#meanwhile there's been (off the top of my head) 2 fake-out major character deaths so far

[dravidious]

You're the CAT (Coolest of All Time)

Episode 2 of The Amazing Digital Circus came out yesterday (great show) and it got me to finally watch Murder Drones (great show) and the humor in that show is VERY dumb. Dumb and blunt and frequently things happen or characters say things that don't make sense for the sake of being silly (for example, a robot calling herself hormonal). The moment that made me realize just how good the writers are at doing dumb stuff was in episode 4 at 15:04 (warning for spoilers and gore (robot gore) (the gore isn't the funny part, that comes after) (text explanation below the cut that I wrote before pasting the link) (also the link is to 13:54 because the context is important))

The characters are around a campfire and are shown reading a book titled "Final Girl Survival Guide", and the character reading it references a horror trope from it. Then, a horror monster shows up and kills someone and the characters shout "Split up!" "I think I read that's good!" and they drop the book as they run, and the wind blows the book open and the camera moves to show the book, and the page reads "DON'T SPLIT UP!!!". Except I lied, it doesn't say that, I expected it to say that with all my heart but instead the page reads "THAT'S NOT WHAT THE BOOK SAID." Which makes NO SENSE and is SO FUCKING STUPID and subverted my expectations SO MUCH that it was the FUNNIEST THING EVER

[365days365movies]

February 6, 2021: Romeo + Juliet (1996)

From the top!

Two households, both alike in dignity In Fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross’d lover take their life; Whose misadventured, piteous overthrows Do, with their death, bury their parents’ strife The fearful passage of the death-mark’d love, And the continuance of their parents’ rage Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; The which, if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strike to mend.

I mean, c’mon. It’s Shakespeare, I practically had to.

Which is why it may come as a surprise to hear that I think this play is overrated, far too overexposed, and honestly stars two of the most obnoxiously immature protagonists that Shakespeare ever wrote. Which is not to say that I don’t like it, but it is to say that it isn’t my favorite. Which one is my favorite, you ask? Eh, I vacillate between a few, but I might get into it, we’ll see.

Weirdly fitting, though, since this film is directed by a director who also isn’t my favorite. Can’t say I have a definitive favorite director either, but Baz Luhrmann ain’t it. To be fair, I haven’t seen Moulin Rouge (probably should, huh?), but his turn on The Great Gatsby...wasn’t my favorite, I’ll just leave it at that.

And while we’re into it, lemme just address Romeo and Juliet adaptations on film real quick. To be completely transparent, before today...I’ve only seen one adaptation of the play: Franco Zeffirelli’s excellent 1968 turn on it, and it’s a fantastic adaptation at that. Sone of you, however, may now be realizing that, if I’ve only seen one adaptation of the play...there’s an extremely glaring omission to my film repertoire.

Yeaaaaaaaaah...we’ll get there, I promise.

But, of course, the adaptations only scratch the surface of this plays influence. See, the whole point of the rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets is that it’s SO OLD, that nobody truly remembers why it started in the first place. Because of that, other romance films have sought to supply a reason for that rivalry.

In other words, the two protagonists destined to fall in love often come from two backgrounds, if not families, that class. And, yes, only ONE FILM that I’ve watched this month doesn’t do that. Dirty Dancing and The Notebook make their “ancient grudge” class-based; low-class vs. upper-class. Even You’ve Got Mail makes it about money, although that one’s a little more of a stretch. In any case, versions of this trope have lasted for centuries, and it’s...maybe poisoned romantic cinema? I mean, there’s a reason they all seem similar. They’re all taking from a classic. And, yeah, more of them than you’d think use this formula. I mean...

Hell, if you think about it, both of them are technically dead by the end.

Anyway, jumping right smack dab into the ‘90s, where teen heartthrob of the decade, Leo DiCaprio himself, is cast to play the titular teen boy, and sort-of popular at the time Claire Danes is cast as the titular teen girl. Put them together, and you have a hatred that will last for centuries. Because yeah, they HATED each other apparently. Let’s watch! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

...Look, here’s a quick recap of a story that EVERYBODY KNOWS.

Two families hate each other, and each has a teenage kid; a boy named Romeo and a girl named Juliet. They see each other at a party, they IMMEDIATELY get those teenage hormones a flowing and fall in love at first sight. They talk a few times, then decide to get married. Romeo’s friends say, “Dude, her family’s all dicks,” and Romeo says “naw, dude, she’s hawt,” They hook up, and they get secret-married. But, since they can’t be together in life, and since Juliet’s supposed to marry a whole other dude, Juliet runs to the priest and says, “hey, fake my death real quick?” He gives her a potion, she pretends to be dead, Romeo finds out (after one of his friends is killed by Juliet’s cousin), and runs to her side. Dude then ACTUALLY kills himself with poison, only for Juliet to wake up, see his dead body, and then kill HERSELF with a KNIFE, and then the families find out, and the Prince comes by and just says, “Goddamn, you guys are dicks. So much so that you killed your kids, congrats.” And that’s the end.

Yeah. Two hours of play and movie (nice touch, by the way, Luhrman) compressed into a paragraph. And yet...I’m still gonna recap this movie. Glutton for punishment, I guess. And with that said...

It all starts with a newscaster, speaking the lines of the Prologue in the guise of a newscast, which is...very neat, actually! That’s followed by...Pete Postlethwaite saying the whole thing over again, backed by a hell of a lot of fast cut editing.

...Oh God, it’s a Luhrmann movie. I forgot. Also, uh...really trying to stretch out that runtime to make that 2-hour mark, huh, Bazzie? I admire that you’re trying to stick to that “two hour-stage” quote from the Prologue, really I do...but you had to repeat the Prologue TWICE to do that?

As the lines flash on screen, we’re also introduced to out major players, whom I’ll just introduce as they come up. After a little montage of the movie to come, and a confirmation that the ancient grudge has broken out into a gang war on the streets of Verona Beach (clever), we jump in the car of a few Montagues: Sampson (Jaime Kennedy), Benvolio (Dash Mihok), and Gregory (Zak Orth).

At a gas station, they meet some Capulets, specifically Abra (Vincent Laresca) and a few others. After some thumb-biting, they all draw their swords. Which are guns that have sword written on them. Well, that’s just silly.

This standoff is interrupted by the arrival of another Capulet: Tybalt (John Leguizamo). This, of course, leads to a swordfight (ugh), during which all players are, just...REAL dramatic with their movements, holy shit. In the process, Sampson’s shot (or...stabbed, I dunno), and the gas station explodes.

It’s war in the streets now, as Tybalt and Benvolio are eventually intercepted by Captain Prince (Vondie Curtis-Hall), the chief of police for Verona Beach. He reads out his rage upon the heads of the families. For the Montagues, these heads are Ted (Brian Dennehy) and Caroline (Christina Pickles); and for the Capulets, they’re Fulgencio (Paul Sorvino) and Gloria (Diane Venora). Is...is the grudge taking place because one of them is named “Ted,” and the other is FUCKING “FULGENCIO”? Because that’s one hell of a dichotomy.

