo

King
Phoebe Bridgers called Taylor “king” in an interview, then did it again on an Instagram story. Gracie Abrams also called her “king.” Note that Taylor also called Lana “king” which might take away from this theory but there’s a lot of masc words being tossed around nonetheless.

“A Girl Named Girl”
As a 14 year old, Taylor wrote a novel called “A Girl Named Girl” about a mother who wanted a son but got a daughter instead. Seemingly a whole book about gender and disappointing a parent.

US census comments
In 2020, Taylor made comments on a video where she was angry that the US census only had male and female options, saying how upsetting “the erasure of trans and nonbinary people” was to her. Video can be found at the 11:28 timestamp.

The male perspective
She writes and sings from the male perspective in a lot of songs, including betty, dorothea, Mine, Our song, Love Story, and Speak Now.

jaMEs
She wrote herself as James in betty (which gaylors were already confident about) and then she went and confirmed it during the TTPD clue hunt in lyrics by capitalizing ME in “jaMEs” when there were other M’s in the preceding words that she could have used instead.
jaMEs

Named after a man
She was named after James Taylor and likes to talk about that.

She’s the Heartbreak Prince
She’s the Heartbreak Prince. The lyric goes, “It’s you and me…Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.” In English, the order of the pronouns in the first clause reference the respective order of their subjects. So the ‘you’ is Miss Americana and the 'me” is the Heartbreak Prince.

Mandolin
She wrote an unreleased song around the age of 13 called “Mandolin,” about a guy who plays the mandolin. It was written almost entirely in third person using he/him pronouns. But in the outro of the song she reveals she’s the man when she says “I’m the guy who plays the mandolin.”

Congressman in Anti-Hero
She’s a congressman, not a congresswoman.
Did you hear my covert narcissism / I disguised as altruism, like some kind of congressMAN.
The line actually would have been more balanced if she had used congresswoman because then it would have had the same number of syllables as both “narcissism” and “altruism” but she chose to use congressman instead.

Willow
There could also be a whole post analyzing Willow lyrics through a theylor lens.
The more that you say / The less I know / Wherever you stray I follow / I'm begging for you to take my hand / Wreck my plans / That's my man
The more her male side presents himself – the stronger he grows inside her head – the more confused she is about her identity. But she follows him anyway because that’s the way her authentic self lies. She wants him to take her over, to embrace her queer self, and thus wreck all the plans she had for her career which require her to closet. That’s my man, she says. She says it exactly 13 times in the song.
The original voice memo of willow is very close to the final version, however there’s an interesting change. The very last phrase in the song replaces “that’s my man” with “that’s my myth.” This is at 3:33 in the linked video.
The definition of myth from wikipedia: “Myth is a genre of folklore or theology consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths.”
Her man is part of her origin story.
Now this is an open-shut case / Guess I should've known from the look on your face / Every bait and switch was a work of art
Now that her identity is clear to her, she realizes in retrospect that she should have seen it all along. She was an egg and now she’s cracked. Every time her man surfaced to lure her in, ultimately made her who she is.

Dear Reader
So I wander through these nights / I prefer hiding in plain sight / My fourth drink in my hand / these desperate prayers of a cursed man
One of the clearest instances of her referring to herself as a man. And the statement is all the more stark and meaningful by existing in the same line as her telling us she hides in plain sight. Probably the most honest line in her entire oeuvre and she calls herself a man in it.
On the first night in Tokyo at the Eras tour, Dear Reader was one of the surprise songs. And in this performance she changed the lyric in this line to “these restless tears of a cursed man.” Both gaylor- and theylor-coded. Tears because she can’t be her true self. The restless man wandering in the closet.

Cowboy Like Me
Calling herself a cowboy. I think this one is obvious.

Teardrops On My Guitar
And there he goes, so perfectly, the kind of flawless I wish I could be
Interesting that it’s the guy in the song that she wishes she could be like.

Tim McGraw
“When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think of me” is theylor-coded to begin with. When you think of a man, I hope you think about me.
But her original lyrics had a slightly different version of this line that makes the theylor of it all go even harder: “When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think me” (instead of “hope you think OF me”). This seems to take it to the next level: in the final version Tim McGraw reminds the muse of her, but in the original, she’s actually standing in for him.
“Tim McGraw” was also interpolated into “cowboy like me”, thus connecting the songs.

The Story of Us
“The Story of Us” was referenced in the TTPD installation as a notebook with a huge “US” lettered on it. It turns out it was an easter egg (lol obv) because the same notebook appeared in the Fortnight mv. The original song may or may not have intended theylor clues, but in retrospect the lyrics seem quite coded, especially in light of the appearance in the Fortnight mv, which I theorized above was about two versions of herself, the male and the female.
And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now / And we're not speaking and I'm dying to know / Is it killing you like it's killing me?
The story of “us” is her male side having to be hidden away and closeted; that’s her tragedy. They’re “not speaking” because she has to live separately from that part of herself.

Cardigan
Tried to change the ending / Peter losing Wendy, I / I knew you
I think she’s both Peter and Wendy in this line, representing the two sides. Peter is alone in the closet while Wendy, her femme side, is exposed to the world. Peter is left behind because she can’t be her complete self.
This also fits perfectly with the song Peter.

Peter
“Peter” seems to be a callback to the Cardigan reference. The whole song can be read through a theylor lens.
Forgive me, Peter /My lost fearless leader / In closets like cedar / Preserved from when we were just kids … Said you were gonna grow up / Then you were gonna come find me
Peter is her male side that she had to hide away in a closet, specifically a cedar closet. Ceder closets are used to preserve clothes, because the smell that cedar wood gives off repels the bugs that eat holes in clothing. She’s had to keep that side of herself in the cedar closet so he’s preserved for later when they’re at the point that they can be united.
The “fearless leader” phrase is also a callback to The Man, “I’d be a fearless leader,” which deepens the theylor connection.
There’ve also been some other analyses of Peter through a trans lens.

But Daddy I Love Him
BDILH has major theylor undertones. The entire song can be interpreted as a metaphor for wanting to others to accept a gender identity that’s different from the one they think you should have.
The bridge is particularly coded:
God save the most judgmental creeps / Who say they want what's best for me / Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see / Thinking it can change the beat / Of my heart when he touches me / And counteract the chemistry / And undo the destiny / You ain't gotta pray for me / Me and my wild boy
This could refer to the desire to embrace her male side, her wild boy. That the idea of uniting with him and being her authentic self – her destiny – is what makes her heart beat. Them being together is, for her, the ultimate chemistry.

Down Bad
Similar to BDILH, Down Bad also is very theylor. Some select lines:
"What if I can't have him" / "I might just die, it would make no difference" / Down bad / waking up in blood / Staring at the sky, come back and pick me up / What if I can't have us
She feels like she might die if she can’t be with her male side.
They'll say I'm nuts if I talk about the existence of you
This line is particularly loud to me. What romantic interest (gay or straight) is so ridiculous that people say she’s nuts for talking about that person’s very existence? It makes far more sense that she’d think people think her nuts if she talks about a male or masc person who lives within her. Her twin.
Like I lost my twin / What if I can't have him
Similar to the above line, it’s a little odd to refer to a romantic interest as your twin. Not impossible, given she’s likely dated three blonde women who all vaguely look like her, but combined with the other lines, I think this is theylor-coded. What if she can never be united with the male twin within her.
There might also be a twin connection in “The Albatross”, because male and female albatrosses are essentially identical. Credit for this is u/1DMod here.
I'll build you a fort on some planet / Where they can all understand it
Obviously queer-coded in general, but I’d argue that being gender expansive today is less accepted than having a queer sexual orientation. There’s undoubtedly a significant number of homophobes who don’t like gay people, but there are massive quantities of people who flat out deny the existence altogether of trans and gender expansive people. So the idea of escaping to another planet where our identities are understood and accepted and normalized is very theylor-coded.
She also alternates saying “Fuck it if I can’t have us” and “Fuck it if I can’t have him” throughout the whole song. And she says “if I can’t have him” 13 times throughout the song, similar to the way she says “That’s my man” 13 times in Willow.

Guilty as Sin
Another song I could do a whole theylor analysis on.
This cage was once just fine / Am I allowed to cry? / I dream of cracking locks / Throwing my life to the wolves / Or the ocean rocks / Crashing into him tonight / He's a paradox / I'm seeing visions, am I bad? / Or mad? Or wise?
The cage is her male side being closeted and the pain that entails. She dreams of breaking the lock on the cage and letting him out so they can be united, which would mean, she fears, tossing out everything she’s worked for.
It’s easy to see how having both a male and female side could be construed as a paradox. Wondering if she’s crazy, if she’s bad, or just wise are emotions that are common to people trying to figure out their gender identity.
Without ever touching his skin / How can I be guilty as sin?
He’s not a person who she can touch. He’s a person who lives within her. Struggling with religious guilt around this makes a lot of sense.

I Hate It Here
Tell me something awful / Like you are a poet trapped inside the body of a finance guy
This is both trans-coded and theylor-coded, the idea of being trapped in a body you don’t identify with, or feeling different on the inside than you present on the outside.

Orlando by Virginia Woolf
In this novel, the main character, Orlando, transitions genders. This amazing post by u/AliceStanleyJr discusses some of the Taylor connections. In the novel, Orlando wrote a book called “The Oak Tree”; Taylor once compared her skin to oak tree bark, and she also performs Champagne Problems under an oak tree. Additionally, a comment by u/onemore_folkmore on that post pointed out that one of the Taymojis for “Tim McGraw'' is an acorn and underneath it says “Acorns don’t grow on acorn trees, they grow on oak trees.”
Some of the taymoji's for Tim McGraw, including an acorn
There are other Virginia Woolf connections, like this post by u/PomegranateNo3155 which links a short story to the carnations line in Maroon.

thanK you aIMee
I’m not sure who the first person to discover this was because I think I saw it on one of the megathreads, but u/-periwinkle reminded me that when you googled “thank you aimee” when the song first came out, the top result was a memorial page for the trans activist Aimee Stephens.

A Place in This World
A song about feeling alone, feeling different from others, and trying to figure out who she is. It’s sad the way she repeats “Oh, I’m just a girl,” over and over, like she’s forlorn to think of herself as just a girl.

Endgame
Big reputation, big reputation / Ooh, you and me, we'd be a big conversation, ah
If she came out as gender expansive, it’d be a HUGE conversation.
I wanna be your endgame / I wanna be your first string / I wanna be your A-Team
This could be read as the endgame to unite with her male side and finally be complete.

I Did Something Bad
There was a great post from an anon who did a transmasc analysis of IDSB and interpreted “They're burning all the witches even if you aren't one” as Taylor saying she’s not a witch, and thus not a woman, since she often uses witches as a metaphor for femininity. There’s a lot of other analysis so the whole post is worth reading.

I Think He Knows
I think he knows his hands around / A cold glass / Make me wanna know that body / Like it's mine
This could be interpreted as she wants to pretend she has a male body. It has similarities to the Teardrops On My Guitar line above.

Cosmo quiz
In the 2014 Cosmo quiz, she said, “If I were a boy for a day the first thing I’d do is be the best boyfriend EVER.” Definitely gaylor-coded but there are theylor overtones as well and is consistent with other evidence of her expressing jealousy towards men.

