Shina's TBG ramble time: Boxheads and the circles of themes
So I've been thinking about all the Boxheads and how there is an overall scheme, both to the words they use and to the colour palette
So, the first time they show up, there are two listen and speak sides. This is the first category of box heads -
1. VERBS.
These show up a few more times but mostly, they're all the most saturated coloured boxheads in the game. They're all also glowing,
Green is often said to be a colour of nature, creativity, hope, calmness but also, of immaturity, greed, possessiveness.
These Boxheads show up near the half of the game. Chapter 7, Down, features the first instance of these folks and they seem hopeful about getting out of the prison and with the way they talk, they do seem a bit childish when you tell them you don't know the exact way thst they could leave.
The next instance of the green head is in Chapter 10, House. Davey the character said that during that period of time Coda seemed the most happy. The character seems a bit shy with their thoughts but overall, there seems to be calmness and peace in that routine.
So, both instances of green show kinda that calm vibe from someone telling us to do a thing - either a house chore or answer their question but overall, I do feel calmness meaning works the best for these. These are games Coda made when he already met Davey and was pre-'depression'. They are bith commands and actions but even if you don't have a choice, you don't exactly feel forced to do anything.
Green will show up once again later in the game.
Yellow (tumblr doesn't have yellow, pls just pretend) often symbolises hope, intellect, but also deceit and faithlessness. It's also supposed to grab attention. Opposite to it is purple, to which Magenta can be seen as subcolour (or just colour close enough on the spectrum jshsu) . It can mean emotional balance but also can mean despair.
These beautifully fit with the theme of Chapter 11 Lecture. The student wants to listen to the professor/coach and feel better about themselves, get motivated to do anything. In the meantime, the teacher seems smart with everything they're saying until you get to see the other greyed out options they have. And due to the informality of coaching and one sided nature of it, 'talk' fits way more than 'speak', though that could be debated since speeches are typically also said to a crowd. But they're more often formal - and since we as a Player can control the coach, we can get very personal with all the little confessions of his mind.
As I said though, green will make a return. Not as a verb, however - but as an empty space, surrounded by the
2. ADJECTIVES
The previous category was quite consistent with he word class they used. The next two will mix a bit in one level but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The theme of depression and isolations starts in Chapter 12, Theatre. This is the most unique Boxhead as each side has different words, beside one which is empty green.
Blue symbolises freedom, trust, confidence, reflection, honesty but also passiveness, coldness, depression. The narrator from this chapter wants to relive a moment with this possible idol of theirs. Each side seems to be a positively charged adjective (wise, successful, focused. happy) . However, instead of talking to them, we keep hearing comments of how we just don't act correctly. Mixing this with greens from earlier, the possessiveness for nostalgia of this exact moment, the childishness of the narrator throwing a tantrum when we don't even know the script and the bars at the end of the chapter all kinda show why Davey might have interpreted this as a shout for help.
3. NOUNS (and other shenanigans)
Chapter 13, Mobius.
There are different messages on these Boxheads - Blind, Captain, Research and Truth. All of these, expect for Blind can count as a noun. However, blind doesn't have to only be an adjective - it can also be a verb, together with Research.
Red can mean desire, confidence, determination but also danger, rage, impulsiveness. Pink has similar enough meanings to Magenta so I'll skip repeating myself.
While social anxiety and nostalgia were quite a strong theme in the prev chapter, this one, as Davey said himself is not as much of a denial like the last one, but acceptance of the state Coda seems to be in. Somehow, the obsession of creation that shows up as the Puzzle Door coming at us, the lammpost stands near us, just like the truth, witnessing the fall of a creator. The rage of not being able to feel passion anymore is stopped the moment we choose the response Truth wants from us. There is a desire hidden in there, a self reflection but it's not as strong as the previous Magenta usage.
You also can see an interesting phenomenon - the first characters you meet are full Blinds, so, adjectives, then you meet Captain and Research that show the first usage of noun and then you meet Truth.
It's as if there was a progressions... Haha what if the next ones would be also nouns,, nah that can't be the -
So the next Boxheads you meet are in Chapter 15, Machine.
We return to the Yellows but before that, we see a Guard who's the only case of White text. But, I'd also like to point that yellows were used in the beginning for the coach which was in the verbs group. But if you think about it - both guard and press can serve as both nouns and verbs.
Grey can mean neutrality, compromise, stability but also coldness, depression, predictability. Together with the Yellow, the cold attitude of the reporter who goes to the Machine, starts to give their own meaning to its silence, getting the press against it and causing destruction.
