#and i say this as a fan of mystery and detective media

[daily-linkclick]

so many thoughts about the new season..

[lovecanyon]

MIKE FAIST X Y/N: A SOCIAL MEDIA AU

part one

➙ y/n works under A24 as a production assistant. she’s worked on films such as Pearl, X, Lady Bird, Hereditary and most recently Challengers where she met her partner Mike Faist.

(A24 didn’t produce Challengers but in this situation they did)

-

TMZ

Mike Faist Spotted in Los Angeles with Mystery Girl: Fans Buzz Over Actor’s New Romance

Mike Faist, the breakout star from "Challengers," was recently seen in Los Angeles with an unidentified woman, sparking a flurry of speculation among his fans. The actor appeared relaxed and happy as he enjoyed a casual outing.

As photos of the pair began circulating online, Faist's fans took to social media, attempting to uncover the identity of the girl who has seemingly captured the heart of the beloved star. Twitter and Instagram were lit with theories, with some fans speculating that she might be a fellow actor or someone from Faist’s inner circle. Despite their best detective efforts, no concrete information has surfaced about the mystery girl.

READ MORE!

PEOPLE MAGAZINE

Mike Faist and Mystery Girl Rumored to Be Dating. Sources Say the Pair Is Going Strong

Hollywood’s latest heartthrob, Mike Faist, has set the rumor mill abuzz after multiple sightings with a mystery woman in Los Angeles. Sources close to the actor reveal that the pair is indeed dating and have been going strong for a while now, much to the delight, and curiosity, of Faist’s dedicated fans.

The couple was first spotted a few weeks ago, enjoying a casual day out in L.A., sparking speculation about their relationship status.

An insider close to Faist confirmed to People, “Mike and his girlfriend have been together for a few months now. They’ve been keeping things low-key but are definitely very happy. She’s been a great support for him, especially with all the attention from his recent success.”

The insider added, “Mike is very protective of his personal life, but he’s also really happy right now. Those close to him can see how much this relationship means to him.”

READ MORE!

liked by faistfan12, user68 and 10,109

faistupdates Mike Faist in Los Angeles last night!

view all comments

faistfan45 who’s that girl???

user202 we can barley see him 😭😭 was this taken on a microwave

user30 give mike some privacy omg

faistfan112 that man hates the paparazzi leave him aloneeee

faistfan40 i think he’s with his girlfriend

TWITTER:

💫 mike faist (future oscar winner) - @faistfever

omg…tell me why my sister just saw mike and his girlfriend 😭😭

1:53 PM 6/4/2024 From Earth

↳ sammy <3 - @ooconnorstar

ARE U LYING??? HELLOOO

1:54 PM 6/4/2024 From Earth

↳ 💫 mike faist (future tony winner) - @faistfever

NO. THEY WERE LITERALLY AT A CAFE TOGETHER. LOOKKK

[photo of mike & y/n holding hands at a cafe]

1:57 PM 6/4/2024 From Earth

↳ sammy <3 - @ooconnorstar

I PLANNED THIS!!! MIKE’S BOYFRIEND ERA

[olivia wilde nodding gif]

1:58 PM 6/4/2024 From Earth

liked by user178, faistfan44 and 15,920 others

pagesix Mike Faist and his rumored girlfriend were seen in Los Angeles yesterday having lunch together. Sources tell us that they could not stop staring at each other and kept holding hands across their table.

view all comments

faistfan78 MIKE IS IN HIS BOYFRIEND ERA OMFG

user116 my man who doesn’t know he’s my man is TAKEN??!! 😟

faistfan51 that’s literally me? what are you talking about?

user26 SHE IS SO LUCKY, WHOEVER SHE IS

faistfan99 i think she worked on the set of challengers with mike? i might be wrong idk

liked by faistfan66, faistfan143 and 102,110 others

deuxmoi DeuxMoi Exclusive: The Truth Behind Mike Faist and Y/N L/N’s Love Story Unveiled!

We’ve got the inside scoop on Hollywood's newest power couple! Sources have spilled the beans that Mike Faist, the star of "Challengers," and the mystery girl who has been revealed as Y/N L/N, a production assistant under A24, are officially an item. But wait, it gets even juicier!

Y/N, whose impressive resume includes work on several A24 hits like “Pearl,” “X,” and “Lady Bird,” first crossed paths with Mike on the set of “Challengers.” It was he who reportedly made the bold first move, sparking what would soon blossom into a full blown romance.

While both have maintained a level of privacy when it comes to their personal lives, insiders insist that Mike and Y/N are in it for the long haul.

view all comments

faistfan63 leave this poor girl alone

user21 HER AND MIKE MAKE SUCH A CUTE COUPLE

fan112 he could do better tbh

faistfan87 you are insane and crazy

user73 i hope none of his fans attack her now…

faistfan125 y/n is drop dead gorgeous 😭

user104 ohhh she’s so successful omggg

DEUXMOI - 6/5/2024

Sent via form submission from Deuxmoi

Pseudonyms, please: ANON

Email: somethingaboutfaist@deuxmoi.com

Subject: A24’s Iconic Couple

Message: Fans have been dying to know whose Mike’s mystery girl is and now we know! Y/N has worked on some major A24 hits like "Pearl," "Hereditary," and "Lady Bird." Looks like Mike was the one who made the first move and they've been inseparable ever since.

DEUXMOI - 6/8/2024 - SPOTTED

Saw Mike and his girlfriend at a pilates class today! He is definitely in love with her, they kept laughing and grinning at each other. He also gave her his sweater after the class!!

TIKTOK:

faistangels: she is so gorgeous, i am blown away 😭😭

comments:

joshofaist i don’t know if i need mike or her

7.1K likes

artsdonaldsins AND SHE WAS A THEATRE KID…MIKE REALLY FOUND HIS MATCH 🙏🙏

6.5K likes

dayaconnor y/n is so cool omg

6.2K likes

mikesendaya i will defend her with my heart

5.9K likes

liked by faistfan89, user106 and 10,729 others

mikefaistdaily A new photo resurfaced of Mike Faist’s girlfriend Y/N wearing a ‘I Told Ya’ shirt from the film Challengers.

view all comments

user53 OMGG she is so gorgeous

faistfan12 fans literally leaked her instagram photos. pls take this down.

faistfan62 people need to leave her alone, she’s just trying to live…

user73 y/n is so iconic goodbye

faistfan206 “resurfaced” or leaked??

user122 SHE IS THE MOMENT 💅

liked by user12, faistfan57 and 12,120 others

m.faistnews NEW/OLD! Mike on the set of Challengers! via yourinstagram

view all comments

user88 SOMEONE SEDATE ME

faistfan102 just imagine all the other pics of mike y/n has in her phone 😭😭

user106 DON’T LET ME THINK OF THAT

user29 y/n is really living that dream life

faistfan101 wanna be her so bad

user33 she’s just riding on mike’s fame…

faistfan64 girl be serious 🙄🙄

liked by user165, faistfan78 and 8,401 others

faistojosh Y/N has removed followers after her photos on Instagram got leaked!

view all comments

user60 please leave this girl alone…we don’t know her

faistfan66 i’m sorry but y/n leaving dailyfaist as one of her followers has me 😭😭

dailyfaist THAT’S BESTIE!! me and her are like this 🤞

faistfan153 i just know mike knows your account exists!!

dailyfaist I NEED A CIGARETTE

user121 posting this is just bringing more attention to it…

(1/10)

liked by treaclychild, hunterschafer and 402,763 others

rachelzegler it’s hot girl summer

view all comments

faistfan15 RACHEL AND Y/N KNOW EACH OTHER??!

faistfan132 mike probably introduced them omgg

arianadebose Literally the love of my life 🩷

user101 attention seekingggg

ayoedebiri I love women!!!

faistfan212 y/n literally wants approval from all of mike’s friends 😭

rachelzegler mike would absolutely hate you btw!!! get a life

faistfan170 RACHEL DEFENDING Y/N 🙏🙏 I LOVE TO SEE IT

liked by faistfan53, user202 and 16,091 others

mike.faistnews Y/N’s IG post about Mike’s first Met Gala! 🤍

view all comments

user107 SOMEONE KILL ME PLS THIS IS NOT OKAY

faistfan66 baby’s first met 😭😭😭

faistfan117 is this why mike didn’t go to the after party…y/n was back at the hotel so he skipped the party to hang out with her…😩

user61 he is so obsessed with her

faistfan133 every mike faist fan was found dead

user99 they are so adorable

faistfan145 the way this post was not meant to see the light of day

liked by rachelzegler, hunterschafer and 151 others

yourinstagram mikey ♑️

view all comments

daisyedgarjones You two are the cutest

arianadebose I LOVE YOU GUYSS 🤍🤍🤍

yourinstagram we love you ari!

rachelzegler you guys are seriously my parents

joshographee Looks like he died.

yourinstagram that’s what he said lol

tomholland2013 Me and Z say hiii!!

TWITTER:

lea 🎾 - @mmfaistss

y/n met his family omg

[fan photo of y/n with his family out having dinner in ohio]

6:01 PM 6/11/24 From Earth

↳ 💫 mike faist (future oscar winner) - @faistfever

god i hope so. FUTURE Y/N FAIST

6:10 PM 6/11/24 From Earth

---

gossip girl - @ggirltea

Deuxmoi said Mike has Y/N as his lockscreen 😍

[fan photo of mike’s phone lockscreen]

7:20 PM 6/12/24 From Earth

↳ film junkie - @moviemadnessss

they’re seriously the cutest.

7:25 PM 6/12/24 From Earth

---

blind item sleuth - @blindsolvers

Deuxmoi hinted at Y/N and Mike buying a house in Ohio together soon 👀 they are taking things real serious!

8:00 PM 6/14/24 From Earth

↳ drama queen - @dramaalertts

omg if it’s true i will cry! they’re perfect for each other!

8:05 PM 6/14/24 From Earth

---

pop culture guru - @popculturedailyss

UPDATE: Y/N and Mike seen holding hands in Los Angeles again today

[paparazzi photo of Y/N and Mike]

9:15 PM 6/15/24 From Earth

↳ fan girl - @fangirlss4ev

I’m here for the Mike and Y/N romance era!!!!

9:25 PM 6/15/24 From Earth

---

hollywood whisperer - @hollywoodwhisp

DM confirmed Mike Faist met Y/N’s family last weekend 💕

[family photo of Mike and Y/N]

10:00 PM 6/16/24 From Earth

↳ star gazer - @stargazingfan

meeting the family already?! this is definitely getting serious 😭😭

10:05 PM 6/16/24 From Earth

↳ celebrity updates - @celebritybuzz

they’re totally endgame!!!! future Mr. and Mrs. Faist!

10:10 PM 6/16/24 From Earth

---

tag list: @harrysmatcha @harryspinkpillow @helen-with-an-a @florencepughily @peterparkerbae @toji-dabi-wife @fallonx @drphilssoulmate @cherriesrae @alienorknight @valluvsu @ayeshathestyles @hazgoldenstyles @tsukishimawhore @renatavieira @michellekstyles @eleanordaisy @shawnsblue @agustdpeach @whoscamila @ch3rryrry @msolbesg @youusunshineyoutemptress @cherryfragrancx @milkiane @golden-hoax @sunshinemendes8 @your--sweetest--downfall @melllinaa @tenaciousperfectionunknown @stellarossii @scenesofobx @manifestrry @lomlolivia @honethatty12

[xndrexcruz]

When The Two Of You Drop Hints That You’re Dating | FC Barcelona

✮- summary: you and your boyfriend talk about how the fans have noticed you both dropping hints to your secret relationship

✮- warnings: none

Requests are open

masterlist here

João Félix

You couldn’t stop smiling as you saw all the comments on your latest Instagram post. Fans had been quick to notice that both you and João had attended the same event recently.

“Are your notifications going crazy too?” João asked, looking up from his phone with a sly grin.

“Is that even a question,” you laughed. “They’re convinced we planned this, going to the event together but not posting at the same time.”

João chuckled, clearly amused. “They’re not wrong. Although I didn’t think they’d catch on so quickly.”

“You underestimate our fans, João.”

He shrugged, still scrolling through the comments. “They think we went together, but they’ll never find out the truth.”

“Unless we tell them.”

João’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “I like keeping them guessing. It’s fun watching them try and play detective.”

You leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on his lips. “It won’t be long before they solve that mystery.”

Pablo Gavi

Late at night, you and Pablo had been spotted together, and fans were quick to post about it.

“Have you see the comments?” Pablo asked, showing you his phone with a smirk on his face.

“Yeah,” you giggled. “They’re sure we’re together because we were seen last night.”

Pablo grinned. “And here I thought we were being discreet.”

