#gouh

just like with the scp redd breakdown this post is less analysis (if you could call these posts analysis) and more just me sharing my notes and certain thoughts/theories/interpretations of whatever happens in the Tale, I'll be sharing notes i wrote down as i read along & the final results of these observations graahhh

NOTES

+ Introduction Seamstress Story could be Piper's future in Wondertainment: a tailor of clothes, a tailor of stories, a Publicity Puppy for Wondertainmetn

"truth and consequence" ; her pen the needle, her words the thread, does she allow truth to speak through her work? <- (TIED TO NEXT POINT)

"consequences" was violence, fear, the Threat of consequences <- Fearmongering, the PR Department

What will be Pipers end? Will she break free of her #Sellout Era & reveal some secret Wondertainment was trying to sweep under the covers?

The Kingdom (Wondertainment) could only ever function should the fear of violence & absolute transparency be seperated

Truth used by judges, "Truth" foretold by Law rather than "Absolute Truth"

"dead man tell no tales; Gossip, he figured, could only go so far from the gallows" <- repressing rumors & slandering of the kingdom/company through violence

"better to hang than to live past allowing truth & consequence to meet" <- Pipers sentiment on whether producing propaganda is worth the ends it produces; better than destroying a well meaning toy company <- ITS STILL A TOY COMPANY

Piper is already in the headspace needed for her job lmaooo

+ 2016 Piper awawawawawawawaw + communication through origami animals, so whimsical ! + Aya (roommate) automatically criticizes her employment in Wondertainmetn

Piper just wanted a congrats :[

Piper is still in an optimistic mindset over Wondertainment, "drinking the Kool-Aid", Wondertainments reputation is clean as Fuck!

+ hi redd <3

red cheeks, eyes, lips, & suit

chalk-white skin, "too-white" skin

"synthetic hands", the Misters are artificial

+ waiting room was overly decorated & saturated with "an unnatural amount of natural light", meant to present itself as harmless

+ interview room is more akin to an interrogation room, sterile with little to no outside light aside from the artificial light bulb ("-shifting slowly into a more crimson hue")

no windows? maybe smaller room, intimidation, claustrophobia

+ Redd begins to assert dominance by establishing control over Pipers name, her identity & title <- doesn't call her Piper, only Piecework a name she will uses on the job <- her title, her self, now tied to the company <- Little Misters are defined by their title, their Mister name dictates who/what/why they are, Redd is utilizing that logic to define Piper as Piecework, the PR Agent

+ Redd is a Chief Operating Officer

"execution, efficiency, operations"

he see's through that the company functions properly & productivity

+ they've already accepted Piper, what's the need for question?'

assimilation, intimidation, domination, control

+ first question relating to Poker, is Piper willing to take big risks in the name of the company? how composed is she? how good can she lie on her feet? what's her composure when facing the potential of losing it all? impulsivity? calculated?

+ "Who forged your documents?"

"pointless" questions meant to put her at ease, vulnerable

once again, establishes control over Piper through narrative, boundaries, & the truth <- Wondertainment knows everything, Wondertainment can get any piece of information you own if needed, Wondertainment knows You. <- its about establishing that power dynamic

testing her ability to lie on her feet, quickly, under immense pressure <- he encourages her to lie (as practice), and when she does so evenly & poised he congratulates her

he questions how she was able to make good forgeries, how resourceful is she? she was able to combine the efforts & skills of multiple forgerers. shes good at lying

+ Piper used specifically purple & gold/yellow patches on her skin to represent the company, branding

+ Redd doesn't blink weird ass cat

+ Piper was created from a craftsman's desire for a young child, then left to fend for herself

ooooh this is So little mister coded lowkenuinely

*redd voice* Is This Fucking Play About Us. <- YEP THEY'RE TRAUMABONDING <- "Im the only one who could understand you" establishing emotional connection to further tether Piper, to trust him

+ She's hyperaware of her body & her words, being careful not to show a smidge of any possible insecurity, a performer

+ Threeports is very laissez-faire, the opposite of WonderWorld!(tm)

+ A good amount of people Piper knew are working for Wondertainmetn #Sellout or Getout

Threeports is a town you grow up in & dream of getting out <- #HTOWN BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+ Redd stabs Piper in the right hand. yeowch

test's obedience, will she listen & remain calm? will she retaliate & harm an employer?

test's her composure

tests her pain tolerance

the right hand is the common dominant hand, hands are symbols of action, autonomy, creation & skill. He asserts himself as one who takes & destroys such things, he controls the creator & creation, the vessel & its actions, all flows through his black blade <- NOTE FROM AFTER TALE READ, Cornelius patches the hand, he gives back, God who can take and return on whim, Piper as the vessel of Redd who acts as vessel for Cornelius

