Love, Sam - Story Explained

[@nachgeben]

It didn't say 'Stacy's head exploded' it said 'Stacy's DRAMA-FILLED head exploded', which in that context implies she blew her top, she blew her gasket, she was pissed off, she went crazy, and told Kyle off.

[@spetsnaz4537]

in other words stacys head exploded 🎉

[@CopyNinjaJay]

​@@spetsnaz4537 🤯

[@jaredbissenden6230]

Pushed a person off a cliff, prior intent to deceive the victim, more than six seconds to consider actions, failure to call emergency services, destruction of evidence. I'm not a lawyer, but yeh... murder, first degree.

[@Justapikachu577]

The framing of Sam and spiking at the party can be used to establish motive too

[@GooseWithAPassport]

Well I study law and that would be considered first degree murder! I don't remember the case study name but an anesthesiologist didn't do their job and left a patient without anesthesia for like... 9 seconds when the reasonable reaction was about 6 seconds and the person died.

[@dustrose8101]

Did he push her? I thought he just backed her towards the edge and she tripped backwards over the broken fence.

[@kathrineici9811]

Hmm I had gotten the impression that it was a spur-of-the-moment shove that wasn’t expected or intended to be fatal, so manslaughter And the failure to contact emergency services could make it negligent manslaughter

[@TemmiePlays]

in order to secure a first degree murder charge, you need to provr 1. intent 2. motive basically, if they intend to kill a person, premeditated it and planned it out and then carried it out - thats first degree murder. if they just kill a person they had a fight with, its 2nd degree murder if you accidentally kill someone with NO intent while doing a dangerouis act thats third degreee - and overdosing a person on drugs you sold them is considered third degree. in the example shown the person that pushes the person off the cliff is second degree murder. sure, pushing a perrrson off a cliff seems liek a surefire way to kil - but it is not.

[@lyras.9161]

Thinking of it from a non-paranormal view... In the 'bad' ending, 'Sam' continues to haunt Kyle, while in the 'good', she is the one who unlocks the door to let him move on. I think this isn't so much her ghost deciding to forgive him or not, but his own visualization of her; when he refuses to accept responsibility, she stays the villain, the one who destroyed his life. When he does accept responsibility, she ceases to be the demon, the villain haunting his nights, and he was set free of this self-made antagonist.

[@ravengoinglive4928]

to make Brian even more sad is that he think Sam killed herself, in a place he showed her, he may feel some guild from that.

[@edgybubblegum6404]

to make it even worse, that was his response to "whats a good place to kill myself?"

[@Warhammer_lover]

You may even say he had guild wars within himself. And then, guild wars 2

[@gumiho.c]

@@edgybubblegum6404 and it wasn't even a good place for that

[@SecondImpactStudios]

Oh my god, when the basketball is passed but not caught, but then passed back. Peak comedy.

[@Shitposting_IHMN]

doubt its a "comedy" bit

[@Briarbeans]

I was SO sure he was just going to get hit in the head by it

[@alackofgames913]

"Stacy's head exploded" is metaphorical for her blowing up at Kyle

[@becca652]

Just feel so awful for Sam:( her reputation was completely destroyed, and then she was murdered in a way that passed for suicide-as if confirming her guilt. Just really sad.

[@the_primal_instinct]

2:03:13 Stacy didn't pull out because they went too far. She pulled out because she thought Kyle wanted to cheat on her with Sam.

[@joearnold6881]

Right. Stacy figures out what was going on, that Kyle was way too invested and it meant he had a reason for wanting to break them up… she just got which person Kyle was after wrong.

[@demetriam2408]

It's kinda a combination, "aren't you taking this too serious?"

[@detroitmetrodolphinskull]

Isn't it implied by Sam that Stacy sleeps around too? Or at least, that's a rumor going around about her. I wonder if she was reacting so harshly out of projection. Guilt for sleeping around, maybe even cheating herself, or insecurity of being seen that way.

[@bleachyboy3590]

​@@demetriam2408 I dont think that guilty but more suspicious, not a 'we're going too far' but a 'you're oddly invested in these pranks'

[@TheShut1]

33:50 I do think this is Sam, the noises have that croaking and the neck is broken in the end. I think that's representation of her after she fell from the cliff, broke her neck and then died while still breathing and emanating that "Grudge"-kind sound.

[@joearnold6881]

Yeah, she has fairly light brown hair, it’s not “Stacy is blonde and Sam has very dark hair” like this creator assumed. That’s her after her body was out in the wilderness for so long

[@TheAngryBeard]

It's pretty anecdotal but... I remember, in the chat of a streamer who has long since stopped streaming, were two frequent chatters I would often see. It was clearly obvious they disliked each other, but what really stood out to me was when one (a moderator, at that) started automatically reacting with a vomit emoji every time the other said anything in the chat. Did they think they were being subtle? Or did they not care about being seen as a petty asshole? Nobody in there ever directly commented on it, but it killed the vibe every time. Makes you wonder what must go on in someone's head to think they're accomplishing something with behaviour like that. Yeah man. IYKYK.