“They have sharp eyes,” you admitted. “But they don’t have much to go on.”

Pablo shrugged. “Let them keep guessing. It’s part of the fun.”

You leaned in and nuzzled your face in his neck. “Whatever you want Pablo.”

Pedri González

Both of you posted Instagram stories featuring the same song, and fans immediately picked up on it.

“Did you notice what the fans have been saying?” Pedri asked, looking at his phone.

“Yes,” you laughed. “They’re convinced something’s going on between the two of us because we used the same song.”

Pedri chuckled. “I just liked the song you had played earlier and thought I would post it.”

“Funny, I did the same thing,” you replied. “But it does look a bit suspicious to be honest.”

Pedri shrugged. “Let them think what they want. We’re just enjoying the same song, it’s not a crime.”

You leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “That you’re absolutely right about.”

Fermín López

After his game, you were seen getting into Fermín’s car, and fans were quick to talk about it.

“Did you see the reactions?” Fermín asked, looking at his phone.

“I did,” you smiled. “They are 99% sure we’re together because I got into your car.”

Fermín laughed. “I thought it was the gentleman thing to give you a ride.”

“They have sharp eyes,” you admitted. “But it was just a small hint.”

Fermín shrugged. “Let them speculate. It’s fun that way don’t you think?”

You leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. “Just a little.”

Héctor Fort

You both wore matching bracelets, and fans quickly noticed if after a while.

“Have you seen what they’ve been writing?” Héctor asked, showing you his wrist as he reaches for your hand .

“Who hasn’t at this point ,” you say, enveloping his hand in yours. “They’re saying we’re together because of our matching bracelets.”

Héctor smiled. “I thought it was a cute, nice gesture.” he mutters, connecting his lips with yours.

“And it is,” you replied, kissing him back.

Héctor shrugged, as he pulled away. “It’s okay, it’s not like they’re wrong.”

You leaned over and gave him a quick peck. “True.”

Lamine Yamal

Lamine posted a video on social media, and you were in the background. Fans quickly picked up on it.

“Did you see the comments on my video?” Lamine asked, looking at his phone.

“Yes,” you replied. “They know we’re together because I was in the background.”

Lamine grinned. “I didn’t even notice you were there.”

“Well, they did,” you replied.“But it’s not much to go off.”

Lamine shrugged. “They cling on to the smallest details”

You leaned in and rested your head on his lap. “I guess so.”

Marc Guiu

You posted a selfie at the pool, and Marc posted a picture you took of him at the same pool, making fans suspicious.

“Have you been reading what they’re commenting?” Marc asked, showing you his phone.

“A few,” you grinned. “They say we’re together because of the pool pictures we took earlier.”

Marc laughed. “I just wanted to share a nice picture you took, is that so bad?”

“And it is a nice picture,” you replied. “But you know they want to know what’s going on between us.”

Marc shrugged. “Well they can keep guessing for now.”

You just nodded as you splashed him. “But soon they’ll know the truth.”

Marc Bernal

Marc showed you a fan tweet comparing the shoes you both wore in recent photos, hinting at your secret relationship.

“They’re really smart,” he laughed, showing you the tweets on his phone.

You grinned. “Maybe we just like the same brand. Us wearing the same shoes doesn’t prove anything.”

“It’s a pretty unique style,” he reminded you.

“Well how do they know we were together?”

“They don’t,” he shrugged. “But they’re guessing.”

“So, we leave them guessing.”

He nodded. “I find it funny seeing them going crazy over a small hint like that.”

“If you like this, we can drop more hints.” He leaned in, giving you a sweet kiss.

“Sounds like a plan,” you say kissing him back.

[adachimoe]

2009 Persona Club P4 Profiles

I've posted Adachi and Yukiko's before, but this is a collection of all their "YHVH" (Yasogami High Visual H) social media profiles.

The protagonist doesn't have a profile due to him being the silent protagonist.

Yosuke

Nickname: Isn't "Prince Walking Disappointment" kinda mean?

Greeting: Yo!-Sup? This is Yo!-Su?-Ke's room (... I tried ...)

Favorite music: Something you can listen to and play. Guitar owns!

Favorite Food: Fruit flavored throat drops cause they're good for karaoke (Yosuke can give the protagonist a Fruity Fruity Throat Lozenge in dungeon chats; also in the evening hangouts during Golden)

Least Favorite Food: Tofu - sorry Rise!

Dislikes: Cockroaches they're black and rustle around and move so quickly ugh

Clubs: People who commute on bikes, Wanna go to Junes?, Delicious Homemade Food, Trial of the Dragon

Inbox: "DVD!!! DVD!!!" (from Chie)

Parting words: Saving up for a scooter (these profiles are before Golden came out)

Chie

Nickname: Kung Fu Girl

Greeting: Check this! Hyah!

Gender: Girl!!!

Favorite food: Meat

Favorite animals: Hamsters, bunnies, and other tiny animals

Dislikes: Math, insects - the enemy of all mankind

Favorite movies: Kung fu

Clubs: Trial of the Dragon, Burning Dragon, Fans of Animals w/Tiny Eyes, Meat Lovers

Inbox: "Return my world history notebook" (from Yukiko)

Yukiko

Nickname: Yukiko, the lady of the house... Sigh...

Greeting: Hello~ Chie invited me

Likes: Japanese food, dogs (you see, one fateful day on the Samegawa... [omitted]) (Talking about her and Chie meeting due to a dog from Chie's SLink and the Golden audio drama)

Dislikes: Nothing in particular, but I don't take well to sex jokes / dirty talk

Special skills: Kimono dressing and table / place setting

Clubs: Japanese clothing fans, the Go Home club (for people who aren't in clubs), Let's visit the dam, Fans of Showa Era music

Inbox: "Lemme bathe in the hot springs again" (from Yosuke)

Kanji

Nickname: If you call me bald, imma punch you in the face

Greeting: I'm Inaba's Runaway Train

Likes: Ototo (animal crackers), Homerun Bars (topsicles)

Hobbies: Sewing, knitting, peeling the wrappers off of Homerun Bars

Clubs: Let's Sew, Knitting Cafe, Delicious Shops in the Central Shopping District, Hawaiian Quilt Enjoyers

Ideal fight: One without rules

Inbox: "Hey, I got the rare submarine!" (from Yosuke; this was "rare penguin animal cracker" in English)

Rise

Nickname: Risechi / Risette, duh!

Greeting: Where a young maiden's secrets get revealed

Likes: Hagakure special from Hagakure Ramen

Hates: Japanese ginger and royal fern

Favorite people: Senpai / the protagonist, grandma

Least favorite people: Indecisive and unreliable people

Clubs: Cafes and Sweets of Okina city, Tofu Lovers, How about Kanami Mashita?, Fans of Animals w/Tiny Eyes

Inbox: "The best sweets around are..." (from Teddie)

Naoto

Nickname: The detective prince

Greeting: Hi there, my upperclassmen invited me

Gender: No comment (As in, Naoto wrote "no comment")

Favorite book genre: Detective novels due to work

Likes: Putting myself in danger (longer explanation of what it says in Japanese)

Dislikes: Women's clothing - especially anything revealing

Specialty: Working with machines, been doing it since I was young

Clubs: Linux Fans, DIY PC Builders, Fans of Mystery Novel Narrative Tricks, Beginners Fashion

Inbox: "Let's get a bucket ice cream parfait tomorrow" (from Rise)

Lastly, Nanako, Dojima, and Adachi don't have the high school social media profiles, but they still have regular profiles nonetheless.

Nanako

Likes: Dad, big brother, Risechi / Risette, everyone else in the Investigation Team, Junes

Dislikes: Fighting, shiokara (fermented fish guts; it seems that Dojima keeps these in the fridge in P4 lol. She uses some of them to make the Slime chocolate in Golden.)

Specialty: Singing the Junes theme

Dojima

Likes: Nanako, beer

Dislikes: Working, physical tasks that require attention to detail (I'm clumsy)

Specialty: Judo, reading one's character

Adachi

Likes: Sushi (especially uni), beef, cabbage dishes

Dislikes: Paperwork, cleaning his room

Specialty: Revolver maintenance

Here's the full post of Adachi's profile w/the fanart pages too

Teddie's is. Uh. An experience. I'll post his sometime else cause I think I'm not 100% sure how it should be handled. Like he fills out [gender/sex] (they're the same character in JP) as an emoji of a woman and the words "I live for love". Which I feel like is best interpreted as, "Sex: Yes please". But hmmmMMMmmm.

[mikedfaist]

GIVE US MORE SIGHTINGS PLS THEY R WAY TOO CUTE! ps ily

hiii ily too bb -- also here is a little social media adaptation of sightings, and i will def be doing more, so stay tuned (but not tonight because it's 11:30 and im an adult with work in the morning)

Back during lockdown in 2020, she was live on Instagram answering questions – whilst also scuffling through the trenches of her own boredom in Ohio – when her attention is torn to the other side of the room by the sound of the door opening, and her phone lowers slightly.

The voice is unrecognizable, and you can’t exactly see him except for his shadow on the adjacent wall. Fans who had been screenrecording were able to slow the audio, and behold, he asks her if she wants an omelette. She covers her mouth suppressing a laugh, but she nods.

“Sure, yeah—also, I’m live right now.” Merely a whisper, but fans decipher it easily. There’s no legible response back, but the door audibly closes, and she readjusts her phone so she’s back in frame. “Sorry.” She snorts. “Breakfast.”

A little while later, there’s a light knock on the door, and once again, the phone falls to her lap as she welcomes him in. He doesn’t say a word time time, likely mouthing a “sorry” and quietly sneaking back out of the room. She continues the live eating her omelette, and dodging the reoccurring question flooding her feed: “WHO IS THAT?”

“WHO’S THE GUY?”

“BOYFRIEND?”

Around that time there was a rumor she had been spotted at a park in Columbus with a mystery guy and dog, but it quickly died off. What would she even be doing there? The dating rumors wouldn’t start until the next year, but that’s when fans would circle back to Mike and spot something funny in a livestream of his own. During the Broadway Jackbox stream in May of that year, you can spot the quick flash of what can only be described as her, make the quickest appearance in the background, and quickly disappear. Even screenshots couldn’t help the most detective fans.

“He’s literally talking to someone off camera—SHOW YOURSELF.”

“That looks just like her—she has the same sweatshirt.”

What solidified it just a little more was at the 18:48 minute mark where you can hear her laugh.

And also, at the very beginning of the livestream, before they even begin with the game, Andrew jokes about how he was wanting to get her on the stream, because she is a Tony winner – and the youngest Tony winner at that – and Alex makes a comment about how it would cost too much money to get her to join, and Mike nods, suppressing a smile. At the time, Alex was the only one in that group who knew about her relationship with Mike, and that she was actually there sat next to him hearing the entire conversation.

[merrybloomwrites]

You Can Start a Family (Extra: Fan Reactions)

Finally doing my first requested story!

Based on the following ask from @drunk-teens-doing-drugs and the comment from @luxiorchive

Summary: A serious of reactions from from fans and Media about Harry's new girlfriend as well as Mitch & Sarah's feelings of being left out of big moments. This story starts immediately after the end of chapter 10.

Previous Chapters:

Main Story: One ; Two ; Three ; Four ; Five ; Six ; Seven ; Eight ; Nine ; Ten

Sickfic Part 1 ; Part 2

Mitchrry Prequel

Mitch & Matilda

Wordcount: 2.1K

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Can you do me a favor?” Harry says, breaking the morning silence.

“Uhm, yea, sure, what is it?” You ask. Unless Harry asked you for something crazy you’d do pretty much anything he said right now. Two days ago, he joined your relationship and you, Harry, Mitch, and Sarah had your first official date together. Yesterday you all spent the day out on the water enjoying the beautiful Italian views. The night ended back in your shared bed, you and Harry having sex for the first time while Mitch and Sarah reconnected right next to you.

So yea, you were pretty blissed out and content, happy to please your boyfriends and girlfriend however they want.

You’ve all been awake for a little while, hanging out in bed and switching cuddle partners every now and then. You’re currently in between Mitch and Sarah with Harry on Sarah’s other side. He’d picked up his phone a few minutes ago, seeing a screen full of notifications and he knew he had to peek at what was happening, just to make sure nothing was wrong. Which has led to him asking you a favor.

“Can you not go on social media today?” He asks you.

“Sure,” you answer quickly. That was an easy request. You aren’t even sure where your phone is to be honest. You’re more than happy to exist in your little happy bubble, but still, you’re curious about his request. “Can I ask why you want me offline today?”

“Yea the uh, the pap photos from yesterday have been posted.”

“Oh gosh, what, are they bad? Was it a terrible angle and I look awful? Did they like, photoshop someone else’s face on me or something?”