Captain Prince lets them all off with a warning (I mean, no, they should ALL be arrested), and Caroline and Ted question the whereabouts of their melodramatic emo son. That son is, of course, Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio), who laments poetically about how fucked up his family is.

Hanging out at a decrepit carnival (because of course he is), he’s soon found by Benvolio, and he laments on the lack of love between their two families. They bond over talk of women, and decide to secretly go to a party held by the Capulets that night to check out some girls.

Meanwhile, Fulgencio is speaking about this whole mess to Dave Paris (Paul Rudd). D...Dave? Really? We’re keepin’ fuckin’ Benvolio and Balthasar, but we had to name Paris DAVE? Guys, a little consistency with the name shit, PLEASE! Anyway, Dave (uuuuugh) is the governor’s son, and very wealthy, while also being a suitor for Fulgencio’s daughter.

That daughter is, of course, Juliet (Claire Danes), who’s being attended by her vain mother and kindly Nurse (Miriam Margoyles). As her mother’s preparing for the party, she talks up Paris as a suitor, although Juliet doesn’t seem SUPER into it. And s the Nurse tells her to “seek happy nights to happy days,” we go to Sycamore Grove, and to another party.

And this is where we meet my favorite character (everybody’s favorite character, let’s be honest): Mercutio (Harold Perrineau). Mercutio has been invited to the Capulet’s party, and invites Romeo to come along, in disguise. In the process, he gives one of the play’s most famous monologues: Queen Mab’s Speech. It’s truncated here, ad to be frank, Perrineau’s performance is a bit...over the top. But, it ends up to be fairly effective.

Also, Queen Mab is ecstasy. Yeah, that kinda dulled by enthusiasm for the whole enterprise, I ain’t gonna lie. But Romeo lies with Queen La, and they head to the Capulet’s party. And we’re about to hit PEAK LUHRMANN, people.

Look, I’m lame, I’ve never really done drugs, ecstasy included...but it FEELS like I’ve taken something now. And Romeo’s now trying to sober-up a bit. He dunks his head into a sink in the bathroom, and looks at a tropical aquarium that’s in there. And through that aquarium...

However, Juliet’s quickly spirited away by Nurse, and brought to dance with Dave. Romeo, meanwhile, gives his “Did my heart love till now” speech, and DOESN’T SAY THAT SHE DOTH TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN BRIGHT??? Seriously, the beginning of that speech is completely deleted. That line, in and of itself, should’ve been left in.

Anyway, Romeo and Juliet speak, and the teenagers kiss...a lot. And yeah, they do kiss in this scene in the ply, but not that much. Immediately afterwards, they discover their family alliances, and Romeo and Mercutio flee the party. Romeo heads back soon after, and, well...you know the line. But soft...

This movie...LOVES water, huh? We see both Romeo and Juliet from underwater at separate points, they see each other for the first time through an aquarium, they’re making out in a pool right now. I mean, I’m sure there’s some symbolism to that, but I’m not sure what it is yet.

Anyway, the two starcross’d lover come just short of crossing stars, and they IMMEDIATELY get engaged to marry.

After a bit of ‘90s music whiplash, we meet Father Laurence (Pete Postlethwaite), a botany-loving priest, and soon-to-be ally to the young couple. Romeo asks Laurence to wed them, despite the fact that Romeo actually was in love with a woman named Rosaline. But, yeah, she’s one of the unseen casualties of this play, only sometimes making it into adaptations. As Romeo speaks to the Priest, I think this is a great time to mention that there is a FUCKTON of Jesus and Christian imagery in this movie. Water and Jesus, goddamn.

The Priest agrees, believing that a marriage between the two could bring peace to Verona Beach at last. We also get a bunch of quick edits showing various parts of the Luhrmann Shakespeare Cinematic Universe, all backed by a choir boy singing “When Doves Cry.” This is an...unusual movie.

It also seems that Tybalt has issued a challenge against Romeo, which Mercutio and Benvolio muse upon. They meet with Romeo on the beach, and as they hang around, their revelry is interrupted by the arrival of the Nurse. She gives him a warning not to fuck with Juliet’s heart, which he says that he won’t, as they’re planning on marrying. She appears to approve, but Mercutio seems not to. Definitely going with a more superficially mercurial take on the character, which fits. But that’ll be more apparent later.

Nurse goes to Juliet, and...OK, is she supposed to be Italian or Hispanic? Because I feel like I’m supposed to be mildly offended, but I don’t even know what she’s going for here. Anyway, the wedding time approaches, and the two get wed in secret. But on the beach, Tybalt has come to go after Romeo. Romeo tries to make amends, even giving up his “sword” to him, much to Mercutio’s anger. Which, uh...he’s not gonna stand for.

And, of course, Mercutio’s fatally stabbed while defending Romeo’s honor. He lays A PLAGUE O’ BOTH THEIR HOUSES, and dies. Romeo’s PISSED, and immediately goes to kill Tybalt. That leads to Romeo’s banishment, although they consummate their marriage before he takes off. Also, Juliet KNOWS that he KILLED HER COUSIN...but it’s Leo, I guess, and...hormones.

Romeo’s banished and goes to Mantua, AKA a trailer park in the middle of the desert. Juliet, meanwhile, is commanded by her father to marry Paris, although she REALLY isn’t into it now! She goes to Laurence and, yeah, threatens to kill him AND herself if he doesn’t have an idea. Hormones, man. They’ll fuck you UP.

Laurence’s solution, of course, is to have Juliet pretend to have killed herself by drinking a potion. No idea why he comes up with this idea, or has the skill to make the potion, but some questions aren’t meant to be asked or answered. He also says to that he’ll send a litter to Romeo, to let him know what the deal is.

Juliet pretends to kill herself, and it interred with her relatives. Meanwhile, Romeo’s cousin Balthasar (Jesse Bradford) comes by the desert, having just gone to Juliet’s funeral, and tells him that Juliet’s dead. And since Romeo never got the goddamn letter, he’s decided, “Well! Guess I’m gonna kill myself.”

He gets some poison, then goes to Juliet’s tomb, which is...decked in neon crosses. I mean, it looks nice, even it’s very, uh...over the top. Goddamn.

And, at this point, you know how this goes. Romeo drinks the poison and dies, Juliet wakes up JUST after, then kills herself as well, and the parents of both parties arrive to see them both dead, along with the Prince, who says “Y’ALL ARE DICKS,” and bounces.

That’s Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet. And it’s a movie. Yeah, that I’ll give you. What did I think? What rating does it get? Well...I’ll elucidate in the Review.