[@chimkinlordistaken8195]

i dont know if im missing some context here, but they were probably just trolling. i argue with some of the twitch mods on Vargskelethor Joel quite a lot. though if they where genuinely hateful towards each other, perhaps they knew eachother on discord or even irl?

[@TheAngryBeard]

@@chimkinlordistaken8195 I excluded context for sure, the arguments they would have never contained even a hint of levity. Also worth mentioning this was before Discord was the default way for streamers to build their communities off-stream; it's possible they knew each other, but there was no obvious point of contact for them other than the stream.

[@theonlybilge]

​@@chimkinlordistaken8195 It's Chowder who hates CoD but keeps playing it, right?

[@chimkinlordistaken8195]

@@theonlybilge what doesnt chowder hate?

[@theonlybilge]

​@@chimkinlordistaken8195 I'm actually asking, I know one of Joey's mods frequently complain about Cawadoody, which prompts Joel to ask why he still plays it, but I can't remember which mod it was.

[@mantha6912]

I was surprised that you committed to the accidental "quit the cheam" pronunciation lol

[@doodlebrain6594]

It was delightful

[@LoreSeamstress]

Tbh I didn't question it, it felt like a natural inside joke between friends

[@dfire828]

One of the best moments of this video.

[@ellathornburg3282]

"we witness the events of September eleventh"

[@mommyslittlegamer9667]

I was making food when I heard that and did the meanest double take

[@guzzyguzman7495]

​

[@kaminoyami30]

these lines are why I love flawed peacock

[@theonlybilge]

​​@@mommyslittlegamer9667 Is the "i gotta take a wicked dump" playlist for when you have to drop a Chad off at the pool?

[@guzzyguzman7495]

I don't even understand how I managed to type anything, my phone was in my pocket lol

[@windmillghost]

It feels so bleak that no one really knew Kyle. Weird how from Sam’s perspective he reads as self-absorbed when, while he is definitely stuck in his own head, when we see his perspective he seems to have totally loathed himself for a long time. I’m not sure if he sees himself as anything at all outside of his ability to support Brian.

[@riley.....]

you can be absorbed by the loathing of yourself - i think "self-centered" doesn't have to mean self-satisfied. if all you're thinking about is how much you hate yourself, at the end of the day, you're still thinking about yourself lol

[@joearnold6881]

“Stacy’s drama filled head exploded” She blew her top. That’s all it means. It’s a slightly wonky translation or wording from a studio whose first language is t English , but it’s pretty clear from the drawing and what happens. Stacy figures out that Kyle is way too invested. She figures out the obvious reason why he would be, except that she doesn’t realize her now ex boyfriend was gay or bi, so she thinks he wants to get with Sam rather than Brian. She flips out on Kyle and goes and tells Brian what had happened. She blew up in the colloquial sense.

[@ErinJeanette]

They said Sam was a junior (11th year) and was 17, then they made a typo and said she was 14 when they said Brian killed her. They weren't 14 they were almost all seniors. This game always creeps me out so much and I feel dread. Amazing video as always!!!

[@flawedpeacock]

It's been so long since my high school days I didn't even notice that a 14 year old junior is either a prodigy or is a typo!

[@ErinJeanette]

@@flawedpeacock of course you do so much work and I'm not trying to be annoying it's a game mistake in a random typo otherwise an amazing game. And you're definitely one of my favorite KZbinrs so I'm excited to even hear back from you ❤️

[@TheAbigailDee]

Man took "be gay, do crime" WAY too far 😭

[@WhitneyDahlin]

Yeah I think the plot is pretty cliche. And I wish it was a Jennifer's body situation instead of closeted gay men are violent trope. It was still a really creative and well done horror game. It just could have been so much better

[@Bri-lk7re]

@@WhitneyDahlin How do you think it could’ve been improved? /gen

[@ricardoalves1004]

@@Bri-lk7re talking dog sidekick with a backwards cap and sunglasses

[@gardenofsn5955]

@@Bri-lk7re I think this is one of those exceedingly rare situations in which just making all parties involved straight is what I would've preferred. I'm happier to roll my eyes a little at some heteronormativity than I am rolling my eyes at a cliche that's dangerous for marginalized populations.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

@@Bri-lk7re easy by making it about toxic female friendships and jealousy instead. Like 99% of games and all media have men being the violent ones and there's a HARMFUL stereotype of closeted gay men being especially violent. A lot of people believe that today even tho statistically it's extremely unlikely for a perpetrator to be a gay man irl. Anyway they could have avoided all of that by the making the villain an attractive and popular woman. Making the story more interesting and avoiding harming people irl. If you haven't seen Jennifer's Body you really should! It's about toxic female friendships and it's FANTASTIC. This game could have been so much better. We don't get enough girl as villains anyway. But literally anything would have been better than what we got

[@chiangedison8080]

This really hit the feels. I guessed the identity of the protagonist the moment the jealousy started to hit. I recognize the obsession, and more importantly, the shadowy feeling of dependence, and fragile friendship that we so desperately hold onto for the sake of the one person who might care about you to keep caring about you. You handled the telling of this story VERY well and I'm really glad you covered it the way you did. Thank you, truely.