“No, love,” he answers with a laugh. “Nothing like that. It’s just that this is new and I’m not sure how people are going to respond yet. I want to make sure you don’t stumble across something nasty.”

“Do you think people are going to be negative?” Sarah asks, worried about the idea of you two receiving backlash.

“I never know what to think,” he replies while scrolling through his phone. “But I will say that everything seems positive so far. Media outlets are confused, wondering who this ‘mystery woman’ is. Fans are much better detectives. They’ve already posted some videos of you at my shows.”

“Can I see?” Mitch asks and takes the phone Harry hands him. After a moment he says, “Oh this is good. The people who were near you at the concerts are all saying how nice and chill you were. There’re a few comments saying you seem to follow Harry’s treat people with kindness motto, that’s like the best compliment his fans can give.”

You smile at that, remembering all the moments you got to share with Harry’s fans during his shows. You realize that you probably won’t be able to do that again in the future, now that you’re officially known as Harry’s new girl, but you hope you’ll still be able to interact with the fans in some way.

“Okay, phones away,” Sarah says, and Mitch immediately locks the phone and hands it back to Harry.

“What’s the plan for today?” Sarah then asks.

“Can we stay here and go swimming?” you ask. “I’ve been taking Ryan in the pool a lot but I don’t get to actually swim, you know?”

“Sounds good to me,” Harry replies as the other two nod in agreement. “How is Ryan?” he asks, and you fill them in on the boy you nanny as you all get ready.

The four of you spend that day and the next relaxing at the private villa. It isn’t until dinner of the second evening that Harry decides it’s time to pop the bubble and see what people are saying online.

You’re all sitting at the table outside and he explains that no news is good news, that his publicist would have called if there was anything truly bad being said. He pulls out his phone and starts to scroll. When he doesn’t say anything for the first minute you start to get anxious but finally he begins to smile.

“It’s good?” Sarah asks.

“It’s- Yea. It’s really good. I mean, I hoped this would be the reaction, but I’m used to getting so much negativity that I didn’t think it would actually be like this. I mean there’s a couple of bad comments but for the most part it’s, God, it’s really good.” Harry says this with a smile so big his dimples are showing. Suddenly your insecurities and fears vanish, replaced by joy for your boyfriend.

His words and obvious relief make you remember all that he’s been through with the public. He’s suffered years of lies and abuse from fans and media alike, and he’s probably been more worried than anyone else the past few days even if he wasn’t showing it.

You move to sit in his lap, kissing him gently then asking, “Can you read us some comments?”

Harry complies happily, one arm wrapped around you as he tells you all what people are saying.

There are hundreds of comments saying how cute and happy you two look together. Some people have negative things to say about you, but even seeing them say that you’re not pretty, or too plain, or a total nobody can’t shake you. It doesn’t matter what they think, not really. It matters what Harry and Sarah and Mitch think. And since they respond with compliments to contradict every negative comment you’re feeling pretty good.

There’s a feeling of celebration in the air and you realize that you were all more worried about the feedback than you thought. But seeing so much positivity makes you feel really happy. You didn’t necessarily need the validation but having that rather than having people hate your relationship with Harry uncomplicates things a little bit. A four-person relationship is a lot to manage and needing to make the public happy would’ve added a strain that you all simply did not want to deal with.

Over the next few months people spot you and Harry together a few times both in England and in the US. Every time new pictures drop the fans get so excited and comment about how happy they are for you and Harry.

On a few occasions all four of you are spotted together. As always the fans have a number of theories about that and you’re all relieved to see the most common one is that you must be friends with Mitch and Sarah, and they introduced you and Harry.

You’re happy that they came to this conclusion naturally, since that’s what you always hoped the fans would think. The downside of course is that you have to distance yourself from Mitch and Sarah when you’re in public. You can somewhat get away with being close to Sarah since people seem to love that you two are “besties”. However, you and Mitch are extremely careful not to get too close, knowing that tabloids and gossip columns would jump on an opportunity to claim drama with Harry’s relationship.

For the most part, this secrecy is just a part of life. In fact, none of you really want any of your personal lives shared with the public if you can help it. But sometimes it does get difficult not being able to show each member of your relationship the same level of love and attention.

One of the biggest examples of that is the Grammy Awards in 2024. Harry’s up for an award and was asked to give a performance as well. The four of you get ready together and hype each other up throughout the day while making sure to not be too obvious in front of the stylists in the room.

When everyone is ready and about to get in the cars Harry turns to you and says, “You look absolutely beautiful my love.” He leans down and presses a kiss to your lips. When you break apart you’re blushing, aware of Anthony taking pictures of the moment.

“Thank you,” you finally reply. “You look gorgeous as well.” You lean together for another kiss and after a moment you pull away laughing and swatting at Harry as he gently tickles your sides.

You glance over to Sarah and Mitch standing together in another part of the room. There’s a mixture of emotions on their faces and you know them well enough by this point to figure out what they’re feeling with just a look. First is a look of adoration since they simply adore and love both you and Harry. But under that is concern? No. Not concern. Jealousy.

They want to be a part of that moment. Not for any sort of external praise or fame, but because they want to share every part of life all together as a foursome.

These feelings continue throughout the entire day. They want to be by Harry’s side with you as you support him down the red carpet. When you meet them all backstage after the performance they wish that they could share a kiss with you like Harry does. And when Harry wins in his category they want to celebrate with him instead of cheering him on from a separate table in the back of the room.

For someone who has no prior relationship experience before this, you are very good at figuring out what your boyfriends and girlfriend need at any given moment. And that night Mitch and Sarah need to be reassured that they’re as much a part of the relationship as you and Harry.

After finally leaving the afterparty that management forced you and Harry to attend you rush home hoping Mitch and Sarah will still be up. You find them both cuddled on the couch in sweats and immediately realize how uncomfortable your dress is.

Without hesitation you remove your dress, drop it on the floor, and pick up Sarah’s oversized sweater from a nearby chair. You slide it on, and it reaches mid-thigh, so you decide you’re clothed enough. You snuggle in between Mitch and Sarah and Harry joins the cuddle session on the couch a moment later. Things stay innocent for the remainder of the movie that’s playing and then you decide to show the others just how much you love them.

You first focus on Mitch and Sarah, pleasing them and showering them with care and adoration. Then the three of you turn to Harry and congratulate him on another Grammy win in a way that only the three of you are allowed to do.

After that instance the four of you have a conversation about what everyone was feeling that night. From day one you all knew that open communication is key and so over breakfast you hash out all the emotions and come up with a solution to make sure no one is ever feeling left out.

Things aren’t always easy for you and Harry either. While the general public’s reaction to you and him dating is mostly positive, there are negative comments and sometimes things can spiral out of control.

One time your cousin Matt is visiting during a week when Harry happens to be away for work. Pictures of you and Matt start to surface and within hours the cheating rumors begin. At first it doesn’t bother you as it’s honestly kind of expected, but people started to get downright nasty. Finally, you post a story on Instagram, introducing Matt as your cousin in a borderline passive aggressive manner. Most people back off after that, but some don’t believe you. From that moment you know there’s a subsection of fans that will never like you, but you know it’s a small group, so you let it slide.

There are also people who don’t like you simply because you’re dating Harry Styles. They stayed in the background when those first pictures were posted, thinking you’d be gone pretty quickly. But when they realized you were sticking around they started to post nasty comments. It’s mostly just typical mean girl stuff, saying you’re too plain, or fat, or short, or any judgmental thing they can think of even if it couldn’t be farther from the truth.

You don’t mind these comments too much, knowing they’re made mostly out of jealousy. And nights when they surface tend to end in Sarah, Mitch, and Harry showering you in compliments and worshipping your body so really the internet trolls are doing you a favor.

You know you’re never going to win over everyone so having a majority of people happy for you and Harry makes you feel content. But at the end of the day, what they think doesn’t matter. Because you have the most wonderful boyfriends and girlfriend to share life with, and that makes you the luckiest person alive.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!

Let me know if you have any requests!

Taglist: @akkatz @pandeebearstyles @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @theekyliepage @numafarawayglxy @booberry019-blog @hillzrry @ssareidbby @gem1712 @acesofspadess @houseofdilfs @shaquille-0atmeal-1 @kissitnhekitchen @amateurduck @poguestyleskye @n0vaj3an @snwells @drunk-teens-doing-drugs ; @fdl305

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Regarding queerbaiting: Sherlock is one of the more famous examples, and the tumblr drama surrounding it is an... interesting story that I think is worth knowing if you want to understand the queerbait allegations.

The show, made and set in the 2010s, liked to poke fun at John Watson for being a straight man shacking up with another single dude. The show's creators -- one of whom is a gay man himself -- were born in 60s, so I see these jokes as two guys who were adults during the height of AIDS and Thatcherism taking delight in the fact they're now living in a world where queerness is largely accepted and somewhat normalized. A straight guy being forced to constantly defend himself from nonchalant assumptions that the man he's living with is his gay lover is funny when he's not in any danger of being hate-crimed over it, right?

(I'm not a fan of the joke personally, but I get it.)

They really liked this stupid joke though, so they used it again and again and again, to the point that young fans started to become convinced it was hinting at something. I can't blame them: there was even a lesbian character who fell for Sherlock and explicitly compared herself to John as someone who wasn't into men and yet was just so spellbound by this one special detective boi.

It was pretty lesbophobic imo, which should have been a massive red flag as to how the showrunners really felt about queer characters...

...But where the show went from annoying to actively hostile was the mystery of how Sherlock survived his apparent death at the end of season 2. The showrunners swore up and down it was solvable... and then when the next season aired, the "solution" was "lol who cares how he did it, this is a ~*character driven story*~ and only stupid obsessed idiots would want to solve the mystery. 🤣🤣🤣"

Make no mistake, they singled out the mlm shippers specifically for mockery -- there's a group of Sherlock Holmes conspiracy theorists in the show who argue over a theory that Holmes and Moriarty staged the death together and then kissed about it. (The viewer is clearly meant to laugh at this.)

Some of the Johnlockers on tumblr refused to believe this was happening to them and doubled down and convinced themselves there was going to be an amazing Johnlock plot twist at the end of season 4. My understanding (which might be wrong, I wasn't in the fandom) is that this contingent was largely composed of naive queer teenagers who blindly trusted a handful of influential adults who insisted that the show was deep and clever and didn't hate its fans.

So I can definitely sympathize with the folks who fear Byler is just queerbait. This too is a mlm fandom made up of naive teenagers trusting the adults who swear that the secret gay plot twist is totally gonna happen this time, trust me bro it's not called Surface Things.

And, look. I think it's very sensible to be skeptical of random strangers on the internet who insist they have the answers, no matter how authoritative they might sound. Keep on doing that, folks. 👍

But I think that principle applies just as much to the "this is just like Sherlock" doomers as it does to the "anyone who thinks Byler won't happen has no media literacy" lot. Yes, it's always possible that the Duffers were queerbaiting us all along... but the way Sherlock and Stranger Things approach queerness truly is like night and day.

Huh, well, if what you say is accurate, then it sounds like the Holmes writers were just jerks overall. I can see the joke, as you explain it. I may not think it appropriate to make it a running gag, but it's good for a chuckle or two. If it was truly presented as a joke, then it would be on the fans for misinterpreting it, but I don't know enough about how it was presented to know how easy it would be for fans to make that conclusion.

To me, it only makes it more apparent that things on Stranger Things are "night and day," as you put it. Will's feelings, and Robin's, for that matter, are not treated as jokes. They're treated as dramatic, emotional parts of their individual arcs. In Will's case, his happiness is linked to his relationship with Mike, which is complicated by the fact that he doesn't think he'll get to have a romantic relationship with him, or at all really.

I prefer to think the Duffers are better than whoever was responsible for what you described. While it all remains to be seen, they deserve the benefit of the doubt, for now.

[wondrouswendy]

Why Fictional CaseyWake Is Interesting

Back by popular demand (one person asking me to continue my essay), I will continue promoting my Fictional CaseyWake agenda. The Fictional CaseyWake tiger has escaped its cage (and is doing just fine, if a little tortured).

DISCLAIMER: While some of this post involves media analysis, I am not an expert by any means. I am just a fan interpreting things. Don't take what I say as gospel. Also, I am only working with canon presented to us through the video games.

Further, this post is not to discredit or attack FBI Casey/Alan Wake. This is just my way of explaining why this other version of CaseyWake is interesting to me. Don't come at me with a pitchfork.

As a reminder, this post was made with fun in mind.

With that said, this will be a much longer post than those I usually make, so buckle up buckaroos.

