#visual rhetoric
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Twins - It's the hair
My siblings in sin, for all of y'all struggling with telling which twin is which, it's the hair. Zee's hair is down. Sprite's is parted.
Sprite parted his hair back at the beginning of episode six and has left it that way since.
So the twin in the beginning of episode nine who got beat up? Hair down. Zee.
The twin on the date with First? Hair parted. Obviously Sprite.
The twin at the first practice who Salmon spoke to? Hair parted. Obviously Sprite.
The twin who looked at the rebuttal to the Salmon drama? Hair parted. Sprite.
Injured finger? How could y'all even question it when it was followed by a make out session?! SPRITE!
Practice when First almost got hit by the ball because he was staring?
Zee!
Parted. Sprite.
Bathroom incident?
ZEE IN SPRITE'S BLUE!!!!!
Zee is also no longer wearing his necklace.
Which is why it might be difficult for some of y'all, but this is Zee.
The twin who drank the drugged water? Zee.
The twin who ran on the court in the end? Sprite.
Which is why I think First is catching on.
And y'all should too!
Quick! Which twin is which?
I thought I trained y'all for the visual narrative Olympics.
Do better.
#twins the series#it's the hair#visual rhetoric#I trained y'all for this#I feel like the team manager of this show#trained the whole entire time#and now when needed y'all are lost!#LOOK AT THE HAIR!
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BE MY FAVORITE EPISODE 5 – A PADAWAN IN THE TEMPLE OF ENLIGHTENMENT (AND A NOD AT MARRIAGE EQUALITY)
I consider myself quite visually-oriented, but oddly I've not applied that so much to the dramas I watch, preferring to focus on the text and narrative as though they were a book come to life.
But this scene in Be My Favorite (beginning at Ep.5 [3I4] 1.55, when Pisaeng goes to see Max in the café) is so chock-full of meaningful visual details whacking you in the eyeballs that I've simply got to write about it.
It's not a secret that Max is portrayed as the wise queer elder in BMF. The narrative clearly shows him inhabiting that role, with his queer activism (Ep.8 [3I4] 5.43, Ep.10 [2/4] 2.58) and him doling out advice to Kawi (e.g., Ep.4 [1I4] 3.03, Ep.5 [2/4] 10.07, Ep.6 [1I4] 16.11, Ep.8 [3I4] 4.35) and tough love to Pisaeng (Ep.5 [3I4] 2.53) as they grow into their (queer) identities.
The visuals in the scene at Ep.5 [3I4] 1.55 really reinforce this purposeful portrayal as well.
First of all, the camera angle is pitched low, so that Max towers above all others in the scene, amplifying his physical stature (and drawing attention to his intellectual one as well).
He is also dressed in shades of yellow and rust, which call to mind the robes (that range in hue from saffron to cinnamon) worn by the greatly respected and influential Buddhist monks of Thailand. With this chromatic and cultural context, the colors of Max's wardrobe are meant to signal his seasoned wisdom and authority as he sternly counsels inexperienced babygay Pisaeng. (GMMTV has also used these colors to denote similar higher-thinking preoccupations and orientations in Moonlight Chicken and Bad Buddy as well – see this write-up linked here.)
Now the colors that we see in the café interior are also significant – the abundance of white with yellow and gold/metallic accents is a color scheme that is also used very often in the Buddhist temple architecture of Thailand. You can see this too in the scene where Pisaeng comforts Kawi after the funeral of the latter's dad (Ep.8 [2/4] 4.42):
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.8 [2/4] 4.42 – Pisaeng and Kawi talk on the steps of a Thai temple, most probably after the funeral of Kawi's dad (note the white, yellow and metallic accents)
A Google Image Search for "Thai Temple Architecture" will also bring up many examples; Wat Benchamabophit is a sumptuously typical one. The similar colors in the café are thus playing their part to emphasize the monastic theme and Max's role as the sacerdotal senior in these hallowed grounds.
Among all the pops and pings of yellow in the café décor is a prominent disk (likely a representation of the sun) that can be seen on the noren of the doorway behind the servery.