Acting Like a Boy
This is the name of an unreleased song that Taylor apparently wrote for Fearless.

Other Theylor posts
I wanted to close with links to some past theylor-related posts from this sub. If there are other good ones I missed, please let me know and I’ll add them.

submitted by Wild_Butterscotch977 to GaylorSwift [link] [comments]

2024.05.04 16:50 Terthelt The Adventure Zone: Balance - FIRST TIME LISTEN: "Petals to the Metal" Chapter Ten (finally)

Ep 27: Marry Your Trees
Recap Masterlist
Your girl's back for more vain hope of enjoyable McElnoise. Hope you all had a good ~~Thanksgiving~~ ~~Christmas~~ ~~New Year's Eve~~ ~~Valentine's Day~~ ~~Easter~~ ~~eclipse~~ May 3rd!
Yeah, so, uh... it's been a minute. I got distracted by a lot of excellent media, by my own writing endeavors, by my work schedule, by vacations, by the many slings and arrows of life, etc. And I just couldn't muster up the energy most days to even think about finishing Petals. But I really miss doing these, and I miss reading people's responses to 'em, so here I am again to blow this joint and move on to a certain kingdom of crystals, where hopefully my attention won't be led further astray.
You Boys Have One More Shot To Make This Arc Worthwhile

Recap covers Garyl "dying", the one funny joke in the episode (Maarvey's corpse sliding off the wagon), Justin embiggening the motorcycle, and Merle hitting the button. Griffin's a coward for not including the bit where he had Hurley take out multiple enemies at once and then mocked the idea of rolling for it.
Marzak
Immediately after the button's been hit, the ram horns on the front of the wagon fold out and the tailpipes rattle, and the whole thing turns into a rocket-propelled arrow. And I must admit to some confusion right away, because we've established since Chapter Six that the big button is supposed to fire a giant harpoon, and that was what was going to catch them up to Sloan. A massive power boost has never been mentioned before. I've gone back over all my relevant recaps for this arc and I can't see a thing about it. Either this is a massive long-term mistake on my part, or we're in retcon town from the jump; we'll see whether the harpoon gets used later and decide. I will quietly sit here and go stir-crazy over it as we wait.
Regardless, Hurley's wagon catches up to Sloan's winged hovercraft thing, as does Taako's motorcycle. Just in time, too, as the finish line -- and cliff -- are finally in sight! I'm counting my blessings Griff can't toss anything else in here to prolong it, barring Sloan earthbending more cliff into existence. Hurley and Sloan are both laughing maniacally as they grind up against each other (make your own jokes), both too caught up in the fun of the race at this point.
Travis asks if anyone remembers why they even need to beat Sloan in the first place. This is a great question to hear from one of your players ten hours into your professionally recorded story arc. We're reminded that according to Hurley, beating Sloan in the race will cause her to immediately give up the Gaia Sash after realizing she's not all-powerful, which I would say still seems a little flimsy based on what little we've seen of Sloan's personality, but... feh. It's the least of Petals' problems.
Unfortunately for them, Sloan's starting to pull ahead again! After we establish that it's still in jumping distance, Taako opts to stow his wand, throw the emergency brake on his giant bike, and pull out... the Wand of Switcheroo. Remember that? It's the wand he got from Fantasy Costco way back in the first shopping segment -- in Episode 9 -- that causes the target to switch places with him. Griffin is delighted that he remembered at all, and since he fucks up Sloan's Constitution saving throw (the first time he's actually had to roll for something Sloan does, natch), it works. Justin takes Sloan's place in the hover-canoe thing, while Sloan gets sent to the halting motorbike and falls rapidly behind.
You know what? Big props to Griffin for allowing this deviation from a planned solution, even as he seems surprised and confused about how to proceed with the showdown. Let's just hope he doesn't give me reason to rescind the props.
Griffin: "And that was enough. You, on this sleek battlewagon, are fired through the air like an arrow, through-" Travis: "I jump onto the canoe. I wanna win too." Oh, we know.
Taako casts Gust of Wind to keep Magnus away, which turns this bit into a wonderful little playground argument as Travis, Justin, and even Clint start suggesting ridiculous back-and-forth blows to win the race. I'm not going to transcribe the whole thing because it's rather long, but it's so refreshing to actually perk up and laugh a little at something in this stretch of episodes.
And with that... Taako crosses the finish line! Race is over! The great weights lift from my spirit! I know once again what it is to live and love!
Wuh oh. He is still hurtling toward the cliff at top speed! Griffin explains that he can't find the brake in this battlewagon, and- oh, never mind. He was just doing a bit. Taako's good. Might have been room for some hijinks with a quick escape scene, but I'll let it ride just to get the fuck away from these vehicles.
Time for what I think might be the first of Griffin's much-ballyhooed self-composed soundtrack! There's a whimsical, Zelda town-esque horn theme playing through Taako's victory celebration. Sounds pretty good.
Hi it's me, Terthelt, ten seconds later. It is distractingly Zelda-y. I'll try to keep paying attention.
Our heroes are so absorbed in congratulating Taako (and in Magnus' case, himself) for the win that they almost miss Sloan riding up on the bike, looking deathly ill at her loss. She clutches her chest as giant bolts of lightning erupt from her back, striking the ground and sprouting more of those damn vines as she goes. She drives straight off the cliff -- prompting Griffin to give Hurley an ear-piercing "SLOAN, NO!" -- but a giant gust of wind blows everyone back as they rush to check...
And Sloan manifests a gigantic tornado a few feet from the cliff's edge, surrounded by thousands of ravens. It's almost like this plan to defeat her made no sense, y'all!
Travis/Magnus: "I turn to Hurley, uh, s- let me do my voice, ahehehem: 'So uuuh, how's the whole beating her and she'll give us the sash thing going?" MY HERO.
A despondent Hurley takes off her mask, to the collective gasps of the audience. Magnus follows and takes off his own mask, proudly announcing himself to far fewer gasps. Trav's on a roll this episode, it's been so long since my last listen that I almost forgot how much fun he can be when he plays along.
Clint: "And I take my mask off and say, 'And I'm Bruce Wayne!'" Griffin: "O-okay. You all hear, uh, 'oh, okay, Mr. Wayne. Cool." Taako: "I'm actually a mongoose. Meow!"
Hurley straps back into her car, seemingly intent on driving into the tornado to save Sloan, but Magnus hops on and preempts her heroic sacrifice, followed shortly by Taako ("No adventure would be complete without Weasel Man!"). Everyone shares a somber laugh, and then collectively stare awkwardly at Merle until he agrees to get in too.
We quickly see the wagon's damage repaired, even as the mile-wide tornado is presumably bearing down on everyone, but then it's time for the showdown. At which point Griffin forgets the word "rev" and laboriously tries to describe how Hurley is holding the gas and the brake at the same time to make the cool noises like in the movies. Someone get our baby boy to a home, the fog is already taking him.
The brake is released, and the car flies forward, straight off the cliff and into the massive birb vortex. Inside waits an enormous pillar of tangled vines, at the top of which waits a partially encased Sloan, fully overtaken by the Gaia Sash. Clint cuts through the drama to make a very lame Wizard of Oz reference, and is then bullied not for the lameness of it, but for daring to reference something so OLD and OBSCURE as THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Dare I hope for a decent final boss battle here? There hasn't been a really entertaining bit of combat in Balance since Rockport, and even that was arguable compared to the heights of Gerblins. I'd like to remain optimistic, but given the vague bit I know about how this arc is going to wrap up, that's easier said than done.
Hurley is now screaming in obvious delight at being sucked into a tornado, which feels a bit tone-deaf when she's staring down her horribly brainwashed (ostensible) lover. The four gab a bit about what to do, since she just drove off the cliff with no plan, before settling on using the harpoon to get in close. So I guess I was just wrong about where the harpoon was and what it was for. Nuts.
Taako makes a ranged attack roll of 18 to blast the harpoon out, and it strikes true and digs in near the top of the vines without impaling the stricken lesbian. After a bit of reeling in, the wagon crashes down just under the platform, and everyone clambers up to confront Sloan. Griffin compares her current state to Gundren Rockseeker after he donned the fire gauntlet, and I'm just... struck, for a moment, at how long it's been since I listened to those episodes. Everything felt so much simpler then. In the podcast, and in my life... And if I'd stuck to my original schedule, I'd have finished all of Balance up long before now...