[ayeateez]

The Hunger Games AU - Part 3 - Finale: The Final Fight

GENRE: Angst

PAIRING: None

WARNINGS: Major character death, sexual harassment, mentions of murder, weapons, and just harmful things in general

WORD COUNT: 3182

It had been days since Seonghwa died. It was miserable. I was too familiar with this feeling, I wanted it to stop, I wanted it to end.

Knowing the same man who killed Seonghwa was coming to my district today made me sick. I wanted to throw up, I wanted to kill him. He deserves it.

I’ve learned how to live with the blood on my hands. It doesn’t mean I still don’t get nightmares, or that I don’t feel bad, it means I can deal with it. Hongjoong had been so cocky on his tour, meanwhile I couldn’t even speak properly.

•

I was on the far right of the stage, where the only victors of 12 stood. I watched as Seonghwa’s family struggled onto the podium in front of the screen that had Seonghwa’s face on it. They were as broken as me. I couldn’t imagine how his brother or his parents felt. I looked away before I could catch myself crying, now wasn’t the best place or time.

Minutes passed as people got all settled in. I saw the face I never wanted to see. I wanted him to die. He deserves it. As we sit down finally, I zoned out, not wanting to hear his cocky ass speech about how good he is for killing Seonghwa. Then something caught me off guard. Something caught all of us off guard.

“I did it for y/n. I want her to be mine. If she accepts, of course” He smiles and looks towards 12’s victors, towards me. His smile was full off all the cruel things he has said about the other tributes, and the nasty words he said to Seonghwa came from the same mouth. He waved me over, on live tv as victory tours were aired, and I had no other option but to walk towards him.

“What do you say, Y/n? Will you be mine now?” He asked, oh so innocently. The smile was wiped off his face the moment I had slapped him, hands closing in on his neck. Peacekeepers immediately came to separate us as Hongjoong collapsed, half conscious as he tried to regain his breath and steady his breathing.

The peacekeepers dragged me off the stage, away from Hongjoong, and I let them. Anything to be away from him. I kept a straight face the entire time I watched him try to get back up.

•

“Please, I’d do anything BUT go out with him. I don’t fucking care about publicity, he killed my boyfriend then asks me to go out with him. Who in their right mind does that?” I yelled at my younger sister as she tried to help me come to an understanding. It was a bitchy move, but still.

“Y/n, what if they put you in that arena again? Hm? What would you do?” She asked.

“Why the hell would they put me in that arena? They aren’t allowed to! That isn’t legal!”

“It is when President Snow says it is” She shrugged.

“But why? They have no reason?”

“You slapped him and tried to fight him. They’re probably going to take that as a sign that you want to fight. Fight to the death. A special type of games”

•

I stared blankly at the holographic tv in my room, as it suddenly turned on due to it being ‘urgent’.

“Due to recent events while Kim Hongjoong was touring in District 12, we’ve decided to hold a - special games. There will only be 2 tributes, who shall not have a choice whether they participate or not and volunteers are not welcomed. The tributes are:

Kim Hongjoong, District 2

Y/n L/n, District 12

the games will take place October 31st at exactly 12:00 and shall only continue until November 2nd at 12:00. Dear tributes, may the odds be ever in your favor”

I dropped the remote as my breath shortened. No... no they couldn’t have. But the games just ended - this has to be a joke.

I’m going to fight to the death with him, Kim Hongjoong.

•

It’s didn’t take long for peacekeepers to

come break into my house to collect me and bring me to the capital. I really had no choice but to cooperate with them. I was back, back on the train for what seemed like the hundredth time. The first time I took this train to the capital, I was with Jongho. The second, I was with Seonghwa. Now, I’m here. By myself. Trying to mentally prepare to fight Hongjoong.

•

The 26 hours went by quickly as no one spoke to me. It was like they understood what was happening. He murdered my boyfriend, now I’m going to murder him.

The clapping and cheering and all the bright and fancy colorful things went by in a blur as I tuned out all the loud noises.

They took me to the place where I would be stayed for the next 3 days. They’ve given us less training as we’re both victors, I’m assuming. Last time we had 2 weeks. There’s no way I’ll even be close to in shape or prepared within 3 days.

I knew I should’ve head down to the training area, but I just wasn’t in the mood. I was about to go into a whole ass fight with the same person who killed Seonghwa. I wonder how they feel in heaven, San, Jongho, and Seonghwa? Are they okay? Is it alright up there? Whatever it is - they’re definitely doing better up there than down here.

“Y/n, I know you aren’t in the mood, but you have to train if you want to stay alive”

“I don’t want to be alive. I want to see Jongho, Seonghwa, and San up there” I sighed, noting even sparing a glance. Who ever it was, they gave up easily and left.

I eventually got up on my own, getting dressed and heading down to the small, enclosed, dark, training room. Deciding to test a new skill, I picked up a sword. It wasn’t too heavy, it felt just right. I swung my arm a few times, not that bad.

Walking up to a dummy, I worked on a stance, that would probably be useless, and well, kind of cut up the dummy. I don’t know how mad they would be to see their dummy all cut up, cotton spilling from all angles so I stuck to knives and throwing them.

•

It was the same. It was the exact same every time. I did the same thing for the past 2 days, while eating and drinking as much as I can. There were no parades, there were no festivals, nothing. Just announcing the games, that’s it. Of course though, my stylist still made sure I played and killed while looking good, so he came up with ways to make me seem less dead, more appealing to the camera, claiming that the prettier I look, the more sponsors I get, and I don’t doubt that. I mean, it’s the capital.

20 minutes.

Realization started to set in. I’m going back. I’m going back into the games, except this time? I’m targeted and targeting. There’s a 50/50 chance I’ll die and that he’ll die. What happens if I die? What happens if he dies? What will happen? I mean, either one of us will win but... what will happen?

“You’ll be fine in there, calm down. You’ve won one of these games before, haven’t you?” My stylist sighed, making an attempt to calm me down. I looked at him.

“What if I don’t make it out alive? I’m rusty, he just won the recent games-“

“Yeah, he’s still scarred and injured-“

“How many victors do you think have nightmares about the games? How many do you think can’t figure out a way to live with innocent people’s blood on their hands? Think about it. It’s not a lot” I snapped. Our silence last for minutes until the countdown from 30 started.

The arena was set up where our cornucopia’s were set up on opposite sides of the arena, and every day the arena shrinks until we fight to the death. But it’s not easy to get to the cornucopia. I think I heard them saying we have to get past landmines and some weird type of hyena that happened into the 67th games.

After putting the final touches onto me, I stepped into the tube as it shut around me. The remaining 5 seconds were counted out then it started to move up again. My heart raced as panic surged through my veins. This is it. I’m really getting my revenge now.

I was hit by the wind of the arena, the fake sun shining oh so bright, fake birds chirping. If I didn’t know what was going to happen, I just might’ve called this paradise.

The countdown remained only 10 seconds left. I unintentionally tuned out the counting, listening to my heart and the wind race.