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.5 [3I4] 2.32 – Max and his halo while talking to Pisaeng
The cinematography has some shots carefully positioned so that the disk appears to encircle (in turns) Max and then Pisaeng like a golden halo – Max at Ep.5 [3I4] 2.32 and Pisaeng at Ep.5 [3I4] 2.47.
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.5 [3I4] 2.47 – Pisaeng and his halo while talking to Max
Significantly, the halo in Buddhist iconography is also used (as it is in Western art) to evoke holiness and/or enlightenment. In this BMF scene we see it first around Max, and then around Pisaeng, which suggests that the (queer) wisdom being imparted is moving in the direction from the former to the latter.
But the brightest splash of yellow must surely be the large sunflowers on display behind Max.
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.5 [3I4] 2.54
Aside from the higher-minded connotations associated with the yellow color, the choice of bloom is significant in a number of other ways. Sunflowers turn to face the sun's illumination as it moves across the sky, and this parallels how Pisaeng has come to the café to seek out Max, the haloed source of his enlightenment.
In addition, various Thai websites (including the Pantip forum, linked here) point out that in Thailand the sunflower is symbolic of steadfastness, which to me aligns well with Max's unwavering confidence in his LGBTQ+ identity and dedication to the cause.
And finally, the Thai words for sunflower (ทานตะวัน, pronounced something like taan dtawan) can be roughly translated as "to resist/oppose the sun", which also fits really well with Max's leanings toward LGBTQ+ activism and the peaceful protesting for equal rights in the face of searing opposition.
All of this fingerpointing to wisdom and high-mindedness is given an additional boost when we look at the prominent Thai lettering on the wall behind Max (that spells out the café's name "เจ-ดีย์", pronounced something like che-di).
More often spelt without a hyphen, เจดีย์ refers to the Thai chedi or stupa, which is also a Buddhist religious building in Thailand (usually bell-shaped and functioning as a holy reliquary and/or a place of meditation) within a temple complex. You can see a painting of a chedi on the café wall next to Pisaeng at Ep.6 [1I4] 6.27:
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.6 [1I4] 6.34 – Max and Pisaeng chat on the café terrace next to a painting of a chedi
The idea that Pisaeng has entered a hall of greater erudition is further underlined by the name of the café on the wall. However, in real life when using Roman letters the café spells its name Jedi, not Chedi (you can see this on their Facebook linked here, and also at Ep.3 [2/4] 6.17 and Ep.6 [1I4] 12.35).
(above left) Be My Favorite Ep.3 [2/4] 6.17; (above right) Ep.6 [1I4] 12.35
And although it's not a Star Wars-themed café, they do have a drink called the Yoda, drawing attention to the café's name as a pun on the noble knights of the film series as well (see this link here).
Remembering that the Jedi in Star Wars canon are a line of monastic, wise, peace-loving elder fighters (Yoda being a prime example), the café name behind Max also calls out to his senior queer activist role in Be My Favorite.
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.5 [3I4] 2.30
Coming back to the colors, it's impossible not to notice the streaks of pink in Max's hair:
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.5 [3I4] 2.49
In Thailand the head is considered the seat of knowledge and wisdom (leading to much unnecessary handwringing on foreign websites around touching a Thai person's head; see this link here that sheds more sensible light on the matter). As for the color pink, it's historically been symbolic of the LGBTQ+ community.
With his distinctive coiffure, it's not difficult to see that Max is being presented as radiating pink knowledge and wisdom. (Also worth noting is that the streaks in his hair fade to a somber gray in other timelines when he is not the sagely elder and/or the narrative has taken a darker turn, e.g., at Ep.7 [2/4] 3.10 when his standing is downgraded to popstar Kawi's put-upon assistant, and at Ep.11 [4/4] 1.45 when Kawi is in the ICU.)