[@ChristopherSadlowski]

As a gay man I see so much of my teenaged self in this story. You summed up all the feelings beautifully so I don't have much to add. Hmmm...ah, ok! It's nice to have a KZbinr I like cover a queer story with such respect. It can be hard sometimes to find channels where you feel like you watch on the fringe only because queer stories simply aren't even mentioned, or if they are it's all handled so poorly. I don't know how Peacock identifies, it's also none of my business, but the space he's carved out for queer people in this little community feels nice. It's kind of cozy in a way, ya know? What am I saying, of course you know!

[@gardenofsn5955]

@@ChristopherSadlowski Speaking as a fellow queer person, I agree with your entire comment! :)

[@LiarJudas666]

i went to a fairly nice public high school and most of the “jocks” for lack of a better word were also in band and advanced classes. there was definitely cliques but i liked how since the popular kids blurred the lines so much there wasn’t antagonism between them

[@ChristopherSadlowski]

My high school was like that too! They actually really encouraged us to do whatever we wanted to do. We had kids on the football team who would play a song with us in the band in their football outfit, then run out when the team needed them. The jocks would be in my art classes making beautiful stuff. They were in the drama club with us dramatic nerds. It was nice. Yeah, there were a small handful of cliques, but the lines were so blurred that they didn't have much of a negative impact on the larger social structure of the school. I wonder if more and more schools are moving in this direction? I wouldn't know since I graduated high school in 2002. Damn...I'm old...

[@LiarJudas666]

@@ChristopherSadlowski i graduated 2013 so here’s hoping that is the trend!! i love to hear that, school is so much better when we just get along

[@Kyle-gj5ev]

I think whats fascinating is that the nature of the almost parasocial relationship with assuming he was the only person that understood Brian was exactly paralleled in his assuming he understood Sam as well. Not only did he have this entire image built up about Brian in his mind, he was working on building the same exact structure of Sam too. I feel like hating someone purely based on some imagined motivations or ambitions is super common with people, and something we might completely overlook because often those feelings come with tons of justifications.

[@yourresume373]

Holy crap it’s you! /j

[@Myiic]

Thanks for the thumbnail totally not sitting alone in my kitchen at night

[@lyraalley4514]

The "I quit the Cheem skit" had such a Homestar Runner vibe to it in the best kind of way

[@sortasmart4591]

To watch a flawed peacock or to study for final exams... that is the question

[@flawedpeacock]

STUDY!

[@bleedmagic88]

Read both of these replies like that "LIFE OR BATH FOR DRY CAT" meme

[@Cati_Offical]

STUDY!!!

[@FuzBrain]

Do both but with the volume down, sometimes it helps me with remembering stuff. I still remember a bunch of random places in my Minecraft games because I was listening to videos at the same time, just make sure you put studying as the main thing you're doing

[@bronsonwang9126]

🕯️🕯️ AP chem does not exist 🕯️🕯️ it is not tomorrow 🕯️🕯️ i am not taking 7 AP exams 🕯️🕯️

[@VixiBombae]

the saddest part of this tale is that evidently, the one person whose thoughts we get the least of are brian's. brian's character is interesting and has defined characteristics-- the most apparent one being that brian had a tendency to pull away from people who had hurt him rather than confronting them (the desire to move away, and ghosting both sam and kyle when he feels they have betrayed him). but, we never know what brian is thinking about any of the events happening other than what we can glean from vague descriptions from kyle and sam, and from the way he acts around them. the whole story is about brian, but brian doesn't get to be a part of it. it all just happens to brian, and brian is left to pick up the pieces and go on, never knowing the context of anything that happened to him or the people he cared about. we don't even know if brian was interested in sam; stacy comments as such, that perhaps brian doesn't even like sam, and any relationship between the two is only perceived as happening by the obsessed kyle. heck, it could be that brian was also gay, but didn't know yet. that part is left ambiguous, and probably rightfully so. it's a brutal tale that is probably more common than we want, but usually nowhere near as tragic as this. everyone is operating on assumptions and their own perception-- being teenagers, how could they not-- and problems that could have been solved with a little communication instead end with sam gasping for her life at the bottom of a hill, not sure why her murderer hated her in the first place. EDIT: also, something interesting that i'm surprised you didnt touch on-- the realistic drawings in kyle's diary seem to be stylistically similar to junji ito's work, especially the faces at 1:39:02 being a direct reference to a chapter in his work Tomie. in the chapter 'Painter', a painter becomes obsessed with painting the titular Tomie and ends up painting her to look like a monster, which she reveals herself being. even so, the painter ends up destroying both himself and tomie in the process, but tomie continues to live on, with the painter's obsession only having truly damaged himself and his own legacy. thematically appropriate for the game, considering.

[@doktorphlog2143]

Holy shit, i was thinking it was gonna be a couple months more but you got the turnaround on those skits recording and editing in a WEEK?! My man, you are a trooper.

[@LiarJudas666]

likewise! what a wonderful surprise this morning

[@breadbutmore5012]

Yes! I knew you would have to cover The King in Yellow for SIGNALIS. "I wear no mask"

[@MasonShmason]

No mask? No mask!!

[@Mawszies]

It’s actually crazy how excited I get when he even mentions the game. 😂

[@CatBxtchNami]

Lovecraft's The King In Yellow is in SIGNALIS?