I. What's the Deal With Fictional Casey?

The Casey we meet in the Dark Place in Alan Wake 2 is not the same as FBI Agent Alex Casey. There are certainly parallels between the two men, they of course share the same name, the same face, the same voice, a handful of the exact same dialogue lines, but their perspectives on life, Alan Wake, and everything in between is extremely different.

In Abhi Jha's interview with Sam Lake, Lake describes how he decided to revive his love of hardboiled fiction through the Casey we see in the Dark Place. Alan has received visions he doesn't understand of the real Alex Casey which he has then interpreted and curated into becoming his own character named Alex Casey. At the time of this creation, Alan believes Casey came from his imagination. We later learn in Vision 02 that Alan was receiving visions of the real Alex Casey as his inspiration. In Lake's words, this is "an echo of Casey he has molded... turning the knobs more, going more into that hardboiled inspirations." He is a "fictional character coming to life" who is different than the "actual FBI Agent in Washington with Saga who does have similarities and potential of being pushed in that direction but not quite. More three dimensional. With real worries and all of that."

From this, we can extrapolate that Fictional Casey is an exaggerated version of the real Alex Casey and not necessarily a one for one copy of him. Fictional Casey's worries are therefore extremely different than his source material's worries. They live in two entirely different contexts and have vastly different people around them. FBI Agent Alex Casey had an ex-wife and currently has a partner he has a close relationship with. Fictional Casey essentially only has Alan.

Also, Fictional Alex Casey has a little hair floof whereas FBI Casey does not. Their wardrobes are completely different. FBI Casey prefers coffee as his poison of choice; Fictional Casey prefers whiskey.

II. Tropes of Interest

A. Hatemance/Enemies to Lovers

If you’re looking for a hatemance, the pairing has you covered given the whole “Alan killed Casey off for shock value” situation. There’s sex appeal in that alone, but I also think there’s this tender bond between Alan and his character which I will continue to go through later. Alan calls on Casey for help in the Dark Place later on. Maybe it’s on a subconscious level, but it’s certainly there.

In the QR code videos released by Remedy and added into the remastered version of the game, Alan brings up the importance of his character, Alex Casey several times.

In Vision 01, he describes how the Dark Place tapped into his "unconscious mind." Taking things and twisting them to ultimately create a mystery for him to unravel. He specifically writes, "I needed a detective to guide me. Echoes of Casey haunted me."

From Vision 02, he writes, "I saw visions carried by the ebb and flow of different dream states, they seeped in from the reality beyond, things I had a connection to but also things I couldn't possibly know. I used them in my writing to make it real so the parts that weren't would become so. And there were visions that I knew were not real. Ideas I had lost. Often of Casey. I had written about him for years. I use them as well."

In Initiation 2: Casey from Alan Wake 2, Fictional Casey introduces himself with no aggression. To me, in this scene, he is almost acting like a questgiver, an NPC you'd meet in a game whose purpose is to be the guide for the protagonist. There's no immediate malice. In fact, he sacrifices himself to the monster that threatens them.

Casey, who's supposed to be the hero in the narrative, is killed by the Dark Presence. Alan doesn't protect him. You could argue that Casey's final lines of dialogue in this chapter are a moment in which he's breaking through the narrative, implying that he's tired of being used as cannon fodder to protect Alan and to further him on his quest to escape the Dark Place.

B. The History Between Alan Wake and Fictional Casey

For six books, Alan exclusively wrote Alex Casey's story. I would argue that most authors do not stick with a character as long as this. Authors tend to write trilogies if they stick with one character. Often, authors tend to write a story with a character for the course of one novel and then in their next novel, they may shift that character to the background to let another character take the spotlight (this happens all the time in romance novels, for example).

For Alan to write six books worth of Alex Casey, he must have enjoyed it in some way. Something must have appealed to him. His character, the universe, the mysteries. However, something changed with Alan to cause him to not only kill off his star character, but to then proverbially shit-talk him during an interview with Harry Garrett (though the argument could be made that because this interview is shown in a dream sequence that it isn't necessarily something we can reliably trust happened in the real world; if this has been confirmed to be real canonically, please feel free to tell me).

You could argue that Alan killing off Casey in The Sudden Stop threw his marriage and his life out of control. Alan experiences writer's block because Casey's gone. Now this could simply be because the well of inspiration with real life Casey ran dry, because FBI Agent Casey's life had become warped because of Alan's novels.

Alan spends an undefined time with his character Alex Casey. Six novels worth and then thirteen years in the Dark Place. That's a lot of time together.

C. Hurt/Comfort, Angst, and Whump

Alan hurt Casey, personally. He killed him off. Not once, not twice. Several times. He sacrifices Casey over and over.

Casey's echoes in Alan Wake 2 are familiar to Alan. They guide him along to create suitable plots for his escape attempts.

Even though Alan has hurt Casey so much, Casey can't help but assist him with escaping the Dark Place. Even when Casey begins to question his existence, even when Casey starts breaking the fourth wall, he doesn't

This lends itself to juicy Hurt/Comfort, Angst, and Whump potential.

D. Alan Wake: Dude in Distress

The bodyguard trope. Casey arguably functions as a bodyguard to Alan in the Dark Place. Casey is always there for Alan.

I hear what you're saying. Is it because he has no choice in the narrative? I would argue no. He has a choice. We see moments where Casey questions his state of being, he breaks the fourth wall. He acknowledges his status as a fictional character as Alan leaves Zane's theater. He knows there will always be another case for Casey. he walks off into the night's loving arms and cheekily says, "Roll credits."

In my interpretation, there's a part of Casey that enjoys this life, fucked up as it may be sometimes.

E. Forbidden and Star-Crossed Romance

There is potential for forbidden romance between these two. After all, you aren't supposed to fall in love with your creation. It isn't real in the physical sense.

If Fictional Casey isn't important to Alan, if he isn't a threat, then why does the Dark Presence continue to kill off Casey? Why does it continue to separate them, as it does in Initiation 5 when Scratch takes over Alan's body to shoot Casey? It knows that Casey is Alan's guardian angel in the Dark Place. It knows that Casey has been useful in creating plot points to help Alan figure it out.

Further, there is the potential for no happy endings with these two. Of course, that could be a turn off for some and a delicious morsel for others.

F. Sexual Tension

In culmination, these elements of their relationship create sexual tension between Alan and Casey. There's so much potential in their history for romance. Charged moments in the Dark Place.

One could argue there's a will they/won't they moment in Initiation 5 - Room 665 when Casey is pinning Alan to the alley wall. Freud did say, after all, that gun's have phallic imagery. Take that as you will.

On a more superficial level, Alan can shape his fictional character to be his vision of the ideal man, the ideal partner. Or, conversely, his ideal fling. His ideal hot mess. Maybe Alan's version of the manic pixie dream girl is a hardboiled detective.

III. The Act of Creation as a Form of Love of the Self, the Creative Process, and the Creation Itself

Prepare yourself for a bumpy ride through my philosophizing. Sorry in advance. I'm sure others could dive deeper into these particular subtopics better than I could, but I want to just throw this spaghetti at the wall and pray something sticks.

A. Love of the Self

Loving yourself is hard. It's a platitude to say it, but it's true.

Alan and his character Casey do share some qualities. Depression, alcohol abuse. Often as writers, we do draw inspiration from ourselves to add dimension to our characters. Alan doesn't need to be a hardboiled detective himself to share similarities to his fictional character. Alan is destructive, angry, confused, self-loathing, and dysfunctional all throughout Alan Wake 1 and 2. Much of Alan's worst qualities are in Fictional Alex Casey.

In Initiation 5, as Casey lays dying from Alan/Scratch shooting him, he says,

"I was dead tired. I just wanted it to be over. It was all my fault."

Circling back to Alan's writer's block, arguably Alan being in the Dark Place is Casey's fault to an extent. Something happened to cause Alan to want to quit telling Casey's story. Perhaps if Casey had continued to be a source of inspiration, Alan would have continued writing his books?

Going back further, if Alan had never created Casey, his life could have taken an infinite amount of turns. But because Casey came to life through Alan's writing, because of their history, Casey feels some degree of responsibility for how events in the Dark Place have shaped up.

Continuing, he says,

"...I'd had this dark place in my head for so long. Sometimes I'd forget the pain was there. Like it was the way you were supposed to feel. I was not in a dark place. I was the dark place, the source of it all, the vessel. Me and the writer, we were the same."

Casey's final monologue in this chapter echoes sentiments Alan is experiencing. The overall metaphor of the Dark Place as not necessarily a physical or supernatural realm, but a state of mind. Some days are better than others. Some days, you're used to your pain that it feels natural.

This then relates to Fictional Casey's potential guilt. What broke down between Alan and his character to cause Alan to want to kill him off? Did writing Casey's story leave Alan feeling too depressed? Too gloomy as he tells Harry Garrett? Was it early signs of writer's block? A lack of direction?

Relating back to Alan, Alan and the Dark Place are largely one. He finds out Scratch is him. Scratch is Alan + the Dark Presence. Alan/Scratch has been the one haunting Alice, tormenting her. He is the source of it all.

Thus, there is a recursive relationship where Alan's self-loathing feeds Casey and vice versa.

However, there are positive elements of Alan's character in Fictional Casey and vice versa. Casey solves mysteries, he protects others, even at risk to himself. Alan has goodness inside him, but it is cloaked by his own self-doubt and self-loathing.

Alan so badly wants to be the hero all throughout Alan Wake 1 and 2 to save Alice (from the Dark Place and later Scratch), but he's struggling against his own narrative and the meta narrative at large. Fictional Casey is arguably the idealized hero-fantasy he has for himself, which is later realized when he sacrifices himself. He willingly goes back to the Dark Place to save Saga, her daughter, and FBI Casey from the Dark Place and its jailor, the Dark Presence.

B. Love (and Hatred) of the Creative Process

To quote a great tumblr post for the 100th time, the act of creation is like sticking your hand in a cylinder of irradiated water full of piranhas. At the bottom is a button, that when pressed, will give you the best orgasm of your life. However, the irradiated water is obviously toxic and the piranhas are constantly biting. In short, the act of creating something is a struggle. But when you manage to hit that button...

Ask any writer (and any creative person at large), there's nothing more enjoyable than being inspired and filled with energy. Writing a new story is exciting. It's often why people tend to have a backlog of WIPs, because sometimes creatives are always chasing after the next new rush of endorphins. Sometimes we fall in love with a universe, sometimes it's a character, an idea of ours.

On the other side of the coin, hating the creative process, I'll quote a tweet from one of my favorite Youtube video essayists, "I hate literally every step in the filmmaking process. The only thing I hate more than making a film is not making a film." Similarly, most authors state that the worst thing about the writing process is not writing.

Alan can't write because he has writer's block, and he has writer's block because he killed off his character, and he hates that he isn't creating. See the vicious cycle? He can't psych himself up for whatever new book he was supposedly going to write prior to the events of the first game.

C. Love of the Creation Itself

Even in Alan's nightmares, he has copies of The Sudden Stop stuffed into his car's trunk like that meme about the person who trips and has pictures of their senpai shoved up their sleeves.

Art is subjective. It's tailored to our personal experiences and vision. Alan (and on a meta level, Sam Lake) enjoy hardboiled detective fiction. Alex Casey is the realization of that love come to life.

Understandably, there are elements of this style of relationship which are not equal in power. We see these elements repeatedly with how Alan uses, yes even abuses Fictional Casey to further his own goals.

Yes, you could say that loving your own creation (no matter the medium) is masturbatory. It's self-aggrandizing. But loving something you put time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears just feels good. We as creators have a right to feel proud of our works.

IV. Interesting Parallels

I'm sorry to all my English major friends for the fumbling I'm about to commit with literary analysis.

A. Biblical

It wouldn't be a deep dive analysis if we didn't bring up the Bible. Of course I'm talking about God and Adam. Anyone creating their own original universe with their own original characters is playing God. Alan creates Alex Casey through the divine act of turning his imagination into tangible writing.

Will someone PLEASE draw Alan Wake and Fictional Casey in the vein of Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam already???

B. Literary

John Milton's famous lines from his work Paradise Lost:

Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould Me man? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me?

Of course, Paradise Lost is an epic poem about the story of Genesis, but this stanza in particular, spoken by Adam to God can easily be applied to Fictional Casey towards Alan. Casey didn't ask for any of this. He didn't ask to be created, he didn't ask to become Alan's guide in the Dark Place.

I’m a sucker for Frankenstein by Mary Shelley so I regret to inform everyone we're bringing it up.

I think there’s some Frankenstein/His Monster vibes with this flavor of CaseyWake. I think there were moments where Casey resented coming to life, certainly much later on as he lives and dies over and over.

From his dying moments in Initiation 2:

"I remembered dying in this alley in a dream I had. He was just gonna keep killing me here, loop by loop. You're not gonna get what you want. You think you know. You know shit. You don't really wanna know. You're gonna get what's coming to you."