“3”

“2”

“1”

The cannon went off as I avoided all dirt piles. Hopping over everything, I made it to the center, grabbing everything I needed and could hold. Grabbing the first backpack, it was empty but for a blanket and some matches. I grabbed 3 sets of 24 knives, just a guess. Stuffing more weapons into a backpack, I chose to carry a sword by hand. 3 weapons I could use, I had a choose from 3.

Realizing what was going to happen, I jumped down from the top, grabbing another bag as I sprinted my way to the forest, away from the growling.

Heavy. Weight. That’s all I could feel in my hands and on my back. I grabbed too

many things. I was going to have to abandon something soon.

I stopped at a tall tree, quickly grabbing any branches I could to pull me up, only hoping that there were no tracker jackers in this thing. I have 2 days to kill him. I need to get to him first.

•

Night came quickly, as I stayed in a tree all day. Far in the distance, I could see smoke. He started a fire. He must know I wasn’t going to come after him this early. The capital wanted a show? I’ll give them a mother fucking show.

I groaned as I leaned back against the uncomfortable bark again. I wanted to get up and walk around. I wish I was in my bed, maybe eating something and reading. But no, here I am, stuck in the middle of the games.

A sleepless, restless night passed and I hopped down from the tree in hopes of being able to walk around freely. It’s already the 1st, I have until tomorrow to kill him.

I saw the edge. The edge of the barrier, and I ran. I ran like my life depended on it, which it really did. Only god and the gamemakers know what happens when you touch the edge of the barrier, and I don’t want to find out. I realized that they were driving me straight towards the smoke, where Hongjoong was. At least that’s where I thought he was.

He wasn’t there. It was a trap. As soon as I realized the trap, I looked around, and ran, climbing up another tree. Another day in another tree? Thought so. This was boring people had to be losing interest or something. Maybe if people don’t watch, they’ll stop the games? No, they don’t care if people watch or not. They’ll kill both of us and erase this game from existence if they have to.

I heard a twig snap and my hand instantly flew to my belt, grabbing a knife as I sat there, eyes looking around sharply. I spotted something with crazy colored hair sprinting, and I could even hear him cursing. Hongjoong. As much as I wanted to throw, I didn’t. After I heard my name, at least. I couldn’t hear any more words come from his mouth. Audible ones, at least.

I sat back in my tree and waited. My stomach growled loudly. I just had to wait. But if I had thrown the knife, there was a high chance it would’ve hit him and at least would’ve slowed him down enough for me to kill him, but curiosity took over.

After having enough of my tree time, I slowly and carefully climbed down the tree. I made my way through the forest, occasionally leaning down to feel the dirt. It was damp, meaning water was nearby, but so was the barrier.

Deciding to continue on, I found the smallest patch of water. It was as clean as water in the games could be. I instantly dropped to my knees as I splashed water all over my face, a relief to have all the dried sweat off my face and having something to drink. Now? I just need something to eat, but I could actually survive without food. Food isn’t my bigger concern now, it’s Hongjoong. Hell, he could even be behind me right now, about ready to stab me. Becoming paranoid, I turned around only to see trees and the forest.

I watched the branches and leaves sway with the light breeze. I had to move. Something felt off. I took one last drink before getting up and moving quickly, killing a rabbit on the way.

It was hard without allies. No one to help you, no one to help, it was weird. I’ve only known playing in the games with others on my side.

•

It was boring. I’ve said this plenty of times before, but it was so boring. Watching me, at least. I did nothing but wander around the arena, secretly hoping to be able to stab Hongjoong in the back or something like that. Who knows what Hongjoong is doing? I could only guess.

A large noise scared me as I almost fell from my - you guessed it, tree and I was temporarily blinded by the flashing light. I was at the edge of the barrier, and I could see the other end. We were that close. I looked up at the sky to see a timer counting down. 59:37. It’s already 11 on the 2nd.

I climbed down, leaving everything but my weapons. I decided it’s time to end this man.

I walked through the woods, making as much noise as I possibly could to try and draw him out. I looked up, I looked down, but I couldn’t find him. Did they take him out of the arena and just leave me in here to kill or embarrass me? I heard a twig snap behind me and I quickly turned around, throwing my knife that pinning Hongjoong’s sleeve to the tree.

“Hey gorgeous”

I hadn’t ever thrown so quickly. He dodged my knife, throwing one back at me but his aim was way off. How did he win this again?

“Come back here!” I yelled, chasing after him. I spared a glance at the clock. 28:39. I still had time. He turned and threw another knife at me, and it grazed my arm, cutting my sleeve and leaving a painful cut. I cursed under my breath as he tripped in front of me and fell. I wanted to kill him with my own hands.

I held him down as my hands tightened around his neck, but he quickly flipped over so he was on top as he held my wrists down. I used every strength in every muscle in my body to get out, but I couldn’t. It was useless. I was going to die.

“What have we got here, hm? You see, princess, if you had just agreed we wouldn’t have been here-“

“If you had died in the 73rd games we wouldn’t be here” I growled back at him, cutting his words and he raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

“Feisty, are we now? Hmm, that Seonghwa guy was so lucky to have you. Look, you’re a gem” His smirk grew as he touched me places I never gave consent for.

“Fuck, let me kill you already!” I shouted, squirming under his grasp.

“I bet I could make a deal. If you date me, we won’t ever have to be in these arena’s again. Snow would probably agree, yeah?” Hongjoong looked away, as to show he was supposedly thinking. I wanted to slap that stupid smirk off his face.

“What time do we have left?” He asked, looking up at the sky.

“20:19, yeah? What could I do with you in 20 minutes. Angel, there’s so many things we could have done together. We would’ve been so so powerful, but here we are, fighting to the death - are you crazy?” His words bled into my brain.

“And look, you’re bleeding. How did that happen?” His finger traced the cut, spreading the blood across my skin.

“Stop it”

“But why? You look so nice under me like this... imagine-“

I suddenly jerked my knee up into his crotch, cursing at myself on why I hadn’t thought of that earlier. He fell into the dirt, groaning in pain as I took the chance to hit his elbow and making him release my wrists, giving me the chance to get up.

I smirked down at him, just kicking him repeatedly. No knives or sharp things, just my foot in his fucked up face. Satisfaction occurred when I spotted blood dribbling out of his mouth, nose, and other places. I pulled a knife from my waistband, flipping it a few times.

“Y-You don’t want to do this princess... you won’t be able to live with it...” Hongjoong’s words were slurred from the thick, red liquid filling his mouth.

“Are you sure about that?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. He opened his mouth to speak, but only screams of pain came out as my knife flew into his chest. Shrugging, I threw another into his stomach for extra measure.

The sound of the cannon I knew all too well sounded in the arena as the clock stopped.

Hongjoong was right. I couldn’t live with the blood on my hands. I couldn’t live knowing I had killed numerous people. The bitter feeling overcame the victorious one. I became nauseous at the sight of Hongjoong’s dead body right in front of me.

Slowly slipping my last knife from my waistband, I chuckled crazily.