[@longboy5639]

​@@CatBxtchNami Yea in the begining and some in the middle but the writer is Rober Willian Chambers not Lovecraft ☝️☝️☝️🤓🤓🤓

[@CatBxtchNami]

@@longboy5639 Nerd.

[@moosen_pheffer]

I totally agree with putting someone on a pedestal as dehumanizing. It's making them immobile, like you said, a reverse Pygmalion story. That's why there's so much drama with influencers, we don't see them as human when they show one side of themselves on the internet. And when their dirty laundry is aired out, the mobs grab their pitchforks, go to town, and craft another idol.

[@theblackcatgirl7013]

I really appreciate you keeping the author twist a "secret." Even though I knew the twist because I watched playthroughs of this game I was giddy until the reveal.

[@argo8028]

Mom wake up new Flawed PEAKcock upload

[@Knuckleb0ne]

There are a few themes in Love, Sam that I find relaly interesting that this (very thorough and accurate) story explanation didn't really have space for: - The politics of small town communities, and how a careful balance of masks and superficial relationships often keeps those politics smoothly operating. This town is implied to be SUPER conservative and traditional, with private schools often being religious. I think you can easily see Sam pursuing a life here as a sort of pilgrimage for purity after her reputation in a Big City was ruined. - The sort of accidental, or maybe not so accidental, misogyny that stems from the internal homophobia of being in the closet to this degree. Being in the closet is a coping mechanism... an extremely useful one, and sometimes a life-saving one. But with that CAN come a sort of inevitable self-loathing that manifests itself as a lashing out, which we see with Kyle very explicitly here. But not just toward Brian and their relationship-that-can't-be, but women in general, Stacy and Sam included. The loathing of a perceived femininity - or perhaps better written as a perceived failure in masculinity - can lead to the dehumanization and hatred of anybody who might remind you of these internal feelings. Imagine what it must be like to be a teen gay boy faking a relationship with the 'it' girl of your entire peer group. The roles you have to play. The carefully manicured and cultivated mask you must wear to be the most popular straight boy in your school when you are the most insecure and vulnerable gay boy. - The echo of Sam's father being a sex pest and the troubling relationship of a boy poised to go to college, on the edge of adulthood, and a 14 year old girl. I find their age gap significant because I think it's supposed to be a bit weird that Brian has never really dated (Kyle says he's never been interested in girls) until he meets a new girl much younger than him. Brian is put on so much of a pedestal in this story that it's hard to remember that he may not actually be so flawless. - The unfortunately very real problem of small town kids having easy access to opioids and alcohol. Sam's drugging, the parties in the woods, the ease of access to what's implied to be heroin for Kyle. It's a rotten corruption that is very much true in the real world and is tearing small communities apart.

[@artemiis]

i think it's also interesting how, despite being in relationship, stacy never even suspected that kyle was into brian, instead believing he wanted sam till the very end which also speaks how superficial and manicured their whole relationship was

[@ghosthoarder98]

Age gap? Sam is described as 17 in her death announcement, and she and Brian had the same assignment, so they should have been the same age. Edit: weird, in the clip about her "suicide" she's described as 17 ( 1:03:23 ), and in Kyles confession she's described as 14.

[@spacer-guy5017]

@@ghosthoarder98 fairly sure the 14 number is a typo

[@dunno6161]

"Where are we?" "This is where we go." Man, I should not be tearing up to that. But I always will. Man. My tears.

[@emys7484]

I was going to put on the Who's Lila video to sleep to and actually got jumpscared by this thumbnail. I cant wait to rewatch this video multiple times!

[@ChristopherSadlowski]

Isn't that video great to sleep to? All of Peacock's videos are great to sleep to, but "Who's Lila" is perfect since it's so long you don't run the risk of KZbin randomly closing because you haven't done anything in hours. You get some really weird dreams, but it's with it. 😊

[@Robissoawesome7]

I thought I was the only one who puts that on to go to sleep! Lol

[@imaginary92]

Idk how you could use that video to sleep. It's excellent and I watched it whole several times, but every time I know I won't sleep that night

[@Usirk_]

who's up flawing their peacock

[@carloselfrancos7205]

I am the one who flawps

[@nutemmie]

For the jumpscare at 33:31, I always thought it was Sam jumpscaring you, the hair kind of matches (hard to see with the jumpscare lighting), and the broken neck imagery at the end. Plus, I think it would be strange if it was Kyle jumpscaring you, since he "doesn't deserve a face", and it would also be the only place his model was used, seems like a lot of work for one missable jumpscare.

[@flawedpeacock]

I always thought the jump scare model was a bowl cut haired dude, but maybe its bangs and we just don't see Sam's ponytail. The thing is from what I can make out of Sam's model in the school scenes, she's got longer hair, and middle parting. So by elimination I assumed this was Kyle's inner self terrorizing himself. BUT that feels like a super psychological stretch, compared to the victim of Kyle terrorizing him, which would make more sense in a guilt-ridden nightmare.