(above left) Be My Favorite Ep.7 [2/4] 3.22; (above right) Ep.11 [4/4] 1.54
I never knew that all of this visual signaling in film actually had a technical name, but it does. This is called visual rhetoric, when details in the setting, props and wardrobe echo and amplify the same message being conveyed by the dialogue and drama on screen, and I learnt this from the wise and always-spicy @respectthepetty's posts on Reading the Visual Rainbow (linked here and here). RTP's posts have greatly enriched my understanding and enjoyment of the dramas that I watch, especially Thai BL, and I highly, highly recommend reading them. 👍💖
Anyway, if Max in this scene is the venerated elder imparting wisdom to his rapt congregation (and that includes the viewing audience too; it's not just Pisaeng), what is his message here? I think that there are at least two messages being conveyed.
At the level of the text, an exasperated Max is admonishing acolyte Pisaeng (beginning at Ep.5 [3I4] 2.53) for all of his bumbling around coming to terms with his queer identity:
"Listen. There are wars going on around the world. Our politics are crap. People get locked up because they voice their opinions. Ice is melting at the poles. People are killing people because of race or religion. Who are you? Are you that important? Why do you even think other people would care where you go or what you do?"
But Max's tone and choice of words are maybe a touch harsher than they need to be? Especially in Thailand, where jai yen (ใจเย็น, meaning coolness of heart; see this link here for more explanation) is so important in polite social interaction, his diatribe seems far out of proportion compared to Pisaeng's clumsiness, insensitive as it might have been.
I think this is because it's not actually Pisaeng that is the intended recipient of this rant – the message is actually meant for the larger viewing audience. In Thailand where queer people face considerably less risk to personal safety than in other countries but are nonetheless still subject to discrimination, Max's questions ("Who are you? Are you that important? Why do you even think other people would care where you go or what you do?") are not just telling Pisaeng that he should be worrying less about how others might perceive him, but are also highlighting that no one should even have to worry about been seen as different (and treated differently for it) in the first place.
Because – following the mention of wars, dirty politics, arbitrary detention, restricted speech, global warming and ethnic cleansing – idealist Max's questions can be directed to broader society as well, if you re-phrase them a little differently to encompass all queer people and not just Pisaeng, like this:
"Who are we (to you)? Are we that important (in the larger scheme of things)? Why should other people care where we go or what we do (if it's just us living our lives as private members of society)?"
Max is declaiming that on a grander scale, the fixation that conservatives have on denying queer people equal rights based on fictional, imagined reasons is farcically illogical and wholly unwarranted compared to the actual problems being faced by the planet. At its plainest, the message is: stop objecting to equal treatment for LGBTQ+ people, because surely it must be a non-issue that equality should apply to all, since it harms no one.
And all of this ties in to the second message of the scene, that is trumpeted loudly by the visuals – and it's about marriage equality.
I learnt about the most important part of a Thai wedding ceremony called รดน้ำสังข์ (pronounced something like rot naam sang; have also seen this reversed as sang rot naam) when I looked up a scene in Not Me The Series, in order to reblog a post by @wen-kexing-apologist referencing marriage equality in that BL:
During the rot naam sang, elders in attendance pour water from a ceremonial conch shell (nowadays replaced by a symbolic, cone-shaped vessel) onto the hands of the bridal couple, and this marks the moment when the pair are formally married. During that particular scene in Not Me, various elements onscreen came together (in another example of visual rhetoric) to form an unspoken comment regarding the issue of marriage for all in Thailand (more info in the post linked here).
Since then, anytime something shaped like a cone or funnel appears in a Thai drama, especially in the presence of water, I can't help but wonder if they're referencing a wedding somehow (remembering @respectthepetty's post on reading the visuals, and the scene in Not Me).
And this scene in Be My Favorite (starting at Ep.5 [3I4] 1.55) is absolutely doing just that, especially in the light of Max's little sermon on equality and Thai BL's years-long march in support of queer marriage in general.
When queer elder Max pours water into one of the cone-shaped coffee filters at Ep.5 [3I4] 1.55, the scene has been set up as an explicit visual reference to the rot naam sang, with the filters standing in for the symbolic conch.