“This one’s for you... San”

The pain burned in your chest as I fell to the ground with a crazy look plastered on my face. I looked down at the blood dripping down my body. I felt my heart stop and my brain stopped registering. My vision went in and out of focus, spots dancing around my vision. The urge to shut my eyes became so strong, so I shut them. Then I stopped. I just stopped.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

The Bird Cage Symbol 🤔🕊

Morning, Everyone! I have an actual new theory for you! Are you excited? Okay, it’s not SUPER new and groundbreaking, but I’m still very excited about it. It has to do with some spoilers that were released last week. So yes, I’m analyzing spoilers. If you don’t want to read about spoilers, don’t click the “read more” below. You’ve been warned.

These were actually posted in my group early last week, and they made me happy, but they also didn’t come from TSDF, so I didn’t want to about them until I knew for sure they were reliable. I just kinda hoped they were. And they are! Yea!

Here are the spoilers (I’m paraphrasing):

The group trapped underground with Alpha’s herd realizes they’re in an old mine. They find old bird cages the miners used to keep canaries in with dynamite in them. Carol takes it to blow up the herd. Connie and Magna get buried inside the cave, and Daryl leaves the rest of the group to try and find a way to rescue them. Sounds like that is how 10x09 will end.

Okay, two major things here:

This may well end up being a death fake out of sorts for Connie. I have a hunch that even if Daryl finds his way back into the cave, Connie won’t be there. If so, he may have to go look for her. I’ve said more than once that Connie might have a death fake out (like Beth). But even more than that, I’ve been saying since the beginning of the season that Carol and Daryl will jump on his bike to go look for something, and while I’ve waffled on who exactly it would be, one of the prime candidates has always been Connie.

Of course, we can’t say for sure it will play out like this. For now, they’re simply trapped in the mine. But my head canon is that they will be rescued by someone other than Daryl (perhaps simply Alpha or the other Whisperers; perhaps someone else entirely, who takes them to the hospital, maybe?) But either way, Daryl and Carol will eventually figure out where they are and go looking for them, and they’ll end up wherever Beth is, and Connie will have a hand in reuniting Beth and Daryl, fulfilling the symbolism we saw in 10x01 (her bringing Dog back to him on the beach).

The other thing that caught my interest, of course, is the bird cage they find in the mine. Mostly because we saw a bird cage in Beth’s cell, and also many times since then. I looked up “canary in a coal mine” to make sure I was familiar with all the connotations of that phrase. We’ve all heard it before, but I wanted to be sure I had the definition correct.

It’s basically a death omen. Miners used the birds to warn themselves of carbon monoxide. It’s an odorless gas, and if they were breathing it (a very real concern when one is working in a mine) they wouldn’t know it. But CO would kill birds far faster than humans. So, they kept canaries in the cages, and if they looked over, and the canaries were dead, they knew there was CO gas in the mine and quickly got out before it killed them too.

A bit brutal? Yes. But seen as a necessity to keep the miners safe.

But here’s the thing. In this episode, the group doesn’t actually find any canaries. Just the cage. And it’s full of dynamite. An obvious foreshadow of what will happen with the dynamite. I’ll explain why I think this below, but I believe an empty bird cage (no bird in it) represents a death fake out, in which the person disappears, but lives. To be fair, this really may be more about Connie than Beth, but the symbolism is still there and applies to Beth.

So, I knew when I first read this that I needed to sit down and think about the bird cage symbol more. I knew there would be more than simply “the one in Beth’s cell” to point to. It took me a few days, but when I did, I came up with a lot of interesting connections. First, let’s list the bird cages we’ve seen. I’m sure I’ll miss a few, but here are the ones that come to mind.

1. The (empty) bird cage in Beth’s cell

2. The bird cage Carl saw in 4x09. It was technically empty, but a dead bird lay on the floor outside it.

3. An empty bird cage we saw near Glenn in 6x07.

4. And now this one, in 10x09. (I’m willing to bet there’s one somewhere around Rick, but I’d have to go re-watch several episodes to find out, and I haven’t had time to do that.

Let’s talk about bird cages in general in literature.

The first thing I did was look up “bird cage symbolism.” The biggest thing Google points me to is Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” I actually read that book in college. (It’s really beautiful by the way.) But I also know the reason Angelou used that analogy is that it’s common in literature. I know Jane Austin used it in Mansfield Park, but those are the only two instances I know of off the top of my head. So, as we’ve talked about before, the caged bird obviously represents imprisonment, but via Maya Angelou, it’s much more than that. Throughout her book, she uses the analogy of the caged bird (I think she’s got an actual poem in there). She talks about how the bird WANTS to sing a beautiful song like other birds, but all it has is a bitter song because it’s angry about being caged. In her case, the cage represents racism, oppression, and sexual abuse, all of which she endured as a child. 

So, it’s a book about learning to sing despite the cage. And understand, it’s not about someone railing against a physical cage. Angelou would have grown up during the American Civil Rights movement. So even though African Americans weren’t slaves anymore and hadn’t been for some time, they didn’t have any choice but to deal with segregation, racism, and it’s not like she could do much as a child about the sexual exploitation she was a victim of. 

So the title, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” suggests that, while most people would expect the bird to be angry and bitter, and might even criticize the bird for singing in its cage, she knows why it does that: because it’s learned the lesson that it’s better to deal with your trials with grace and still choose to be beautiful than to be bitter and resentful your entire life about something you cannot change. Sound like something that can apply to Beth? Let me mention Jane Austin’s bird really quickly. I had to research this. In Mansfield Park, they tell a story that I guess was commonly known in JA’s time. It’s about a bird trapped in a cage and asking someone to help him. He says over and over again, “I can’t get out. I can’t get out.” But even those who try to open the cage for him can’t do it. *coughs Coda* Austen uses this as a statement about how women in English Regency society not having any choices, and not being able to get out of marriages for any reasons (including abuse and deep unhappiness). She actually has a character say that about her marriage. “I can’t get out.” Okay, so back to TWD. I’m just thinking that the bird cage in Beth’s cell represented not only that she’d be imprisoned, but that she would need to learn to sing her song even during 8 years of imprisonment. In fact, perhaps that’s the only way she would ever have survived. Let’s look at Carl. Carl and Beth are very alike. They both dealt with harsh trials when they were young and somewhat petulant (Beth’s suicide, Carl when he killed that kid who was with the Governor). Both of them, thanks in part to the love of great fathers, and the group at large, came through it stronger than ever emotionally. Both have a great respect for human life and helping people. 

So I’ve always seen that birdcage in 4x09 as a foreshadow of Beth. Yes, the bird is dead, which might suggest her actual death. But I’ve always just assumed that it meant that when she tried to leave Grady, she would “die.” And it still probably does. But think of it this way. What if that cage was also a death omen for Carl? Remember that earlier in that episode, he fell onto his back on the ground while fighting walkers. And in the scene where he’s with Siddiq and is bitten, we get the exact same shot.