[@nutemmie]

@@flawedpeacock Checking the jumpscare a bit more, on the first two flashes of light, when you can see the left side of the face nicely, the hair at the ear looks more like a bang than a bowl cut, and I think I can distinguish longer hair behind the ear as well ? I agree that it's not identical compared to Sam's hair at 1:49:41, but it's similar enough. Also, Sam wears her hair in a hair bun, not a ponytail ^^

[@WhitneyDahlin]

I want to mention that the slow decay of the apartment also mirrors the slow decay of your mind and body that happens when you are an addict. Not to mention it's very literal and addicts usually have messy homes or apartments because they gradually stop caring about anything other than their fix they deeper they go into addiction

[@calamaria9221]

Pretty sure it was metaphorical with "Then Stacy's drama filled head exploded". She didn't literally die, Stacy found out what he was truly doing (more or less, she got it partly right) and exploded with anger. And part of that explosion was spilling the drama, schemes, and secrets they were hiding to Brian. Kyle didn't care about Stacy anyway, he was only using her to help his revenge, so it's not surprising he didn't care enough to mention her again when she is no use to him anymore. He probably also fantasized about hurting Stacy like he did with Sam (hence her image's condition), but Stacy would be smart enough to stay away knowing what he's capable of. I wouldn't be surprised if Stacy also suspected Kyle had a hand in Sam's fall but didn't have any evidence.

[@darkshumi]

The fact that when you uploaded this I thought "Ohhh, a lil short video!" shows how much your video lengths have rewired my brain

[@YouSoRusso]

OH MY GOD ITS THE PICKUP BASKETBALL GAME FROM THE DREAM IN THE "WHO'S LILA?" VIDEO?! You made me tear up!!!! Another absolute masterclass in analysis of media, thank you so much for existing Mr Peacock!

[@Mallowolf]

I can’t play a lot of horror games because they have flashing lights and high contrast changes; So I really appreciate channels like yours that not only help me hear a good story, but also have your own thoughts and fun additions and great sense of humour weaved into them.

[@brain_drops]

I have a lot of trouble with reading often, dyslexia is a bitch. So having someone cover something like "The King in Yellow", something I've always meant to read but have been intimidated to, would be kinda incredible. As always, thanks for the entertainment FP

[@ChristopherSadlowski]

Comments like this always hurt my little English Litt heart. I hope you received help for your dyslexia while you were in school. If you enjoy reading, even with dyslexia getting in the way, you might want to try reading little prescribed chunks. Maybe you read one page a day or one page every three hours or whatever. This way you know the pace to read each section you decide on so you don't feel rushed and can take your time to go back and reread if you need to. Audiobooks are always an option, which you can get FOR FREE from your community library! You might even be able to order and listen to audiobooks through your library online so you don't even need to schedule time to go in the building.

[@joearnold6881]

There are excellent free audio recording of The King in Yellow, and the four short stories lend themselves very well to being listened to.

[@kirstincrabtree3887]

Well now what am I going to do with my giant bronze Flaw Peacock statue???

[@michaelhaaland6514]

Never heard of this game. Quickly learned I'm too much a baby to play, the phone jump scare would have sent me to the shadow realm

[@pifeg]

Man that timeline whiteboard is CLEAN. I applaud your art skills! I knew your writing and acting skills were sharp as hell but your art just keeps getting better and better

[@ratmanmcstink]

i recommended your channel to someone a few months ago and they talked about how they still watch you. you're drawing people in and keeping them here! absolute great job on these videos :D

[@steventutein6866]

You know when Flawed Peacock starts a video walking outside it's gonna be a banger.

[@Malory-Malicious]

Wait a second… this isn’t IMSCARED a pixelated nightmare….

[@visageofeyes]

Man,, Flawed Peacock covering IMSCARED would be peak, especially with what's going on with the 2022 anniversary update and everything after that, but I can also imagine wanting to wait until it's at least mostly finished up; still would be peak though

[@chucklebutt4470]

@@visageofeyes yooo what! they're adding even more stuff to that game?

[@notbob701]

Anyone notice the Junji Ito illustration at 1:39:04? If you think about it, its SUPER appropriate to the story because the part of the manga(Tomie) that the original comes from is a story about a girl's camera revealing the true essence of this otherworldly stalker girl/monster who goes to their school. Could be a hint as to both stories' themes of one's public persona and how they protect the essences or feelings that lie underneath the mask(whether healthy or maladaptive, which are represented by Sam and Kyle respectively).

[@UselessBrakia]

It's so intriguing to me that both the new channel opening and the ending of this video both showcase a similar point, a point shown before that these ideas don't die, these concepts don't dissappear. These character don't stop existing. The beginning and end combine... Another amazing video, Flawed!!

[@m0n5a80]

A 2 hour video from Flaw Peacock is always welcome at any time of day.

[@Onyxhills]

Are you kidding me I was just going to fix my sleep schedule and I have been waiting for this one

[@dasilliestgoose]

lord...as a queer teenager thats struggled with mental illness and being bullied my whole life, love, sam was a whirlwind of emotions for me. its always held a special place in my heart for that. jeez.

[@blincey]

Dude I loved this video - the tone that you gave off the whole time (and I say this as a compliment) was like an English teacher who was genuinely jazzed about the book that they were teaching. The white board, the quips, the coming back to the 'reading on to keep moving on' joke all set such a great vibe for the video that is definitely unique. I hope you keep making more :D

[@vickaboop]

Thank you for the shout out!! So excited for the rest of the video

[@drf6377]

You're so talented!!