Terthelt Takes A Break To Eat A Mint Brownie At 11 PM On A Work Night

Everyone's stuck for ideas, so Magnus asks Hurley what they should do, since she actually knows Sloan. Hurley sadly remarks that she might never have really known her, which is an odd thing to say about someone clearly brainwashed and out of her mind, but alright.
Clint, beaming: "I cast ZONE OF TRUTH!"
The madman actually does it. Faced with the ambient truth telling field, Magnus rolls a 12 (failure), Hurley a 17 (success, though I'd sooner shove Griffin in a Zone of Truth myself just to make sure), Taako an undisclosed failed number, and Sloan a 14 (failure). Merle immediately asks Sloan how they can defeat/save her, to which whatever's possessing Sloan (via Griffin's rumbling monster voice filter) yammers out a generic villain monologue about its power being absolute. Magnus: "What about the power of love?" Merle: "What about Jesus?" Taako: "What ABOUT Jesus? Where is that guy?' Magnus: "We haven't seen him in a dog day!" Merle: "We could really use some help right now!"
Griffin suddenly cuts into the bit to ask the trio to make -- take a shot now -- Dexterity saving throws. Trav rolls 15, Justin 10, and Clint a pitiful 8. On cue, Sloan lashes out a vicious vine and knocks everyone down for 9 HP each -- a blow which Hurley obviously avoids gracefully, without a roll.
At last, we're rolling initiative! Like this is some kind of D&D game or some shit.
Taako's up first, but not before Sloan pulls back her vine and sprouts up a giant vine body to do battle. They banter for a bit about why they're standing on vines and how many boss fights in video games take place on floating vine arenas (I guess?); when his head's back in the game, Taako talks with Hurley and confirms that the gang didn't get the chance to rest after the race, so their options are mostly depleted. He casts a basic fireball on the plant colossus, destroying its head and setting it ablaze for a whopping 66 fire damage (33 doubled, since plants are unique among all other life for their hatred of being on fire). And that... might have been his last spell! Oh dear.
Up next, Merle casts Prayer of Healing to heal the whole party. Nothing fancy, just a smart move he rolls well for.
Magnus waffles for a minute on what he should do, but ends up making an attempt to pull the malevolent flora open and save Sloan manually. Griffin asks for a Sleight of Hand check just to get a handhold on the vines, and ever the tactical genius roller, Trav gets a 17 the moment Griffin says he needs to beat 15. He follows it up with a 26 (19+7) for Strength, even! AND that counts as a crit for him! I'm at the edge of my seat here, folks. He succeeds in ripping the vines apart and exposing Sloan, and then opts to roll a 23 (16+7) to punch her lights out. After all of that, all he succeeds in doing is making her bleed and laugh.
The booming voice filter on Sloan is really taking me out of it. Not that I was super in to begin with, but it is mildly irritating whenever Griffin sees the need to do a grand evil cackle.
Now it's Sloan's turn, and the vines immediately slam shut around Magnus, trapping him in the cavity with Sloan. Engulfed in pitch darkness, our stalwart hero manages to parry the next nebulously-described attack, but still takes 26 points of damage. Outside, the colossus regrows its head and summons a rain cloud to put the fire out, before taking a big spiky swing at Merle and Taako for 18 damage each. Justin says "hachi machi" for the second time this episode. You know, I've always seen people quote that when Justin's knee deep in drama, but I guess I happened to never listen to any MBMBAMs where he does it. This is an astoundingly pointless observation because I can't think of anything more interesting to say about the plant monster, and Clint already beat me to an Audrey II joke.
Hurley's turn! What shenanigans will the DMPC grace us with this time? She hops right off the edge of the arena (to audible confusion), but floats back up holding the battlewagon's arcane core, and -- with another signature annoying Hurley one-liner ("Ready to do some pruning?") -- smashes it on the ground in front of Taako. From it emerge a swarm of glowing blue flecks, which Taako's staff turns inside out to swallow up, filling him with a surge of never-before-seen power; practically, this just means his spell slots are all filled up again. Sure, alright. It sounds like something that breaks some rule or another, but it gets Taako back in the game, and I'm just grateful she didn't do a flying meteor dropkick into a reverse German suplex for 800 unrolled damage and a free ice cream.
On cue, Taako's turn. Justin jokes about casting Zone of Truth on himself to guarantee his cries of victory will come true, but decides to just throw out another fireball. He gets a good roll total at 32 (multiplied into 64 damage), only for Griffin to play cute with his description of how powerful Taako feels, urging him to keep rolling D6s as the fireball gets bigger and bigger. Our bewildered wizard proceeds to roll another dozen times and ends up with a combined total of 160 damage when Griffin finally tells him he can stop, gleefully describing what amounts to the sun itself manifesting from Taako's staff and blasting down upon the colossus.
Yeah, I don't know. It's a cool moment, I guess. It was just handed to Justin on a silver platter without him having to think of anything or make use of his mechanics, but it's narrated colorfully enough. Probably I'm just being a curmudgeon about combat again.
The sun explosion scorches away almost every vine, exposing Sloan (and Magnus, hi Magnus) before she immediately gets back to it. This time she summons a barrier of black-and-white thorned vines, which Hurley identifies as an infamous plant both venomous and cursed. Hurley urgently calls a huddle at the edge of the platform, gives the gang a big hug, and... blasts them off the arena, activating their safety harnesses. This- this can't be the end of the fight, right? They didn't even finish a second turn! Taako is the only PC who got to move twice!
As our heroes watch helplessly, Hurley glows with a brilliant white light and charges into the brambles, beautifully radiating the light through the entire vine arena and the tornado itself before the trio black out. And that would seem to be the end of her(ley).
So... yeah. I guess that's it? I knew a big heroic sacrifice was incoming, but I expected to have... any buildup or impact whatsoever, for how much it gets talked about. I expect I'll have more to say about this in a minute, but I'll let it ride for now.
Travis: "We did it! And not a life was lost! No cost to ourselves!" Justin: "Another W for the good guys!" Travis: "We're gonna get a plaque for this one for SURE." Clint: "Yay us!"
Once they're all done commiserating their grief, Griff brings the trio back to consciousness in a pool of water in the Goldcliff city center. Also in the pool is Sloan, now rejuvenated, cradling the sickly Hurley as infection visibly travels up her body. Alright, so at least there's more to it before they get sent off. I truly expected it to just fade back on the two dead.
Hurley weakly moaning "You're in troublllle!" as the Militia sirens get closer is kind of cute, tbh.
Sloan/Griffin/Hurley/this dialogue format was a mistake: "'This whole time, I was looking for something more powerful than this FUCKING belt.' Um, and she looks down at Hurley, and she says, 'I'm such a fool.' And Hurley says, 'Yeah.'" Taako: "Don't you have any healing magics? You're a cleric for crying out loud!" Merle: "Me?" Sloan: "The venom of the silverpoint...................... There's nothing to be done." Justin?/Taako?: "Horseshit!"
Sloan makes a whispered agreement with the dying Hurley, and implores the party to never let something like this happen again with the other artifacts. With that, and another dramatic musical sting, the duo... explode into cherry blossoms and sprout into a giant tree, leaving only vague suggestions of their figures gnarled into the base, and the Gaia Sash resting alongside their racing masks.
BRB shaking and crying
;--;
Listened to Scissor Sisters' "I Can't Decide" on repeated loop at 1.5x speed, I think I'm all better now
Griffin Dougie McElroy, you've done it again. You've played with my heartstrings and sent off a legendary heroine with the kind of panache Hollywood wishes they had. I'm going to adopt a ram in Hurley's memory.
Ahem. With all of that settled, and with the ad break music fading in, Magnus and Taako glance over the tree and elbow each other a little over who's going to pick up the sash. Justin/Taako: "I notice Magnus reaching for Railsplitter and I say, 'Don't even think about it.'"

Ad Break, In Which I Digress On Gay Characters And The Burying Thereof
So. Yes. The lesbians turned into trees. As I said at the top of the arc, I did know this moment would happen in vague terms, I just had no idea what the context or execution would be. This moment stirred up a good bit of controversy over the subject of "Bury Your Gays", probably amplified in specificity by the 2015-2016 controversy over dead lesbians in various recent TV shows, and even now it's still debated whether killing Hurley and Sloan off this way was a good decision.
Bury Your Gays is a real thing, and it is still a broad issue, even as the landscape for representation has gotten much wider since 2015. Major rep is more important than ever, and will be until we no longer face such intense and constant extermination efforts. That said, it's a term best applied to trends, not universally applicable to every time a character on the LGBTQ+ spectrum is killed off or otherwise sent away. Imagine how fucking dull stories with diverse casts would be if queer characters were invincible. I love writing and experiencing diverse stories; I also love writing and experiencing things dark and full of violence and death. Some crossover is to be expected. What matters is that the death in question suits the story and the character, and doesn't feel malicious or denigrating.
To that end, is Hurley and Sloan's treensformation a case of Bury Your Gays? I wouldn't say so, even putting it in context of late 2015 (where there were already way, way, WAY better choices for sapphic rep than a D&D podcast by three cishet guys). Griffin definitely thought this would be a beautiful and poignant sendoff, and contorted the whole arc to build up to it. To the extent that Hurley and Sloan are characters at all, it fits them just fine. I can see a version of it that even rings home emotionally. Fang and Vanille's ending in Final Fantasy XIII -- which I would wager is what Griffin pulled this scene from -- is both more resonant and way more problematic.
My problem with Hurley and Sloan's sendoff is that they weren't a thing. There's hardly a gay relationship here to get upset about ending. Even with my thickest sapphic shipper goggles on, outside of the very first time Hurley talked about Sloan (where there were some innuendos that went right over everyone's heads), almost nothing about the two indicates that they're more than friends. They barely interact before the big pseudo-romantic death scene. Again, even in late 2015 -- mere months after the legalization of gay marriage -- there was substantially better on offer across various mediums. Seeing Hurley and Sloan held up as trailblazers of Real Lesbian Rep rings even falser now that I've seen their story. I feel nothing for these characters.
If Hurley and Sloan meant a lot to you at the time, and if you were invested enough in them to feel hurt by how Griffin sent them off, I don't say this to demean you. I would be genuinely curious to hear your takes. But I went in with low expectations to meet, and I'd be lying if I didn't call this whole thing unreasonably thin gruel for the hype.
Ad Break Finite

Oh right, this is a D&D podcast I'm writing about.
As we fade back in, Taako approaches the Gaia Sash, only for the evil voice from earlier (without the filter, so it's just Griff's scratchy little guy voice) to appear in his head with promises of unimaginable power. Taako's into it, but does his good boy job and resists its influence, only to be met with a critical fail roll of 9! And thus is Goldcliff menaced forevermore by the elemental sorcerer-king known only as The Mongoose -- nah, just as he's sliding the sash around his body, Hurley and Sloan's voices pop in and bid him-
WAIT THEY'RE STILL ALIVE IN THAT TREE? THEY'RE NOT GHOSTS OR FUSED OR ANYTHING, THEY SOUND TOTALLY LUCID AND FINE. THAT WHOLE DIGRESSION WAS FUCKING POINTLESS
Hurley and Sloan's voices pop in and bid him to be stronger, allowing him another roll with advantage. This time he rolls even worse with a 3. Before Griffin can conjure up a third lesbian in an icicle to cheer him on harder, Magnus rolls 22 to punch Taako in the head and Merle also rolls 22 to steal the sash off his body. Just one more in a long string of consequence negation, but I'll allow it on the basis that it's really funny and I'm taking anything to laugh at in this arc like a drowning woman clinging to chunks of driftwood.
Gaia Sash: "Oh, a- a nature cleric?! I should've come to you first! Come on man, put me on!" Merle: "Nobody ever thinks of Merle..." Gaia Sash: "There's no vine you'll never be able to not fuck! I'll give you sexual conquest over anything, whether you wanna fuck an onion, or..." Everyone: [laughter] Griffin: "But you've beaten this thing in a- a test of wisdom." Merle: "I don't need your help, pal!" Griffin, gut punched: "Fuckin' an onion?!" Merle: "To have sex with an onion!" If nothing else, I'm glad this arc managed a perfect bookending brick joke.
With his dominance over nature confirmed, Merle drops the Gaia Sash into his fanny pack and zips it up. Hurley and Sloan congratulate them on solving the problem, and just as the Militia surround the pool, Captain Bane (remember when I thought he was going to be the villain?) shows up and defuses the situation. We cut to Bane's office, where he asks for a rundown of the story and what happened to Hurley (Taako: "Tree now."), as well as inquiring how they've resisted three of these artifacts (they just did).
With that done and several terrible tree puns made, Bane makes a toast to Hurley, urging the trio to drink with him. Aggressively urging. We only have like six minutes left in this arc, but holy shit, is there still time for my guess -- based entirely on this ridiculously minor character's name -- to be right?
The gang see through it immediately and Taako casts Charm Person, but while he fails against Bane's 19 roll, it's enough for him to sense that Bane is already being mind controlled. He abruptly glows red(?) and stands up, smashing Merle and Taako's glasses and chugging Magnus', immediately dropping dead as the same silverpoint vine poison that did Hurley in takes effect. Behind him manifests another humanoid figure -- one whose features are completely hidden by a bright red robe. Magnus tries to beat the shit out of it, but it's completely incorporeal. I've been waiting on these guys to show up! All I know is that they're the main antagonistic force, and I think I remember some vague osmosed things to do with Stolen Century, but it's been long enough since I absorbed any discussion that it's all hazy. Excited to see if they're worth a damn.
In a booming, echoey whisper, the red-robed figure asks repeatedly, "ARE YOU AFRAID?" The trio only have banter and piss-taking in response, up until it extends its arm and holographically projects a series of faces: Gundren Rockseeker, Magic Brian, Jenkins (god how I miss you Jenkins), Sloan, and Bane. It rambles a bit about the true nature of man, and we get our first namedrop of the Hunger being the all-consuming threat (that, as I've said before, I do know about) before vanishing. Everyone small-talks for a solid minute about how spooky it was.
Taako: "Guys, I think- I think- if I was getting the right message from that, I think we're gonna need to turn our attention to one VERY important question... Do you think there was any prize money for the race, is that something we need to check back in on?"
Griffin obliges and reveals that Bane had two hitherto-unmentioned briefcases on his desk, labeled 1 and 2, respectively nabbed up by Taako and Merle. Inside, respectively: 3,000 and 1,500 gold pieces! Taako decides to split it three ways for 1,500 gold apiece, which is fair, but so unlike the boot-stealing, silverware-hoarding maniac I fell in love with in arcs prior. Character development?
Magnus loots Bane's body and takes his badge, and Merle obtains a little black vial of silverpoint poison. And then... the small talk about the Red Robe plays again? The fuck? The entire last three minutes of audio just loops as the progress bar continues, before resuming as normal for the actual end of the episode. I had to check the transcript to make sure I didn't miss anything in that time. Guess the official MaxFun upload just broke in a weird and specific way.
Speaking of MaxFun, Justin rings us out by celebrating the season's completion and taking jabs at the idea of Kickstarter and Patreon. Make of that finely-aged milk what you will, dear jerkers. I got nothin'. I'm tired. That's all she wrote.