So, chances are that entire sequence is a foreshadow of Carl’s coming arc. We also saw an eyesight chart (his eye) and a bat (Negan) in the house he and Rick stay in. And all of S4 was one great big foreshadow, right? AND. When Carl ventured outside Alexandria to bring Siddiq in…he died. And then there’s that pesky phoenix we saw at his death.

So, what I’m thinking now is that Carl is actually a foil to Beth in this way. They’re parallels in that when both of them tried to leave their prisons, they “died.” Except Beth really didn’t. And she probably learned to accept the prison and sing anyway (I still sing) where Carl…I’m not going to say that he didn’t sing a beautiful song, but maybe it’s that he was never satisfied with that. He always wanted to venture out on his own.

Think of that in 4x08. He told Rick he didn’t need him anymore and left on his own, just to show that he could. But maybe Beth learned to accept her prison and just have faith that somehow, she’d see Daryl again. 

I think we could also apply this to the other birds we’ve seen in some way. Daryl seeing the blue bird in S9 could show that he’ll find his bird again soon. But I also think Lydia was something of a caged bird with the Whisperers. All the birds in Still and Alone (heron, yellow ones on the wallpaper, etc.) are obviously about Beth, but I think they also show that Beth and Daryl made beautiful music together, even when they were kind of trapped in zombie world.

Meanwhile, um, Coda? Annnddd…hopefully when Connie goes missing, she ends up where Beth is, and Daryl goes to get her, and POOF! Reunion!

Now let’s just say a word about the other cages. The one by Glenn was empty, and we saw it after they revealed to the audience that he’d survived by crawling under the dumpster. This is why I think the empty bird cage represents a death fake out, in which the person lives. We saw an empty bird cage in Beth’s cell as well. (Again, by empty, I specifically mean no bird.) And now we have this empty bird cage in the mine, which tells me Connie will live, but she’ll probably also disappear in such a way that Daryl can’t find her.

I’ve been looking for a bird cage around Rick, and haven’t been able to find one. Thanks to @wdway​ for helping me. We’ve scanned through 7x12, Say Yes, which had a heavy foreshadow of Rick’s death fake out, and 9x05, where he actually disappeared. We haven’t been able to find one. But there are a few possibilities. 

1) There is one somewhere, and we’ve just missed it. I’m sure someone will notice it eventually, but since I haven’t had time to rewatch every episode in detail, we definitely could have missed it. 

2) We didn’t see Glenn’s bird cage until 6x07, AFTER he was revealed to be alive. So perhaps we haven’t seen one for Rick yet, but we will. 

3) Chances are good that in the next handful of episodes, Michonne will learn Rick is a live and that will be the catalyst for her leaving the show to go find him. I’m wondering if maybe we’ll see a bird cage then. We’ll just have to wait and see.

My point is that we’ve seen this symbol being used a similar way over and over again. If Connie disappears, and especially if Daryl assumes she might be dead, that will just be more proof. And remember that empty bird cage in Beth’s cell. You know, along with the gnomes and the “no exit” sign. Just saying. ;D

Thoughts?

[i-am-masterkittens]

You better prepare yourself cause these are Quite A Few Questions 👀👀 3, 4, 11, 12, 15, 21, 23, 31, 33, 39 and lastly 40. Wow. 11 questions lmao

Thank you so much 😭😭❤

3. rant. just do it (I am going to put my whole ass rant under the cut because BOY IS IT LENGTHY. Also tw child abuse, pedophilia, self-harm and I think that’s it.)

4. do you think its ok to separate the artist from the art? No? Like I guess if you want to, that’s fine, I’m not gonna hate you for it, but for me personally I’m gonna try to avoid it as much as possible. If a bad person creates a masterpiece, I’m still not gonna support them.

11. what unusual talent do you have? Uhh mild body contortion? Like I can’t touch my toes for the life of me but I can twist my body really weirdly and bend all my fingertips backwards by a lot. I love freaking people out by doing that.

12. what’s the most interesting schools gossip you’ve ever heard? I have audio-based problems meaning I have trouble understanding someone when they speak and also remembering what they said, so I can eavesdrop on the juiciest gossip and forget the next day. However, I do remember this one thing about some kid named Evan being a vampire, which I distinctly remember because Jake talked about it, but I don’t remember how it came up.

15. what’s a question do you constantly get asked? One would think it would be “omg are you left handed?” Or something similar, but I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me about it. One question I do get a lot is from my boyfriend, “why are you so cute?” It makes me shy and I have to hide my face.

21. what’s a conspiracy you believe in? That there are Warrior cats living somewhere in the world (from the warrior series). Which I guess isn’t a conspiracy, but I believe in it!

23. if you could break one of your bad habits which would you choose? The inability to take care of myself. I mean, if someone wasn’t there to remind me every day, I would never remember to take my medicine, or brush my teeth before bed, or even get dressed half the days. I wouldn’t call it lazy, it’s more of a “I’m too tired to take care of myself”. That’s mental illness for you babey!!

31. you can change one thing in your life right now. what are you changing? OH. I would totally delete every disease in the world. This whole quarantine thing is making me sick physically, emotionally, and mentally, because I am not allowed outside at all and the lack of fresh air, meeting people, and vitamin D is stressing me out and well I feel bad almost all the time now. Not to mention all the cool stuff I was gonna do for my 2020 graduation. 😔

33. what do you think about a lot I sometimes wonder if my best friend would let me call him Jakey or Jakie as a nickname but I’m too shy to ask because I am baby.

39. describe your asthetic Okay so I call it “Pretty-Cryptid, Baby-Softcore.” Because I am baby AND a cryptid. I’ll be eating baby carrots from the bag and staring out the window one minute then I’ll want to be snuggled under lots of blankets the next. I also really love pretty things and colors. Pastel purples and blues? Hell yeah! Pats on the head? I love you. A demon with ethereal vibes and pretty jewelry is standing next to me in bed and telling me everything’s going to be okay? OGHOHOHHHHGH ❤❤❤❤ Anyway I want a pretty monster dad, please?

40. answer with one of your ‘school memes’ (inside jokes you have with your class/grade) with no explanation Mr. Wise.

Here’s my rant:

The basis of it all is just that I would probably sleep forever if I could.

I guess that isn’t all quite a rant, so I’ll start of on a mild note. What the fuck is happening to my dreams? I’ve been having these weird ass dreams about people taking care of me and genuinely wanting to become a parental figure to me. They all wear masks, two of which look exactly like SCP-035 and SCP-049, but there’s this one dude, I don’t know him, but he wears this mask with holes in it. Apparently his name is Jason? This isn’t the first time I’ve had a dream about someone who I didn’t know existed, I’ve also had dreams about Monika from DDLC before I knew who she was, and even about how she died. It was creepy as fuck, and I sure hope my dreams don’t come true because I’ve had dreams of the future more than once.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into the heavy stuff, starting with my parents.I know I’m not the only person to have shitty parents, but that doesn’t stop them from being shitty. And before I get into anything, please please, please don’t report them to anyone. It’s probably weird to hear considering all they’ve done, but the guilt will probably kill me literally, and I still kinda love them, I mean they’re my parents and they took care of me. I don’t want anything to happen to them, and I don’t want to have to hurt myself because I did something to them, even if it was indirectly.