[@duttfisch]

The plushy looks so good! Do you have the pattern written down anywhere by chance? I'd love to give it a shot :D

[@TindraSan]

I feel so fukken bad for Brian. From his perspective, this girl he thought he could finally open up to and be himself with turned out to be some obsessive creep who put him on the highest pedestal of them all, and then upon being caught she seemingly offed herself at the spot they had gone to together. That alone is already rough. BUT THEN, 4 YEARS LATER there's suddenly news of his old high school buddy coming clean to having not only been the one behind the death of this girl Brian had felt so betrayed by, but also to have been the one actually behind all the creepy stalker shit in order to pin it on her, and Brian fukken fell of it. Nobody would blame him, obviously, but I can imagine Brian might still get caught up in the "if only I'd listened to her" kind of thinking for a time. Just... To learn that someone you'd been writing off as a bad experience at best, "that creepy-ass stalker chick" at worst, was actually completely innocent... Knowing that she spent the last days, weeks, of her life being hated the entire school and feeling so alone, and knowing he played a part in her feeling that way bc he wouldn't hear her side of the story, that's gotta feel like something akin to the ground crumbling beneath you. Again, I don't blame Brian for not giving Sam a chance to straighten things out, he's a teenage boy and a stalker is scary business nobody should have to deal with or engage with, but I know if I was in his shoes this revelation would be enough to put my ass back in therapy.

[@HarryPnass1]

This and worm girl are me new favorite channels by far. The amount of entertainment I get out of your videos is crazy I can always watch each video again

[@flawedpeacock]

I'm honored to be placed at the same caliber of Worm Girl.

[@Sweet-Summer-Abroad]

The skits, the attention to detail on the board, such a great video! I love that Kyle's drawing on the whitebeard is gazing at Brian. Same with Stacey's gaze on Sam. So good!

[@OptimisticAudience]

“We witness the events of September 11” was not something I expected to hear in this video

[@dorkydragon5055]

Welp. That thumbnail got me awake for the rest of this night shift in this 'empty' office building.

[@dontknowwhattocallmyself9453]

just to be sure you're not hearing any Toreador Marches going off in the darkness are you ?

[@Toasterstoasturface]

Oh, that Signalis vid is gonna be 🤌

[@pbnjames1655]

Im so excited that you’re going to cover “The King In Yellow” drive a lot for work so I try to listen to audiobook recordings of it but every reading that I’ve tried is so dreadfully boring. The way that you cover your subject matter is so entertaining and engaging and I cant wait to see how you like it!

[@Castorien]

And here I was -just- rewatching the Who's Lila video. "This is where we go". Truly the Floppy Lore never ends.

[@nilbog972]

My c-section incision just re-opened and I’m on bed rest so thank you for this! Love your videos to take my mind off things.

[@nubbyderg]

I can't believe he would quit the cheem like that

[@kerowob]

vis a vis bloody stacy - i wonder if this could be kyles anger manifesting as voilent thoughts. i cant believe that he wouldnt be mad at her for telling brian abt his plans even if she got his reasons for acting this out wrong. i could see her bloody specter torturing him as a symbol of what he wanted to do to her and how scary a thought like that to have is

[@KosherPancake]

Floppy, this video is great. Who could've thought that a video game analysis video would do more for me therapeutically than actual therapy. The way you spoke about masking really hit me. Thank you, dude

[@ruliak]

I'm quitting the cheam...

[@buddysgarden]

Bro's quitting the cheam.

[@MonolithicCyanTsunami]

@@buddysgardenoh my god he’s quitting the cheam…

[@bleedmagic88]

the cheam quitterrrrrr

[@leperabr.1220]

The cheam needs you!!! 😢

[@lexyinspace]

C'mon man, the cheam needs you!

[@lexyinspace]

Hey so... Not to divert away from the deep and insightful analysis of this vid but... Your art is getting better! The whiteboards are better thought out, have more organizarion, and the characters are more expressive. You can see this really well towards the end of the video with the couples board. Proud of you!!

[@asddsa8203]

44:25 Oh that's some "murder-suicide yandere" vibes right there: "I have to kill you to preserve my idealized version of you".

[@the6597]

When I read that you were covering Love, Sam, I immediately got excited! I remember watching GtLive’s play through of the game, and everything about it, the writing, drawings, plot, the twist, how it all unfolds and lines up, and of course, the scares have all stuck with me. I can vividly recall every moment of this game and I haven’t seen or really thought about it since 2019 or so.

[@thelocalhero6036]

"Where are we?" "This is where we go." What a fantastic call back, don't you agree, Lila?

[@xretr0xvirusx400]

holy shit new video just dropped. I just binged a good 90% of your videos after discovering your whopping 7 hour long "Who's Lila?" video, and then I proceeded to watch anything I could get my hands on on your channel. I love how passionate you sound about everything you talk about, it makes it so nice to listen to you. The effort you put in to your scriptwork and how the love of the work comes through when you talk and do all of these whiteboards and long form excursions into the deep parts of all of these topics really stands out to me. You have a great attention to detail and put out amazing stuff. I fully intend to keep every little detail you point out in mind, even long after your video has ended. Keep up the good work!