Post-Episode
Mostly about as boring as the past few episodes. I've already said my piece on Sloan and Hurley writ large, but the fight to get to the infamous moment was both mid and ridiculously short (I know, I know: "the food here is terrible, and such small portions"). Miraculously, though, things did pick up significantly in the last ten minutes of the episode. The trio seemed reinvigorated on the banter and improv front once the tree scene was done, and there was more to make me smile and chuckle in that home stretch than in pretty much the whole arc. I even liked the Bane / Red Robe scene as an ominous story beat! It's weird to end a Petals episode feeling generally positive!
Petals to the Metal, In Review
I think the fact that I took a full year to slog through the arc, nearly half of that just being procrastination on the final episode, speaks more to my opinion of Petals than anything scathing I could write.
The tower climb, the heist, the race, the showdown... every individual chunk of this storyline was an endurance test. Griffin really let out the worst of his DMing tendencies here, between the railroading, the fake rolls or complete absence of rolls, the ceaseless rimming of his own special characters to the minimization of the players, etc. And through it all, there were so precious few jokes and bits that actually landed for me.
I thought Rockport had a few serious issues, but it was sterling compared to this mess. All I can really admire about it is the ambition and the fact that the guys all sounded like they were having a good time for most of it.
Comedy Ranking: Rockport > Gerblins > Moonlighting > Petals
Quality Ranking: Gerblins > Rockport > Petals > Moonlighting
Here's to Crystal Kingdom being at least a change of pace, even if from what I hear, it'll be a lot more serious. And here's to me not taking another six months to do the next episode, however busy I am.

submitted by Terthelt to TAZCirclejerk [link] [comments]

2024.05.04 04:51 HypixL The BR is dying and the Metaverse is killing it

"... For a while now, we've been spending way more money than we earn, investing in the next evolution of Epic and growing Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators. I had long been optimistic that we could power through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect I see that this was unrealistic. While Fortnite is starting to grow again, the growth is driven primarily by creator content with significant revenue sharing, and this is a lower margin business than we had when Fortnite Battle Royale took off and began funding our expansion. Success with the creator ecosystem is a great achievement, but it means a major structural change to our economics."

This is a direct quote from Tim Sweeney. We also now have confirmation that the Events team for the BR was gutted and corralled into the "Brick Mode" team by Donald Mustard himself, and that's the only team we know of. The BR has been hemorrhaging players all of Chapter 4, regained traction for Season OG massively, then lost a bulk majority of OG's playerbase right after and we're already back down to the Chapter 4 standard. The BR shop has been watered down by "Brick Mode's" standards for ages now. The BR has gone unbalanced for 2 whole seasons now. The Winter Event was watered down heavily. The Easter event didn't see the return of the Egg Launcher for the first time since Chapter 2. The Greek season has been 50% non-greek. And now we go into the May the 4th event with most of the event being in "Brick Mode" while the BR gets the same Vader Saber we've had for ages, no force powers, and just the wookie boltcaster.
The last time Epic put this little effort into something was Save the World, and that mode lost all support years ago now. We very well may see the end of the BR within the next two years as they move towards the Disney metaverse and creator made experience ecosystem they want, especially if all these poor updates keep losing players like they are.

submitted by HypixL to FortNiteBR [link] [comments]

2024.05.03 00:58 RetroBeetle Answering YOUR Questions About CassidyVictim! (2024 Edition)

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CassidyVictim: The theory that states that the Crying Child/Bite Victim from FNaF 4 is the true identity of Cassidy, the spirit who became Golden Freddy.
CassidyVictim is a theory which I have been pursuing for nearly 2 years, and it's one that I believe holds the key to solving the Cawthon Era story of FNaF once and for all. It changes a lot about what we think we know about the games, but when all is said and done, it provides a clean, satisfying narrative that can be followed across the games from FNaF 1 to Ultimate Custom Night.
Of course, as with any theory, not everyone sees it that way. There have been a lot of points brought up against CassidyVictim over the past couple of years, and though I believe there to be solutions for each point, it can be hard to convey all of it at once. Explanations for events in FNaF aren't the kind of thing you can summarize in one or two paragraphs of a comment.
That's why, one week ago, I asked you to send me your questions about CassidyVictim. You guys asked, now it's time for me to answer. There were a lot of questions this time compared to last time (thank you very much for that!), so I'll be running through each question one-at-a-time to cover everything you brought up. Without further ado...

u/71450: "If MikePurg is true, and TMIR1280 is showing how UCN rather than the characters in UCN, then whats the point of making "the man" William? Is it just to confuse us?"

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"The Man in Room 1280" serves two purposes: 1.) To explain the logistics of how Ultimate Custom Night is possible, and 2.) To add an additional layer to the Stitchwraith story.
On the one hand, Scott needed the story to provide an answer for people who were confused about Ultimate Custom Night being a purgatory or personal hell or what have you; to that end, "The Man" depicts a person who has a spirit latched onto their brain, creating a nightmare that they can't wake from.
On the other hand, Scott needed the story to contribute to the Stitchwraith storyline that had been present throughout the books' epilogues and certain other stories; to that end, "The Man" depicts William Afton as a character within the Stitchline, leading to his and Andrew's eventual inclusion in the Stitchwraith itself. Rather than creating a brand-new murderer who would end up just getting killed off shortly thereafter, Scott used William and used him as a bridge from the earlier part of the Stitchwraith's journey to the later, Eleanor-centric part of the story.
It's the same sort of thing as "Coming Home"; the "Susie" from "Coming Home" is decidedly different than the "Susie" in the games, but she serves to explain to us how spirits possessing animatronics can interact with the real world.

u/zain_ahmed002 and u/71450: "How'd you explain FNAF World?"/"What are the clocks, and what does yellow eyes mean by 'the pieces are in place for you, all you need to do is find them'?"

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FNaF World is the setup for "Happiest Day".
Judging by the yellow-eyed character's shared quotes with the Fredbear voice from FNaF 4, it seems safe to say that the owner of the yellow eyes is the person speaking through the Fredbear plush, which should mean that Charlotte is the one behind the eyes — an explanation for CharlottePlush can be found here: (Link) With that in mind, Charlotte is the one guiding the player through FNaF World and encouraging them to find the clocks that set up the "Happiest Day" minigame. But to what end?
The answer lies in Old Man Consequences's lake. In Ultimate Custom Night, reaching the lake triggers the same flag that unlocks the Old Man Consequences trophy in FNaF World, indicating that what happens at the lake in one game also happens in the other game. In FNaF World, when the player drowns themselves in the lake, they're taken to a screen that the game's files refer to as Happiest Day. From this, we can infer that the real "Happiest Day" sequence doesn't occur until Ultimate Custom Night, at which point Cassidy enters the lake and the nightmare ends.
To that end, FNaF World takes place at the same time as Ultimate Custom Night. The Easter eggs of Bouncepot, Tangle, and White Rabbit on the desk are there to show us that FNaF World is happening very close by. The whole thing is an attempt by Charlotte to get Cassidy to stop tormenting Michael. She does that the same way Jake does with Andrew, Eleanor, and others across the Stitchwraith story; finding happy memories and bringing them to light. The clocks lead to the resurfacing of Cassidy's memories, which are then explored and mended through the FNaF 3 minigames.
Who exactly the player controls in FNaF World isn't clear, but it doesn't seem to be too terribly important (my best guess is that it's Gabriel's spirit, since we do control Freddy in the overworld). What is important is that the yellow eye cutscenes are Charlotte talking directly to Cassidy. She's trying to help him to reconnect with his happier side, which was lost to years of isolation and Cassidy sort of stewing in his own anger. When she tells him that "the pieces are in place for [him]", she's prompting him to relive the better parts of his past and forgive his brother. It's only when he does that that the both of them can finally move on.

u/Ok-Peak5862: "If cassidy is an afton, then who was the 5th victim in the MCI?"

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There are two possible answers for this one. I'm more inclined to believe Option 1 or Option 2, but the movie has led me to consider Option 3.
Option 1: Cassidy Afton is still believed to be the fifth victim. It's likely that his death was covered up (possibly as "an unfortunate incident. . . involving multiple and simultaneous spring lock failures"?), so him suddenly not being around could mean that people thought he was kidnapped and his disappearance was linked to the other children's disappearances; alternatively, a projection of his spirit could have been picked up by the security cameras at Freddy's, and employees/detectives looking over the footage assumed he was another child who had been lured away to the back rooms by William.
Option 2: The One Retcon^TM was the alteration of the Missing Children's Incident to no longer include Golden Freddy. Scott changed Golden Freddy from one of the Missing Children to the FNaF 4 Crying Child, which we figured was the case at the time anyway (hence "integrated pretty seamlessly"). Either the Missing Children's Incident now consists only of four children (Gabriel, Jeremy, Susie, and Fritz), or Charlotte was retroactively made into one of the five children linked to the incident. Which one is more likely has yet to be determined.
Option 3: The fifth victim is Mr. Cupcake. In the movie, we see Mr. Cupcake acting of his own volition, separately from Chica. I intend to compose a full theory exploring the possibility that Mr. Cupcake is the fifth victim in the movie's timeline (while Golden Freddy is someone different), but in the meantime, it may be that this is the explanation for the games' victims, as well; perhaps the fifth victim (Andrew, maybe?) went on to possess Mr. Cupcake after their body was hidden inside the same Chica suit as Susie?

u/Rocket_SixtyNine: "Why isn't he in the movie."

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The Five Nights at Freddy's Movie changes a lot of the story from the games. Vanessa is now an Afton, Michael is no longer an Afton, and William is killed outside the safe room by Mr. Cupcake. To that end, Cassidy simply doesn't exist in the movie's timeline.
That being said, the same concept still appears in the movie. As I explained above, there's a chance that the fifth victim in the movie went on to possess Mr. Cupcake. My guess is that the child with the white top hat is meant to be that fifth victim, while Grant Feely's blond character is Freddy instead of Golden Freddy. If that's the case, then Golden Freddy is none other than Garret Schmidt, Mike's brother. He's still incorporeal, as evidenced by him vanishing before Abby re-enters the restaurant; that lines up with CassidyVictim's assertion that the Crying Child could be Golden Freddy due to Golden Freddy's lack of physical form.
(Before anyone points out that Golden Freddy appears to have weight when he sits down in the taxi, remember that "Coming Home" shows us that a spirit can still interact with the real world. This is no different.)

u/Random_RHINO2006: "Why is Cassidy apparently talking to themself in the logbook?"