It used to be physical abuse, but it’s evolved into verbal as I grew up. Whenever I used to get in trouble, I would get so fucking terrified of what was going to happen to me. My dad, who was mostly absent from my life, (hence my constant wishing for a fictional character to be my dad, and probably a HUGE factor for what’s happening to my dreams lately) was also the most heavy handed with the hitting. He would spank me so hard that I would be crying and my butt would be red for hours. And it was so SO obvious that he liked my sister more than me, because it was always me who ended up with the red butts, and she’d get away with a loud yelling at. Meanwhile my mom would just hit me wherever she could with whatever she could, including a wire coat hanger when she was doing laundry.

And I recognize that I was a problem child, both physically and mentally because of my internal deformities that cause a lot of health problems, but also my weird boyish mentality and energy (I was into roughhousing a lot). But even then, just yelling would be enough to make me stop. Hitting me the way they did only made me learn how to lie to them and hide when I did something wrong.

This sort of stuff went on until about middle school, where it turned into more verbal threats about kicking me out of the house, as well as calling me names and making comments that dropped my self esteem very low, including stupid cow, bitch, and even telling me to hide my body and never wear bikinis or short shorts or crop tops (which I was already sensitive enough about because of my scars and the bump in my abdomen because of my knotted intestines, which gives me digestive issues if I eat too much). Dad almost completely dropped off the disciplinary train, only yelling at me extremely loudly when he got angry, but other than that I did pretty much nothing with him.

Because of them I’ve become extremely paranoid when it comes to touches that aren’t meant to be 100% comforting, and I’ve never been able to fully trust anyone for fear of getting hurt, (I’m sorry Jake :( if it makes you feel better though I trust you the most out of anyone else) and I get nervous when speaking up because I always got shot down by my parents.

It’ll be okay though because I have my boyfriend who I’ll get to live with soon, even if it’s just for the summer.

This isn’t everything that they’ve done, but it’s the majority of it, and even though they do good stuff with me sometimes, like my dad cooks breakfast or takes us out to eat, or we all go on nice vacations together, and it makes me feel guilty that I’m making them look bad, and worry that I’m oversharing or being too sensitive, but then I remember what they do and have done, and remind myself that I’ll only visit during holidays.

When I was 13, I came into contact with a pedophile. My first one out of at least 2 that I remember. I’m going to spare the details, but he tried to roleplay sexual situations with him, and convince me to undress in front of him, and that’s when I cut contact with him, and faked my death. I’m so, SO fucking sick of pedos, and pedo apologists, saying there’s nothing wrong with the age difference, when pedophilia has done nothing good to or for children. It gave me severe PTSD, to the point that I can’t say any words relating to reproduction, and visual-based sexual content will cause me to have flashbacks and panic attacks and cause me to scratch myself. Thanks pedos! Fucking hate you all! Please die.

And before people say I am overreacting, I’ve had this huge trigger since I was 13 and that is not something a kid should go through. And the reason why not a lot of people know about what happened, it’s because of the fear that I harbored, that people would laugh at me, and might use my triggers against me, which made things even worse, and it wasn’t until my boyfriend triggered me (accidentally) that I finally told someone, and it made me feel better that I could rely on him.

Other than that, another rant is about my boyfriend. I mean, he’s a good boyfriend, and he’s nice, but sometimes he comes off as insensitive and it makes me upset. That’s most of the reasons why we fight. Another big thing is lack of affection/attention, which might seems strange since we’re always hanging out, it seems, and cuddling, but sometimes he falls asleep on me and I get bored and don’t know what to do, or sometimes he ignores me to play video games or talk to other people. I am very touch starved so I need constant attention and contact or else I get worried, and I don’t know if he knows this or not, but he definitely comes off as ignorant sometimes. 

He makes up for a lot of stuff he does, but it doesn’t make what he did go away, and I wish he’d realize that and change because he keeps making the same mistakes.

My last rant is going to be about myself, and that I feel like a shit person! I feel like I always make things worse! I feel bad for every decision I make! I feel like I’m too clingy to my boyfriend and that I ask too much of him sometimes, and it makes me feel like shit because what I want and how I feel afterwards are different things and wow! Time for scratches! Also I want to have the power to always know what to do and say to make everyone happier and feel better! But then I get scared I’m gonna make a mistake and instead of trying to help I ignore them and go wow! I am a very shit person for ignoring them! And now my heart hurts because I got another heart palpitation by panicking! Wow I have a shit body! My heart deformities might kill me in my sleep! Wow! I am so insecure about everything I do and every way I look. I just want to become small and disappear sometimes. I miss you Jake. It’s hard for me to tell you I love you because it’s such an intimate phrase and my boyfriend was the first to hear it from me. But I’m glad you’re the second, even though we were so close to it. Somewhere in an alternate universe we’re together, and that makes me happy. I hope I we can become platonically intimate again, I remember holding your hand at night and it made me feel a little bit better at that camp.

My body just always hurts. I have to take a lot of medicine, and between all my heart, lung, and intestinal issues, on top of all my mental issues, majority of which have gone undiagnosed because my mom is in denial and refuses to get me to any sort of therapy; all of that combined makes me tired constantly, and I just always have stress, and a little headache in the back of my head.

I’m still hurting a lot, but I hope to get better. I have lots of ideas for the future, and I want to complete them before I go. I hope I make it past 2020, with many of you in tow.

I’m so tired.

I’m sorry if I made you sad.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

The 5 Theory

Good morning and Happy Saturday! Hope everyone has some fun plans.

So I’m actually super excited about this theory. It makes so much sense and reinforces what we already believe about Beth returning in S8. Full creds to @wdway for this one. In this case, I really didn’t add much (except enthusiastic applause, of course. ;D)

So here’s the thing: we’ve seen lots of 5s in the background of the show, especially during S5 episodes. I’ve always said it just points to the season they’re in. And I still think that’s true to a certain extent. But then, a lot of Gimple’s symbols have double meanings.

For example, in this first scene in Slabtown when Beth first wakes up, if you notice the clock behind Dawn, it reads 5:20, which proves our clock theory. The clock points to episode 5x04, which this is.

But it’s SO much more complicated than that. Beth’s time at Grady is spent on the 5th floor, and we constantly see room numbers in the 500s in the background. Again, it could all just point to this being S5, but why the overkill? And not all the numbers are ONLY 5s. There are other numbers included.