And then from Frankenstein:

"Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good – misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous."

Unlike his real counterpart, Fictional Casey has no one other than Alan. He has no friends, no found family. Arguably, even FBI Casey wants nothing to do with his fictional self. He is completely reliant upon Alan. I suppose you could say we the audience are his only true friend, as we function as voyeurs into his fictional life, much like Alan (but we seem to want to take better care of him than Alan does).

C. Mythological

Pygmalion and Galatea.

The Greek sculptor Pygmalion fell in love with his sculpture of a woman. He asked the goddess Aphrodite if his sculpture could become real, and somehow the goddess of love was like "yeah sure bud." The sculpture, Galatea, comes to life, and they live happily ever after.

(This is the part where I'll make a brief Weird Science shoutout since it's a somewhat similar premise).

V. Conclusion

If you have somehow made it this far, thanks for reading.

There are likely things I've forgotten that I wanted to talk about at some point. Maybe I'll have to make a part two if I end up remembering them.

Hopefully my essay will help inspire others to create fanworks featuring this particular version of CaseyWake. I would love to hear what others think, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts!!

And finally,

[kajaono]

„Do you only consume Sherlock Holmes media for Johnlock?!“

I can not tell you how grumpy this comment makes me. First at all, everyone can enjoy media for their own reasons, but that’s just a side note

The main reason why I hate this comment is: it implies that we have the freedom to choose. It implies that when one Sherlock Holmes adaptation is not making Johnlock canon we can just turn around and say: „Pah! They are not making Johnlock canon. I am watching/reading another adaptation instead.“

Nothing could be more wrong. We do not have this freedom of choice. So far we have TPLOSH which implied gay Sherlock, Elementary with implied queer Sherlock, Sherlock & co which might make Sherlock gay… or not… only time will tell, and The Irregulars which made John canon gay and in love with Holmes. That’s it. Looking at the major adaptations… that’s it. One, ONE (!) canon gay John Watson. And that’s it.

I love the Sherlock Holmes stories because I know that I can witness my favorite detective duo solve mysteries not once, not twice… but for my whole life time. In every universe, past, present, future, audio, movie, book, series, as mice, gnomes, dogs, robots, women, thieves, everything. I can choose my Holmes adaptation based on my mood

But what do I watch when I am in the mood for some gay stuff? What do I watch?! Nothing. Because there is nothing.

And that’s why i am so grumpy. I am queer, and I am a fan, and I can not unsee the irony that we live in 2024, where Holmes and Watson can be everything, but not in love. They can’t even be queer on their own, for goodness sake.

I am consuming Sherlock Holmes media despite knowing that Johnlock might never be canon. Two or more Sherlock Holmes adaptations are in the work right now. In one of them Holmes is dead and Watson leading a hospital, in the other one Holmes is young and appearently has a female love interest, no Watson anywhere near him.

So don’t you dare to tell me that I only consume Sherlock Holmes media for Johnlock

Also the amount of people i saw recently making fun of the Johnlock fan movie is just disgusting. Queers did something for themselves and the only reaction you have for this is hatred. If you ask yourself why Johnlock isn’t canon yet in a major adaptation, maybe you are part of the problem

[theinstagrahame]

It's been a wild few months here at theInstaGrahame HQ, but what never fails to make me happy is the rad games I get from the mail. I'm getting over a cold, so I'mma work on this instead of anything productive I could be doing!

Here's my month of RPG mail calls, and why I'm hyped!

Coriolis: The Last Cyclade: I've been curious about Coriolis' Middle Eastern-themed sci-fi vibes for a while, so I put this on a Secret Santa wishlist; and this is what I got! Excited to dive in.

Curios: Albrecht Manor and Jasper Park: Good Luck Press is one of those game design teams I'll try anything from, and the pitch for this is really unique. It's not an RPG per se, as much as a collection of books, papers, maps, and other materials that point toward a mystery you get to figure out. Playing it is just... looking through stuff.

Salvage Union: I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic media, and a fan of the mecha genre. So, yeah, this was an easy sell. It's built on the Quest system, which I've been meaning to get more into anyway, and it looks like a mech repair manual!

The Zone (which I apparently thought people would just recognize): This game is available for free online, but the box set is gorgeous, and features some designers I love. Trying to set up an online session soon, but I do really want to play it in person.

Deimos Academy: Honestly, I picked it up because of the creative team, but also the pitch is great. I skipped my high school reunion, but if there was a chance to go back and face a monster? I might've thought about going.

Brindlewood Bay + Nephews in Peril: I was originally just going to get the super popular Elderly Detectives Solve Eldritch Crimes RPG, but the title of the expansion/mystery book was just too perfect.

Rebels f the Outlaw Wastes: I've already mentioned I like post-apocalyptica? Well, this took a neat approach to achievements/leveling that I was super intrigued by, and I just dig the fun vibe. The reason I like post-apocalyptic media is that it's hopeful, and this feels moreso than a lot of other stuff.

Skyrealms Almanac and Creatures and Folks: I've been into setting guides this past year. And like, this one is also a coloring book? Hell yeah.

Stoneburner: I've been following the creator on Twitter and elsewhere for a while, so I was curious about this title. But definitely sold when they talked about some of the inspiration being the original Starcraft games.

Forgery: Again, picked it up because I really like Banana Chan's work, but this is a paint-by-numbers solo RPG about forging a demonic painting. So like, yeah. That's rad.

Vast Grimm: Space Cruisers: Vast Grimm is Mork Borg in Space, but I'm also a big fan of ship catalogs, so I really wanted to check this one out.

.Dungeon: Everything Snow makes is beautiful, queer, and nostalgic, so when they mentioned a re-release of .Dungeon was coming, I really wanted to check it out. I have a lot of nostalgia for the

Cloud Empress (everything, including a patch!): I mean, you say Nausicaa and I'm listening. This has some roots in that world, but also does some really interesting things with the Mothership game engine. I'm especially intrigued by the notion of replacing racial traits with age traits, and having a series of pretty mundane jobs as the classes.

Layers of Unreality: The first of this month's Zine Club deliveries! I keep hearing about Liminal Horror, and this particular module I've heard nothing but incredible things about. So I'm really hyped to check out what happens in these backrooms.

Fear the Taste of Blood: My second Zine Club book this month! Kayla Dice is one of those really rad creators who I think deserves more attention than she gets, so I'm really hyped to dive into this take on classic movie monsters.

I also got this from my partner's family's Secret Santa.

Okami is one of those games that sticks with me, and has ever since I first saw images from it, and played it. It's a genuinely beautiful experience, and while it's maybe not a game everyone will like, it's one that I really enjoy, and the art is a big part of that.

It stands out as an example of what you can do with a video game that's nearly impossible with most other art forms, and also a reason that I don't think the Arms Race for More Photorealistic Graphics in video game consoles is worth the effort.

[songbirdseung]

matchy matchy / lee heeseung

You know Hansel and Gretel, the classic fairytale. You know the breadcrumb trail. This part of the story could be compared to the way you and heeseung drop hints about your secret relationship to your fans. Just like how the breadcrumbs were eaten by the birds.

Right in this moment, you felt like you were living a double life. The 'hannah montana' of your generation. You kept a secret to pretty much everyone in your life. It was easy to hide and joke around about, cause who in the world would believe you were dating lee heeseung of enhypen.

Blending in was not exactly blending in for you. Easily, no one would think twice about your photocard dangling on the side of your bag, your matching purple hair with your boyfriend, and the jokes you make about being delusional. Yes, you were an idol under HYBE, but you still were a fangirl at the end of the day, so it made your job easier.

The beloved second half, heeseung. He didn't have to do much either, all he needed to do was think before speaking, joke around with fans, keep them thinking that he was single. Of course, you'd be slightly jealous but cringe at the same time when you see new content of him flirting with fans.

But at the end of the day, you win.

Cause right now, you were laying in a hotel room in Japan. Heeseung's arms gladly wrapped around you and you both watch a movie. "Aren't you tired of hiding?" Heeseung looks down at you, laying on his chest. You look back up at him and smile before saying "No matter what the circumstances, as long as I get to be with you. I'd love it" The statement sounded better in your head, so you cringed right after you said it. You two share a laugh and continue your focus on the film that was playing.

The rest of the night, you two stay unaware of what is happening between your fandoms. All because the similarities and the timeframe of you and heeseung's post on social media. Each of your fans go detective and try to piece together the evidence. Some have come to believe it, some don't.

(a/n: the following accounts are fake and made up, but if you so happen to have that handle...cool)

@/EnhyFam_123 Hey guys, I've been scrolling through Y/N's Instagram lately, and I couldn't help but notice something interesting. 🕵️‍♀️ Do you remember Heeseung's post from a month ago where he's holding a cup of coffee with a cute heart-shaped latte art? Well, guess what? Y/N just posted a similar coffee pic with heart latte art today! Coincidence or something more? 🤔

@/InSomnias4YnH OMG, you won't believe this, but I think I've stumbled upon a clue! 🕵️‍♂️ Y/N and Heeseung both posted pictures of them hanging out at the same amusement park last weekend. Y/N captioned it "Fun day out," while Heeseung said, "Rollercoaster adventures!" Could they have been on a secret date? Check it out and let me know what you think!

@/HONEY10_Heart Okay, fam, this is getting TOO SUSPICIOUS! 🧐 Heeseung posted a selfie last week wearing a blue hoodie, and guess what? Y/N just shared a selfie today in a BLUE hoodie too! 💙 It's not just any hoodie; it's the same shade! Are they sharing clothes or sharing their hearts?

@/YnHeeShipper4Eva Guys, let's not forget about that mysterious photo challenge Heeseung started a while back, where he shared pictures of his favorite spots in town. Y/N just posted a pic of one of those EXACT spots today! Coincidence? I think not! 😲 Is this a subtle way of confirming their relationship or just pure coincidence? Share your thoughts!

@/HesitatedHeeStan I can't help but notice that Y/N and Heeseung have been wearing matching bracelets lately. They both posted about them separately, but I have a feeling they might be sharing something more than just jewelry! Is it time to ship them officially? 🚢

@/YnHee_Heartbeats Okay, I've seen Y/N and Heeseung's posts from the past few months, and I swear their captions seem like they're finishing each other's sentences! Heeseung posted, "Lost in the music 🎶," and Y/N followed up with, "Found in your smile 😊." Is this a hidden love story playing out on our feeds?

@/EnhaYnLove4Eternity Guys, it's official! I'm convinced that Y/N and Heeseung are dating! 🥰 I've seen so many similarities in their posts, and they keep dropping hints like breadcrumbs. It's not just one thing; it's the whole package! Their matching outfits, shared locations, and synchronized captions… It's a love story in the making! ❤️ #EnhaYnForever

@/CuriousKpopStan I don't know about you all, but my heart is doing somersaults over Y/N and Heeseung's possible relationship! 💞 From the subtle hints to the uncanny timing of their posts, it's hard to deny something's going on. 🙌 #YnHeeLove

@/YnHeeDenier_99 Okay, folks, let's not jump to conclusions here. Just because Y/N and Heeseung have similar posts doesn't mean they're dating. Maybe they just have the same taste in coffee and hoodies, right? ☕️👕 I mean, come on, it's all just coincidences!

@/SkepticalStan_27 I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe they're dating just because they went to the same amusement park. 🙅‍♂️ Lots of people go there! It doesn't mean Y/N and Heeseung are secretly in love. Let's be rational about this, folks.

@/HeeYnFriendzone Guys, I've been thinking. Maybe Y/N and Heeseung are just really good friends who happen to have similar interests. People can be friends without it being romantic, right? 🤷‍♀️ I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but let's not get carried away.

@/JustBFFsYnHee I hate to break it to you all, but matching bracelets don't automatically mean they're dating. Maybe they got those bracelets together as a friendship thing or a symbol of their bond as colleagues. Let's not make assumptions. 😐

@/YnHeePlatonicShips Honestly, I think some fans are reading way too much into this. Y/N and Heeseung are professionals who work together, and they probably hang out as friends. We should respect their privacy and not speculate about their personal lives.

@/NotBuyingIt_YnHee I can't help but roll my eyes at the idea of Y/N and Heeseung dating just because of similar captions. Maybe they both read a book or watched a movie that inspired those words. It doesn't automatically mean they're romantically involved! 😒

@/RealisticStan_123 Let's not forget that Y/N and Heeseung are in the entertainment industry. Their job involves creating hype and intrigue. They might be doing this on purpose to keep fans guessing. Don't fall for it too easily, folks! 🤨

@/ChillOut_YnHeeFans I'm not trying to be a buzzkill, but we should all take a step back and relax. Jumping to conclusions and making up stories can put unnecessary pressure on idols. Let's enjoy their music and performances without getting too invested in their personal lives. 🎶🤷‍♂️

You both are only made aware when you two simultaneously receive a text from your managers at the same time.