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Cassidy is the name of the altered-text spirit, not the faded-text spirit.
In what's currently my most well-liked theory (Link), I highlighted the fact that the name "Cassidy" is found in the logbook's word search, which is made up of printed letters that Altered has moved around (see also "Who are you", "What is your name"). This seems to indicate that Cassidy is actually Altered's name, not Faded's name. It's one of the biggest points CassidyVictim has going for it right now.
Meanwhile, Faded's name is hidden inside the Foxy Grid; we know this must be the case because of the three faded letters written in the corner of the Foxy Grid, which use the exact same font/typeface as Faded's messages. At the moment, I believe the most compelling argument for who Faded is to be that it's Springtrap trying to figure out who Golden Freddy is. That explains why Faded seems to already know so much about the Crying Child's life.
Even so, I may need to reread the logbook and compile new evidence, because it looks like newer prints of the book changed some of the hints (check for yourself; I couldn't find a single page with an incorrect page number in my more recent copy).

u/No-Efficiency8937: "Who does BV possess/what happens to him?"/"What about fnaf world. . . how would he appear in the logbook. . . years later?"/"Cassidy gender,"/"how would cassidy Aka BV possess golden Freddy?"

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The Bite Victim/the Crying Child/Cassidy Afton dies in the hospital and becomes Golden Freddy due to not being nearby to any object he could easily possess; he's an incorporeal spirit that can change its appearance at will and move through walls. He stalks Michael over the course of the Scott Cawthon Era of FNaF, finally catching him at the end of Pizzeria Simulator and creating Ultimate Custom Night. He moves on when he's given his Happiest Day and he forgives his brother.
FNaF World doesn't take place until Ultimate Custom Night (see above). It does not take place at the same time as FNaF 3, like many believe.
The Princess from Princess Quest is not Cassidy. She may share the name "Cassidy", but that's no different than multiple characters having the name "Michael" or "Susie" or "Jeremy".
See above. Since there was nothing in the hospital for Cassidy to possess (for the purposes of enacting revenge on Michael), he became a ghost and hung around the restaurants for decades, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

u/Content_Cup4400 and u/Rocket_SixtyNine: "What do you think about Stitchlinegames"/"how dose Tales+Sitchline games effect cassidyvictim?"

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I do not believe StitchlineGames to be accurate, but TalesGames could work.
There is too much different between the Stitchwraith timeline ("Stitchline") and the games' timeline for me to accept them as taking place within the same continuity. For one example, in the Stitchline, Circus Baby's Pizza World opened and remained open, whereas in the games, it never got past its initial test-run. For another example, William Afton is still alive in the Stitchline, but he's been dead in the games ever since the spring lock incident. If the Stitchwraith story were directly confirmed as taking place within the same continuity as the games (which I personally find to be highly unlikely), I fear it would appear to contradict CassidyVictim initially, but I don't think it would necessarily mean the end of CassidyVictim; rather, it would mean that I need to do more research to determine how exactly Andrew and Cassidy can exist in the same continuity at the same time.
Tales from the Pizzaplex, however, doesn't contradict the events of the Steel Wool Era of FNaF. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Tales tells us the origin of Glitchtrap and Burntrap; the circumstances surrounding them are very different from each other, as I've gone into detail about before (Link). However, I see no problem with Tales being an origin story for the Mimic. It's like if we had gotten a series of books focused on Circus Baby right before Sister Location released, in that it's not showing us any vital information about the primary antagonist but instead fleshing out the story of a secondary antagonist. It doesn't have any negative impact on CassidyVictim.

u/250extreme: "What do you think Cassidy's relationship with and thoughts on William are throughout the entire series and how do they change if at all?"

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Cassidy didn't know about his father's murders until right at the end.
Of course, William has been shown to be a horrible parent in more ways than one (Midnight Motorist shows us he's an alcoholic, FNaF 4 and The Fourth Closet show us he's neglectful, Midnight Motorist and The Fourth Closet imply he's physically abusive, etc.), so we know his relationship with Cassidy wasn't a good one to begin with. However, Cassidy never knew how far it went; he never recognized William inside the Spring Bonnie suit, so even if he did happen to witness the Missing Children's Incident or the "S-A-V-E-T-H-E-M" murders, he wouldn't have known that it was his own father killing the kids. Evidence for this is shown to us in the logbook, where Cassidy has to ask William his name and believes him when he calls himself Springtrap (see above).
The only point at which that would have changed is after Ultimate Custom Night. Having access to all of Michael's memories (things like the Nightmares or Ennard) means that Cassidy would find out the truth behind Spring Bonnie through Michael's knowledge of the events. At that point, the implication seems to be that Cassidy wanted to punish William the same way he had been tormenting Michael; however, he was stopped by Old Man Consequences and guided to "Happiest Day" instead. For the purposes of this minigame, I'd wager Old Man Consequences is meant to represent Henry, but that's a theory for another day.

u/minion133: "Might sound rude but it is genuine: why do you believe it's correct? Also, what is the logbook about under this theory?"

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My response to your second question answers your first question: The logbook is the reveal that the Crying Child's name is Cassidy.
As explained and linked above, the name "Cassidy" is found in the word search with a bunch of altered text, rather than in the Foxy Grid with a set of faded text. Given that Altered appears to be the Crying Child — he says "the party" was for him and is specifically asked whether the Fredbear plush still talks to him — that should mean that "Cassidy" is the name meant to be associated with Altered, not Faded. The book shows us an interaction between Cassidy and (presumably) his father, as each attempts to figure out who the other is.
That's one of the biggest points of evidence for CassidyVictim, but the truth is that there's a lot of evidence that led me to accepting it as what I believe is the canon answer to the series. An early theory of mine was focused on "Blackbird" and how it seemed to present the idea that the bully was tormented by someone he had hurt before; a more recent theory of mine delved into Ultimate Custom Night and compiled all the evidence for Michael and William each being the player (spoiler alert: Michael had the most by a long shot); and, the whole time, the fact that the Crying Child had a story but no name, while Cassidy had a name but no story, was swirling around in my head. If you'd like a master list of all the points of evidence I've found and all of the theories I've crafted as a result, I've got one right here: (Link)
At this point, I've seen enough evidence for the theory that I don't think I'll be dropping it unless Scott himself shows us something that undeniably debunks it.

u/alpacameron: "what's the point of springtrap communicating with cassidy in the logbook, and why would he introduce himself as springtrap and not as his father?"

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Springtrap's goal is just to figure out who Golden Freddy is. We see him ask a few questions that don't necessarily have anything to do with Cassidy, like "WAS YOUR FAVORITE RIDE THE CAROUSEL?" He doesn't know whom he's speaking with, so he's asking questions to narrow it down.
Meanwhile, he doesn't want to give his identity away if there's a chance that the spirit he's talking to is someone who wants revenge against him. He identifies himself as Springtrap so he can avoid setting one of his victims off. (And since, y'know, he calls himself Springtrap in The Twisted Ones; evidently, he views that form as a stronger version of himself.)

u/InfalliblePizza: "What would the Cassidy movie have been about"

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Like Scott said, the Cassidy screenplay probably would just have followed the story of Cassidy, from his death all the way up to his moving on from Golden Freddy and Michael. It would have shown us the events of the Fredbear Bite/Bite of '83, explained Cassidy's transformation into Golden Freddy, followed Michael as he attempted to make up for his mistake, pitted Golden Freddy against Michael, and resolved with "Happiest Day". As much as I'd have loved to see that movie, I can agree with Scott that what works in a series of games doesn't necessarily work in a singular movie or even series of movies; this movie would have been a lore dump and very little more, and Scott knew that.
(Interestingly, what Scott says about the screenplay actually serves to support CassidyVictim. He mentions that the movie would have been "spanning multiple time-periods, following multiple characters, and featuring lore from multiple games"; that doesn't sound like one of William Afton's victims, but it absolutely sounds like the Crying Child as Golden Freddy.)

u/Good-Engineer-9378 and u/stickninja1015: "What do you think about the trilogy of novels? and how do you explain why Cassidy is a woman here?"/"How do you explain Cassidy explicitly being a girl with black hair"

https://preview.redd.it/o66t457nf3yc1.png?width=1507&format=png&auto=webp&s=21aa591502abf90750246dae205c22ceb77709d0
The Cassidy from the novels is not the same person as the Cassidy from the games. As with the Princess from Princess Quest, it's another character who happens to share the name "Cassidy".
One huge indicator of this is the fact that Novel-Cassidy isn't Golden Freddy. Michael Brooks is repeatedly stated to be the Golden Freddy of the novels' timeline. Whom Cassidy possesses is never mentioned (though many speculate that it's Bonnie, since Jeremy isn't included in the novels' version of the Missing Children). If she really were the same Cassidy, I fail to see why 1.) she isn't still viewed as special among the others like Cassidy is in the games, 2.) she isn't still Golden Freddy, and 3.) the graphic novel depicts her with brown hair instead of the black hair described in the novel version (take note of Susie in the same graphic novel; she was important enough to retain her design elements from both her novel iteration and her game iteration).
I should probably take this moment to address the other half of the black-haired Cassidy theory: the picture of a girl in the logbook is just an illustration, nothing more. It was drawn by an artist working for Fazbear Entertainment, just like all the other drawings in the logbook; I sincerely doubt that said artist had any knowledge of the Missing Children or what they looked like, and they especially wouldn't have known about "Happiest Day" (which wouldn't have even happened yet, seeing as Michael was still around to write in the thing). People bring up the drawings of what looks like Fazbear's Fright, and that certainly sounds convincing, until you notice the drawings of smartphones, the Funtimes, and as recent of a magazine as "Screws, Bolts, and Hairpins"; the logbook was made fairly recently, likely as something to give workers at a Freddy's franchise location.

u/Oliver21417: "Why does Golden Freddy have a girl's laugh in FNAF 1?"

https://preview.redd.it/3a3w3tapf3yc1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=003629cad58c50a8d5268d248927c7281342a116
It's not necessarily a girl's laugh. A lot of young boys have voices that sound high-pitched enough that they can pass as girls, to the point that it's a common practice in voice acting to cast an adult woman as a young male character. It might sound like a girl, but that doesn't mean it has to be a girl. To add onto that, Cassidy is referred to as male in Ultimate Custom Night, and the picture used for his face is of a boy.
Also, don't forget that Golden Freddy's laugh is the same one that's used for Freddy, just slowed down in the latter case. We're fairly confident that the spirit within Freddy is male, so take that for what it's worth.