4. OK but... What's the point of all this?
It is rather interesting thst in the end, we returned to verbs and yellows. This is ofc just an oversimplification but let me show you the colour wheel based on the usage of colour for the Boxhead
We go full circle.
In TBG, repetition and reoccurring themes are constantly visible. Some sort of a prison, the puzzle games, even the lamppost but also, isolation, self doubts, fight as a creator. And this repetition shows through npcs, too. You could count Notes chap 8 as that too and revert first in the circle but overall, things seem to stay overall the same.
For the word class - we go from action to description to a role. Davey first describes what Coda used to do, then focuses a lot on telling us insights on how Coda was at the time of making certain games and then starts becoming not only a Friend but a Saviour. And Coda, from acting, sees he becomes an object to adore and talk about and then, to serve Davey a role of getting appreciation and acceptance for Coda's work. But in the end, Davey decides to publish game in the end. Even with the self reflection, even if he leaves us, the game still exists. And while Davey the character and the real Davey are diff people, Davey the char did say that he uploaded it.
The themes in this linear game keep on repeating, showing up, again and again, creating a closed off cycles. But neither Coda nor Davey the char are present in the end.
You, however, are.
Just like you are here, witnessing me doing a Davey with my interpretation on this jauahahau
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(DCxDP) The obligations of a rogue versus those of a parent (Pt. 4)
—
Tw: descriptions of body horror, Dr. Crane has PTSD and Does Not Realize, Crane has an actual panic attack and just doesn’t care, the Riddler makes one (1) sex joke about Batman
Will be crossposted to AO3 eventually
(Pt. 1 here) (Prev here) - (Pt. 5 here)
(Masterlist here)
—
Dr. Jonathan Crane is in his lab, the acrid scent of chemicals filling the air, and his hands are shaking.
Danny’s health, for the first week that he had him, had been steadily improving at an extremely quick rate. However, his healing had begun to stagnate. Danny said that it was because his body had run out of ectoplasm, and that while there was a lot of ambient ectoplasm in Gotham, he needed a stronger type in order to heal.
And so, that led Dr. Crane here.
He had stolen the research notes from the Penguin years ago regarding his experimentation on him.
(He quite vividly remembers the sound of bone creaking and groaning as it twisted, lengthened. The squelching of shifting tendons and muscles, the strange fabric-like tightening of skin. The feeling of going from man to monster, of losing all claim to his humanity.)
Danny had called him Liminal, part ghost. He had said that he was transformed by, among other things, a kind of synthetic ectoplasm.
Danny needed ectoplasm.
Crane had the research notes. He had every ingredient necessary. And yet, attempt after attempt failed.
The chemical smell burns his nose. His hands tremble.
Dr. Crane is not afraid.
He doesn’t feel fear anymore. He’s tried to, many, many times, but nothing has worked. And yet, his hands are shaking still.
(The horrifying sensation of vertebrae pop-pop-popping along his spine, growing and lengthening. The unbearable itching beneath his skin as toxin glands begin to form. The feeling of his teeth sharpening and elongating, of his skull growing, of his vision changing and brightening. The awful stench of chemicals. The awful stench of ectoplasm.)
Jonathan takes careful note of his shaking hands, his blurring vision, his accelerated heart-rate and shallow breathing.
(Human hands. Human vision. Human heart and lungs and organs.)
He takes note of them, but he does not let that distract him from the task at hand. Danny is not a chemist, but Jonathan is.
The boy knows enough about chemistry in theory, but he won’t go anywhere near Crane’s equipment. He seems to have some sort of intense fear of laboratory settings, probably developed during his stay with the GiW, and Crane is willing to respect that, if only because he cannot afford to lose him.
As such, Crane is the only one qualified to do this. And, unfortunately, if he isn’t successful the boy may very well die.
He heats the chemicals to precisely the right temperatures, adding each one to its correct container.
Dr. Crane thinks of the Scarebeast, that creature born of cruelty and greed and a sense of superiority. That creature which he tries to ignore is a part of him, that can never be removed. A damage which cannot be undone.
He pours the contents of a small beaker into a larger flask, watching the liquids swirl together. The stench in the air is becoming closer and closer to the one burned into his memory.
Crane’s whole body is wracked with unpleasant sensations. It’s truly unfortunate, he thinks, that despite his mind’s lack of fear, his body still reacts so harshly.
Jonathan’s eyes wander, eventually settling on a purple and green card sitting innocently on the corner of the table.
Right.
Even if they wiped out the GiW tomorrow, and even if Danny could survive without ectoplasm, he would still be in danger.