There are two funnels in front of Max, but only one gets the water. Both pour-over coffee sets are identical in form, function and capacity (with only a superficial difference in the appearance – one has a metallic frame and trim while the other doesn't). But the funnel on Max's left (despite being the equal of the other) receives no water at all, emphasizing how only cishet couples in Thailand are allowed to get married, while everyone else outside that definition is denied. (The two funnels are actually separate filtration sets placed side-by-side just for this scene.) And then Be My Favorite unequivocally draws a line through this to show how wrong it all is, by having Max's arm physically cross out the visual of the two symbolic sangs or matrimonial conches (one filled, one empty) at Ep.5 [3I4] 2.24.
This is not the only time BMF shows up with drums beating for marriage equality – we see this on the activist signage display at Ep.11 [1I4] 11.27 and also when the doctor sidelines Pisaeng (at Ep.11 [4/4] 0.36) when discussing Kawi's health because he's not a blood relation or a legal spouse.
(top) The activist signage display at Ep.11 [1I4] 11.27; (bottom) the doctor asks if there are family members he might contact regarding Kawi's health, when Pisaeng is right there in front of him (Ep.11 [4/4] 0.36)
Given all of Be My Favorite's focus on this matrimonial LGBTQ+ cause, my hope for the finale of the series is that Pisaeng and Kawi end up in a timeline where marriage equality does become a reality for them (not a prediction though, just wishful thinking). And it's not just their own wedding that I would like to see. 😍
In different timelines, Pear ends up with nothing but heartache for choosing the wrong guy – e.g., Pisaeng absconding before their wedding vows in order to kiss Kawi in a drunken declaration of love (Ep.2 [4/4] 5.46), her relationship with Kawi souring because Pisaeng (apparently) came between them (Ep.7 [2/4] 11.28), and settling for a prison sentence with slimeball Not as her jailer because she's pregnant and doesn't want to wait any longer for marriage (Ep.7 [3I4] 4.00).
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.7 [3I4] 3.50 – a tearful Pear explains to Kawi why she's marrying Not
My hope is for the finale to bestow a Happily Ever After on long-suffering Pear for once. And with all the discourse around marriage equality in Be My Favorite – wouldn't it be a nice touch if her soon-to-be spouse James (whose name pops up on the wedding invitation at Ep.11 [3I4] 0.27) turns out to be somewhat different from the usual boring supermarket box-cake variety?
(above) Be My Favorite Ep.11 [3I4] 0.27
Whether it's trans, lesbian, nonbinary or another option, so many possibilities abound. As long as they make her happy... I can only hope. 💖
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I've recently started following a few IG accounts that specialize in handwritten/hand-illustrated data visualizations, which I find fascinating because increasingly we see super detailed, high-tech visualizations. There's something about these hand-drawn versions that I find really compelling. I'm not sure if it's nostalgia for handmade things or just that they're so different than other visualizations.
This is a creative take on a classic bar chart with annual flower sales, created by Mona Chalabi on Instagram. It shows annual flower sales from 2020 for tulips (the highest), daises, lilies, and gladioli (the lowest). It's unusual to see a chart without an x-axis, but I still think it's easy to understand, and I love that the artist visualized this as a bouquet of flowers resting inside a decorative vase.
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disco in my brain
#disco elysium#de skills#harry du bois#kim kitsuragi#my magnum oppa style#rhetoric and logic are having a heated debate while encyclopedia moderates#endurance is trying to comfort pain threshold but blaims all his problems on wo men#(authority agrees)#perception is just describing things to hand/eye#empathy is trying to comfort half light but composure is judgemental#visual calculus is just talking to himself bc i didnt know how else to include it sorry vis#and i think the rest are self explanatory#but i may post individual/larger pics of them later
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Happy Valentines Day from the Intellect Gang- featuring successful and failed checks.