Conclusion

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Thank you once again to everyone who submitted questions this time around! I hope I was able to answer your questions adequately and in a manner that made sense. If not, please leave a comment with any further inquiries and I'll try my best to address them.
Maybe I'll make this a yearly thing? I dunno, we'll see what the future holds for CassidyVictim.
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Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time. Please keep discussions civil in the comments.

submitted by RetroBeetle to u/RetroBeetle [link] [comments]

2024.05.02 14:30 pillowcase-of-eels [Book/Music] Emilie Autumn's Asylum, pt. 3 – Retconned friendships, abstract deadlines, eternal returns: author's endless tinkerings cause delays and aggravate fans

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Welcome back to this write-up about a complicated artist's complicated book.
Don't be absurd, of course you have time!
Part 1 Part 2
Now that we've established what the book is about, let's take a look at The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls' rich publication and re-publication history. I promise, it's more scandalous than it sounds.

“HER SPEECH IS NOTHING, YET THE UNSHAPÈD USE OF IT DOTH MOVE THE HEARERS TO COLLECTION” (HORATIO, ACT IV SCENE 5)

As I've mentioned in the last installment, TAFWVG has been released multiple times, in multiple editions – four of them, to be precise. And I wish I was exaggerating when I say that three of those four releases have been veritable masterclasses in testing your audience's loyalty. In case you're wondering: the secret is to alter your source material in strange and unpredictable ways, while also constantly messing up on the customer service front.
Most of this installment condenses and combines these two excellent write-ups, which contain most of the receipts: TAFWVG: A History / The Bloody Crumpets: An Inconsistent History. 🔍 Anything that isn't sourced with links is in there. While there were only minor differences between the first and second pressings, the third and fourth editions came with significant alterations to the structure of the book and the story itself, notably the cast of fictional Asylum inmates... a handful of which had, in fact, been obvious avatars of EA's IRL friends and collaborators.
It turns out there are good reasons why most fiction authors don't do real-life inserts so overtly – but in EA's case, it did make sense, and was warmly embraced by fans upon release. When the book first came out, some of these people had been familiar to the fanbase for years, frequently appearing in candid pictures on EA's blog and leaving comments on the forum; some were also involved in her music and show. Recognizing that one character's name was a pun on So-and-So's username was a nice Easter egg for veteran fans, and newcomers got to learn about fandom lore; it brought the story to life and the community closer.
One side character, for instance, was named after EA's best friend from Chicago, whom many fans had had direct interactions with: she co-ran EA's online stores during the Enchant years, and acted as admin, main moderator and EA-liaison of the forum throughout its near-decade of existence.
One crazy girl who thinks she's a pirate is 100% OC... but her description and illustrations 🪞 were explicitly modeled after pictures of Bloody Crumpet Vecona (one of EA's back-up performers), who became the first stand-in pirate character 📺 in the live show. Captain Vecona was also celebrated as the “Asylum Seamstress” 🪞🔍: most of the iconic early Opheliac costumes were her design. She had a following of her own, even prior to touring with EA, for her professional costuming work and her collaborations with German photographer Angst-im-Wald. (Shitty archive link, sorry - most of those badass photoshoots seem to have been lost to time. But if you were a European goth in the mid-2000s, search your old hard drives: I promise you, you've downloaded some of those pictures.)
Inmate “Veronica”, a cabaret girl diagnosed as a nymphomaniac, was a doppelgänger of her namesake, burlesque dancer Veronica Varlow 🪞 – the ride-or-die Crumpet, whom EA often lovingly called her “husband”, saying they had been lovers in a previous lifetime. Veronica was part of every single tour post-Opheliac release and developed a solid fanbase of her own, which she maintains to this day.
Even the brave and well-mannered talking rats (oh yeah, there's talking rats in the Asylum story) were named after EA's real-life pet rodents, who had featured in glamorous photoshoots. (Slight NSFW for sideboob.)
You get the general gimmick by now: EA turns her personal life into art, which she turns into a fictional world, which she then prompts the audience to inhabit with her. The whole Asylum concept was essentially an open invitation to self-insert parasocial fanfic: “Here's this very personal world that I've created, in which I, the artist, exist as a fictional persona, alongside all these quirky inmate characters that you've seen in my stage show, and who are avatars my real-life friends. Come on in, make it your home, and populate it with your own zany Victorian alter egos.”
And it worked, to an extent: like I've said, most fans were on board before they'd even read the book, and the Asylum became “real” in that sense.
But it can get a bit disorienting to find your place in a fantasy world, when said world keeps changing based on the author's shifting feelings about her story, her target audience, and her friends... plus, you'd love to read the book, but the darn thing still hasn't shipped.

ROUNDS 1 & 2: THE HARDCOVERS

\A MINOR ADJUSTMENT\
TAFWVG was first teased in spoken-word bonus tracks 🎤 on a 2007 EP. In spring 2008, EA started reading excerpts from her upcoming book at live shows. Early excerpts from the Asylum narrative featured a character named “Jo Hee” 📺; in the story, she is a cellist from “the Orient” (love that Victorian geography) and Emily's childhood confidante.
In real life, Lady Jo Hee, Center of Happiness, was the OG Bloody Crumpet. 📺 She had been there since from the very first Opheliac show in Chicago in 2006, accompanying EA on the electric cello – the only instrumentalist ever featured in the line-up besides EA herself.
In August 2008, Alternative Magazine ran a feature about the upcoming book.🔍, teasing some of its pages. Fans were quick to spot a very sisterly picture of EA and Jo Hee 🪞, borrowed from a fan-favorite photoshoot of the two. (An aside: this specific picture also became famous in the fandom for another reason. At some point, someone made an edit replacing Jo Hee with Amy Lee from Evanescence; for a while, it kept making the rounds in alt/goth internet circuits, casual onlookers kept getting excited about it, and Plague Rats kept having to step in and disappoint them.)
Anyway. For reasons undisclosed by either party, Jo Hee quietly left the Crumpets after that tour, never to be mentioned again.
By the time the book came out in late 2009, the character of “Jo Hee” had been renamed “Sachiko”. (I guess it didn't matter whether the one non-white character in the story was meant to be Korean or Japanese.) Jo Hee's face had been edited out of the (still clearly recognizable) photograph, and eerily replaced with Nondescript_Asian_Woman_023.jpg from Shutterstock.🪞
You'd think that the switcheroo would have raised more eyebrows, or at least some awkward chuckles, among fans of an artist whose better-known lyrics include “If I Photoshop you out of every picture, I could / Go quietly, quiet - but would that do any good?”. Yet to my knowledge, it did not. Possibly because, by the time people got around to reading the book, some fans had been waiting for their copy longer than Jo Hee had been a Crumpet.
A ROCKY RELEASE
Although the book seemed just about ready for publication at the time of those 2008 readings, the initial release was delayed by technical difficulties (some data had been lost during the editing process). And then delayed some more when, a year later, EA cancelled the US leg of a tour and slammed the door on Trisol, accusing the label owner of exploitation and embezzlement (he was allegedly selling fake tickets to her shows on a phony website). In August 2009, she signed over to The End Records, and we were back in business, baby!
Not only was The Book on its way to the presses, but the long-awaited release would coincide with a “Deluxe” re-issue of Opheliac, with new cover art and bonus tracks. For $100, you could pre-order the “Ultimate Book/Album Collection”, which included the revamped album, the book, a t-shirt, a tote bag, a recipe booklet and some bonus digital downloads, to be shipped in October. Or, for a more up-close-and-personal experience, you could purchase a VIP bundle for her upcoming shows in the fall: $50 plus ticket price would get you the book, a swag bag, and a meet-and-greet. (VIP tickets were capped at 20 slots per show; from what I gather, informal interactions with fans at the merch table were becoming overwhelming on previous tours. Again: fast-growing audience.)
Alas, due to printing issues this time, the making and shipping were soon pushed back to December. VIP ticket-holders were assured, at the start of the tour, that their copies would be shipped first as soon as the books were printed, with handwritten dedications from EA. Purchasers of the “Book/Album” bundle would receive theirs shortly thereafter. This seemed like a reasonable trade-off for a minor delay, and no one was too upset. (Well, some might have been, but at that juncture in Asylum history – for reasons that will become apparent in a later installment, when we get to EA's altercations with her fans – I guess they knew better than to get mouthy about it.)
The bundles came first... and in many cases, “bundle” was a generous term, because they arrived incomplete. When the t-shirt or tote bag weren't missing, they were printed the wrong colors. Many digital download codes had to be requested via email. The book itself was beautiful, but poorly bound, typo-ridden, and missing entire pages. (This was largely fixed in the second hardcover release.)
As far as I know, everyone who complained to the distributor got their money back – and I imagine it was a nice surprise when some items showed up, inexplicably, months after they had already been refunded. But it was still a bit of a “sad trombone” moment for many loyal fans, who had to request a refund on the Ultimate Super-Cool Preorder Exclusive Bundle to purchase the book and album separately.
As for the VIP package books, those didn't start shipping until late 2010 – a whole year after the official book release, months after less invested fans had already received their non-preordered copies. Worse: none of the books were signed, much less lovingly adorned with a personalized handwritten note as EA had promised. (And had tweeted about doing during the year-long shipping delay!) After enough fans meekly expressed their intense disappointment, EA's BFF-forum-admin mailed out signed bookplates that people could stick in their book in lieu of a personalized autograph. No real explanation was given. As far as I know, this particular let-down didn't cause a mass exodus of disappointed fans – but, in the midst of other goings-on, it certainly contributed to eroding many fans' trust in EA's word.
EA TAKES ON HOLLYWOOD
The 2011 release of the largely-identical second edition was better planned and overall uneventful, which gives me time to catch you up on contemporaneous events – like the reason EA ditched the Opheliac red and went platinum blonde. 🪞
Around that time, EA got herself a supporting role and a solo number 🎵📺 in The Devil's Carnival, Darren Lynn Bousman's psychocircus-themed movie musical. (If you're scrambling to place the name: depending on what kind of deviant you are, DLB is either the guy who directed half of the Saw movies or the guy who directed Repo! The Genetic Opera.)
If you've clicked the last link: see the bad boy greaser she's dancing with at the end of the song? That's the titular “Scorpion”, played by Marc Senter, and they were totally hitting on each other while shooting this. 📝🪞 They've been an item for twelve years now, in what appears to be a loving and mutually supportive relationship, and they seem besotted with each other. That's only marginally relevant to the story, but it's nice to know that at least one nice thing worked out in all this mess.
Back to 2011. Through her friendship with DLB and the Devil's Carnival cast (a motley crew of top-shelf B-listers 🔍 that included Bill Moseley, Paul Sorvino, the chick from Spy Kids, and the clown from Slipknot), EA also made a bunch of new industry connexions. That's how she came to decide that TAFWVG was meant to be more than a book, more than a live show: it had to become... a musical. Full company, full orchestra, big names, the works. Her 2012 album, Fight Like a Girl, was written and recorded with this project in mind, with most songs narrating events from the book and EA singing as various characters – which turns love duets into finger food for Dr. Freud. 🎵
Shortly before the album release, EA announced on Twitter that the Asylum Musical was scheduled to debut in the London West End, under the direction of Bousman, in 2014. "Casting calls to be announced soon!" (They were not.)