Crane has to get him back to good health. It’s the only way he can be sure that the boy can defend himself properly.
The solution in the flask begins to foam, and Jonathan does not hesitate as he adds the final ingredient. He pours the mixture into a new container, capping it and placing it into a freezer set to -40 degrees.
Hopefully this time he got the timing right.
Jonathan tries to relax, the ventilation in the room slowly but surely clearing the familiar smell from the air.
He thinks of the letter.
Surely, he thinks, that man can come up with some better material for his jokes. Or, at least something new.
Same old threats, same old attempted poisoning.
Aiming his threats at Danny, though, that was new. New and utterly unacceptable.
Scarecrow did what he had to.
He doubted that his solution would last forever, of course, as with that man it never did. As such, he would prepare both himself and Danny for the inevitable moment that his choices came back to bite them.
However, for the moment, they were safe. Danny could rest and recover, and Jonathan could figure out a plan to minimize possible damages.
Jonathan is no longer shaking.
He’s exhausted. This is his fifth attempt today, and each one leaves an unfortunate strain on his mind and body.
With a sigh, he settles himself into his seat at a nearby desk, opening up his computer and logging his most recent attempt. He still has to wait for it to chill to know if it was successful, but he can always update the logs later.
Once he’s done, he stretches, joints popping loudly as he walks to the freezer.
When he sees the results of his tireless work, the ghost of a smile flits across his face.
Success.
Jonathan picks up the jug of ectoplasm and leaves the lab, which is in all actuality the basement of the new apartment that he moved himself and Danny into after receiving the note. The scrappy old woman who was his landlord had told him that as long as he paid her five hundred dollars up front, she would let him set up in the basement without any questions or cop calls.
And so, the most expensive apartment in the Narrows was his.
At least, he thought, the distance between the basement and the apartment was short enough that Danny didn’t have to sit in while he was doing his labwork.
Jonathan knew that he didn’t exactly have a strong grasp on the concept of ‘lab safety,’ proven by his built-up immunity to almost every toxic chemical he’d ever encountered, and he doubted that Danny should be around such an environment.
He was back to the apartment quickly, not bothering to hide the self-satisfied smile on his face. Danny is sitting in his armchair, trying to read one of his books. Danny looks up, ready to greet him, when he sees the jug in his hands and pauses.
“Is that..?”
“Synthetic ectoplasm,” Jonathan says proudly, “I found the Penguin’s research notes and decided to recreate it, since you said that you needed it to heal properly. I’m not sure if it’ll work the same as what you usually have, but I hope it’s helpful all the same.”
Danny is standing, now, and looking at Jonathan with a strange look in his eyes. He looks, Jon thinks, like he’s about to cry.
Then Danny is rushing forward and wrapping his arms around Jonathan, his scrawny form shaking.
Jonathan is, for a moment, horrified. Did he do something wrong somehow? Why is this child, who’s so afraid of touch, hugging him?
And then he hears Danny’s voice, and he knows that it was all worth it.
“Thank you,” he’s mumbling, over and over, “thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much.”
“Of course,” Jonathan says softly, because what else can he say?
The boy cries in his arms for a while, and Jonathan briefly wonders what his life must have been like before, if a person like him can be seen as a comforting figure.
Then, Danny pours himself a small glass of the synthetic ectoplasm, putting the rest into the small fridge which had come with the apartment, and he settles back down, sitting in the armchair once again.
Jonathan sits opposite of him, and they chat with one another as Danny drinks.
Danny talks to him about the stars and tells him about different spaceships, and Jonathan makes sure to pay attention and ask the boy questions.
He doesn’t miss the way that Danny lights up every time he asks him something about his interests. He’s so passionate, so smart, a trait that he seldom sees outside of his fellow rogues, and Jonathan wants to encourage that.
It’s…nice. Peaceful, almost.
And then the front door flies open, because Jonathan isn’t allowed to have nice things.
“Jon,” a familiar voice rings out, “what the hell?!”
Danny is frozen in place, clearly terrified.
Jonathan heaves a sigh, turning to face the nuisance who’s entered his apartment.
“Eddie,” he drawls, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”
Edward’s face is red with anger as he invades Jonathan’s apartment.
“Oh, I don’t know! Maybe it’s the fact that you sent a bunch of rogues a cryptic message and then dropped off the face of the earth for two weeks! I was worried, Jon!”
Jonathan hums in acknowledgement.
“I didn’t think it was that cryptic,” he says, picking up a book in order to pointedly ignore the Riddler.