[@arturo0602]

great vid ! i love how you even gave a little hint toward the plot reveal with the expressions you drew on the characters lol

[@tinydwagon2795]

the opening "Ehhhaahhh!" And falling over from the ball is the most relatable thing and made me burst out laughing. I needed that, thank you for such good content.

[@doodlebrain6594]

Sam likes photography, and our stalker takes inappropriate photos. She’s gonna get framed isn’t she

[@erebusmint]

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the little warnings before scares… not enough to spoil them, just enough to prepare you! Don’t get me wrong, I love a good spook, but for content like this, the preparation is so thoughtful

[@legitimatehapp]

Regarding the part about what Kyle might be afraid of. Definitely the obvious answer is homophobia, and I think the only real hint towards that (aside from the idea of it as a trope in media that covers queer stories) is the fact that it takes place in a small town. Notably so, Sam talks a lot about how she enjoys the small town charm. Id have half a mind to wonder if that partially fueled Kyle’s anger towards her, seeing her diary where she talks about going from somewhere bigger, a city, openly progressive, to this small town that he hates, and calling it beautiful. Part of me even wonders if that perspective even influenced Brian’s “meh” response to Sam during their date. Like a “you don’t know how bad this place really is” kind of thing. At least on top of the other ways he doesn’t enjoy the town. As a queer guy in a rural town I definitely can relate to the feeling of frustration I get when people try and say that this place is “charming” and “homey” Great video! I had never heard of this game so thanks for giving it a spotlight!

[@twilightshine5264]

Also at 14:23 you unlocked a childhood memory😭 I played that game when I was like 5-6 and could never remember the name of the game until this day, so thanks for that :>

[@wysteria-hysteria]

Been a fan since the Who's Lila video, I love the dedication and in-depth analysis. I had totally forgotten about Love, Sam, and when I knew about it I didn't really take the time to appreciate it. Videos like these that go beyond surface-level are what helps me do the same when I experience (or re-experience) media on my own, so thank you for all your hard work. I know you probably have a whole long list of games and whatnot to cover already, but I want to suggest looking into the Spirit Hunter series whenever you have the time; it's a visual-novel-adventure-game hybrid series that I don't see a lot of people talk about, and I wonder if it'll pique your interest the same way it piqued mine. Have a wonderful day!

[@scottpeltier3977]

Great video per usual. But god damnit I was so hoping this story would end up as “Kyle stuck in a personal hell as Sam torments him eternally”

[@hazazelk]

Hey one huge point you missed in wondering why Kyle wasn't open about his feelings for Brian, bro it's a small town in 2006, that would NOT be a safe thing to do. Kinda feels like a weird oversight on your part tbh

[@visiblegaming7650]

You're my favorite up and coming content creator. You comedic timing, excellent script writing, skits and analysis of a multitude of genres is quite possibly the peak of my day. Fan art of the mighty Flawed Peacock coming soon

[@misteryA555]

I like that Flaw’s representation of hot, blonde, cheerleader stereotype Stacey is wearing a long sleeve button down and pants. His character design work is off the charts!

[@takumihijirihara1354]

she looks like a soccer mom lol

[@gabeś1134]

Super glad you chose to include the skits and not skip on them! As a person who doesn't read books often, be it lack of time, motivation or interest, I would *definitely* be interested in a book breakdown made by you! Loved the vid and excited for what's to come, keep it up, FP

[@sarcasticpillow7756]

I don’t watch a lot of different content creators in the field of explaining and theories because the answers aren’t satisfying in the sense that they don’t feel right or make sense, your videos are always satisfying, from the presentation and pacing to the amount of research you do is very loved by this community. It’s genuinely an honour you enjoy your work

[@sarcasticpillow7756]

I’m never dissatisfied with the conclusion of each video, that’s one thing that really make you unique, others I find I’m still looking for answers but ya never fail there!!

[@BleakBlueJay]

YO! I wanted to thank you for giving a content warning for the needles, including specifying the context they'd be used in. It's one of the more uncommon phobias to have and it was awesome to see it mentioned! That shit means the world. (And getting to know the context it's in lets me know I can still watch the video! Because I'll know they'll just be around, which doesn't trigger my phobia! Yippee!)

[@claioya5478]

hey man, I'm currently pursuing my bachelors in fashion design. Thanks for keeping me entertained and sane during my long nights in the studio! Can't remember the last time I was looking forward to every vid a creator puts out or not, no matter if I know the game or not

[@Apollo9898LP]