"Heeseung, Check SNS, your fans are going crazy"

"y/n, you got some explaining to do"

"It's up to you guys if you wanna tell everyone, we'll have a company meeting after ya'll come back from Japan"

They found themselves in a cozy hotel room, far away from the public eye, where they could finally discuss their next steps. Heeseung reclined on the plush bed, his laptop resting on his lap, while Y/N perched beside him, scrolling through their phones.

"Let's see what they're saying." Heeseung says and pulls you closer.

Y/N opened Instagram, and they both leaned in to examine the posts from fans.

Post 1: @EnhyFam_123 "OMG, look at Y/N's latte art! Same as Heeseung's from last month! Is it a coincidence? I think not! 🙈❤️ #EnhaYnLove"

Post 2: @YnHeeLove4Eternity "I'm CONVINCED! Matching bracelets, shared locations, synchronized captions… It's a love story, guys! 😍 #YnHee"

"Seems like they've got their detective hats on." Hee says

They continued scrolling through more posts, some excitedly shipping them, while others remained skeptical.

Post 3: @JustBFFsYnHee "Matching bracelets? Come on, people! They're probably just really good friends! 🤷‍♀️ #FriendshipGoals"

Post 4: @RealisticStan_123 "Let's not forget they're in showbiz. They could be playing it up for publicity. 🎤📸 #KpopMystery"

They continued scrolling, reading comments and reactions to the various posts. Some fans were excitedly discussing their supposed relationship, while others were analyzing every detail, trying to debunk it.

Post 5: @ChillOut_YnHeeFans "Guys, let's remember they're entitled to their privacy. Enjoy their music, not their personal lives! 🎶🤐 #RespectBoundaries"

"Some fans have the right idea." you pause from scrolling and look at heeseung.

As they reached the end of their social media dive, Heeseung closed his laptop, and Y/N set aside their phone. Then, out of nowhere, Heeseung grabs his phone and opens up weverse.

"What are you doing?" you start to panic and hide when you see that he's about to press the live button.

"Going live, what else?" he chuckles and waits for fans to arrive.

Your heart races as the number of viewers starts to climb rapidly, and the comments section fills with emojis, greetings, and excited messages from fans.

Heeseung smiles at the camera. "Hey, everyone! Surprise live session today. I've got someone special here with me, but I'm not revealing who just yet. Stay tuned!"

The chat explodes with speculation and curiosity, but Heeseung keeps engene guessing.

You watch from your hiding spot, feeling the intensity of the moment. This was it; there was no turning back now.

"Alright, alright, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Drumroll, please!"

Heeseung's fingers hover over the screen, and with a dramatic flourish, he pans the camera to reveal you, hiding behind a curtain, a playful grin on your face.

"Ta-da! Look who's here! It's Y/N!"

The chat erupts with emojis, greetings, and an outpouring of love and excitement.

You shyly wave and greet engene "Hey, everyone! It's nice to finally meet you all. Heeseung and I wanted to chat with you and clear up some rumors."

"That's right. There have been a lot of speculations lately, and we wanted to address them ourselves." Heeseung sets the phone down where both of you are in frame.

The questions from fans start pouring in, ranging from the nature of their relationship to their favorite memories together. As they answer, you can't help but feel a sense of relief. Sharing their story with their fans was important, and it felt good to have their support.

The next hour flies by as you and Heeseung engage with your fans, sharing stories, laughs, and even some exciting news about upcoming projects. The atmosphere in the live session is filled with warmth and positivity, and you're overwhelmed by the love and support from your fans.

As the live session comes to a close, Heeseung reaches out and takes your hand, squeezing it gently.

"Thank you all for joining us today and for your unwavering support. We appreciate each and every one of you." Heeseung says.

Then you smile as you reply with "Yes, thank you for being so understanding and respectful. We're grateful for this wonderful community."

The chat fills with hearts and words of encouragement as the live session ends. You and Heeseung share a heartfelt moment, knowing that you've taken a big step in your relationship by sharing it with your fans.

"Now, we deal with the company and leave the aftermath to the side"

[sebadztian]

Hello, just finished your fic "An Earl and His Demon Butler". And I love it...Thanks for sharing your hard work. I'm new in Black Butler fandom and before this I got a lot of bad reviews (especially for sebaciel fans). As a multishipper I want to know for myself and I watch the anime and read the manga. And WOW...Kuroshitsuji series is amazing, the story is great and the arts are beautiful.....And I can't help but also become SebaCiel shipper as I enjoy this series....

I have read several SebaCiel fics but your fics are the best for me. No ooc at all and I can't stop once I read your series....

Can I ask, what made you love Black Butler? What is it about this series that made it special to you?

And, from any media (manga/anime, tv series, books, etc) have you ever found a ship (canon or non canon) that the dynamic remind you of SebaCiel?

Hello! Thank you for your question and welcome! I'm actually quite new to Kuro myself as I only started reading/watching it some three years ago.

Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad to know that you've enjoyed Earl. That one is and will always be my special baby, lol!

What made me love BB... Well, believe it or not, at first, it wasn't because of Sebaciel.

Let me preface it by saying that I love murder mystery. I started with the anime before moving to the manga and what attracted me to the series (at first) was how Ciel is taking this role of a detective, solving cases (Jack the Ripper) and he has this stupidly powerful demon by his side.

When I reached the Phantomhive Manor Murder Mystery, I really got into the series because it's just so well done. Funny, mysterious, and oh so cleverly done.

Later on, of course, I started shipping Sebaciel and it opens up a whole new world for me to explore.

But it's not just the series itself that makes it so special for me. I've met other people in the fandom, kind and wonderful people.

So, I guess the three things that makes BB so special for me is the mystery plot, Sebaciel themselves, and the community that makes up the fandom.

I can't think of anything else that reminds me of Sebaciel in terms of their dynamic. There are a few similar settings in other media, but so far, I haven't found anything that's as complicated, as messed up, and/or as power struggle-y as Sebaciel. Or maybe I haven't read/watched too many others. Sorry...

Thank you again for the ask and sorry tyat it has taken me so long to reply.

[hamliet]

In the context of fiction and media, everything is so sexualized especially when I think of shipping. Even ships with underage minors and adults are popular and why?? Fiction directly affects reality does it not? Why is it okay to show that?

Sexuality is a very normal, healthy part of human behavior. While some people are asexual and that is also normal and healthy, the majority are not. Most people like sex, find it fun and meaningful. All human experiences should be reflected in art (what else is art for?), so sexuality should be reflected in a lot of art.

Unfortunately, we live in a culture that paradoxically both idolizes and shames sexuality, and this is as prevalent among the fundamentalist religious as it is among leftist spaces. So when art ignores sexuality completely, or ignores certain types of sexuality (see, the female gaze, or queer expressions of sex) fans will create that art themselves--such as via shipping. Shipping is simply "there's a story to be told here" and that story may or may not involve sex (most often does) and even in some cases, be primarily about sex.

Fiction is both shaped by reality and can shape reality, but that's not the same as saying it's a 1=1 mirror of reality where you can exactly correlate A cause with B result. Like, look up the anti video game movement of the 90s, the Satanic Panic and the way emo music was blamed for tragedies like Columbine, and ask yourself why people who like detective mysteries aren't murderers.

Yet, there is nuance here for sure. Like, I'll just bluntly state moral policing is a boring way to engage with art and fandom, and that goes beyond just sexuality. However, that isn't the same as saying take off your critical thinking hat, anything goes. Criticism is a very necessary part of fandom and engagement, and must be allowed (shakes fist at toxic positivity). But criticism as a field is designed to open doors more so than close them. It's a discussion more than anything else (note: discussing does not mean conclusions can't be drawn; they can). I have called out the real life implications of different stories before, and I'll do it again.

Me saying "moral policing stories is boring" also isn't me advocating for amorality. Not at all. Ethical questions posed by works can elevate a work to the realm of a masterpiece. There's a reason The Brothers Karamazov is considered top-tier literature. But ethics and morality are best explored not through statements, but through examination of what someone means when they say something is wrong or right. Fiction is a fabulous way to do this.

Let's use the example of minors and adults. Sad face, because "minor" in fandom can mean anything from "short person" (yes, really, I've seen that argued that someone who is short is "minor coded") to "17 year old" to "five year old." Shipping a 17 year old and an 18 year old is way different than, say, a preteen and a person their parent's age.

Like, in real life, people do not have a magical switch in their brain when they turn 18. An 18 year old dating a 17 year old is normal. It's not ethically dubious. An 18 year old (legal!) dating a 40 year old? Is ethically suspect to me, even if it isn't illegal. Ages are the best ways we have to protect children and keep them safe, but there's a reason most laws allow for an 18 and a 17 year old to date. At the same time, no one in their right mind would object to the moral statement "minors shouldn't date adults" (unless you're Matt Gaetz) with a "WELL WHAT ABOUT" because basic guardrails can't be built around exceptions, and the alternative is so horrifying that the guardrail exists for a damn good reason. But real life or fictitious, an 18 and 17 year old is not really sketchy.

Plus, I caution that the portrayal of a thing isn't necessarily the endorsement or "normalization" of said thing. Framing matters. A story can be used to powerfully show the pain of entering a relationship in which a young person is in way over their head. In fandom specifically, the shipping "story" people are interested in, regardless of ages or whatnot, might not be a happily-ever-after one, and might be a way to process their own abuse. I think there's a famous queer author who got "cancelled" for this, but she was processing her own experiences and framed it as negative, which is very sad.

There are other considerations too. For example, the medium of a story also matters. Film (and theater) inherently muddy the fiction and reality discourse dilemma in a way that written or drawn mediums do not: they use real people, so there are multiple layers in which this discourse can be discussed. Fandom and shipping, however, does not (on the whole) use these mediums.

I also know some people age up characters or de-age them to ship them at the same age, because they like the dynamic but do have ethical concerns about ages. I personally feel squicked out when there's a power dynamic like minor/adult (as in the paragraph above), teacher/student, or mentor/mentee, even if both are adults. And yet despite this I still like stories like Scum Villain's Self Saving System which are literally designed to provoke questions about shipping and fandom and morality, because they make me use my critical thinking and are aware of the problematic aspects of their works and precisely explore what makes it problematic, and what makes it not. SVSSS approaches it like:

A teacher who abuses his pupil enters into a relationship with him when they are adults, no grooming when kids. Sounds ethically suspect, right?

What if it's set in an ancient fantasy world where people fly on swords and live as immortals?

What happens to the idea of age (past a certain point in development) when you're immortal and stay physically young? (We don't have a real-life starting point for this.)

What if said teacher is literally no longer the same soul, but has been swapped for another soul?

What if the new soul is forced to be unkind under pain of not just death but soul obliteration?

What if age becomes speculative because the new soul isn't necessarily older than the pupil?

You see, there are a million angles from which SVSSS approaches this question, and ties these questions in with themes about individuality and presuppositions (essentially: see the individual more than the "type" of character). It's not mocking the questions. It's genuinely exploring them.

So, ethical questions can be very interesting in stories, and in terms of how fans interact with fiction as well. But not in terms of preaching, but in terms of interaction, in terms of making you question things--which is not the same as tossing aside all principles of morality.

[cenobittten]

Gregory is sus: A Security Breach analysis

A spoilery leak-informed introduction to why I am doing this - for theorists & hardcore fans

A non-spoilery link to all analysis parts - coming soon.

No spoilers, game evidence only

PART ONE - GAME OPENING

So, from the beginning of the game, Gregory always puzzled me. So much so that I have been building a theory for a whole year based on him being sus.

Join me as I rewatch the game and highlight some things you may have missed.

Today, we'll cover the opening of the game up until the start of daycare. You may think there isn't much to say here but… surprisingly the game opening does a LOT of heavy lifting with setup. So much so that I boldly promise that you'll be given enough to realise Gregory is sus af by the end of this post.

The game's opening never made sense to me. From a storytelling perspective, why would SW have the game open with us in Freddy's room? Out of all the beautiful game settings they could have opened with, you start in a tiny room side room. Things are already confusing. Gregory has mysteriously come from Freddy's hatch - he claims he crawled in there when Freddy was asleep. That was extremely suspicious and my writer's senses were tingling. I had a suspicion that this was a writing technique called "In medias res", where the narrative begins partway through the story in the middle of the action and that this might be a clue in and of itself.

Protip: I highly recommend rewatching the opening to Security Breach before reading this or clicking the accompanying clips. Dialogue tone is extremely important.