“Oh, of course you didn’t, you straw-stuffed hickory dickory dickhead. I swear, you’re always—” he pauses, finally having noticed Danny sitting opposite of Jonathan, “—who is this?”
“My apprentice,” Jonathan replies, dreading the upcoming headache he was no doubt going to develop from Edward’s company, “he’s helping me hunt down the GiW. His name is Danny.”
Edward gasps dramatically.
“You—an apprentice?! And you’re letting him sit in the old man chair?! You don’t even let me sit in the old man chair,” he wails, draping himself over the headrest of the couch with a flourish, “Jonathan, I thought I knew you!”
“Edward,” Jonathan says, “get out of my apartment.”
“Oh my goodness, this is incredible. You’re becoming the bat!”
“I am not becoming the bat, Eddie, now get out.”
Edward has a shit-eating grin on his face as he waltzes over to Danny. Danny, who seemed terrified when he first appeared, is now looking at him with obvious amusement written all over his face.
“I mean, look at him! The hair, the eyes, the scrappy build. If you put him in one of those traffic light vigilante costumes, he could easily pass as a Robin!”
“I’m not doing this with you today, Eddie.”
“Riddle me this, Jon: I am a treasure hidden inside of a chest. You can break me, or steal me, or give me a rest. I can flutter, or pound, or attack, or drop, but if you don’t have me, you’re certainly fucked. What am I?”
Jonathan pauses for a moment before he groans, dropping his head into his hands.
“Eddie.”
Danny sits still, a confused look on his face as he repeats the riddle silently. Then, his face lights up in delight.
“A heart!”
“Jon, I like this one,” Edward says with a smile, ruffling Danny’s hair, “you are correct! A heart, something that I wasn’t aware that our dear Jonathan had!”
“Eddie, stop.”
“No, no,” Edward says, “I was worried about you, you deserve this. I mean, you even missed girls night! You never miss girls night!”
“Girls night?” Danny asks, absolutely delighted.
“Oh, of course,” Edward says, sprawling over on the couch, dangerously close to just laying in Jonathan’s lap, “we have it once a week. I’m invited because of Selina and Jon’s invited because Harley likes him.”
“And what does girls night entail, exactly?”
“Eddie,” Jonathan groans, “please.”
“Well,” Edward hums, “we usually paint our nails, or watch a movie, or gossip about the other rogues, and occasionally, we tell each other about any ‘encounters’ we have with Batman,” he says, raising his eyebrows up and down.
Danny’s jaw drops.
“Edward, shut up,” Jonathan says, an irritated tone in his voice that wasn’t there before.
“No way,” Danny says, “I thought that Batman, like, hated you guys or something. You mean he actually..?”
“Oh, the Bat is much like a bottle of liquor or a cheap cigarette, in that he was made to be passed around.”
Danny chokes on air.
“Edward Nygma,” Jonathan hisses, getting out of his seat and looming over the man, “get the hell out.”
Edward pales.
“Leaving, leaving!” Edward says, dashing away from Jonathan. He pauses, turning to flash Danny a quick smile.
“Remember Danny, I’m your favorite uncle! Not any of the other rogues, me!”
With that, he leaves, the room falling completely silent.
And, as per usual, that silence does not last.
“You full-named him?” Danny asks gleefully, “and it worked?”
Jonathan just sighs, sitting down on the couch and rubbing at his temples.
“Please, don’t take anything Eddie says seriously. He’s a moron.”
“Dr. Crane, please let me come to girls night with you,” Danny pleads, his eyes sparkling, “I promise I won’t embarrass you.”
Jonathan groans.
“Of course you won’t, Eddie will do it for you.”
“Come on, please?”
“I think we’re a bit busy with the GiW at the moment,” Jonathan snaps. He pauses as he notices the crestfallen expression on Danny’s face.
This boy is going to be the death of him.
“Perhaps, though, when all that is taken care of…”
Danny cheers, grinning wildly, and Jonathan is not at all relieved to see him happy again. Certainly not.
The rest of the day is relatively normal.
Danny works on trying to get information from the GiW database while Crane refines his his fear toxin, both preparing for a raid on the GiW base they located in Gotham.
It was only a temporary base, nothing of note, but there was a chance of discovering more bases through it, and that wasn’t something either of them were willing to give up.
Still, something like this would take time. Rushing would only lead to failure.
…
Late in the night, long after Danny is fast asleep in his room, Jonathan pauses.
The GiW are not the only threat out there. They aren’t the only threat to him or to Danny. Perhaps it could be helpful to reach out to someone with greater resources than himself.
He sends a quick message to Red Hood.
Hopefully, he thinks, everything will go smoothly.
—
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