ROUND 3: THE AUDIOBOOK

2014 came, and brought... another TAFWG re-release announcement.
But wait – this time, it was going to be an audiobook! EA had been teasing one since before the original release, so people were quite excited. (It also sounded like a more achievable goal for the calendar year than a West End debut.) In early 2014, recording was well on its way, and the 6-CD boxset was due to ship in May.
PLEASE STAND BY, YOUR ASYLUM WILL BE PROCESSED SHORTLY
First, EA discovered “a new microphone ... that, upon testing, produced a recording of far greater beauty and expressive quality”, which naturally meant the whole thing had to be re-recorded. Two month's delay. No biggie. Our girl is a perfectionist.
But our girl also had to write, coordinate and rehearse her upcoming “Asylum Experience” – an afternoon-long interactive theater event, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, which would be performed at five dates of the Vans Warped Tour in August. (It's not exactly the West End, but it's a start! 🔍) And then she had to prepare for the filming of the Devil's Carnival sequel in the fall. So, obviously, the July deadline was not met. When she finally gave an update in late 2014, the ETA was basically “we are ever so close, but the audiobook gets there when it gets there; feel free to ask for a refund if you're not along for the ride”.
And then she signed with a literary agent. TAFWVG was going to be made into a “real” book, that readers could purchase in stores for a normal price and request from their local library – big event! (More for EA, I think, than for her fans. By that point, the second edition could be purchased as a PDF, and I believe most people who pre-ordered the audiobook had already read the story.) But this involved tailoring the narrative to a more general audience, which meant portions of the book had to be re-written... which meant further delays.

...Besides, and let’s have a teacup of “honesty time” here, if the new Asylum becomes an internationally best-selling novel, not only can we enact more change for good, but the Asylum Musical takes over Broadway faster, the Asylum Movie takes over theatres faster, and YOU are all dressed up as rats/inmates in said movie, you guessed it, faster (“Asylum Audiobook Announcement from EA”📝)

Well, you know what they say in show business: if you can't make it in London, there's always New York.
As EA assured her fans, their patience would be rewarded with a brand new, professionally polished version of the story – and in due time, I guess, a role in the movie. (“Let's hope she doesn't find another new microphone!” 🐀)
From that point on, there seems to have been an ever-widening gap between EA's enthusiasm and fan expectations. When audiobook snippets 🎤.mp3) were released, many fans were unimpressed by the oddly flat, overproduced recording (turns out a microphone can be so good it's a problem! 🐀), which highlighted EA's stilted, uncanny diction and not-quite-transatlantic accent. That caught everyone off guard, because she didn't use to read like... that. Even die-hard apologists had to concede through gritted teeth that, tragically, it was giving William Shatner. (If you're curious, you can find more previews here 🎤📝, along with EA's captions.)
Fans weren't just getting irritated with the various delays and excuses: they were baffled, angry, and embarrassed. When EA clapped back “U know U can just get a refund, right? That is totally within your power to do” on social media, and it came out that requests for refunds had been getting ignored for weeks or months 🐀, seasoned fans were like “Yeah, that tracks.” The whole never-ending ordeal was just starting to feel silly.
All told, the audiobook took two years to complete, with little to no new music in the interim. Two years is a long time for a young-leaning audience! Fans who had preordered at the end of their sophomore year were graduating high school by the time it came out. Others who had been in the middle of undergrad were now looking for full-time jobs. People had gotten pregnant, given birth and potty trained, or had houses built from the ground up. Genuine ultra-fans of the book had had time to... presumably, read other books. (“I wonder how many people passed away waiting for this shitty audiobook to be finished?”)
When the audiobook came out, many long-time Plague Rats had defected, either lamenting the misguided decisions of their favorite artist, or just calling EA a money-grabbing fraud and a lying liar. And a number of patient and unbothered fans had, quite simply, grown out of their EA phase.
Your humble servant, for one, ordered the audiobook the week it went on sale, and stuck with that preorder through five address changes and two graduation ceremonies. Now, bear in mind: through all the ups and downs, even as the charm dispelled, my taste in music evolved, and my perception of EA herself changed, I never formally stopped considering myself a fan. (Mama didn't raise no quitter.) To this day, and to my profound embarrassment, I give enough of a shit that I'm taking the time to write this story at all, and that I was able to draft most of itfrom memory.(Mama didn't teach me how to prioritize.) Well, get this: I have never once listened to the audiobook. I remember unwrapping the signed boxset (minimal artwork, flimsy cardboard, no liner notes), thinking “this could have been an email”, telling myself I'd get around to it for old time's sake... and then I never did, because it was ten hours long, and I just couldn't force myself to care about that story anymore. I was not an isolated case.
In light of this, I apologize in advance for any potential errors in the following paragraphs; others listened so posers like me wouldn't have to 🔍, and I'm going off of their word. The new and improved edition was, indeed, a different book – in that a bunch of things that felt meaningful to fans had been either reworked or excised.
THE AUDIOBOOK EDITS
The hospital narrative had been shortened in favor of the asylum story, and the controversial “Drug / Suicide / Cutting” diaries had been scrapped. Part of the fanbase applauded this decision, but others were disappointed 🐀, as they had found the diaries to be the most (some said only) personal, authentic, and insightful chapters in the book.
Curse words, some abuse, and all mentions of abortion had also been purged. It made the book tamer, but not by much... because Emilie's age had been changed from 27 to 17. Apparently, the literary agent had suggested this to make the book more marketable to a Young Adult audience. No other biographical detail had been altered, so the main narrator was now a 17 year old girl with no parents but an established music career, who checks in by herself into a high-security adult ward, no questions asked. (I'm still perplexed by this one. Did they not expect YA readers to know how hospitals work...?)
The pirate captain, formally known by her “mass of tangled black hair”, was now... a blonde. According to EA, this was a purely aesthetic change: it made the three main Asylum girls a redhead, a blonde and a brunette, which would look better in the stage adaptation. Between the lines, it also distanced the character from its original dark-haired muse: Vecona, who had left the Crumpets in 2008 after a rumored falling-out with EA over unpaid costume work.
The minor characters based on EA's old Chicago friends had been discarded entirely. Which likely made sense for EA – she hadn't lived there in years, the friend group had drifted apart as friend groups do, and by that point, there no longer was an EA forum to administrate or comment on – but not so much for her readers. Some fans had grown fond of these fictional inmates (wasn't that the point?), and weren't too happy to see EA symbolically treat them as disposable. Others were saddened that EA would just scrap these remnants of her old life, and of what felt like simpler, happier times in the fandom. Either way, children, this is why you shouldn't get a neck tattoo of your first boyfriend's name, OR openly base the “good guys” in your career-defining book on friends you made in your early twenties.
To compensate for the loss of... most named inmate characters, Veronica was given a much more prominent role in the plot. Namely, instead of being best friends, Veronica and Emily were now... in love! Lovers! Lesbian lovers! Which naturally meant that Veronica had to die. 🔍 Besides, fans famously love it when you pull a gay ship out of thin air between your two main characters, and then kill one of them off so that the other suffers more.
One last one, because I find it especially goofy: a scrappy teddy bear named Suffer, given to Emily by the talking rats, was replaced with...a Very Large Spoon, which gets its very own number in the musical. 🎵 The rationale was that Emily could use the spoon as a weapon in the climactic uprising against the Asylum doctors. Which, fair enough... except that, prior to being a cute and anachronistic 🔍 MacGuffin in the fictional Asylum story, Suffer the Bear had been a beloved mascot🪞 from the early Opheliac live shows. Some still remembered when EA had raised HELL, even starting a #FREESUFFER campaign on Twitter, because she thought someone had stolen Suffer from the stage (it later turned out that he had been misplaced in a flight case). All that noise back in the day... and now Suffer didn't matter anymore? The nerve. “She made shirts and everything!” 🐀
All this to say, reception was lukewarm. EA hadn't performed live since 2014 and the Devil's Carnival sequel had failed to make a splash (despite decent reviews, the franchise and main collaboration fell apart before the end of the promotional tour 🔍). People were checking out. There was only one way to correct this. A true paradigm shift. A fresh start – a new theme?
Hell no. It's another edition of The Asylum for Revisionist Tortureporn Friendfictions!