The clues

(Covers 1-4)

1: Gregory hiding in Freddy's hatch:

Lets start at the very beginning. Now, what kid in their right mind climbs into a switched off animatronic? Especially after it has been glitching wildly on stage? Most kids would find the prospect terrifying but Gregory seems surprisingly unbothered by it. What or who is he hiding from? What drove him to hide somewhere so dangerous?

The mystery goes deeper though. To solve it, we need to channel our inner Benoit Blanc. Time to play detective:

Gregory claims he got into Freddy's hatch while he was sleeping

However, Freddy was on stage when he glitched. Presumably he was still on the stage when he switched off.

We know from the Fazwatch note 'Party Foul' that Freddy was out of commission for the rest of the day. He missed a kid's birthday party.

This means we have at least several hours between Freddy crashing and the game starting. This presumably means there could have been time where Freddy was out of action/asleep and Gregory could have climbed into him as he said.

When though? Freddy malfunctioned in public view in front of a big audience. There is no way he could have got into Freddy without someone noticing unless no one was around. He would have been stopped by staff. And presumably, Freddy was transported by a staff member back to his own room. When could Gregory have snuck in?

This is where SB fans say 'Simple. He got into Freddy's room and snuck in there'! Now, its possible I am wrong here but I think the game is hinting at that being impossible. Why? The game goes out of its way to tell us Freddy can't get out of his room. His door is locked, requiring someone with a party pass to open it from the outside. If Gregory has no security badges at all, how could he have gotten into Freddy's room independently? How did he get the chance?

This made me wonder if Gregory was lying and covering up how he'd come to be inside Freddy. By its own, this line of thinking is a bit thin but stay with me and you'll see why I made a big deal about this.

Quite the puzzle. Reminds me of the old 'locked door' mysteries! It also raises the question: Was Gregory actually already inside Freddy before he glitched? Could he even be the reason for said malfunction?

2: Gregory's narrative set up:

I also want to point out that we see no hint of Gregory's backstory or how he came to be in the Pizzaplex. Despite being a lost kid in a shut-down Pizzaplex, he isn't upset or scared. He doesn't talk about wanting to go home. From a storytelling perspective, this immediately stood out.

3: Gregory's rude introduction:

Gregory's first line of dialogue is "Shh! WILL YOU SHUT UP?!". Kinda rude for a lost kid, huh? He's scared of Vanessa the Security Guard coming over, sure. But why? If he hasn't at least met Vanessa in passing before, how does he know she is 'trying to get him'? Either Vanessa has shown herself to be a threat to him (which she shows no sign of to the player) or Gregory is hiding something or making an excuse. I also noted that he almost sounds frustrated and annoyed at Freddy for asking questions.

4: NO RECORD OF GREGORY:

This clue is super important! Freddy scans Gregory. He has no guest profile. He then asks for Gregory's name. Freddy proceeds to try and notify the main office and he receives a connection error. Ergo, there is no way that anyone else in the Pizzaplex can or should know his name. Remember this.

5: Gregory makes accusations/deflects:

Omg I titled this clip wrong lol. GREGORY'S REACTION TO VANESSA

Gregory immediately blames Freddy's connection problems on 'her'. "She cut you off", "She's trying to get to me. She's not going to let you call for help until she finds me." The player presumes he's talking about Vanessa.

Freddy responds with "Who? Your Mother?"

I personally think this is the game foreshadowing but that's for another theory.

It's telling that we never get an answer in-game. Gregory distracts by talking about footsteps approaching. This could be read as deflection.

6: G's reaction to Vanessa:

Freddy tells him it's the security guard and 'she can help!. Gregory responds in a panicked way. "NO, NO, I don't trust her." "I don't know who she is but she's trying to get me!"

Again, what is going on here? Think back. Gregory just said he doesn't know her but earlier he 'knew' that she'd cut communications and that Vanessa was after him. Why doesn't he trust her? (At this point, my mind was whirring. Things don't add up.)

Unless, of course, he's referring to a different 'she'...

7: Gregory expresses no verbal desire to exit the pizzaplex:

This fact gets lost in the Fazwatch intro sequence but - believe it or not - it is Freddy who prompts the walk to the main entrance. Gregory says nothing about escaping, leaving or his motivation at all. Why? That's rather plot convenient.

8: Freddy assumes Gregory has a party pass:

After climbing out of Freddy's room via the vents, Gregory tries but fails to open Freddy's door. He needs a party pass.

Freddy says: "Apologies, I assumed you had one already…" Why would Freddy assume this given Gregory didn't have a guest profile? Well, because Freddy knows Gregory could not have entered his room without it. Again, a surprisingly telling dialogue choice.

Freddy sends Gregory to find a complimentary pass in the lobby so he can get Freddy out of his room.

Clue 9: Gregory's dialogue reminds players of Afton:

Party pass achieved, Gregory reunites with Freddy. Freddy says that he has figured out how to get Gregory out of the Pizzaplex and says he'll take him to the main entrance. Freddy proceeds to suggest that Gregory travels in this cakehatch.

Gregory says yes: "But you better be careful moving around, I don't want to be crushed and twisted into a meat pretzel."

This could be taken as innocent fear but… it's delivered a little dryly for that. The imagery reminds the player of Springtrap. And the fear is sort of belated, isn't it? Given he already hid in there earlier.

Clue 10: Freddy's sudden detour to First Aid:

I don't know how else to explain it but Freddy starts behaving quite strangely as soon as he exits his room with Gregory in his hatch. He says about taking Gregory to the main entrance, they need to hurry before the doors shut. Then unexpectedly Freddy announces randomly that "You are broken" and he makes an impromptu trip to first aid despite Gregory's protests that he is 'fine' and they "Don't have time".

The first aid room, as it happens, is located in the Staff-only utility tunnels in a dark room with danger signs and sparking wires. Bit odd, huh? Why isn't First Aid in one of the guest areas? This doesn't seem like a typical place to bring customers.

Plot happens:

As soon as the duo get to the First Aid Station, they are interrupted by Vanessa. Gregory hides while Vanessa tells Freddy off. The following scene plays out:

Vanessa: Freddy! You're supposed to be on lockdown.

Freddy: Officer Vanessa! I do not know how I got here!

Vanessa: Well you totally blew it tonight you know. Your system crashed and you ruined the show. Now Parts and Service have you on reduced power! They said it's a safety precaution. Just one more thing to deal with...

Freddy: I apologize.

Vanessa: Ok... Look, we're like 15 minutes from closing and some kid is sneaking around backstage. If you see anything notify me immediately, I already alerted the others. Now go back to your room.

This is important context and establishes a few things. "Parts and Services" have put Freddy on reduced power, meaning he requires recharging every hour. Additionally, Vanessa at least appears to know very little about Gregory other than the fact that he exists.

Gregory says: "I told you she was after me."

This voice line implies that Gregory and Vanessa have at least had one run in with each other.

Freddy promises: "I said nothing. I will keep you safe. Let's go."

11: Gregory doesn't receive any first aid:

I kid you not, I laughed the first time I realised this. After all the fuss that was made, Freddy doesn't even look Gregory over. They just leave immediately. Is this a plot oversight or a clue?

Unrelated(?) detail you may have missed:

As Freddy and Gregory move through the Utility Tunnels, Freddy explains they link to every area of the building.

Freddy says: Fazer Blast, Monty Golf, Roxy Raceway, they are all accessible to S.T.A.F.F - with high enough clearance of course. Guests are never allowed down here but yours is a... special situation.

This scene provides confirmation that the First Aid Station Freddy took Gregory to isn't usually used by guests. Hmmm.

Additionally, there's another notable piece of flavour text. The S.T.A.F.F bots need security clearance to go around the building. Why? If S.T.A.F.F bots are just generic AI/personality-less robots, why would they need individual security clearance?

It's also worth noting that - as this line is delivered - we pass a scene behind a chain link fence. It is of three S.T.A.F.F bots standing around a broken colleague.

Then, a short walk later, this poster is displayed: "100% of fatal accidents involve human beings."

It feels like Steel Wool might be trying to imply something here.

Plot:

About two seconds later, Freddy draws to a halt because he ran out of power. So helpful. Gregory is on his own again but Freddy promises to direct him via the Fazwatch. Gregory sets off for the main entrance.

12: Animatronic dialogue:

Gregory wanders around a bit and triggers a playable cutscene where Roxy, Chica and Monty begin to chase him.

I'm going to cheat slightly here and use this as an opportunity not only to review their dialogue in this scene but their wandering around dialogue as it boils down to the same point.

During the chase, the animatronics say the following.

Monty: There you are! (Friendly tone, like he's found you after playing hide and seek)

Roxy: Are you lost? (Dry voice, could be read as sarcasm or a genuine question. Ambiguous)

Chica: Lost boy over here! (Singsong)

You can also find the rest of their dialogue text and audio here.

None of these voice lines sound threatening at all. They sound pretty reasonable on the whole honestly. In some cases, they even sound friendly or like they are just doing the task assigned to them as part of a Pizzaplex lost kid protocol. Or directions from Vanny/Vanessa/an unseen force. But whatever is driving them, they don't seem very murdery.

Some patroling dialogue lines that stuck out to me:

Monty: "You can hide but you can't hide!", "Hey kid, come on out! We're only tryin' to help." (That first one… what does Monty mean?)

Chica: "Your family is looking for you.", "Your parents want you to follow me.", "Don't worry, you're safe with me." (How does Chica know who Gregory's parents/family are?)

Roxy: "Why are you hiding from me?", "Hey kid, come on out. We're only trying to help.", "I can help." (Roxy has some more spiteful-sounding dialogue like "Sneak away, little coward" and "Nobody will miss you" but none sound threatening or aggressive)

Plot again:

Gregory escapes but doesn't make it to the door in time.

"How unfortunate Gregory. You missed your chance but there is still hope. You should be able to escape when the security doors reopen at 6:00am. Until then, keep moving and try not to draw attention to yourself, there is another way out. I will help you find it. I promise."

13: Chica knows Gregory's name:

So now, Gregory begins to find a means to upgrade his Party Pass so he can enter the Pizzaplex. During this time, Chica patrols the area.

Hey, remember how I pointed out that:

Gregory has no guest profile?

Freddy couldnt access the mainframe to report his name?

Ergo, there is no way that anyone other than Freddy who can know Gregory's name?

THEN HOW DOES CHICA KNOW GREGORY'S NAME?

Before people say "Vanessa hears Gregory's name through the Fazwatch via Freddy." That scene happened at 2am. This clip is LITERALLY from 12am moments after the door shut. It's several hours before that scene even happens. Vanessa is still calling him 'little boy' and 'some kid'.

How was this missed by much of the fandom? Well, I have a theory. In Matpat's GT live playthrough pre-release day patch, I'm pretty sure Chica has a different set of voice lines. As far as I can see, she also never says Gregory's name at 12am. But on Markiplier's - post patch - playthrough, she says it continuously. There are even different iterations of her saying Gregory's name, one of which is reminiscient of the special voicebox screech used to access the Burntrap boss fight.

This was my jaw drop moment while watching my second playthrough of Security Breach. How does Chica know Gregory's name? In that moment, I 'knew' that Gregory could not be unknown to Chica. He knew more than he was letting on and I was on the lookout for more inconsistencies.

And I realised Chica is super important - after all, Chica's beak has always been lore significant.

14: Freddy's strange response to Gregory's gift magnet:

Gregory goes to find an item with which to 'hack' the Party Pass machine. He finds a 'Free Mystery Gift' box conveniently located in the gift shop. He opens it to find - in his own words "a crappy Mr. Hippo fridge magnet. Lame"

Freddy responds to his magnet disappointment with: "I am sorry, Gregory. I am truly sorry."

He sounds as if someone just died. What is this dialogue? Who says that in response to a kid expressing dismay at getting a character magnet they don't like?!

15: Freddy's tone deaf response to a setback

After this, Freddy directs Gregory to use the magnet "hack" the machine to get a party pass. The machine unexpectedly spits out a Daycare pass instead.

Gregory is dismayed but Freddy says, "That's good news" as if totally tone-deaf. He does not explain WHY it is good news, just tells Gregory to meet him there. It's almost like he is stalling for time...

Are you convinced something doesn't add up yet? Let me know in the comments! I'll add additional notes to this section if anyone has any questions/suggestions/evidence.

Next time, we'll move on to Daycare and the clues will start to add up...

[phantoms-lair]

17 plus Danny Phantom? Is that valid for the roulette?

Try to get back into writing by working on some more of the roulettes

Detective Conan + Scooby Doo + Danny Phantom = Scooby Doo + Phantom Detective

Daphne couldn't help her eyes drifting over to the teenager in the oversized hoodie. They'd gotten tickets to a sneak peek showing of Gomera vs Kamen Yaiba, followed by a premier party. Not her cup of tea, but Scooby and Shaggy were so excited none of them could say no.