Psyche
Physique
Motorics
#disco elysium#disco elysium skills#logic#encyclopedia#rhetoric#drama#conceptualization#visual calculus
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The skills
#disco elysium#art#my art#fan art#line art#skills#logic#encyclopedia#rhetoric#drama#conceptualization#visual calculus#volition#inland empire#empathy#authority#esprit de corps#suggestion#endurance#pain threshold#physical instrument#electrochemistry#shivers#half light#hand/eye coordination#perception#reaction speed#savoir faire#interfacing#composure
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passed out for a couple of hours and when i woke up this was on my canvas
like I said "I will not explain myself". hope you guys injoy the brainrot on display
if it's not evident, I did not plan this at all
This started more like a sketch for logic to understand how to draw them and then i got bored and I started to doodle the other skills and this is what ended up
I want to learn how to simplify all of them in a cartoony style... it's not really working
these are 100% just for me but whatever
also thinking to draw some of the skills in cool clothing becourse I think that would be awesome
I put all the skills in the tags cuz I'm insaneeee >:}c
#disco elysium#art#de fanart#digital art#my art#disco elysium skills#de skills#de logic#de encyclopedie#de rhetoric#de drama#de conceptualization#de visual calculus#de volition#de inland empire#de empathy#de authority#de esprit de corps#de suggestion#de endurance#de pain threshold#de physical instrument#de electrochemistry#de shivers#de halflight#de hand/eye coordination#de perception#de savoir faire#de interfacing#de composure
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titus shartie. of the fartie boys.
titus hardon. of the hard on boys.
#de#harrier du bois#harrier#kim#kim kitsuragi#disco elysium#gays#lieutenant#dean's art#dean#titus#titus hardie#hardie#the hardie boys#encyclopedia#rhetoric#drama#CONCEPTUALIZATION#visual calculus#volition#inland empire#empathy#authority#esprit de corps#suggestion#endurance#pain threshold#physical instrument#electrochemistry
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get a gay new clock for the gay wall in your gay new kitchen, babes!
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I think one of the funniest things about Disco Elysium that I haven't seen anyone point out is the fact that, on average, thinking about things makes Harry more stupid. If you look at the internalization modifiers for every thought in the game, the Intellect skills are almost all negatively influenced. The only one that has a positive total is Conceptualization with a +1. Everything else except Rhetoric is in the negatives. I think it says a lot about Harry as a character that thinking makes him dumber
#disco elysium#If I added everything up correctly; you get 0 in Rhetoric; -2 in Encyclopedia; -2 in Logic; -1 in Visual Calculus;#-1 in Drama; and +1 in Conceptualization#also really funny that the skill that allows you to put 2 and 2 together and the skill that lets you just know things are affected the most
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Oh a PRIDE Fl - - - The sign by Day reads "And into the court I go to lose my mind and find my soul"
Interesting.
#last twilight#last twilight the series#when I watch it maybe I'll be sad like y'all#but right now I'm just loving the visuals#visual rhetoric#background noise
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ONLY FRIENDS EPISODE 2 – TOP, MEW AND SHORTHAND FOR SEX
OK, since I haven't seen anyone post about this, I'm just gonna make some observations here.
At Ep.2 [3I4] 0.50 we see Top pulling Mew into the shower.
(above) Only Friends Ep.2 [3I4] 0.50
It's basically to allow Boston to make his naked escape unseen, but given that Top is also into Mew, did they or didn't they have sex in there?
The visuals tell us no:
(above) Only Friends Ep.2 [3I4] 1.17
The cacti in the first shot of the next scene (in Mew's home) may look phallic, but they're prickly and untouchable (just like Mew with regard to sex, all motives aside).