ROUND 4: THE E-BOOK & THE QUEST FOR THE SPOON OF ROYALS

In 2017, about a year after the audiobook release, EA self-published a digital version of TAFWVG through Amazon. The literary agent hadn't worked out in the end: publishers were put off by how dark the book was, even after the audiobook edits. EA explained that she hadn't been comfortable with some of the alterations in the first place; she respected the agent's input and had tried to give it an honest shot, but in the end, she wanted to do it the way she wanted to do it, solo... and this was it.
EA had reverted a number of the audiobook cuts (including swear words, mentions of abortion, and the narrator's age), but kept most of the changes to the Asylum narrative – namely, the omission of Former Friends Characters, and the romance between Emily and Veronica. In the newsletter announcement, she mentions being in the process of “re-recording the few little bits of the audiobook to reflect the current text version”. Not sure where we're at on that front; it's never been brought up again, and I don't think anyone's checked. (I assume most fans had war flashbacks when they read the word “re-record”, and instantly repressed that part of the communiqué.)
The “Drug / Suicide / Cutting” diaries were still omitted in the first release of the e-book, but re-included as a coda soon after, by popular demand, under the title “Evidence of Insanity” – with fantastical “doctor's annotations” like“W14A seems to have disassociated her own identity, episodic, each lasting for a longer period of time. We suspect she will continue further in this – stronger medication is needed, schedule electroconvulsive therapy.”
A physical paperback edition was released a few months later; in anticipation of this, the e-book was a stripped-down, text-centric version of the story. (Honestly not a bad call, because the digital version from 2012 was a scanned, non-searchable, 1.3GB PDF behemoth – not super Kindle-friendly!) No elaborate backgrounds and color photographs in this edition, but the pages were still illustrated with inserts of rats, keys, teacups, and... hold on... ciphers??🪞
As always in the Asylum, history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. In a throwback to the prelapsarian days of the Enchant Puzzle (remember? the one that no one ever managed to solve?), the e-book illustrations contained puzzles, which formed the master-key to... a scavenger hunt! And in keeping with tradition, the grand prize was an extravagant adornment hand-crafted by EA: the “Spoon of Royals”.🪞📝 Oh my!
Some of the puzzles are simple anagrams that can be solved for keywords. A clickable word within the adjacent text takes you to a password-protected link, which takes you through to an audio file – a song or an atmospheric instrumental that goes with that moment of the story. There are also more complex ciphers that decode into riddles. Each key depicted in the book has a number or letter engraved on it. The total number of rats in the book is apparently significant. One link takes you through to a blank page whose source code contains a list of coordinates from various bridges around the world.
Oh, it was a whole thing. When the book came out, you could send a picture of you doing EA's signature “rat claw” hand sign🪞 to request admission to a private Facebook group (the “Striped Stocking Society”) where people could help each other solve the clues and EA would occasionally pop in for a chat. There was also a series of mysterious newsletters in early 2018, culminating in a Los Angeles event where EA showed up in person to pass on extra puzzle-solving material to a handful of lucky fans (although said material raised more questions that it answered 📝).
Overall, it was a great idea! Although the fanbase was generally smaller and less active after four years without a new tour or album (and a fair amount of other drama, which we have yet to get into), the e-book puzzle did pique people's interest in purchasing yet another version of the same story.
Unfortunately, once again, EA overestimated either how intuitive her fans were, or how invested they would remain. After months of collaborative efforts across multiple platforms, a number of puzzles had been cracked 🔍, but it was still unclear how the individual anagrams and numbers and riddle-solutions all fit together as scavenger hunt clues.
EA kept up the hype for a while, but the few hints that she gave on social media only revealed yet more encryption factors without really helping fans connect the dots. One cipher remained unsolved on Instagram for days and days before EA caved in and hinted at which key to use. She did helpfully specify that if you didn't know how to read music, you'd better start learning. (...Was this a fun puzzle, or a prep school admission test?) The in-person LA event had also sown some confusion as to the rules and constraints of the game: would winning involve traveling to a physical location? That didn't seem very fair. EA had mentioned physically burying some items – but could you solve the puzzle from a distance? Is the Spoon of Royals literally just buried under the Shakespeare Bridge in Los Angeles, California?? 🐀
I'm just saying: if this had come up in 2008? People in corsets and platform boots would have been out there digging.
But this was 2018. As we've mentioned, the core of EA's active fanbase (a lot of whom had been teens and young adults when she was touring Opheliac) was fast aging out of the years when most folks have the spare time, dedication, or desire to essentially do super-involved homework out of love for their favorite singer. Uncovering new songs was a fun perk the first year – but after the new album came out in 2018, none of the passwords led to exclusive material anymore. It felt a bit lacklustre for something so labor-intensive.
(The new music itself wasn't a rallying point either. Behind the Musical was, quite literally, an intended vocal guide for the Asylum musical – so, basically a collection of demos. The sound was VERY Broadway Revival, somewhat Phantomish 🎵, in a way that's either good or bad depending on who's saying it. The violins, to fans' chagrin, sounded all-MIDI; no sign of actual instrumental recordings. EA sang all the parts herself, as she had on her previous album. I'm not saying there's no merit in a one-woman Andrew Lloyd Weber tribute. Many old fans enjoyed the new material well enough, some even really liked it – but most agreed that it just didn't hit like her earlier stuff used to, and that it felt rather unfinished.)
Unlike with the Enchant Puzzle, the prize itself was not much of an intrinsic motivation. While the Faerie Queen's Wings were a straightforward concept that evoked EA's own signature stage costumes, the Spoon of Royals was... a large spoon attached to a necklace, community-college-art-teacher style. It looked impractical both as a spoon and as a necklace, and more importantly, I'm not sure how many readers felt a deep emotional connection to the spoon in the story. The spoon that had usurped Suffer the Bear, no less!
In short: people gave up on the game because it was too hard, it came too late, and they had other things to do.
Thus, the Spoon of Royals remains unclaimed to this day, and I doubt I'll see anyone crack the puzzle in this lifetime. The Striped Stocking Society FB group was terminated in 2020, around the same time a bunch of fansites folded and EA closed her Instagram comments for the first time. By that point, both EA and her fans had bigger rats to skewer – but we have a ways to go before we reach that part of the story.
I would encourage you to give the puzzle a shot for the hell of it (in case you're a cryptography nerd and currently under house arrest or in a full-body cast) but... I just tried a bunch of the links, and the passwords don't work anymore. So I guess that's that. To quote old Bill by way of conclusion: “Much ado about nothing”.

ROUND TOO-MANY: I'LL SEE YOU ON BROADWAY OR I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL

So, what now? Well, not much.
By the late 2010s, what kept many fans semi-invested – if nothing else, because it clearly meant so much to EA herself – was the prospect of an upcoming stage musical adaptation. The way EA talked about it 📺, it was very much a “when”, not an “if”. Sure, ten years on, we were still collectively stuck in the Asylum, but it would at least be a new format – and a return to EA's main field of expertise, ie songwriting and performing. Not only did the core fanbase long for new music and new shows, but Fight Like a Girl and Behind the Musical had brought in small influxes of new fans who were very eager for any chance to see her live. So whether it was out of genuine enthusiasm for the project, or out of “let EA have her musical so we can maybe finally move on”, the fanbase was overall supportive.
Even though people still joked about the 2012 announcement of a “2014 West End debut” (seriously, what was she thinking?), EA had really buckled down in the intervening years, and it looked like the project was plausibly well underway. As in, we had more than just EA's word to go on: the involvement of other people, who did not reside in the Asylum, seemed to confirm that the musical was a thing.

[CONTINUED IN COMMENTS because Reddit is being ridiculous about the character count. I swear I was under 40,000!]

submitted by pillowcase-of-eels to HobbyDrama [link] [comments]

2024.05.02 07:56 EmJaneJackon Other parties car insurance claim our car is a total loss after accident.

During the Easter weekend (Good Friday to be exact), someone hit the rear driver side of our car whilst it was parked outside of our house. I wouldn’t have known it was hit if the lady who had hit it came back and told me while I was trying to leave the house. They were very good and took full responsibility, told me exactly what happened and informed their insurance. I went all through the process of sending pictures to the insurers to have the damage assessed, then to the repair shop who said they would assess it, give us a quote then come and collect to fix.
Fast forward to yesterday, I get a phone call from the 3rd parties insurance to say our car has been assessed by looking at the pictures sent, they reckon there’s more damage than first thought and that the suspension was also knocked. Deeming our car to be a total loss… so we’ve been offered £2,515 as payment for taking the car off our hands, when we bought it 4 years ago we paid £5,500. So for now I haven’t accepted the offer and said I would like to talk to my husband and work out our best option before proceeding.
Our car is a 2010 Ford Mondeo estate Zetec. I understand cars depreciate over the years and we have done a lot of miles in it (was already over 110k on the clock when we got it), we’ve looked around and seen private sellers are selling similar for around £2,5k but the reg is older and the mileage is higher. Going to an actual 2nd hand garage they’re around £3,5/4k.
I’ve read I should contact my own insurance and tell them what’s happened with the car and what we’ve been offered to see what they say. I was also going to take it to my trusted garage and ask them to assess the damage area to see if the suspension has actually been damaged too. From what I understand we can’t be offered less than what we can buy the same again. Just annoyed I now have this ball ache of looking for another car when we wasn’t even in the car when the accident happened 😣 any advice/information would be greatly appreciated
Update: Our insurers are aware of the incident, my husband informed them when it happened (which I wasn’t aware of at the time) and said we were happy to proceed with the other insurers.
Since writing this post I have spoken again to the other insurers and told them we can’t get anything for the amount being offered in our local area. They said we could raise an offer complaint but had to accept the initial offer first and if the complaint is upheld we would be paid the difference - most cases have the original offer withheld and the complaint denied. So I said no to accepting the offer and a complaint as we just wouldn’t be able to make up there difference for a new car.
They then came back with another option…. They said they could pay us £950 to have the damage repaired where we wish or get a quote from our local garage and they pay out that amount to have the work done ourselves - I didn’t think at the time of the call to ask what happened to having their approved garage collecting and fixing the car, I was more taken aback by the fact they were now saying it could be repaired.
I’ve left it at that for now, I wanted to let my husband know what they said and take it from there.

submitted by EmJaneJackon to LegalAdviceUK [link] [comments]

2024.05.01 22:38 Far_Wrap_3083 The 7 songs Taylor is going to add to the Eras Tour from The Tortured Poets Department?

It’s all but confirmed Taylor is adding TTPD to the Eras Tour setlist starting in Paris. The big question is… out of 31 new songs, which will she perform?
Taylor’s been leaving potential hints… but the most obvious is hiding in plain sight.
Taylor hasn’t done any interviews since Tortured Poets was released, but she HAS released audio messages revealing the meaning of several songs on iHeartRadio and Amazon Music.

Fortnight
Florida!!!
Down Bad
Clara Bow
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart*
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

Why would Taylor choose to talk about these 7 songs specifically? (nothing is accidental) Could it be a hint to fans to pay extra attention, since they’ll be featured prominently in something… something like… the Eras Tour!

Before going any further — caveat: I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.
- Taylor didn’t create an audio message for iHeartRadio or Amazon Music… BUT she did feature it prominently on the Apple “5 Stages of Grief” playlists she curated before the album came out.
- The “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” playlist is the only one that doesn’t have a corresponding quote from the back cover of an album variant.
  - Yes… she made 5 playlists and there are only 4 variants… BUT that makes it an even better place for her to place an Easter egg/hint.
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart is the only playlist title that is named after a SONG.
- For reference: The audio message says “Hey Apple Music, you’ve made it to my ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’ playlist where we finally find acceptance and can start moving forward from loss or heartbreak. These songs represent making room for more good in your life, making that choice. Because a lot of times, when we lose things, we gain things too.”
  - Taylor has talked about how the Eras Tour got her through this tough time in her life, which corresponds to the meaning of this song.

These 7 songs are a good mix of fast and slow tempo, upbeat and melancholy, danceable / sing-a-long-able (is that a word?) and a moment for reflection. They leave time for Taylor to belt and to rest. And most importantly, they capture the range of emotions on the album.

Fortnight has shattered records since its release.
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart is literally about the Eras Tour (and the “More!” line feels written for fans to chant).
Clara Bow feels like it could have a poignant “Marjorie” moment, and sends a message to every fan in the stadium about the dangers of fame.
Down Bad is a fan favorite, consistently punching above its weight on streaming.
During Florida!!! I can see the entire stadium erupting to the beat. It's simply just fun!
Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? and My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys are the only two songs on the main album that are entirely self-written.
- These two songs in particular are deeply personal to Taylor... and I can see it being important to her to share these on tour with all of her fans. (And clocking in at 5:31, Who's Afraid is her fifth longest song ever!)

Now, seven songs may seem like a lot… but this is Taylor’s newest album. She’ll want to give it MAXIMUM exposure. There’s no better way than by featuring this album prominently, making it one of her longest sets.
And it’s not unprecedented — the Folklore Era currently has 7 songs (28 minutes 5 seconds). This set would be 27 mins 58 seconds, so right in line…
Now, what would this mean?

Taylor will likely have to cut a few songs from the current setlist -- but I don't think she'll have to cut 7 songs to make room for TTPD. Most of songs would likely be safe!
The "easiest" place to remove songs may be those already cut from the Eras Tour theatrical release (although I bet Long Live is safe!).
- Removing Wildest Dreams, Cardigan, and The Archer would cut 11 minutes off the current setlist.
That means that adding these 7 songs from TTPD would tack on just ~17 minutes total to the tour.
- This would EXACTLY match up with Taylor's line in the Eras Tour movie...
  1. Taylor: "Anyway with this tour, I remember people would come up to me and they'd be like, 'So you've put out like, five albums that you haven't done tours for. So what's your plan, like what are you going to do? You gonna just like, do a show with all the albums in it? And it'll be what, like a 3 and a half hour long show?' And I was like, ‘Yeah, it's called the Eras Tour, see you there."
  2. The Eras Tour is currently 3 hours and 15 minutes...
- This would fulfill The Prophecy (!) that she is adding the fifth new album to the show AND extending it to be 3.5 hour show!

What do you think -- will Taylor add these songs to the TTPD setlist? Which songs would you like to see? May 9th can't come soon enough!

submitted by Far_Wrap_3083 to TaylorSwift [link] [comments]

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