There were lots of people there with them waiting for the doors to open. Other groups of teens like them, older people who were obviously fans of the original movies, some couples on dates. But one stood, the aforementioned teenager with his hood constantly pulled over his face. He didn't look at or interact with anyone save the gaggle of small kids he'd brought with him. It was strange and Daphne had seen enough of strange to immediately be suspicious.

So when he broke off from the crowd, she followed him, from a distance. He ducked into an alcove and she moved forward quietly until she was close enough to hear.

"...The kids are doing great. No nothings popped up. Yes I know what you're insinuating." He seemed to be on the phone with someone. "You guys focus on getting better. Ayumi-chan was sad we couldn't get a group shot here so I'll have to get Mom to get us tickets to the next event. Don't you dare catch a cold again before that one."

His tone was joking. and she felt a bit of her suspicion ease. He'd looked strange by himself, but if there were meant to be more people his age with him, he may not have stood out so much. It didn't remove all of her suspicion, so she resolved to keep an eye on him.

She straightened up and stepped forward, trying to make it look as though she was simply walking past. But either he had been a lot closer to the entrance of the alcove than she thought of he'd moved completely silently because she collided with him.

They both were knocked back and for the first time she saw his face. It was certainly recognizable. Stark white hair and the most luminous emerald eyes she'd ever seen. He was looking at her with a small amount of fear.

"Please," He pleaded, "don't tell anyone I'm here."

"Are you not supposed to be here?" She asked trying to keep the suspicion out of her tone.

In response he relaxed. "You don't know who I am." he stated, with a sigh of relief.

"Should I?"

He took a breath, as if weighing his options. "My parents are both well-known celebrities. And I was sort of thrust into media spotlight after someone tried to kill me a while back." He sighed. "It was kind of rough on my family here, especially my little cousin. His friends really helped him, though, so today's kind of a thank you treat."

"That's sweet of you." Also explained what he'd said about his Mom arranging for tickets. "I saw them earlier, which one is your cousin."

"None of them," he rubbed the back of his neck. "He and Ai-chan caught a cold, so neither could make it. Look, just...I don't want today to be about my family drama or people asking me questions about something I really don't want to think about. I just want to be a guy taking some neighborhood kids somewhere fun."

The pleading look was back and she felt herself give in. "Don't worry. It's not like I eve know who you are."

"Kudo Shinichi." He smiled. "Just promise me you won't google me till after the event."

She laughed. "Daphne Blake. And deal." They shook on it and went their separate ways.

"Find anything on Hoodie Guy?" Velma whispered as she came back.

Daphne couldn't help but grin at how much she and her friend were on the same wavelength. "Son of local celebrities trying to not be the center of attention while bringing some neighborhood kids here as a treat."

Velma considered, then nodded. That tracked.

~

It wasn't until the party after the showing that Mystery Inc. saw them again. Shinichi approached the table, the trio of kids by his legs. "I just wanted to say thanks," he said, tugging the hood further down his face nervously, "for keeping your word."

"No googling till after the event." Daphne said jokingly. "I was just keeping a promise, we even shook on it, no thanks needed,"

"Well, some thanks are needed." One of the young couples came up to the table, the girl speaking to them. "Thanks for the date night, Five."

"Oh, this is Danny and Valerie. I let them have Conan and Ai-kun's tickets when they realized they couldn't make it." Shinichi introduced. "And I'm Kudo Shinichi. Please don't say it too loudly."

"Shinichi, Shinichi," Velma seemed to be turning the name over in her brain and Daphne saw the concern rise in Shinichi's face again. She didn't know why, she'd already told- Oh, Shinichi hadn't known what she had or hadn't told her friends, and was worried Velma was going to blurt out something. She opened her mouth to reassure him, but Velma spoke first.

"Shinichi, Five. Okay I get it." she said, satisfied.

"You do?" Shinichi asked, mystified.

"Yeah, it's wordplay. Shi is four and Ichi is one. Four N One. Five."

Valerie giggled while Shinichi's jaw dropped. "Clever, but no. It's just an inside joke. But like really does call to like, huh. Mystery Inc and the Hesei Holmes."

"Mystery Inc?"

"Hesei Holmes?"

"Yeah," Valerie nodded. The gestured to the gang. "Teenage crime solvers who've stopped a number of corrupt schemes and illegal activities and," She turned the gesture to Shinichi, "the teenage detective proclaimed the 'Savior of the Japanese Police Force'."

"Low profile Val," Shinichi hissed.

Valerie winced, "Sorry."

"You like mysteries?" Fred sat up straight.

"Love them," Shinichi admitted. "There's nothing better than solving a particularly tricky case."

"And what about us?" One of the kids demanded, clearly upset.

Shinichi looked bemused. "Right. Mystery Inc. this is Genta-kun, Mitsuhiko-kun, and Ayumi-chan. Three of the four founding members of the Shonen Tantei-dan, the other being my cousin."

"Yeah, and we've solved a bunch of cases, so don't forget us." The one who had been identified as Genta declared.

"Yeah, if there was a case happening right now you'd see!" Mitsuhiko followed up.

"I would really appreciate it if there wasn't a case right-" Shinichi never got to finish his statement, interrupted by a sudden bang as smoke covered an area, then blew away, revealing a stark white figure floating slightly.

"I am the ghost of Kamei Osamu and I've come for my revenge against Gomera and all who enjoy it!"

A startled Zoinks preceded a moment of dead silence and then...

"BWAHAHAHAHA That is the STUPIDEST ghost costume I'm ever seen." Genta doubled over laughing, pointing at the the so called ghost.

"It's very bad. You should at least out some effort into it." Ayumi chided.

"Not to mention we've met Kamei Osamu and you look nothing like him." Mitsuhiko was frowning.

Velma looked at the kids, genuinely impressed that they weren't taken in for a moment.

"You know," Danny said a little hesitantly. "My family researches ghosts? I think I'm a little insulted on their behalf."

"On their behalf? I'm insulted on our behalf that he thought we were gonna actually be scared of that." Valerie gestured at the set up.

Shinichi was just staring at the ghost in naked disbelief.

Fred chuckled. "In the past couples of years I've seen more scam artists pretend to be supernatural creatures than I can count. But this is the first time I've seen one so thoroughly roasted, much less so quickly."

Even Shaggy and Scooby seemed to be calming down, tension leaving their shoulders.

The 'ghost' seemed less than pleased. "You dare laugh at me, dare to mock me, you'll see!" He pulled something of his his jacket and threw it at the group.

Shinichi and Danny both dived in front of them and the resounding explosion blinded everything with brilliant light and deafening sound. Daphne blinked as her vision returned and suppressed a scream as she saw rubble sticking up thorough her chest. She could feel it, but it didn't hurt. Was she in shock? Was her body numbing itself before...

"Don't worry." Shinichi hissed as though under a great strain. "I have you." They all started floating as one, hovering over and away from the rubble. The feeling of weightlessness ended as they all become solid again, tumbling to the ground unharmed.

"It's the ghost of Kudo Shinichi!" Someone from the crowd screamed.

Mystery Inc. all turned. Shinichi's hoodie was down and the skin that had seemed pale before now was much more ethereal. His eyes glowed like green coals as he turned to glare at the man hanging for the ceiling pretending to be a ghost. Purposefully he began to stride towards the costumed man.

"No! No!" he began swinging on the cord that held him up, trying to escape. "Gomera killed my brother! You should understand that!"

"No," Shinichi said with a heavy voice. "Your brother was killed by Matsui Shugo in revenge for attempting to destroy his life's work. Matsui confessed and is serving his sentence. You just threw a bomb at a group of people who rightfully called out your costume for being an insult to ghosts which it is, including three seven year old children," He reached the man and lifted him up by one hand. The ghost costume phased off him and Shinichi held the gibbering mess of a person up high. "So no, I do NOT understand. There is nothing in me that can understand what makes it reasonable kill or maim a person for slighted pride, much less children. Kamei-San you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney at your trial." Shinichi reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled something out. He then dropped the man to the ground and pulled his arms behind his back before securing them. The he turned to the public.

"Attention everyone, the suspect is apprehended. Please do not leave until the police show up and have taken your statement." The ghost bowed, hovering over the man who's hands were now ziptied behind his back, then vanished.

"Wait, he's arresting him?" Fred asked in slight disbelief. That was...new ghost behavior.

"Yeah," Danny breathed a sigh of relief. "Shinichi's all about the Justice and serving their time. I'll admit I was a little worried since his little band of junior detectives was threatened."

"Shinichi-Niisan wouldn't do anything bad." Ayumi stuck out her lip and stomped her foot.

"And who are you calling Junior!" Mitsuhiko scolded. Danny put up his hands in surrender.

"Daphne, you said he was son of local celebrities." Velma said, exasperated.

"That's what he said. That and he was in the media spotlight after an attempt on his life."

"And he didn't mention the attempt was successful, typical Shinichi." Valerie rolled her eyes.

"And his parents aren't exactly local. His Mom's a famous actress and his Dad's an internationally known author." Danny added.

"But he can't be a ghost. Ghosts don't exist!" Velma protested.

"Thank You" Shinichi's voice echoed from no where, making them jump. "There is no logical explanation for ghosts."

"Sure, because it's so much logical to refuse to admit they exist when you freaking are one." Danny laughed. "I don't even need to see your face, I know the exact look you're giving me."

"Shut up," Shinichi grumbled.

"You have to admit, you were kind of in denial. A lot." Ayumi said gently. "You actually thought you got to come back to life if your killers got caught." Genta laughed. Look, just...I don't want today to be about my family drama or people asking me questions about something I really don't want to think about.

Shinichi was different from the fake ghosts they had known. He didn't want attention on himself. He didn't pretend to be all powerful or frightening, in fact all he'd done was arrest one guy. She'd lean more towards believing him even of it wasn't for the literal display of supernatural power he'd shown to save their lives.

He was a ghost who didn't want think about being a ghost or how he got to be that way. He'd just wanted to do something nice for his cousin's friends and now he was exposed with the people around him talking about the one thing he didn't want to think about. She didn't even wonder why he was currently invisible. (How yes, why no). Not with the way everyone had been staring at him a moment ago. He didn't want to be a celebrity for being dead, he'd just wanted a day of being normal.

And Daphne made up her mind. "Once we give our statements do you want to grab some food for the kids, talk about the cases we've all solved, and forget that ghosts were ever a topic of conversation?" Daphne offered.

"Yes," Shinichi whispered in the most relieved tone she'd ever heard.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Are there any detective/ sleuthing adaptions?

Hmmmmm I can’t really say there is a deceptive adaption really as that is a more niche genre. Usually, anything that is solely detective-based it a unique creation or is based on an already popular detective IP. There are cases of there BEING like kinda sleuthing in xiyouji shows, some cases making it like trying to find clues how to defeat the monster, but I wouldn't called that a detective story really. More like media with dedetive moments. The best I can say is more there like learning mystery/thriller.

The BEST case I can think is this one movie called Journey to the West: Wild Village Inn (2016) 囧西游之荒村客栈. Basically is an alternative universe version of the Xiyouji gang but Sanzang wakes up from a coma and finds himself being accused of murder by three other people in the inn he was staying at. It is kinda like a who-done-it but I've never see it so I can't say how much time was spent on the detective work.

Another one is that is kinda of sleuthing could be like Goku Midnight Eye (1989) MIDNIGHT EYE ゴクウ which is more of a sci-fi version of Wukong as he is the only Xiyouji character in the story. Wukong in this verse is a private detective who fights crime with two weapons bequeathed by a mysterious benefactor: a mechanical quarterstaff, and a bionic eye that can hack any computer system. Again, not sure how much of the time he is actually deducing clues versus fighting but this can still be technically a xiyouji version.

This is where the pool of sleuthing version kinda dries out as now these are considered to be more "thrillers" so to speak. I know that is not really sleuthing in itself but there is an element of suspense that might still help.

Journey to the West (2016) is a short movie but is considered to be a thriller of some kind. The protag who is our Wukong wakes up after 500 years and going through several escapades as he tries to figure out who is after him and his own desires. Li Shimin's Visit to the Land (1978) 李世民游地府 could almost be considered a horror as it just follows the king of the Tang Empire in his goes to Hell and tries to escape the underworld. Doesn't even mention our main gang but it IS from the book so it counts! Last of the thrillers are Princess Iron Fan (1927) 鐵扇公主 which for the life of me I cannot imagine why they would classy it as a thriller but they have at least on Douban. This could just an error and they mean like Drama but just the idea of there being a Princess Iron Fan with the directing lense of a thriller would be AMAZING.