Meanwhile, we’ve also seen fives since then, in S6, at least. Probably some in S7 as well, though I’m not going to remember every instance off the top of my head. I’ve also said before that symbolism always points forward, rather than back. So how to do all these things jive? Why put 5s in later seasons to point backward?

Well, even before this theory I could have answered that. I do believe all symbolism points forward, but in this case, it’s okay to use the 5s because Beth will be back. If they’re pointing us back toward S5, there must be a reason. Something that’s still relevant. And we believe that is Beth being alive, right?

Well, @wdway wasn’t satisfied with this explanation (and I’m so glad she wasn’t). She started messing around with the numbers, trying to figure out what ELSE all the 5s mean besides just S5 and it’s importance. And she realized something.

Gimple took over and, for all intents and purposes, started Beth’s arc in S4, right? (Yes, she was in S2 and S3, but she only had a small arc in S2 and had very small part in S3. Nothing major. Nothing that was hers alone. In 4x01, she came front and center with the Bethyl hug.)

I’d also like to point out that S4 is when all the foreshadowing and parallels began. Yeah, we can look back at earlier seasons and see where things began or were built on, but the instant S4 began we already had tons of clues. Clues in Beth’s cell, clues at the Big Spot, Sasha/Ty/Bob stuff, and by 4b, they were already heavily paralleling Glenn, Rick, school buses, etc. We didn’t see anything to that extent in earlier seaosns. So S4 was really the beginning of Beth’s (and many of the other characters’) current arc.

So take a look at this:

S4 =1, S5=2, S6=3, S7=4, S8=5.

Could it be that all the fives actually point to S8? That it’s not a season number at all, but rather the number of seasons from the beginning of the arc until all the symbolism is fulfilled?

I love this idea. It wouldn’t have worked for S6 or S7. Only S8.

Now let’s look at some specific numbers.

We’ve seen a LOT of clocks that read 5:10. There are three in particular that come to mind: Rick’s watch when Carol finds it at Terminus, reads 5:10. 

Then there’s all the clocks in 5x09. Seriously, EVERY clock in that episode points to 5:10. 

And then there’s Glenn’s watch in 6x03, right before his death fake out. There are probably more, but let’s talk about the clocks.

We have ample evidence that the hour on the clocks = the season number and the minute hand = the episode number. So if that’s the case, these clocks really all point to 5x02. And that makes no sense. While there is some TD symbolism to be found in 5x02, there’s not enough that’s significant enough to Beth’s arc for SO many clocks, especially after the fact, to point back to it. Why would Gimple do this?

We’ve always seen these clocks as pointing to 5x10. Even though I’ve always known that doesn’t entirely fit the pattern, I’ve always accepted it because 1) symbols often have multiple meanings/interpretations and 2) 5x10 = music box. So we’re really not imagining that. It’s SUPER important. So I was always cool with it deviating from the clock pattern a little bit.

But with this 5 theory, 5 is actually the fifth season from when Beth’s current arc started. It shows we had to go 5 seasons before seeing the fulfillment of the symbolism. So if we substitute an 8 for the 5, suddenly, this clock points at 8x02. And guys, look at where we see these clocks. 1) After Carol is separated from TF, and then saves and reunites with them. 2) In Ty’s death hallucination, which is rife with Beth symbolism and all kinds of contradictions. Where Beth herself appears and “keeps singing” even after her death. 3) Right before Glenn’s death fake out, which had a crap-ton of parallels to Beth. He was revealed to be alive a few episodes later.

Pretty convincing if you ask me. We’ve also seen some 101s, though not as many, which also point to 8x02 as being a super important episode.

@wdway even pointed out that in 5x09, Beth was there in the hallucination, but not physically. That’s also true of 5x10 and the music box. She’s there symbolically, but not literally. So perhaps the 5 = S5 being her physical arc, and S8 (five seasons in) we’ll see her physically again.

Other random 5s:

There’s one on the bus in 5x05. With all the bus stuff we’ve noticed this time around, I think it’s safe to say we’ll see the bus fulfillment in S8.

There’s a 5 on a pipe in 5x07 when Rick and Daryl are discussing the plan to rescue Beth and Carol from Grady. So maybe it shows that the real rescue/reunion won’t happen until the 5th season (S8).

I know in 6x01, we saw a sign that said, “Quint,” which means five. It also happens to mean some of the equipment (the ladder, I think, which is also significant) of a fire truck. But once again, there are some suspicious sequences in 6x01 during Operation Lead the Walkers Away that point to Beth stuff. And we have the Quint sign.

Here’s a great one that @wdway found in S6. In 6x10, when Rick and Daryl first meet Jesus, there are some numbers (cigarette prices) on the marquee behind them. It reads 5.45 and 5.69. I know there’s been a lot of speculation about what these numbers mean. Most have to do with comic book numbers, which is important. And applying this theory to them makes it even better.

See, if you put the 5 aside for a minute, CB issue #45 is where Andrea wakes up from her gunshot wound to the head, and finds herself alone, without the rest of TF, because they presumed she was dead and left her behind. Issue #69 is where TF arrives at Alexandria.

I know people zeroed in on the numbers as being CB numbers before, but the 5s are harder to explain. Nobody woke up from a GSW in S5 (that we know of; of course there’s the music box, but no one that the GA would know about or that we obviously saw). And while TF did arrive at Alexandria in S5, why would they feel the need to reiterate that in 6x10 when Rick and Daryl meet Jesus?

But let’s swap out the 5s for 8s. Perhaps this then shows that in S8, the person who survived the GSW, like Andrea, will both wake up, and arrive at Alexandria. Make sense?

We have numbers in Coda that point to 8x03 and 8x04 once you swap them out with the 8.

Slabtown has some interesting ones too. We see the numbers 550 and 556 very clearly. 

@wdway did some research I wanted to include here. The CB issue numbers pan out, and obviously there are only 16 episodes in a season, so she started looking at the series numbers. Episode 50 was Us. Like 5x02, while there is some Beth stuff to be found there (*coughs Daryl claims the strawberries*) there really isn’t tons in that episode for it to be point there. So instead of 50, she chopped the final number off and they both point to 55. Episode 55 is Slabtown. Interesting right? Which means episode 56, just to be thorough, is Self Help with all the bus stuff, including the number 5 on the bus. Also, that’s when they acquire the fire truck. Just saying.

So the series numbers from Slabtown point us toward episode 5x04 (Slabtown) and 5x05 (Self Help). If we swap out the numbers, that becomes 8x04 and 8x05.

Are we seeing how this works? I’m absolutely sure there are tons of more instances of 5s throughout the show, and I’ll continue to look for them as I rewatch. Like I said at the beginning, I won’t remember every instance.

But if the 5s point, not only to S5 but to S8, which is five seasons after the arc began, that makes way more sense than them JUST pointing us back to S5. And most of the cases we’ve examined specifically point to 8x01-8x05, which include the episodes Gimple already said would melt our brains.

The evidence is stacking up, my friends. Is it October yet?