Handwriting & its uniqueness, used to identify corpses, a symbol of individuality

+ Redd presents himself as one who gives both pain & comfort, praising Piper for being obedient & swallowing her pain

common brain-fuck tactic for manipulation, brainwashing, or establishing abusive dynamics to normalize violent/harmful situations by tying these experiences to comfort & praise, an abuse of power

+ "if you can lie about this you can lie about anything" <- this wasn't an interrogation, this was field practice

+ When Redd touches the wound, it cauterizes (implying heat) & begins to rust. When he touches her teeth she smells rust

rust is commonly a theme in Wondertainment, decay, rot, destruction, fear, control

+ "what nice teeth" nod to little red riding hood?

Piper is the lying wolf

Redd is little red riding hood except shes a girlboss now and is in charge i fucknig guess

the big bad wolf is a neurotypical woman gonig about with her latte and such /reference

+ Pipers job is to weave stories using only consequence, withhold truth entirely, contradict reality in the name of the company until the contradictory becomes reality.

instead of forcing truth & consequences together they abandon truth in favor of consequence (complete reversal of the seamstress story, or maybe a continuation based off the Prince's final words?)

+ The Kool-Aid in a pre-school milk carton, insert obvious "violence & dominance hidden under a veneer of innocence" metaphor here

+ "You don't make Wonder. You curate, disseminate, and preserve it."

she preserves the image of the Wonder, it's reputation

constantly affirms the notion that Wondertainment's image is flawless, turning contradictions into truths through pressure

+ "hey. smile, didn't I tell you to smile? It's what you have teeth for."

degrading, misogynistic, objectifying, controlling <- enforced positivity & humiliation

+ Kool Aid functions as a supressor of negative emotions? enforcing a childlike mindset, stepping back into nostalgic happier memories

makes the brainwashing & traumabond easier

+ Traumabond - emotional bonds that arise from a cyclical pattern of abuse, caused by a power imbalance & repeated reward/punishment ( common in the hazing period of military service ) <- ties into the story at the beginning with consequence used for military personnel

+ Redd worries over Piper's death how a child worries over breaking his dad's new toy

+ Cornelius, although pissed, is used to Redd's destructive behavior <- HATES calling the juice "Kool-Aid" <- copyright? the negative cult connotations?

this is a common occurrence. <- "you broke her like you break EVERYTHING!" <- is Redd going to internalize this? has he already? this argument might not be new

+ Cornelius' voice breaking through Piper's acid on the verge of death, like the voice of God

+ "What have you done to her?" heartbroken, sympathetic, guilty of having created a son who claws & bleeds

+ "I wanted to see what she was made of"

yup

curiosity, a baby who breaks to learn, not exactly understanding of its strength

Piper is a living doll like him

+ "I should take you out back & put you down like a mad dog"

DUDE.

so like is this just their dynamic. oh wow

+ Redd is only in charge to handle the nasty work that Isbael won't be able to handle, "nothings gonna protect her like a good publicity team"

clear favoritism, Cornelius through Redd to the mud to keep Isabel clean <- here Redd is not a representative of a corrupting evil, but of a Necessary Evil

"We both know you don't care if my hands are red so long as hers stay pristine" ok man

+ "thin & regretful line" when in terms of Wondertainment's mouth emote <- mouth as the speaker of truths <- what does Cornelius have to say? <- regret

+ described as crossing his arms "petulantly"

LIKE A RUDE CHILD!!!!!!!!!

+ liars = storytellers in Redd's mind

+ Cornelius is kind and fatherly to Piper like mere minutes after threatening to euthanize his actual son lmao ok

+ Redd being sent to his room through a bear trap <- LIKE AN ANIMAL

+ Piper wearing ruby heels - turned skates- Wizard of Oz reference????

+ Charlie & The Chocolate Factory reference ouhg

if you want to view paradise...

+ Corporate Wondertainment is friendly & happy

+ first sign at the PR departments secret police-esque methods, finding their little "Judas" who sold the bike

