anyway the scariest character in stranger things, to me, is neil hargrove
because not only is he such an accurate depiction of an abusive parent who gets away with their actions by making their child look like the bad guy
not only is he the definition of a wolf in sheeps clothing who has the ability to fit neatly into society while causing unimaginable pain behind closed doors
not only does he have the ability to control the people around him like puppets, pitting them against each other and essentially being able to create his own narrative through this
but he also gets away with it all
he gets away with it in the show, he gets to leave as soon as his number one victim dies, he gets to sound sympathetic when they give a reason for him leaving
but he also gets away with it in how people talk about billy, he gets away with it every time someone minimises the harm neil did and pushes the entirety of the blame onto his son, every time someone pushes the ‘billy is a bad victim’ or ‘billy deserved it’ lines, he gets away with it every time someone compares billy to lonnie, brenner and vecna and neil’s own name gets left out
there were absolutely no consequences for neil’s actions in the show and there never will be
and isn’t that all very realistic
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Hey do you think Jamil has trouble seeing people his age as peers?
Like, growing up having to be a caretaker to a guy literally a few months older than him, always expected to act like the adult in the situation, expected to work with adults and adopt their perspectives and pick up their slack. Do you think he just, forgets sometimes?
I mean we've seen him go into caretaker mode with other sophomores, and the only people I've seen him take seriously are juniors like Vil who also act much older than they should have to (his reactions to Leona look more like a trauma response and I don't wanna get into it here). People like Malleus and Cater still somewhat get the caretaker treatment. Like I just highly doubt that he subconsciously realizes he's actually part of his age group
Aaand that inevitably brings up Azul, who also acts like he thinks he's older than he is. Whether you're looking at it from a shipping angle or not, he reacts to Azul like an actual peer. With older students, he seems more in his element but there's still a status hierarchy which he compulsively reacts to. With Azul he doesn't acknowledge any status worth respecting or see him as someone who needs to be looked after. He just bickers like an equal, in a way that implies he actually does see Azul as a real peer, like subconsciously he's categorized this guy into the same group as himself, who was previously alone on that level (he gets like this more with the twins too, over time, but it seems to start with Azul).
And my favorite part about this is, while that response stems from them both acting more like adults in general, they elicit a pettiness from each other which drags them both down to actually acting their own age, and I just love that. Their characters are perfect foils for each other and it seems to make them both less isolated in a way.
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Who wrote Eden’s Gate’s songs?
Of course, the person who actually did is the game’s composer, Dan Romer, but who is supposed to have written them in the Far Cry 5 universe?
A popular assumption (often presented as fact) is that Jacob was the cult’s songwriter. I suppose the rumor started because of this line said by “Cult Security Male 04” (CSM4 for short from now on):
Have you heard anything as heavenly as the music Jacob makes for us?
To my knowledge, this is the only time in the game that someone implies Jacob “makes” music. While it could signify that he composed it, it can also simply mean that he plays it for other people, which is something we know he does when he uses “Only You” and his music box to condition recruits.
The first reason I believe CSM4’s comment was actually about Jacob’s training techniques rather than the cult’s songs is that Resistance NPCs sometimes mention “Jacob’s music” too, but when they do, they say he uses it to train his soldiers and that it messes with people’s brains, which suggests they’re talking about “Only You”.
The other reason is the context of the line. In the game, each line of dialog is triggered in a specific context, and we can know what that context is in the files. Here, the context of CSM4’s line is:
contextual_idle_filler_region_north\Theme\Regional_Resistance\Resistance_Level\Res_Level_3
It means it can be heard anywhere in the Whitetail Mountains region once you reach Resistance Level 3. It’s a generic comment and the character isn’t reacting to the cult’s music specifically.
This matters because NPCs can react to the cult’s songs when they hear them. In this case, the context is:
reflex_singing\Song_Cult_ANY
And when NPCs make comments about the cult’s hymns... no one talks about Jacob being the songwriter. The only person they mention, several times, is Joseph.
Resistance fighters and civilians will say:
Thanks for the earworm, Joseph.
A song for the sheeple, written by Joseph Seed.
Music for the lunatic fringe. Thanks a lot, Joseph. Dickhead.
And cult members will say:
Oh, Joseph's music always puts a smile on my face.
Joseph's songs give me life.
My favorite song. Praise Joseph.
I love Joseph's songs.
Joseph is a gifted songwriter.
This is why I personally believe that the person who wrote (at least some of) the cult’s songs is actually Joseph, not Jacob. In my opinion, the comment about the oldest Seed brother “making” music is most likely a reference to him using it to train people.
It’s also worth mentioning that cultists will sometimes say this in the Henbane River region:
Faith's song and the Bliss is like a match made in heaven.
Faith's lyrics just speak to me on so many levels.
This could mean Faith also wrote a song (most likely “Oh The Bliss” because she frequently hums it), but the lines are generic comments and not reactions to the cult’s hymns, so they could simply be about her singing the song and not necessarily about her being a part of the creative process.
So, in the Far Cry 5 universe, which Seed sibling wrote Eden’s Gate’s songs? Contrary to popular belief, there is no definite proof that Jacob did. Faith might have worked on at least one, and nobody says John has ever written music. However, NPCs clearly say that Joseph wrote several (if not all) of the cult’s hymns.
And, according to “Cult Follower Female 04”, the Father does more than just compose songs…
You haven't lived until you've heard Joseph sing this live.
…he performs them to his congregation, too!
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Nightwing #100 was fun and a good celebration of Nightwing's history and progress. The Titans set up was really cool to see and I hope DC follows through with putting the Titans into the spotlight.
BUT
It can't be in the Nightwing series. I can't think of anything more damaging to The Titans as a team and to Nightwing himself than to have the entirety of the Titans crammed into a solo series.
This is why we have team series and solo series. People don't read Titan series for stories 98% focused on Grayson with every other Titans character relegated to a cameo support role. People don't read Nightwing for stories revolving around his Titans' leadership duties.
The best part about the Titans is that it's a diverse group of personalities and skillsets. Every character gets a chance to shine, every character has a distinct personality and goals. They aren't Dick Grayson's backup dancers or personal cheerleading squad. And Dick's book should be where he gets to just be himself doing stealth missions and clandestinely fighting assassins, without trying to be the perfect leader that's always got a plan.
I liked Nightwing #100 and I've liked the other times Titans characters have crossed over into the series. But this can't just be it. They have to have a Titans series. They have to.
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