And then we see Top furiously manhandling the upturned leg of Mew's coffee table:
(above) Only Friends Ep.2 [3I4] 1.19
That phallic-looking shaft is obviously a stand-in for something else. 😂 And judging from Top's frustrated side-eye at Mew just after, it's clear his physical desires earlier weren't satisfied (and he seems to be working off his thwarted energies all by himself on the, um, wood):
(above) Only Friends Ep.2 [3I4] 1.24
But then Mew proceeds to tempt Top with a cookie between his lips. And the camera angle quite plainly shows us that Top is more than just a little interested, because there's a sudden appearance of wood again between his legs:
(above) Only Friends Ep.2 [3I4] 2.42
And then we see that maybe Mew is into it too, because there's more than one shaft pointing to the sky:
(above) Only Friends Ep.2 [3I4] 3.17
Jojo's really having fun with this one! 🤣
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I saw this plastic waste infographic on instagram yesterday and found it to be a really interesting example of both data visualization with the use of "charts" and visual rhetoric with the use of the plastic bottle wrap and bottle caps to signify key information. This also strikes me as a good use of contrast with colors and lines working to organize and separate information.
I included a link to the post because it provides some context about where the information came from and provides some additional visualizations.
(I do not appreciate the large "Other Africa" category in what feels like an otherwise very purposeful design.)
ID: data visualization of infographic titled "Contributors of Mismanaged Plastic Waste Around the World" from a 2019 study. Different countries are "charted" around the paper wrapped around the center of a plastic bottle. bottle caps of different sizes and colors to the left of the image indicate the top five contributors.
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no worse thing than thinking something is being ironic and subverting a certain trope and then finding out its like That in earnest.........
#WYM THE DIVINE FEMININE SACRED WOMB THING IS FOR REAL???? AN ACTUAL COQUETTE FILM??????#its so sad bc its such a visually good movie. and the only thing i could think is I COULD MAKE THAT#also i find it weird that the only black characters are there as props like whats the point of that.....#i thought that some rhetoric in the movie was terfy but also i had HOPE. HOPE THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY ALL IN MOCKERY OF THE RHETORIC 😭😭😭#this is abt the love witch 2016........#piksla.txt
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y'all got any nicknames for each other apart from the iconic crowned condom?
SUGGESTION- Oh, plenty! The wet blanket, Mr. Morality, Pointy...
VOLITION- Don't call me a condom, please. And why are you only naming examples for me?
SAVOIR FAIRE- I've been called "slimeball", "douchebag", "sly guy", "Mr. Slick", I could go on. I've got plenty fingers to count on. But my personal favorite is Savvy.
VISUAL CALCULUS- You're the only one who calls yourself that.
SAVOIR FAIRE- Savvy resents that statement.
INTERFACING- Any variation of the word "fingers" for me. Or "toolboy".
AUTHORITY- They only ever call me "sir" when they're trying to undermine me.
ESPRIT DE CORPS- Same here with "officer". They'll call me "captain" when they're being especially flip.
REACTION SPEED- I don't appreciate being called a "shifty asshole"! I'm not shifty. I'm just quick. That's my job...
EMPATHY- My nicknames are all just kind of nice. Softie, tenderheart...
HALF LIGHT- Pussy.
EMPATHY- Less nice.
RHETORIC- Hey, what is this about using slang for female genitalia to imply weakness? I thought we were more progressive than that!
HALF LIGHT- Also a pussy.
LOGIC- And a masturbatory chatterbox.
PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT- Just say "jerkoff". And these guys all call me Coach, if they know what's good for them.
COMPOSURE- Mine are all very one-note. Straight-back guy. Wall-back. Yellow-belly.
CONCEPTUALIZATION- Like I said, if any of you want more creative identifiers, I'd be more than happy to-
VOLITION- No.
ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY- I wouldn't mind having some fun nicknames! Like "hot stuff". Or "stud". Pet names get my motor running.
LOGIC- Thats exactly why no one calls you them.
#/suggestion#/volition#/savoir faire#/visual calculus#/interfacing#/authority#/empathy#/half light#/composure#/conceptualization#/rhetoric#//motorics#//physique#//intellect#//psyche#/electrochemistry#/logic#ask#/physical instrument
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just gave my fnaf presentation to my roommates again and by GOD there is so much stuff i need to add/flesh out. like what the fuck even is fnaf 3
#icarus speaks#this is rhetorical i jsut hate that game the most akfjakf#i need. so many visuals#i keep mentioning animatronics and NEVER show them#so i feel like they were just confused between golden s and funtimes and toys 😭
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