RESULTS

hoo boy. This Wondertainment is going all in with the corporate aspect of the GOI, taking inspiration from Dystopian Literature to introduce the concept of a suffocating all-knowing totalitarian state orchestrated by a capitalist entity as a variant of Doctor Wondertainment. The Tale's beginning Seamstress Story gets the reader comfortable with themes of weaving narratives into truths, the importance of public perception, and Wondertainments head family as all-powerful capital royals within WonderWorld!(tm). The Patriarch, Cornelius, is an interesting case; following past tradition of Wondertainment (The Person) behaving & speaking in a way that paints a different character than how the narrative presents him (think of how Wondertainment presents himself in the Gears Wondermaker Saga, his actions in isolation, and the way said actions affect the people around him). Cornelius speaks to Piper like a caring father, but with the methods employed by HIS company which violate so many workplace regulations, alongside his lack of denial when Redd confronts his fathers own sins (also the fucking "put you down like a mad dog" line) reveals the cracks in Cornelius' persona. He is just as cruel & ruthless as, if not more than, his son, for the sheer nature of creating him as such to use as a vessel to conduct the more nastier aspects of the toy enterprise. Theres something to be said of Isabel & Redd acting as vessels of action, but that's for when more of Isabel is shown in future tales right now all we see are just mentions of her dynamic with her father and brother. Cornelius in the name & spirit seems to retain qualities of both Wonderful World's Cornelius & the site-wide amalgamation of Reginald's image but once again thats for a future conversation once more BDB tales have been made (big brother loves you god loves you and like lowkey it kinda sucks)

This Tale does an immaculate job of showcasing the methods of brainwashing someone, even without the magic childhood-nostalgia-slop juice, it relies on psychological manipulation more so. The moment Piper stepped into what was essentially an interrogation room she was already being manipulated into becoming the perfect PR agent.

Speaking of their Publicity Puppy, Piper acting as the lens we see Wondertainment through is fitting considering she is both victim & victimizer of the system. She's vulnerable, desperate to find a place within the living embodiment of childhood wonder (note her background living on the road & how she frames her memories before/after her mother's death), and Wondertainment (the Company) is fully aware & fully intentional in weaponizing her trust in the company's end goals. They know enough of who she is as a person to properly get under her "skin"; They tear her down to see what she is made of- the parts of her that will serve them in the line of duty. She's a great liar, a performance artist in constructing false personas, & is obedient to her superiors even in life threatening situations. She believes herself capable of the blunt force required to please those around her, which Redd utilizes to form a pseudo-traumabond through consistent confusion, rejection, & acceptance. There is never a time where Piper was able to gather her bearings & establish her own presence- Redd & Cornelius establish themselves mentally as the One True Constants, a common method of psychologically breaking down a subject to their weakest state & form them to your liking #MyTraumabond. It's sometimes used for prisoners of war to trust their captors promises of safety & privileges in exchange for services or information; a possible tie to the Seamstress' Tale and the Military's usage of Consequences. mirroring Wondertainments prioritization of control over truth (or "Absolute Truth").

Yet despite the Torment Nexus Piper rawdogs through, there's also a buildup to Piper acting directly under Redd's word which could mean Literally anything. Piper, knowing how Wondertainment works now, still chooses to ask, no, BEG, for a position. Why? Why subject herself to this kind of treatment?

Because she's a SELLOUT.

Threeports is a gentrified urban hellscape in the Black Diamond Billions Club canon, nearly every creative Piper has met is either starving or working for corporate agencies; this paints an image of an environment where financial security is only possible through partnering with big brands and corporations. This is Piper's ticket out across the economic class lines, and she is willing to put her skills to use to secure that bag. It's fitting for someone whose perfected the art of lying, forgery,, acting from living as a legally "fake" person, for the past 20~ years, to be scouted for a position of weaving stories to become objective truths. It's also fitting for this same person living off of bare mercies to accept this proposition. Something about the American Capitalist view of a Dog Eats Dog World and Self Centricism.

It's also funny how Piper is a living meat doll. she was made by a tailor. she writes a story about a tailor who is literally Piper's self insert. Redd continually makes a point of paralleling her position to the act of sewing- neat connection to toymaking and Redd's difference in mindset with thinking as a Little Mister Product rather than that of a regular socialized man child #Giacomo<3 .

It seems relatively speaking that Piper's perspective of Wondertainment will change alongside us, viewing the depths of a company with a seemingly clean track record (if we're led to believe that Piper or anyone really doesn't see WonderWorld!(tm) as a totalitarian state) and understanding her part in this system, if morality clashes with Piper's survival instincts, or maybe a lack of morality will make itself known in the first place. Discussing the darkest aspects of capitalizing off of childhood dreams through an employee whose job is cleanup crew in any possible definition feels pretty good. pretty good.

Reaching the Talking Bullshit section of the reflection. Black Diamond Billions Club's Wondertainment is a part of a category of Wondertainment tales which focuses more on the capitalist origins of the company, grounding it in dark reality with the ethics (or lack thereof) of sustaining a corporate enterprise in an anomalous world, but without the cynicism of TOMC , aided by that thin sliver of hope in the Heart of the Toy Company shared by Piper/The Narrative/The Audience (How far will we go to protect the ends produced by the means?).