Man, I got a lot of mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand, it's a really good exploration of jealousy and obsession, as you said. I think on one level it treats those topics very tastefully and does a lot to explore those themes and the dangers of always framing yourself as the victim instead of taking responsibility. On the other hand, man I am so sick of the "psycho gay lover" trope. Like this crops up a lot more often than it should, where a gay character in the closet is framed as an obsessive weirdo and then goes on to commit violence, usually against women, all in the name of winning the affections of some straight man who doesn't want him. It's tired, it's played out, and even though this game uses that trope with a lot more nuance than it usually receives, I still find it very trite and boring overall. And this isn't even a complaint about the gay character being a villainous bastard, I love a good villainous bastard of a character! But as a gay guy, I'm just really tired of seeing the same old story of the gay guy obsessing over his straight best friend and it leading him to commit terrible acts because of it. It just recalls a lot of homophobic fearmongering to me about gay men being a danger to straight men, and it just irks me a lot. I also feel like weirdly the story is so split between being about both Sam and Kyle that I don't feel like either of them have a satisfying arc. Like, Sam is given this fleshed out personality and backstory largely because the game wants you to think that she's the author of the Dirty Little Secrets diary, but then once she's dead she's essentially just a prop for Kyle to lean on to finish out his character arc. And likewise the game is so focused on burying the lede on Kyle that i don't think we really start to get meaningfully inside his head until late into the game (before that his main character trait is just Unhealthily Obsessed with Brian). I've been very negative so far, so I do want to say that I think the actual GAME part of the game is very well done, lot's of interesting puzzles and some damn good scares. And the story isn't even all bad, I just wish it had made a few different choices to avoid some annoying cliches, and i wish they spent a little more time actually fleshing out Kyle as a character beyond the crime and his obsession with Brian.

[@Apollo9898LP]

@Bianca-nt3po Because the story is about him, we literally play as him, and yet we know very little about him beyond He's Obsessive and He Murdered Sam. We get hints of something deeper, the topic of addiction is brought up for instance, but it's not really used to explore the character and is more a plot device to explain the neverending nightmare framing device of the story. We also know almost nothing about Kyle's home life, his school life outside of Brian and Stacy, his hopes for the future (he seems to have none, but not in a way like that's a deliberate choice and more in a way that the author just didn't think that far). We're supposed to on some level sympathize with Kyle to make the final choice of whether or not to break out of this cycle of delusion meaningful, but the game gives us so little go off of besides his absolute worst qualities (again, his obsession and the whole murder thing) that imo it kinda makes the whole end sequence fall flat.

[@puddinpop1312]

This is the first time I'm watching you and I love how you explain everything down to the pizza in the fridge. Like others, probably, I'm listening to this in the background while I work on stuff, and i appreciate how descriptive you are!

[@millymauce]

I know this game by heart but somehow your explanation made it feel like I was experiencing this game for my very first time, which is a really good thing!! So excited for that Signalis & King in Yellow coverage whenever that happens as well, you're making great stuff dude 🙏

[@TheSleepyBear]

Hey Flawed Peacock, I just want to communicate my sincere appreciation and thanks for this little corner of the internet you have created here on your channel. Not only do I enjoy your content, but I also enjoy your candor. It is rare and welcome to find someone still so genuine and kind on social media. Best of luck in your future endeavours. Cheers!

[@solizwei4458]

Huge payoff for the “This is where we go” line in Who’s Lila. Slightly emotional.

[@boltcreature]

The "This is where we go" dream call back. Truly Flawed Peakcock.

[@cudgle1633]

You're gonna cover Signalis??? Heck yeah, I can't wait!

[@eniagomezolle2757]

I haven't even started watching the video properly yet but my heart did a LEAP when you mentioned you are going to be covering The King in Yellow. A friend of mine and I have been rambling about your Who's Lila video and how that relates Really Well with The King in Yellow for MONTHS now and if you do end up going in depth in it, I'd encourage you to try and find the little winks and nods Who's Lila's giving to it as well! After all, why would the response to the Stranger question be a quote from it? I doubt such an insightful game would only wink at it because a character named the Stranger is in it. :)

[@nanibgalthelinguophile]

watching this for the second time and now I'm thinking...Sam joked about wanting to find a place to end it, then Brian takes her to the hill, then not long after... If Brian never suspected that there was foul play...I can't imagine the guilt he would have felt, maybe thinking that he didn't take Sam seriously and that she jumped from the place he had showed her...

[@carloselfrancos7205]

I really enjoy your videos and your voice, so the reading parts are not jarring at all. Your videos are so likeable imo because they feel like they flow perfectly. One moment brings the next, the structure is sound, and it is paced exactly right. In my opinion. Which is why you made my favorite video on YT (the one on Who's Lila?) I guess I'm not the best person to give you advice, because I'm such a big fan of yours. Anyways, according to me it works perfectly.

[@Dogan_TM]

I kinda figured it out halfway through the video, but kudos to you for making me second guess myself lol Kyle living through the overdose to set the record and atone for what he did seems like a better ending, in my book.

[@sophielorenzo761]

dude i’ve been trying to remember the name of this game. i just have vague memories of watching John Wolfe play it but i couldn’t quite remember much aside from the journal and use of red. forgetting about it almost made me believe i was just making it up in my head lol. thank you flaw peacock! i love your content

[@duckey003]

I'm so excited for this surprise! I just got off work and was looking for something good to watch.

[@MarigoldMonarch]

Oh, you're covering the king in yellow? I suppose now i have a reason to pick up the pace and finish reading it, haha. Cant wait! And excellent video as always, FP! Cant wait to watch it at least 20 times

[@SoulKingVA]

Gonna listen to this on my shift tonight, thanks Flaw P.