So, for Sam it's kinda complicated? he has a series of songs that follow a specific order which are; Poplar St. , Life itself, and finally Pork Soda all by Glass Animals.
TW: FOR TALK OF CSA & ADDICTION
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All of these songs follow the same desperate theme of a need for attention. Poplar St. following the story of a boy getting into an inappropriate relationship with his older neighbor, clinging to her attention because she makes him feel mature & special. All of this crashing down when she calls him one day to "dump him" because he grew out of her age range. The last thing he hears from her is calling him, "just another boy." Life itself tells a similar story of a man who is stuck living in his mother's basement, a pathetic son leaching off of her money as he rants and raves about being something special. Craving to be seen as something more, as he steals his mother's money. Finally, Pork Soda is about a man reminiscing on his lost loved one as, I'm pretty sure, he's high out of his mind. the lyric, "Pineapples in my head" is usually a saying to describe someone intoxicated. There are also a few theories the song is about a man suffering brain damage.
How does this fit Samuel?
It helps follow his story regarding after the accident! Samuel is a mooch, has nothing truly to his name because his daddy's money. He can't do anything for himself and he knows that, but what else can he do besides try to convince himself maybe someday he'll be more than what the crash left him. He drinks, he smokes, he does anything and everything to feel like the teenager he once was because that was the only time he felt real. His perception of love is now warped due to something vile happening to him while hospitalized. Samuel is a dependant, navie man who holds in so many conflicting feelings. He's scared and alone.. He misses his sibling yet at the same time the mere idea of Bing makes him want to scream. He hates, he loves, he doesn't know what to do but sit there an be pathetic.. thinking about the days where he was actually a somebody.
One time I was explaining to my dad how unfair it is that every big city has at least a couple gay bars but there are only like 20ish lesbian bars left in the country and he responded with "That's cause gay men have a good party culture. Lesbians don't have time to party, they're too busy debating the sociological implications of things and studying for postgrad degrees" and as much as I wanted to tell him he was out of line for that, as a lesbian who spends all her free time on Tumblr debating sociological implications and messaging other lesbians in discord servers where everyone has a PhD or masters for some reason I felt like I might not be the best person to make that argument
OK OK SO HEAR ME OUT… SURVIVAL CLASHING WITH ELDRITCH PSYCHOLOGICAL… everything backstory wise stays the same (car crash, Bing leaving, etc etc), BUTT Bing coming back into town isn’t all that unsuspected as the group had planned a trip to commemorate Stanley’s passing.
plane? crashes. survivors? barely any.
they’re all trapped for MONTHS on an unknown mountain side trying their best to keep their shit together while people are slowly picked off one by one. Salem still experiences hallucinations, but they’re more hunger fed than anything else. she sinks deeper into her delusions, as Bing tries to keep the shrinking group afloat, genuinely believing the crash was a sign from god- a test.
I will, sadly, have to cut back A LOTTT on the supernatural horror.. especially the 4th wall breaking, which i’ll take out completely, BUT it still has its roots of Salem being coocoo